E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

An unbreakable bond develops between an alien left alone on Earth and the young boy who discovers him.

Elliot, a Los Angelean boy coming to terms with his parents' separation, strikes up a friendship with E.T., an alien who is abruptly separated from their own kind when their spaceship is forced to make a quick exit from Earth. With the government drawing increasingly closer, Elliot bands together with his brother and sister, vowing to help E.T. and keep them a secret.

Emblematic of Gen-X, but connecting with kids throughout the past forty years – most recently as inspiration for Stranger Things (2016–) – E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a bonafide family classic.

Although many will remember the film for its iconic lines ("E.T. phone home") and the lasting images of BMX silhouettes against a night moon, at the heart of the film is a son chastised for not empathising with his mother, before befriending a mostly non-verbal alien who we're told can't read minds, but can read feelings.