10 Time We Absolutely Believed The Movie Hero Was A Goner

We are conditioned from an early image to believe the hero of any story can survive any ordeal, no matter what.

But for many, E.T. – The Extra-Terrestrial was the first time we really thought the titular character wasn’t going to make it. When the loveable alien becomes noticeably ill halfway through the movie, we assume at first he's going to pull through.

But when his discoloured body is discovered near a waterway, most viewers' first thought is that he's already dead. Although he's proven to be alive when he's transported back to Elliott's home, his pale complexion and fragile appearance gives the impression he has hours, maybe minutes left to spare.

When the plants he revived earlier begin to die, his grisly fate appears all the more certain. So, when E.T.'s heart stops and the doctors fail to revive him with a defibrillator (which is traumatising to watch), you have no choice but to accept he's gone for good.

As haunting and genuinely distressing as this whole sequence is, it's all worth it since it makes E.T.'s resurrection at the end all the more joyful. When you see Elliott burst into uproarious laughter upon seeing his friend is okay, you can't help but smile.