1984 Directed by John Carpenter
An alien takes the form of a young widow's husband and asks her to drive him from Wisconsin to Arizona. The government tries to stop them.
I loved everything about Starman, from the beautiful theme composed by Jack Nitzsche to the inclusion of The Voyager Golden Record, the Saturn-like appearance of the spaceship, the special effects, Karen Allen! Jeff Bridges! Charles Martin Smith! John Carpenter going full helicopter enthusiast!
This was probably the first time I have been emotionally moved by a John Carpenter film (yes, I cried...a couple of times...), but I also laughed, became tense during climatic scenes despite knowing things were going to turn out okay, but that's great filmmaking, isn't it? The ability to take a rather predictable, formulaic [albeit solid] script and turn it into cinematic gold. J♥hn Carpenter, how I love you and your craft.
If I'm being completely honest,…
'Starman' is a revenant story, a ghost story, a story born out of grief and loss, and the reintegration of what was lost back into a life made new and strange. It is a story about Stockholm Syndrome pre-loaded. 'Starman' is a noir posing as a romance posing as a sci-fi film. It is the story of the outlaw on the lam from the authorities who hides in the home of the grieving widow and takes her on the road with him in her car to safety (across the county/state/country/planetary line). In this story, the grieving widow tends to (righfully) fear the (misunderstood) outlaw who generally points a gun at her after she points a gun at him until they…
Me thinking back to last year when I watched Midnight Special: "Ohhhhhhhhhh........ok. Just call it Starboy then."
In a very alien sort of way, I think I'm going to absorb a half a star from Midnight Special and add it to this instead.
Love is... um... it's when you care more for someone else than you do yourself.
-Jenny Hayden
I never notice Starman on any John Carpenter "best of" lists but it surely deserves to be on at least a few. Not only is it a great film but it showcases Carpenter's talent as a director in a different light then what his fans are accustomed too. Even though the film is most assuredly science-fiction, it's still Carpenter's biggest attempt at real drama and it succeeds in spades.
Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon's script was in limbo for a few years because the studio thought it was too similar to E.T.. Dean Riesner attempted to rewrite the script while working with…
Such a lovely film. It seems as though the entire thing is based around learning processes and it's amazing when one realises that this is a Hollywood film which is wholly about life and the rekindling of hope - for a better future - rather than destruction and death. It's strange to see a film that's so optimistic from Carpenter.
i was a total mess from the moment this started. if i so much as see a picture of that voyager record i start to cry, and this whole movie is so emotional that i never got a chance to stop. it surprised me at first that Carpenter made such a touching movie, but then i thought of THE THING and remembered what a master emotional manipulator he is. ending on a shot of Karen Allen's face instead of the sky was an incredible choice. Karen Allen was an incredible choice. i took off half a star because this is so good but i don't know if or when i could handle going through watching it again. this lil review sucks but i don't know what else to write because you can't type out the sound of weeping, and analyzing how or why it works would be silly for me to do.
related: www.radiolab.org/story/91520-space/
Jeff Bridges plays an ET that takes the form of a dead guy. He walks like a robot and looks at shit like he's a bird. Still, it's pretty good.
I wish John Carpenter was still making films, not that he’s dropped off the radar, he’s been touring for his albums lost themes and lost themes 2, both of which are an example of just how talented this man is. Starman is a departure for Carpenter, sure it’s got science fiction and action in it, but at its core this is a romance, and it’s a damn good one.
Answering a NASA message intended for aliens, a space being tries to contact mankind, but an American missile grounds his ship. Scrambling, the so-called Starman (Jeff Bridges) inhabits the body of a late Wisconsinite and kidnaps the dead man's widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). Determined to reunite with a vessel from…
John Carpenter is one of my all-time favorite filmmakers, I’m trying to fill in the blanks I have in his filmography. ‘Starman’ was written by the screenwriters who went on to write ‘Stand by Me,’ which is one of my all-time favorite King movies. Undeniable musical genius, Jack Nitzsche, scored it. This man was a key member of Phil Spector’s Wrecking Crew, The Rolling Stones and Neil Young’s studio band, he also scored ‘The Exorcist’ and ‘ One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’ Michael Douglas was on as producer. You have to wonder what was in the water on this move set.
An orb comes from outerspace and uses a picture book to give birth to a young Jeff Bridges,…
Watched this with my daughter - her first viewing. As the credits rolled, she said to me "I think you're from his planet."
A sweet, tender & heartwarming portrait of love & sympathy, Starman offers John Carpenter an avenue to try his hand at romance and though it comes pierced with elements of sci-fi, the film functions as a surprisingly warm & thoroughly human love story led by a wonderful chemistry between its two leads.
The story follows a young widow who is grieving the recent loss of her husband. Her life soon spirals out of control when an alien, who's visited Earth to establish first contact after intercepting the Voyager 2 space probe, crash-lands near her house, takes the form of her deceased husband, and asks for her help while being hunted by the government.
Directed by John Carpenter, the film marks a new territory…
"Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you?"
Constantly gorgeous & full of love & wonder, powered by a softness I wasn't aware Carpenter was capable of. Any complaints I might have about this are overridden by the fact that changing anything about this might compromise the constant romantic tone Carpenter drenches every scene in.
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