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.

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/

Sets the stage for Dougie Jones

The story of a peaceful alien who comes to Earth looking to make contact and discovers that most humans suck...not all, but most

I've watched this four times now since seeing it for the first time a few years back. This is not only Carpenter's best by far, it is legitimately a Top 100 film of all time for me now. What a crushing masterwork. Karen Allen's performance and aura in this film compares to the mystic humanism and longing I feel listening to the music of Kate Bush. I'm just baffled now that, although I was aware of this film for many years before getting around to it, I neglected it simply because I assumed it was some silly comedy that was built from the storyline of David Bowie's song, which would also absurdly punctuate the film's soundtrack.

-- not creepy at all

Top film. Nostalgie, voor het eerst gezien toen in ongeveer 12 jaar was. De 'bollen' vond ik toen enorm vet en fascinerend.
Prachtig verhaal over liefde, verwerking van verdriet, ontdekking en de mensheid in zijn algemeenheid.
Jeff Bridges speelt de pannen van het dak! Alsook Allen, die een dijk van een performance neerzet.

Such a sweet, gentle, optimistic film, and the reason it works so well is because of how utterly wonderful Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen are together. You completely buy into the fact that not only is Jeff Bridges an alien, with his twitchy movements and constantly curious expression, but also that Karen Allen is slowly but surely falling in love with him. Really difficult to do without it seeming either cheesy or ridiculous, especially considering the film starts with him effectively kidnapping her at gunpoint (at least from her perspective) but both play every step of their relationship perfectly. There's certainly some badly dated effects in this and Starman's failing health near the end is too rushed, but the central love story works like a charm.

- Now, tell me again how to say goodbye.
- Kiss me.

Jeff Bridges is so fucking good in this movie. So good. I just wish it wasn't one of these 80's family-friendly sci-fi snoozefests, like Cocoon. Solidly directed, but without surprise or excitement. People call this a love story like that's a good thing.