Best Written Films of 2009

I’m going to take a quick break from my ongoing analysis of E.T. to give my picks for best-written films from 2009. This turned out to be a pretty good movie year. There maybe weren't any more great movies than in recent years, but it seemed like there were a lot more pretty good movies.

Of course I must make my usual disclaimers. First, these are not necessarily my favorite films, although there is a lot of overlap. Sometimes the final film doesn’t quite live up to the screenplay and sometimes bravura filmmaking can overcome a flawed script.

This year has the biggest example of that in a long time: Avatar (written by James Cameron). I think it may be the most important movie of the year and one of the top five most enjoyable. And the script isn’t actually that bad, it’s just kind of mediocre. But it’s the visuals and spectacle that make the film great, not the writing. Thus it doesn’t make this list.

Also keep in mind that although I see a lot of movies I’m not a professional critic so I don’t see every major release. The candidates are obviously limited to what I’ve seen (some notable 2009 films still on my “to see” list are Precious, Fantastic Mr. Fox and A Serious Man). Anyway, with all that said, here are my top ten:

1) Up – (story by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson & Thomas McCarthy, screenplay by Docter and Peterson) Pixar does it again. I think this is their most emotionally sophisticated and honest movie yet…and the most emotionally sophisticated and honest movie of the year. Plus it’s funny. The characters are complex and original, the story is perfect, the world of the movie is delightful, the twists and turns are unpredictable, and it’s moving and thematically deep. A wonderful script and wonderful movie.

2) Zombieland – (written by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick) A hilarious and original genre spoof, well structured with sharp characters and dialogue. Don’t go expecting a zombie movie. This is much more about the relationships among a quirky band of survivors. If you want to get deep, there’s actually some rich thematic material about the risks of connecting with other human beings. But don’t get deep. This one’s just a lot of fun.

3) (500) Days of Summer – (written by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber) Takes all the clichés of romantic comedies and makes them fresh, while reminding us why they became clichés in the first place: because they have a basis in the dynamics of real relationships. The characters are wonderfully flawed, real and relatable. Plus, it made me giggle repeatedly.

4) The Hurt Locker – (written by Mark Boal) The directing and performances make this movie absolutely rock, but the script is pretty great, too. Tense from beginning to end, it’s more laudable for its construction of suspense scenes than for the rather thin overall story. Also don’t ignore the excellent character development. If we didn’t care about these guys so much we wouldn’t feel the tension as sharply. This is as pure a visceral experience as movies get.

5) Moon – (story by Duncan Jones, screenplay by Nathan Parker) I really liked this movie, though I think it’s somewhat carried by Sam Rockwell’s amazing performance. The story develops in a tense, interesting way and the concept definitely has a high degree of difficulty. It could have ended up a cheesy, cliché-filled B-movie but they really managed to turn it into something special…starting with the script.

6) Julie and Julia – (screenplay by Nora Ephron) I think this movie was underrated. It was charming, the characters were very rich and I found it continually compelling. The Julie part of the story took some lumps from critics, but I don’t think the Julia part would be that interesting without the modern everywoman counterpoint. And combining the two stories (which come from two different books) must have been a real writing challenge. I think Ms. Ephron found the perfect balance.

7) Up in the Air – (screenplay by Jason Reitman and Sheldon Turner) This is a charming movie with some nice unexpected twists. The real strength, though, is the complexity of its characters. The light tone and humor help sell some tough thematic ideas. A well-built piece of entertainment with intelligence and heft…all too rare in Hollywood today.

8) District 9 – (screenplay by Neill Blomkamp & Terri Tatcthell) This is a smart, unexpected sci-fi film with some real thought provoking elements. I did have a little problem with the main character. I loved that he wasn’t the typical sci-fi hero, but he was such an uncompromising loser and jerk that I had a hard time rooting for him. Plus, his refusal to seek help for his obvious illness was just one of several implausible character moments. But still one of the freshest and more interesting films of 2009.

9) The Hangover – (written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore) Not the most profound movie of the year by any stretch but let’s give some love to excellent comedy writing. The set pieces are deftly constructed and it’s chock full of great jokes. Plus, the characters are all nicely distinctive, a must for an ensemble film.

10) Star Trek – (written by Roberto Orci & Alex Kurtzman) A great update of a beloved franchise that was really starting to feel archaic. I loved how the characters stayed true to their origins but were given added depth and dimension. The story is rock solid and action packed. A fine script for a big popcorn movie, another rarity in Hollywood.

There were half a dozen movies that were in contention for the number ten spot, and I want to mention just one of them that didn’t make the cut: Paranormal Activity. It’s a clever script with some surprisingly good character work that used production limitations as an advantage. But I have a sneaking suspicion it won't age well.

That’s the trouble with top 10 lists. Sometimes my opinions change with time and perspective. I noticed this list leans heavily toward movies I’ve seen recently. Is that because a lot of the best movies are released at the end of the year? Or is it because my excitement for them is just fresher? As I look back at my best for 2008, I’m surprised to see The Reader made the list (though it is at number 10). At this point I don’t remember it as being a very good movie at all.

So what does that mean? I guess it means these are, after all, just opinions.

Some meaningless stats about my top ten: Two were written by one credited screenwriter, four by a single team, and four by more than one writing “unit.” On four of the films the director also got some kind of writing credit.

And finally, worst written movie I saw this year: Public Enemies. Strange, it wasn’t an out and out screamer. Either Hollywood didn’t make many really bad movies this year or I did better than usual avoiding them (I did steer clear of Transformers 2). But Public Enemies was pretty bad. One dimensional, tedious, unbelievable (despite being based on a true story), completely unsympathetic characters and just generally pointless. It's pretensions push it to the winner's circle for my worst of the year.

E.T. Analysis Part 9 – The End of Act Two

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

In my last entry in my analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison) we were approaching the end of Act Two. E.T. and Elliot were sick and the government had just moved in and taken over the house.

The next few scenes of the movie show the government men isolating the house and setting up a medical lab. They are designed to feel oppressive and scary. This is everything Elliot feared would happen. Though not much advances in the plot here, these scenes are important for setting tone and mood. In a noteworthy counterpoint, though, we finally see Keys’ face. In this scene he’s going to become a more sympathetic character. Kind of a version of Elliot but grown up.

This sequence does not really have a lot of plot twists. Instead it’s all about maximizing the emotional impact. Very little dialogue is needed, nor is there much exposition. That’s because everything has been set up earlier. We’ve reached the point in the movie where all that groundwork is going to be paid off. This allows the movie to now focus solely on hitting us emotionally.

The scene in the impromptu medical lab starts with Elliot’s (and by extension, E.T.’s) reaction to what’s going on. Elliot shouts, “you’re scaring him,” and later, “leave him alone. I can take care of him.” When Keys talks to Elliot, Elliot at first doesn’t want to tell him what the communicator does. Elliot says, “he came to me.” These lines, in very simple, straightforward ways, are paying off the character arc that’s been developing. Finally Elliot explains what the communicator is and tells Keys that E.T. needs to go home.

At its core this is an extended scene of suspense. We watch E.T. slowly deteriorating; hoping E.T.’s people will arrive in time to save him. The references to the communicator give us that hope, but as the scene goes along it looks less and less likely the outcome will be positive.

Here’s where the doctors and scientists become useful. We can track E.T.’s deterioration through their dialogue and actions. Nurses first call out that E.T.’s temperature is dropping. A little later they shout that his blood pressure is dropping. Toward the end of the scene they note that E.T.’s blood pressure is bottoming out, and finally, in case anybody missed it, someone actually says, “we’re losing E.T.” It’s all to dramatize the ticking clock.

In the middle of this E.T. separates psychically from Elliot. Again the medical equipment helps show this: we’ve been watching an EEG monitor with parallel waves for both of them, but suddenly E.T.’s diverges. Elliot doesn’t have to explain what’s going on in cumbersome, on-the-nose dialogue. He can simply reach out to E.T. and say, “stay.” He also calls back the line, “I’ll be right here,” from the beginning of Act Two. This line serves as a symbol of Elliot’s loyalty throughout the film.

There’s also a nice bit with Mike. As things are going badly he goes to sit in the little nest E.T. had made in the closet. Character behavior is the best way to show emotion without being heavy handed. Mike’s behavior tells us exactly how he’s feeling. He goes to the closet because he wants to be close to E.T.

Mike falls asleep in the closet and awakes to see E.T.’s flowers die before his eyes. Hey, another payoff! Because the movie set up the flowers earlier, it can now use them to show E.T.’s approaching death.

The act ends with the doctors frantically trying to resuscitate E.T. while the kids watch and cry. It’s all emotion. But structurally this is the moment of Elliot’s biggest failure. It appears E.T. has died. Elliot could not save him. Sometimes the end of Act Two is referred to as the "All is Lost" moment. It sure looks that way here.

And then we’re into Act Three.

E.T. Analysis Part 8 – The Halloween Sequence

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

We’ve now reached the second half of Act II in my analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison). This is the Halloween sequence. What’s interesting is that in most movies this sequence is kind of slow and quiet. Often we deal with subplots, give the audience some time to catch their breath after the midpoint, and perhaps recap the situation in case anybody’s lost. Though E.T. does a little of all of these, this sequence is actually one of the most action packed outside of the third act. Just goes to show that each story is a unique animal.

Last time I mentioned a couple scenes of preparation leading up to this sequence. The movie continues with another scene of preparation where we see Elliot and Gertie putting on make-up as Elliot makes sure Gertie understands the plan. This is another use of scenes of preparation: if we know the characters’ plan we can tell if it’s going well or not. E.T. disguises this exposition a bit by having Elliot not trust the young Gertie, which gives him an excuse to recap.

The mission is to sneak E.T. out of the house disguised as Gertie so he and Elliot can set up E.T.’s radio and call for help. Mary becomes an obstacle here – they must get E.T. past her, thus the need for the ruse to have E.T. pretend to be Gertie in a ghost costume. This obstacle adds some drama and tension to the scene. And remember Halloween was advertised way back in the dinner table scene in Act One, so the idea that they can use costumes to overcome this challenge seems clever rather than convenient.

The movie makes this a brief but tense scene of suspense. Mary wants to take the kids’ picture in costume. Several things threaten to undo their charade: E.T. thinks Michael’s fake wound is real, he says “thank you” when Mary compliments their costumes and he falls when the camera flashes. But in the end Michael and Elliot manage to overcome all of these challenges.

There is some more fun and games with the premise here relating to E.T. not understanding Halloween – E.T. trying to heal Michael’s fake wound and shouting “home, home” when he sees a kid in a Yoda costume. We also get another ticking clock – Mary orders the kids to be back by an hour after sunset. Michael reiterates this deadline when Elliot and E.T. prepare to head for the woods. It’s a deadline Elliot will of course fail to make.

Now there are several intercutting storylines. We see Elliot and E.T. going to the woods and making the radio. There is the scene where E.T. makes Elliot’s bike fly. It’s a wonderful bit of magic that maintains the uplifting, joyous tone of the film. Tone is a subtle and important concept often overlooked by screenwriters. Remember, this is supposed to be a positive transformative experience for Elliot. As we’re moving into the more traumatic part of the movie it’s nice to be reminded of the pluses Elliot gets from knowing E.T. It also serves as preparation-in-opposition…make the character happy before delivering the bad news.

This is intercut with Mary getting more and more worried as the kids miss the deadline for returning home. And when Mary leaves to go look for them, we see Keys and his government men enter the house and search it. Danger is coming. The tension and suspense are ramping up.

Meanwhile, back in the woods, Elliot can’t get E.T. to leave his radio and come home. E.T. indicates to Elliot that he is getting sick. Elliot then tries to convince E.T. to stay with him, promising to protect him. He tells E.T. they can “grow up together.” Elliot, getting desperate, is revealing his true inner feelings. I find at this stage in movies there is often a scene where the main character finally confesses their real emotions. We also see the pull between what Elliot wants and what he knows he has to do…a crucial element of coming of age.

Note that in the mythology structure we’re in the “innermost cave.” The escape from the house and building of the radio is a “supreme ordeal” that will allow Elliot to “seize the elixir” that will allow him to finally succeed. In this movie the elixir is contacting E.T.’s alien pals. Often neither the character nor the audience knows that the elixir has been seized. The true nature of the elixir is hidden at this point. But it is the character’s emotional growth – in this case Elliot standing up and taking charge – that leads to them getting the elixir.

When Elliot wakes up the next morning, E.T. is gone. The movie cuts to the house where Mary is talking to the police. Elliot returns, looking sick. He tells Mike he has to find E.T. When Mike takes off on his bike, he realizes a car is following him and has to lose them. Elliot is getting sick, E.T. is lost and the government is about to pounce. Things are not going well as we build to the Act Two break.

Mike finds E.T. passed out in a stream and brings him back. Things have gotten out of hand. So Mike finally brings Mary up and shows her E.T. Elliot tells her that he and E.T. are “sick…I think we’re dying.” The movie is ratcheting up the stakes. This is now life and death, not just for E.T. but for Elliot. Unfortunately, Mary reacts just as they feared she would – she is disgusted by E.T. and drags the kids away. And at that moment the government men seize the house.

Things are spinning out of control as we move into the final sequence of Act Two and build toward the turning point.

E.T. Analysis Part 7 – The Midpoint

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

We’re now into Act Two in my scene-by-scene analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison). In this next section we’re going to see some more of the “fun and games” that often happens in the first half of Act Two, but we’re also going to start building to the midpoint. I’ll then look carefully at the midpoint, which spins the plot into a new direction.

We pick up the story with Elliot and Michael going to school the day after Elliot has faked being sick. There’s a brief bus stop scene where one of Michael’s friends mentions the word “extra-terrestrial” which will give E.T. his name. (Notice how Elliot’s name begins and ends with the letters E and T…a nifty little metaphorical connection between the two.) There’s also a cute girl who says hi to Elliot – a plant that will be paid off shortly.

Then we go to another brief scene back at the house where Mary hears something in Elliot’s room and goes to investigate. She almost finds E.T., but he hides by blending into a pile of stuffed animals. Just a little reminder of the risk of discovery.

Next we have a sequence where we intercut Elliot at school and E.T. exploring the house. E.T. tries beer and gets drunk, which causes Elliot to get drunk in school. In response to things E.T. sees on T.V., Elliot rescues frogs that are going to be dissected and kisses the cute girl we saw at the bus stop. This is primarily fun and games – the filmmakers are exploring the slapstick humor potential of the psychic connection between Elliot and E.T. This is called "milking" their premise.

But there are also several important things that happen subtly in these scenes to help the story along. First, there are plants for upcoming sequences – one notable example is the “Speak and Spell” game E.T. will use to build his radio. We also see E.T. getting the idea to build a radio from a long distance commercial and a Buck Rogers cartoon. Showing how E.T. comes up with his plan makes it feel organic and helps the plot flow from one sequence to the next.

The scene also slips in several little thematic bits. We have, of course, the reinforcement of the psychic connection. We also get Elliot’s first kiss. Though this isn’t really a big part of the plot or character arc, it does have nice resonance with the coming-of-age theme. I also noted when Elliot said, “save him,” while he’s looking at the frog after he gets a psychic impulse from E.T. This establishes Elliot’s need to save E.T. At this particular moment he’s transferred that need to the frogs – but then E.T. kind of looks like a frog!

Mary comes home and we get more slapstick humor as Gertie tries to introduce her to E.T. but she’s too preoccupied to notice the alien in the same room. Again, not an important plot point, but remember this movie’s supposed to be fun! The important thing that does happen in this scene is E.T. first speaks. Gertie then teaches him a few words, such as “phone,” that will be important for him to convey his plan.

Elliot and Michael return home and we see what I mark as the midpoint of the movie: E.T. explains, using the comic strip, his plan to phone home. Elliot responds, “and they’ll come.” The story has spun in a new direction – there’s now a plan Elliot needs to execute.

But that’s not all. We follow this up with the scene where Michael and Elliot are looking for material to build the radio in the garage. Elliot asks what kinds of things Michael thinks E.T. will need to make his device and Michael responds that Elliot is the genius; he’s the one with “absolute power.” In addition to calling back the earlier line this is a test on Elliot’s coming-of-age journey. He wanted to be in charge and now he has to deal with the responsibility of that.

This scene also shows Elliot and Michael reminiscing about when their father lived with them, which provides some good context for Elliot’s journey toward manhood. It reinforces Elliot's feelings of abandonment and the challenge of maintaining his relationship with his father from a distance. In the resolution of the movie we're going to see Elliot dealing with these issues when he has to bid E.T. goodbye and accept that it's the right thing even if he doesn't like it.

Another important point introduced in this scene is the idea that E.T. is getting sick. Michael comments that E.T. doesn’t look good (first we’ve heard that), and Elliot responds, “we’re fine,” ominously hinting that Elliot’s health is now dependent on E.T.’s. Meanwhile, we see the government van outside with its electronic listening equipment. The government men overhear the conversation.

The movie has just introduced two ticking clocks into the story. Elliot needs to help get E.T. home but he doesn’t have unlimited time to do it. He has to accomplish his goal before E.T. gets too sick and before Keys and his men capture E.T. The suspense has just been ratcheted up – a great thing to do at the midpoint.

In the next scene Mary reads a section of Peter Pan to Gertie in one room (the part about believing in fairies, a nice thematic complement to Elliot’s belief in E.T.), while E.T. builds the radio in the adjoining room. In this scene we see E.T.’s healing powers demonstrated when Elliot cuts his finger, and plant the word “ouch” which will be paid off in the climax. We also hear E.T.’s breathing getting raspy and see the flowers beginning to wilt – again affirming the stakes and the ticking clock.

The scene in the garage and the scene where E.T. builds the radio are scenes of preparation for the big Halloween sequence. We’re setting up the stakes – what could happen if the radio doesn’t work. In the second scene, Elliot insists, “it’s going to work!” We can see how anxious he is and sense how important this is to him. Scenes of preparation are often used to touch base with our characters’ emotions. These scenes also help us transition from the midpoint into the next section of the movie.

E.T. Analysis Part 6 – The Beginning of Act Two

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

We now come to Act Two in my scene-by-scene analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison). The beginning of Act Two is often the “fun and games” part of the movie where we explore all the fun angles of the premise. It’s also the time in the mythology structure where our hero is learning about the special world. We’ll see both of those things in this section of E.T.

We start with Mike arriving home. Elliot decides to show him E.T. We get a callback to an earlier line when Elliot demands “absolute power” from Mike.

I particularly noticed how this scene starts with some very mundane dialogue from Mike. He’s talking about another kid getting a high score on the Asteroids video game. This is a nifty example of “preparation in opposition.” Often writers use this technique to heighten an extremely sad or extremely happy event. If you’re going to deliver bad news to a character, get them in a good mood first and the news will hit even harder. E.T. often uses this technique to heighten our sense of wonder by preparing us with very mundane scenes just before something magical and alien is about to happen.

Mike is introduced to E.T., then immediately Gertie bursts in. She begins screaming and just then Mary comes home. These elements add some obstacles to the scene to give us conflict and therefore drama. Elliot is most interested in proving E.T. exists to Mike, the one who most mocked him. But he doesn’t want Mary to find out about E.T. So throwing Gertie and Mary into the scene complicates Elliot’s goal.

Once the immediate threat from Mary is overcome, Mike and Elliot have to convince Gertie not to tell on them. Here is a small example of “alternative tactics.” Elliot first tells Gertie adults can’t see E.T. (to which she responds, “give me a break”). When that doesn’t work he and Mike resort to threatening her doll. Having a character attempt to solve a problem unsuccessfully a few times gives a scene some back and forth.

It seems to me a lot of this scene is about Elliot taking charge, something he hasn’t been able to do up until now. And near the end of the scene Elliot declares, “I’m keeping him,” referring to E.T. Elliot finally has something important that’s just his.

Then we get a quick reminder of the bigger threat: a shot of Keys and his men looking down on the suburbs.

And we’re back to Elliot’s room for more interaction between E.T. and the kids. Now that the movie has defined who the allies are (Elliot, E.T., Michael and Gertie) and who the enemies are (Mary and Keys), the kids begin to learn more about the special world of E.T.

First, they focus on what E.T. is and where he comes from. In order to show that he comes from outer space, E.T. levitates some clay balls to form a solar system. This is particularly important because it’s defining E.T.’s powers. Later on in this scene he brings the dying flowers Gertie brought back to life (a “plant” that will pay off in Act Three – and sorry for the unavoidable pun!). We now know E.T. can levitate and heal. These are all the powers he will ever really have.

By setting up all of E.T.’s special abilities at this point in the movie we don’t feel cheated when he wields them in more critical moments. Imagine how you would react if E.T. suddenly shot lasers out of his eyes during the escape in Act Three. It would just feel wrong. But when he levitates the bikes we don’t question it because we know levitation is one of his powers.

(I’d like to point out something at this juncture: despite the presence of an alien, E.T. is not really a science fiction movie. It’s a fantasy. E.T.’s powers aren’t explained in any way scientifically. He’s so far advanced he can just do things that are like magic to us. Real science fiction bases the fantastical elements on real technology projected out into the future. I’ve noticed that when Spielberg tackles “science fiction” it’s most often this more magical fantasy approach.)

Finally we are reminded of the threat of Keys yet again. E.T. gets upset, Michael asks what’s wrong and Elliot says “something scary.” He goes outside and hears Keys and his men in the wilderness behind the house. They’re getting closer. It’s fun and games for now, but it’s not going to stay that way!

E.T. Analysis Part 5 – The Dinner Table Scene and End of Act I

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

I left off my scene-by-scene analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison) with the scene where Elliot first sees E.T. The next scene is Elliot going up into the woods to search for the alien where he tosses Reese’s Pieces candy about as a lure. This candy will become an important object with multiple payoffs through the rest of this sequence. At the end of the scene Elliot spots Keys looking for clues in the grass. Elliot hides from him, and then sneaks away. Instinctively he understands that Keys is potentially dangerous.

Next we have the dinner table scene. I want to spend some time on this scene because I think it’s excellent. In terms of its story purpose this is a purely expository scene. The plot doesn’t advance at all here but we learn important information and set up concepts that will be used later in the movie. Yet the scene is one of the most memorable in the early part of the movie – a rarity for a scene of exposition!

Let’s look at what the scene accomplishes:

1) It advertises Halloween. The kids talk about what costumes they’re going to wear. Halloween will be the backdrop for a major arc of action in the middle of the movie. This reference subtly points us toward upcoming events, helping grease the forward momentum of the story. Also, since the audience has been told Halloween is approaching, when the kids use their costumes to sneak E.T. out of the house it doesn’t feel too “convenient.” If there was no mention of Halloween until that scene, the timing might feel a little coincidental. I’m sure this was entirely intentional on the part of Ms. Mathison.

2) It sets up the family backstory. In this scene we learn that Mary has recently been divorced and their father has a new girlfriend. This is handled beautifully in subtext. When Elliot protests that his father would believe him about seeing an alien, Mary suggests he call his father. Elliot says he can’t because dad is in Mexico “with Sally.” Mary tries to change the subject to hide her pain, but in the end of the scene says, “he hates Mexico.” Michael gets mad at Elliot for hurting their Mom’s feelings. Without ever using the words “divorce” or “girlfriend” we completely understand the family history.

3) It establishes the danger. When Mary tells Elliot that if he sees the creature again he should call her and they’ll get someone to take it away Elliot protests that they’ll do a lobotomy or something on it. This spells out why Elliot later hides E.T. and what the danger is if they’re caught. We’re establishing the fear part of the hope-and-fear equation.

4) It introduces Gertie. She mostly just repeats what other people say, adding in a little comic relief. By showing her so unsophisticated and childish, she doesn’t threaten Elliot’s standing as our most sympathetic character.

5) The “penis breath” line. Instead of getting mad, Mary laughs. More insight into her character.

What’s the key to achieving all this exposition in an interesting scene? It seems to me the answer is conflict. It’s not new conflict – the heart of the scene is Elliot protesting again that he’s seen something amazing and nobody believing him.

But this conflict is used to motivate the expository dialogue. The Halloween discussion is first but leads nicely into this topic when Michael teases Elliot by suggesting he go as a goblin. This conflict causes the absent father to come up and gives Elliot reason to express his fear of contacting the authorities. Everything is said to justify arguments about what Elliot has seen and whether it’s real rather than characters simply saying things to inform the audience.

Think about the bad version of this scene. Mary would start crying at the table, Michael would ask what’s wrong, and Mary would say she’s learned her ex-husband went on vacation with his new girlfriend. I see that kind of on-the-nose, unmotivated dialogue in tons of bad scripts.

After this scene we have E.T. finding Elliot staked out in the back yard in the middle of the night. E.T. brings a handful of Reese’s pieces, which is their first point of connection. (Paying off that candy!) Elliot lures E.T. up into his room where they begin to communicate when E.T. mimics Elliot’s movements. Finally both get tired and fall asleep. This mirroring hints at the impending psychic connection.

This is followed by a reminder of the threat. We see Keys and his compatriots searching in the woods with lights and beeping machinery. Keys finds a stash of Reese’s pieces. The movie is really making use of that candy. This kind of planting and payoff early in the movie builds audience trust that what they're seeing is important and will come into play later.

Next we have the scene where Elliot fakes being sick to stay home from school. We get some nice planting in this scene. We see Michael back the car out of the garage and accidentally skid past the end of the driveway. Michael’s poor driving skills will be paid off in Act Three when he has to drive the van.

Once Elliot is left alone with E.T., he begins to show the alien his world. We are also introduced to things like the hiding place in the closet among the stuffed animals and how easily E.T. is scared (when the dog tries to come into the room). When Elliot goes down to get some food for E.T., he tells him “I’ll be right here,” a line that will be echoed in the finale. Notice how much is planted in these early scenes. Planting and paying off objects, ideas and dialogue helps tie the movie together.

Finally the act ends when E.T. scares himself by opening the umbrella and that causes Elliot to jump downstairs at the refrigerator where he drops the milk. We realize that the boy and the alien share a psychic connection. Their fates are now intertwined. It is the point of no return. Elliot must help E.T. or suffer the consequences. And I think it is important to note that this moment is conveyed visually, through behavior, not through some kind of expository dialogue such as, “I feel like I’m psychically connected to this little alien.”

E.T. Analysis Part 4 – The First Sequence

(SPOILERS: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial)

I’m going to continue my in-depth analysis of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (written by Melissa Mathison) by looking closely at the first sequence. I know I indicated I’d be discussing character next, but I think I’m going to hold off on that until after I’ve examined the movie sequence by sequence.

The opening shot of a movie is really important. It sets the tone and draws the audience in. It’s very important to consider the opening image when you’re writing your script. Much like in a movie, the first page of a script sets a tone in the reader’s mind.

The opening shot of E.T. is a starry night sky, which hints at the elements of wonder and outer space that are such a big part of this movie. We then tilt down to a woods and cut to the alien space ship in a clearing.

It’s crucial if you have something fantastic like aliens in your story that you introduce them early. In the first ten minutes or so we’re learning what the world of the movie is. If during this time you tell us aliens exist in this world, we believe it. But if you tell us this is the world as we know it and then introduce aliens in the middle of the movie, your movie will seem silly.

These opening scenes take care to show the aliens as non-threatening. They are small compared to the towering trees and they are shown gathering plants. We are also introduced to the aliens' heartlights and see how they are connected psychically when all the heartlights come on simultaneously. We don’t ever get a good look at the aliens in these scenes – they are kept in shadow and mist. This saves the reveal of what E.T. looks like for a better moment.

One of the shots shows E.T. looking out over the glittering lights of the suburbs. It suggests the same kind of wonder of the shot of the night sky. This and the fact that the aliens are kid size helps connect E.T. and Elliot.

Suddenly, humans arrive, roaring up in cars in a very threatening way. E.T. is separated from his friends who flee back to the ship. The first human we see is Keys. We don’t see his face but are given a close-up of his jangling ring of keys. The script I have (which is most likely a hybrid of the shooting script and a transcript) makes a big deal out of how threatening the sound of these jangling keys should be. This sets Keys out as the "hero villain" or the representative of the group of men chasing E.T. If your antagonists are a group, it's a good idea to set one apart as the primary representative of this group.

I love the way Keys is portrayed. He remains faceless but is given an identifying characteristic so we will be able to track him. The big ring of keys suggests adult bureaucracy and authority and by keeping the more human characteristics like his face hidden, he seems threatening. This is important to build tension early since he will turn out to be a fairly sympathetic guy in the end.

This bit ends with E.T. getting left behind, which is the domino that sets the story in motion.

We then move into Elliot’s house and are introduced to the key characters. We see Michael playing a role playing game with several friends. The mundane and very realistic teen dialogue grounds us in the real world after the mysterious alien opening.

We are introduced to our main character, Elliot, as an outsider in his own home. He wants to play with the older boys but can’t get their attention. Michael comments that they have to let him play for their mother. We see Elliot as an underdog, struggling for recognition. This gives him room to grow in what is a coming-of-age story and builds audience identification because we always sympathize with the underdog. I think it’s significant that throughout the movie Elliot doesn’t seem to have any friends his own age.

There is a subtle plant here as well. Elliot appeals to Michael to be allowed to play (thus singling Michael out as Elliot’s brother). Michael then refers to another boy and says Elliot will have to ask him as he is game master and therefore has “absolute power.” This absolute power phrase will be paid off later when Elliot demands that Michael give him absolute power before he reveals E.T.

Elliot goes out to wait for the pizza delivery – the price he must pay to play with the older boys. We’re then introduced to Mary, the mother of the family. She’s dancing to the radio as she cleans, and we see one of Michael’s friends make a motion to touch her butt. This introduces her as a younger, more fun, sexier character than many suburban moms. We also see through the next few scenes that she’s not really that good at enforcing discipline as the kids often ignore her commands.

These character introductions are crucial because these first impressions shape our idea of who these people are. As writers it’s important to consider how you want the audience to view your characters and craft an appropriate intro.

As Elliot returns from collecting the pizza, he hears something in the back yard and goes to investigate. This is where he throws the ball into the shed and it is thrown back out. He then runs in fear to the house. I think this is a great scene because throwing a baseball is a playful pastime. When E.T. throws the ball it’s almost like an invitation to play. But Elliot is too scared to engage yet. There are many other ways the filmmakers might have let Elliot know something was in the shed, but most would have been much more frightening.

Elliot runs into the house to tell the others. Here we see again that nobody takes him seriously. As soon as he says, “nobody go out there” the older boys immediately head outside. Upon finding E.T.’s tracks Michael explains it away as a coyote. Nobody respects Elliot’s concern.

Which is why when Elliot hears noises at two in the morning he goes to investigate by himself. This is where he goes into the garden behind the house, follows E.T.’s tracks, and finally sees E.T. for the first time. Both of them scream and E.T. flees. This is the catalyst of the movie. Elliot now knows that what he saw is no coyote.

The sequence ends with Elliot looking after the fleeing alien in wonder. I think this is important to keep us from becoming too afraid of E.T. This is not a horror movie after all!

So to summarize, this first sequence has effectively introduced us to most of the major characters (Gertie being the big exception probably because she’s even younger and smaller than Elliot and they didn’t want that to weaken his introduction as the underdog of the family); established that aliens exist but that otherwise this world is very much our world; and introduced the main tension by showing E.T. getting stranded and his first encounters with Elliot.

We the audience are now sympathetic to both Elliot and E.T. We wonder what will happen to E.T. and are worried about the scary men pursuing him. And we expect (partly because of our familiarity with story conventions) that these two underdogs will be forming a bond.