We never got a sequel to Steven Spielberg’s classic E.T., and that’s probably for the better. Best to leave some things alone. However, if you tuned into the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade yesterday morning you may have seen the closest thing to a sequel we’re ever going to get in a commercial for Comcast’s Xfinity service.
Henry Thomas returns as Elliot, who is reunited with E.T. when the Reese’s-loving alien returns for a visit. What unfolds is a charming, tear-jerking walk down memory lane, but also the future as Elliot introduces his two kids, who go on to love E.T. just as much as their father did as a child.
Is it a cynical play on our emotions by a corporate entity (Comcast and Universal came together on this) just looking to make a quick buck this holiday season? I mean…yeah? Of course it is. But is it also effective? You damn right. This is pretty terrific, and according to Thomas it went forward with Spielberg’s blessing…
“The audience is going to get everything they want out of a sequel without the messy bits that could destroy the beauty of the original and the special place it has in people’s minds and hearts…Looking at the storyboards, I could see exactly why Steven [Spielberg] was really behind it. Because the integrity of the story isn’t lost in this retelling.”
[Deadline]
