I recently watched this with my 5 year old daughter and she was confused as to why E.T. came back to life. I thought it might be something to do with the fact that his returning colleagues were now in closer proximity (hence the red glowing heart light).
Was it ever properly explained?
I always assumed he just went into a state of deep stasis until his healing powers kicked in. Sort of an alien defense mechanism when critically injured. Or he's just his planet's version of Jesus.
shareNo, it was left up to us.
I took it that the ship returning somehow rejuvenated him. As soon as he woke back up he said "yes" when Elliot asked him, "just this mean that they are coming?"
My interpretation was that he was dying because he was separated from his species or because he was spending too much time on Earth and the atmosphere wasn't ideal for his species. He latched onto Elliot and the plant for life support to extend his stay on Earth but it was beginning to fade (and when he died the connection was gone and Elliot got better), but then when his species started getting closer he rejuvenated. I realize the film never gave us a clear answer but that's what I came up with.
shareET simply gets sick staying out all night trying to contact his family. Probably just a cold or maybe a small virus. The problem is that ET and Elliot are now telepathically linked, so ET's un-managed illness takes a larger toll on Elliot. It's not until their link is severed by being separated that Elliot can then recover quickly and then ET's space immune system can figure out how to handle the earth illness.share
Probably.
https://screenrant.com/et-extra-terrestrial-sick-died-recovered-explained/
Another theory focuses on his glowing heart. Rather than relying on a pathological explanation or recycling from other alien movies, the theory aligns with the film’s symbolism. The start of the movie showed audiences the extra-terrestrials were connected by something that made their hearts glow. This connection might have been what kept them alive, and the theory states that E.T. lost the connection while he was stranded. It logically follows that when his people returned, the repaired connection caused his heart to glow and brought him back to life, in the ending of the E.T. movie.share
The symbolism found in the geraniums was an overt sign of E.T.’s connection to other living things. The flowers mysteriously moved around throughout the film and always aligned with his health. He could have intentionally attached himself to Elliott and the geraniums, knowing he relied on a connection to his peers to survive. Unfortunately, a connection to a flower and a human boy couldn’t sustain him. Audiences have also speculated that he created the connections intentionally. Elliott did not die, but the flower did, so he might’ve released his connection with Elliott in order to save his life.
He already showed he could reanimate flowers, but he might not have had that power with humans. Thankfully, he had contacted home, and when they arrived, his heart began to glow, and he and the still-connected flower were brought back to life. In E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, which was the highest-grossing movie ever upon its release, the titular alien died because he was no longer connected to his people, but he got better after successfully phoning home because his family came back for him.
This makes sense, thanks 👍
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shareWhat everyone else said, but also thought it’s worth pointing out that humans also can flatline and then be revived.
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