Do you remember having ridiculously fond memories watching a movie as a kid, only to watch that movie as an adult and sadly have those memories erased?  Some films, such as Star Wars, never get old.  Others (here’s looking at you, live action Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) simply don’t stand the test of time.  It’s been so long since I’ve seen E.T. that I’m not sure which category it falls under.  The story of an imaginative boy meeting a lost alien and helping him find his way back home before government agents can capture him doesn’t hold the same appeal to me as an adult as it did when I was a kid.  However, it definitely is a part of my childhood, and here are a few things I remember fondly:

• E.T. is one of the few movies my parents took me to see at the theater.  The Empire Strikes Back was the first.
• I cried when E.T. was dying.
• When E.T. is turning white he always reminded me of a popsicle that had all the juice sucked out of it until it was just white ice.
• My cousin started calling me Elliot because I bore a striking resemblance to Elliot.  I was only a few years younger than he and even had the same red hoodie that he wore throughout the movie.  Most impressive was the John Fogerty mop-top I was sportin’.
• I had a slight crush on Elliot’s mom (Dee Wallace).  Don’t ask me.  I can tell you one thing for sure – that haircut doesn’t stand the test of time!

For those of you who are still huge E.T. fans, I have great news for you – it’s finally being released on Blu-ray, complete with 7.1 Surround sound and hours of bonus features. Now one thing I can say that really annoyed me was when Steven Spielberg re-released the film a few years back and removed the shotguns from the policemen and replaced them with walkie talkies.  I hate when directors pull these shenanigans.  Do you hear me, George Lucas??  I don’t care what your fancy editing says, HAN SOLO SHOT FIRST!

Anyway, I’m happy to report that this does indeed to appear to be the original theatrical version of E.T.  Watch the trailer below and you’ll see that the officers are holding shotguns and not digitally added walkie talkies (which is an incredibly stupid name, if you think about it).

So what do you think, should I check out this Blu-ray release?  Does E.T. stand the test of time?  Or is this a childhood memory that should be left intact?

For more info on the Blu-ray and all the special features it contains, check out this official press release.

The Blu-ray will be released in October 2012.

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