It's a testament to just how far ahead of its time "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" was that its special effects still hold up 20 years later.

Less surprising is the fact that Steven Spielberg's magical science-fiction blockbuster holds up in several other areas, retaining its power to captivate, thrill and touch us some two decades after it was originally released. It's also a better — no, make that far better — movie than nearly everything else that's currently in theaters. (The 20th anniversary re-release of "E.T." arrives in 10 Salt Lake-area theaters today.)

For the re-release, Spielberg has made some changes to the film, which details the friendship between 8-year-old Elliott (Henry Thomas) and the title character, an alien visitor to Earth who becomes separated from others in his "landing party," and who is being sought by government operatives.

But here are some enduring things that longtime fans will probably fondly remember:

• "E.T., phone home!"

• A very young — and very funny — Drew Barrymore, playing Elliott's younger sister, Gertie.

• E.T. hiding from Elliott's mother by hiding among Gertie's stuffed toys in the closet.
  Story continues below
• The magical bike-riding, or, to be more accurate, flying sequences — one with Elliott and E.T. superimposed against the moon, the other with Elliott, his brother Michael (Robert MacNaughton) and three friends superimposed against the setting sun.

• The title character's love for a very specific brand of candy that is still sold today.

• The sound of jangling keys signifying a menacing government operative (Peter Coyote's character, who actually winds up becoming sympathetic).

And some things they may not remember:

• The references — some direct, some oblique — to the "Star Wars" films (including a trick-or-treater dressed as Yoda) and some of Spielberg's own work (such as a silly "Jaws" gag).

• A very young C. Thomas Howell, playing one of Michael's friends, and young Erika Eleniak, who plays a schoolmate that Elliott kisses while "intoxicated."

• The voice of actress Debra Winger, uncredited, as the title character.

• The eerie resemblances between John Williams' sparse, effective score and some of Bernard Herrmann's classic movie themes.

Then there's the much-touted, "never-before-seen" footage, which amounts to about five minutes' worth of material — some of it fun (a bit where E.T. weighs himself and plays in the bathtub) and some of it unnecessary (a scene showing Halloween vandalism).

As for the much-discussed "editorial changes," only one line of dialogue has been redubbed ("You're not going as a terrorist," changed to the more innocuous "You're not going as a hippie"). And unless you're looking for it, most audiences probably won't even really notice the rifles that have been digitally altered to become walkie-talkies.

Actually, the biggest difference in the effects is that some of E.T.'s facial movements have been made smoother by digital alterations, and his expressions are easier to discern.

The 20th anniversary re-issue of "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" is rated PG for scenes of peril and mild menace, and scattered use of profanity (mostly religiously based) and some crude slang terms and insults.

---

E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com