Starman

Movie Name: Starman
Year of Release: 1984
Director: John Carpenter
Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Phalen, Tony Edwards, John Walter Davis, Ted White
Genre: Sci-Fi, Drama
Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 8
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Synopsis and Review:

The story behind the making of "Starman" is quite colorful, considering all the talent who almost directed the film itself, names such as Adrian Lyne, Tony Scott, John Badham, before producer Michael Douglas eventually settling on John Carpenter. Carpenter at a time was on a fantastic streak, coming off "Escape from New York", which was followed by "The Thing" and the Stephen King adaptation, "Christine". Written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, who also wrote Rob Reiner's Stephen King adaptation, "Stand by Me", the film follows the story of Jenny Hayden, a recent widower. One night while sleeping, she's oblivious to the fact that not very far from her cabin in Wisconsin, an alien spacecraft crash landed. This ship, with a sole occupant, was on a scouting endeavor prompted by the launch of a space probe years earlier. This occupant reaches Jenny's cabin, and uses one of the locks of hair from her recently deceased husband, in order to clone him, and reach out to his companions, in hopes of being rescued. As Jenny reluctantly agrees to accompany him to Arizona, the Starman learns what truly means to be human, the same way Jenny finds a way to recover from her loss. 

"Starman" which at the time of the project's early conception was deemed too similar to Steven Spielberg's "ET" (both feature aliens who are stranded on Earth), definitely veers in a direction of its own. While both films highlight the destructive nature of humankind, particularly towards everything and everyone that is different, "Starman" offers a more relationship driven approach to the topic (whereas "ET" veered towards a more childlike exploration of friendship and tolerance). The journey of the Starman, in reaching his destination, is ultimately about uncovering what humanity is all about, something that is echoed in the rebirth experienced by Jenny, after being left alone and devastated by the death of her husband. It's a film that perfectly marries the grandiose aspect of sci-fi, with the intimate aspect of the relationship that is established between those two characters. Jeff Bridges is perfectly cast as the central character, embodying the awkwardness of finding himself in a strange body, in a strange world, dealing with all sorts of emotions that are alien to him. It's a grounded and joyful performance, one that has been copied many times since, but without the glimmer, uniqueness and authenticity he always brings to all his performances. The supporting cast is equally strong, with the underrated Karen Allen creating a wonderfully wounded, but finally hopeful Jenny, the same going for Charles Martin Smith. The film is definitely a perfect example of how the always terrific John Carpenter, creates narratives that are uniquely his, where his heroes are always somewhat lost and in potentially hostile ground, and yet, manage to overcome their challenges and vanquish their odds. The cinematography from Donald M. Morgan is impeccable as is the score from Jack Nitzsche. A great film always worth revisiting.