E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial is one of the most iconic space films. In the film, E.T. is accidentally left on Earth by his fellow aliens after being discovered in the garage of Elliot’s house, which is near the forest where the mothership landed. When they meet, E.T. and Elliot are afraid of each other. But later, they become close friends, and Elliot is determined to help E.T. get home in space.
These space films belong under the science fiction genre. They focus on what mysteries are hidden within space. Science fiction films speak of aliens, unknown planets, and trips to the moon, or intergalactic warfare. Through these themes they take the viewer on a journey to what could be beyond our understanding in the massively of outer space (Business Insider, 2013).
The first space film that appeared on the big screen was Le Voyage Dans La Lune (A Trip to the Moon) in 1902 (Cornea, 2007; Geraghty, 2009). It is a short film about a group of astronomers who travel to the moon and explore its surface. They also find inhabitants of the moon, and after the inhabitants attack them, they catch one inhabitant to take it back to the Earth. The idea of outer space and aliens was not new when E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial appeared in 1982, but the domain of space films has changed considerably around this time (Cornea, 2007).