Its funny how unlike the Star Wars films the ‘Special Edition’ E.T. has not been overly criticized by the public, at least not to that level. Yes it wasnt without its controversies and has fans who dislike it but there was never a high level of fan bickering over which version was better. Probably because Spielberg was nice enough to include both cuts, in perfect DVD quality and anamorphic widescreen, when E.T. was first released to DVD. I dont think this was Spielberg attempting to rewrite history and have this cut replace the original (he wouldnt have included both cuts otherwise). I think it was more like what Lucas had initially claimed the SW SE’s were. A treat for the 20th anniversary allowing fans to see it again and to enhance things that couldnt be perfected at the time. However in Spielbergs case that WAS what the 20th Anniversary of E.T. was. Thats probably partly why that although I prefer the theatrical cut Ive never minded the ‘second’ E.T. and still dont. Yes Im glad the originals back in the spolight, as it should be, but I dont mind having this cut exist as well.