Starman

Starring: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith, Richard Jaeckel, Robert Phalen, Dirk Blocker, M.C. Gainey
Directed by: John Carpenter
Rating: PG
Genre: Science Fiction
1984

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: A woman (Karen Allen) is stunned when she meets an alien (Jeff Bridges) who has taken on the likeness of her deceased husband. She reluctantly joins him on a cross-country adventure.

Review:

Tim: I really enjoyed Starman (primarily because it's a good movie, but also) because it feels like such an oddity. John Carpenter had firmly established himself- directing films like Halloween, The Thing, and Escape from New York. So, a science fiction romance drama feels just a bit out of character. The other oddity here is that the movie itself is pretty weird- a woman slowly falls in love with an extraterrestrial who looks like her deceased spouse. That's... not an expected plot. This movie just feels so unique, so unexpected, it's hard not to get drawn into it.

The relationship at the heart of the film is so interesting. What would posses a woman to fall in love with an alien? The movie spends a significant amount of time exploring how their relationship developed, but I still didn't fully buy it. Carpenter likely intended the relationship to be what it looks like on the surface, but the idea that the alien looks like her husband gives this aspect of the film a darker undertone. How much of her feelings were pure love for this alien, verses how much of it was a product of grief? The movie doesn't dive deep into this, but it feels impossible to watch this film and not wonder. I actually loved that ambiguity- you can watch this movie as a slightly odd love story, or you can wonder how much of this woman's actions and feelings come from a place of deep trauma. It makes the story take on many more shades of gray.

The film is helped immensely by the cast. Jeff Bridges is a standout as the starman. His performance is odd, off-putting, at times, inhuman. It couldn't have been easy to play an alien in a human body, but Bridges does about as good of a job as humanely possible. His performance is weird, grating at times, but that's likely very intentional. Watching him in this film, you can't help but be impressed. Bridges is so good, he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. I don't think he really had a chance to win, but this accolade is well-deserved. It was the film's only Academy Award nomination. Karen Allen was so good, too. Her role was critical, as she's the audience's surrogate in this story. From the initial horror, to the incredulity, to the softening of her heart, to kindling love- Allen has to convey a wide range of emotions and she does so effectively. She has good chemistry with Bridges and the two make for a nice team. Their relationship and their interactions on screen is really the majority of the movie. Charles Martin Smith and Robert Phalen add nice supporting performances to the film. I loved seeing Dirk Blocker and M.C. Gainey in small roles, too.

Carpenter tackles this story with drive and ambition. There's several impressive sequences- this movie has more large explosions than nearly any romantic film I've ever seen. Carpenter never loses sight of the love story, even as the movie shifts into chase mode. We get a lot of action, some thrilling sequences, but this is first and foremost a drama. I'd say this is true, even more than the science fiction angle. No, we never lose sight of the fact that this is an alien visitor for a second- the movie never lets us forget, and Bridges is always there with his unexpected performance to remind us. It's impressive how Carpenter weaves these different genres together to form something that stands alone.

Now, as much as I did thoroughly enjoy this movie, I don't think it quite gets as emotional as it needed to. I never actually cared about the alien. Bridges' performance might feel appropriate, but it doesn't really endear his character to the audience. I wasn't rooting for the government goons, but I never felt truly invested in this alien, or in the relationship he has with the Earth woman. It might be too much of a leap for us to truly become invested in this, or maybe the approach to the characters and story kept us at a certain distance. This feels like the weakest part of the film and a true flaw.

Even with that, what Carpenter did with Starman is impressive. This is a film that almost feels like it shouldn't exist, or if it does exist, it shouldn't be this good. Carpenter proved he can do far more than horror (which was always true) and this film stands out as an especially memorable one.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend:
Halloween, Alien Nation, Arrival, The Thing