12 Things You Probably Never Knew About E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Don't we all, Steven. To coincide with E.T.'s 20th anniversary, Spielberg released an extended version of the film that included previously deleted scenes and the alteration/addition of special effects. The director claimed that certain shots from the original had bothered him for years and sought to right them with this new and improved cut, though it was a decision that he ultimately came to regret:

"There's going to be no more digital enhancements or digital additions to anything based on any film I direct. When people ask me which E.T. they should look at, I always tell people to go back to the '82 version."

Spielberg cut a number of abandoned scenes back into the film, though the one featuring Harrison Ford as the principal was not one of them, with the director deciding that it would reshape the film too drastically. It wasn't new scenes that turned out to be the problem for Spielberg, however, it was his messing with existing ones.

He was criticised for editing the iconic chase scene, replacing the guns being carried by the federal agents with harmless walkie talkies. As detractors called it political correctness gone mad, Spielberg began to see the error of his ways and vowed to stop altering his pre-existing work. Still, at least it wasn't as bad as the Star Wars special editions. Han shot first, people.