Star Man (1984)

Directed by: John Carpenter | 123 minutes | romance, science fiction | Actors: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Phalen, Tony Edwards, John Walter Davis, Ted White, Dirk Blocker, MC Gainey, Sean Stanek, George ‘Buck’ Flower, Russ Benning, Ralph Cosham, David wells

John Carpenter had already established his name as a genre filmmaker in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Movies like ‘Halloween’, ‘The Fog’, ‘Escape from New York’ and ‘The Thing’ placed him firmly in the horror/action movie corner. So it’s not surprising that he wanted to push his limits and went full for the science fiction romance ‘Starman’ (incidentally, he was not the first choice of the Sony, which in a bizarre move swapped the script of ‘Starman’ for ‘ET The Extra terrestrial’). The film, which you might actually consider ‘ET for adults’, has perhaps become his most accessible film. The film was more successful in America than abroad, but this sci-fi romcom still didn’t break any records. Still, this movie with Karen Allen (who we really haven’t seen enough of in movies) and Jeff Bridges is still worth watching.

Jenny (Karen Allen) is a young woman who recently lost her husband (Jeff Bridges) in a tragic accident. At the beginning of the film, we see her trying to drown her sorrows while watching old video films in which she and her beloved Scott are still unaware of the doom that is approaching. The message ‘enjoy every day like it’s your last’ is delivered so subtly.

That same night – Jenny has already gone to bed – an alien spaceship approaches Earth. The ship intercepted the Voyager Golden Record from Voyager 2. This record (which actually exists) contains images and sounds selected by NASA to give possible extraterrestrials an impression of the diverse life on Earth. On board the ship is actually a friendly-minded alien entity, who plans to make contact with humanity. The US government gets the ship on radar and immediately decides that it is a hostile intruder. The ship is shot down, but the alien survives the attack. He lands near Jenny’s house – located in Wisconsin – penetrates there, “looks” around and with the help of a tuft of Scott’s hair and the video footage he creates a human form of himself.

Witnessing the rapid development from infant to adult ‘Scott’, Jenny is – understandably – terrified. She becomes unconscious and when she regains consciousness the alien (again played by Jeff Bridges) has kidnapped her. He wants her to take him to Arizona – a journey of about 2,750 kilometers – where the entity will be picked up by ‘his’ planetmates. What follows is a road trip, in which Jenny’s fear and disgust are slowly transformed into affection and finally love. And the great thing is that her feelings are reciprocated.

‘Starman’ has a lot of light-hearted scenes, mostly consisting of the joke that Jeff Bridges’ character has to adopt the habits of the people. He learns quickly, yes, but not all the examples he gets are as truthful. That makes for funny situations. However, his playing is not only comical, but also moving and you can all credit that to Bridges. Not for nothing did he receive an Oscar nomination for this film.

The film is at its strongest when it comes to the growing bond between Jenny and ‘Scott’. The scenes where we see the deputies of the government catching up with them are less interesting. Nice credit to Carpenter, who shows here that he can handle scenes in which feelings are more important than special effects or gore. And also note Jack Nitzsche’s wonderful score, which gives the film a supportive emotional layer.

‘Starman’ is a film about grieving, pushing your boundaries and unconditional love. But there is an even deeper layer to it: humanity’s eternal urge to understand and control everything. You should hold your breath if extraterrestrial life is actually discovered. Can we collectively respond to that in the right way? The story may be simple, but the whole is really more than the sum of its parts and makes ‘Starman’ a sweet, heartwarming film with an unparalleled Jeff Bridges.