Give me a break. D.A.R.Y.L. is nothing like E.T.
- E.T. is an alien from outer space. Daryl is a robot, created by a military contractor.
- E.T. accidentally ends up with a single parent family in the suburbs after being left behind. D.A.R.Y.L. ends up with a childless married couple in the suburbs after being deliberately taken from the facility where he was created and put out on his own.
- In E.T., the adult mother doesn't know about E.T. until very near the end. In D.A.R.Y.L., he is taken in by adults.
- E.T.'s true nature is known by the audience and those that meet him from the very beginning. Daryl's true nature is hidden until almost halfway through the movie.
- E.T. knows where he comes from the whole time. Daryl has profound memory loss at the start of the movie.
- E.T., who is assumed to be older than those who take him in, learns to interact with humans at the equivalent of a 4 year old. Daryl, who is younger than those who take him in, interacts with humans at genius level - and actually as to hold himself back to fit in.
- E.T. develops a psychic bond with Elliot to the point that they begin to act like one another. Daryl doesn't understand how his friend feels other than in comparison to his own feelings.
- E.T. becomes ill due to exposure to the elements. Daryl ejects out of a jet and nearly drowns in a lake.
- E.T. provokes his own temporary death in order to break the link with Eliot and save his life. The doctors have no idea how to save him. Daryl fakes his own death in order to escape capture. His ally, a doctor, knows exactly what to do to bring him back.
- E.T. makes his escape on an ordinary bicycle he causes to fly with his mental powers. Daryl uses his advanced learning and understanding of computers to steal a top secret high tech air force jet.
- In E.T., the military wants to capture the alien and study it. In Daryl, once he is recovered, the military wants to scrap the project and destroy him.
- In E.T., a member of the military sympathizes with him and lets him go at the last minute. In Daryl, two of his creators aid him, work against the military.
- In E.T., the alien goes home and leaves the family. In Daryl, the robot has left his home and goes to live with the family that took him in.
Sure, there are similar elements, but every similar type of story will share common traits.
It's the same with horror movies (bogyman preys on people who die having sex and going up the stairs when they should be running out the front door to get help).
Action movies all have the hero who takes down 60 guys with barely a flesh wound.
Romantic comedies all have the guy or girl about to be married to someone incompatible. He or she then meets someone with home he or she has everything in common. They fall in love, but a misunderstanding drives them apart. Everything is explained at the end and they end up happy together.
Even the comparison to A.I. isn't a valid one. In A.I.. the robot child is a replacement for a son who it is believed will never recover and leave the hospital. When the son does recover, the robot is abandoned. In D.A.R.Y.L., the couple who take him in love him unconditionally, despite finding out about his true nature and despite the potential trouble might come knocking some day if they continue to have him in their home.
However, if you want a real comparison, both A.I. and D.A.R.Y.L. are really retreads of Pinocchio. Both are human created boys who pretend to be real, end up on their own, learn human nature from bad behavior and nearly drown in water. In their journey, the end up putting on some form of talent show (Pinocchio ends up in the puppet show, David ends up in the robot circus, Daryl plays an exceptional game of baseball) In the end, they become essentially human with the help of a woman who gives them a second chance.
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