In the DVD re - release of ` ` E.T . '' , Spielberg switched out the rifles held by the soldiers with walkie - radios . Spielberg himself even admitted he regretted making the changes . In the 30th - anniversary Blu - ray edition of the film , those walkie - talkies are no more .
In the 2002 re-release of `` E.T . '' Steven Spielberg switched out the rifles held by the police with walkie-talkies . Spielberg himself even admitted he regretted making the changes . In the 30th-anniversary Blu-ray edition of the film , those walkie-talkies are no more .