download the new version E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

You see things like a slightly tweaked design for E.T.'s spaceship, for example, and a brighter starfield in the night sky. The 20th anniversary of E.T. is, in many respects, a simple visual effects update, calling on Industrial Light and Magic to up the level of detail in some shots, improve the compositing in others, and generally fill in certain visual setbacks that 1982 technology couldn't accommodate. So, why has the special edition of E.T. all but vanished 20 years later? Because Spielberg himself was disappointed, not so much in the film, but in himself.

This was, the marketing at the time suggested, the definitive version of E.T., with better visual effects, new scenes, and more to love about one of the most successful and acclaimed family movies of all time.

The anniversary re-release got a star-packed world premiere, complete with a live orchestra performance conducted by John Williams himself, and fans who were paying attention at the time no doubt remember the endless TV ads for the re-release that showcased the updated version. The 20th anniversary 'special edition' of E.T. arrived five years after the Star Wars special editions, and was greeted with similar fanfare.

Saturday, we take a look back at what exactly happened with those tweaks to commemorate the film's 40th anniversary. the Extra-Terrestrial now available to stream on Peacock, and airing this weekend as part of a mini-marathon on SYFY from 12 p.m. Twenty years ago, he tried to tweak it for a special anniversary edition, and lived to regret it. the Extra-Terrestrial, his remarkable sci-fi family film about children reeling from their parents' divorce who forge a life-changing friendship with an alien creature stranded on Earth. Forty years ago, Steven Spielberg released E.T.

Download the new version E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial