Starman

Rating:
Summary: A classic
Review: I used to hate it when my dad made us watch this movie, I thought it was so stupid. I didn't understand it at all. But as I got older, it started to make more sense to me. It is a very sweet movie. I think it's pretty original, also. Definitely worth seeing!

Rating:
Summary: An all time classic in Sci-Fi
Review: From the moment I first saw this film in the '80's, I knew it would be one of my all time favorites. This is a film that does deliberately tug on your heartstrings, but you appreciate it in the end, rather than feel you were manipulated. It is an emotionally endearing film with standout performances by Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. Bridges deservedly received a Best Actor nomination for his role here, but the understated beauty of Allen's performance deserves special mention. At first she is the frightened widow who meets Bridges' alien in her living room. Then she becomes the reluctant hostage as they drive cross country to his rendezvous point. As he reveals his fate should he fail to meet his mothership, a growing understanding and concern fills the troubled widow. In the end, she learns to love him, and it is clear that his resemblance to her dearly departed husband has nothing to do with her feelings for the alien. Her last scene is one of touching, heartfelt parting, as she looks up into the sky, her lovely face accepting the fact she will never see him again. The CD of this movie not only features the stunning score of Jace Nitzsche, but a wonderful duet Bridges and Allen recorded that doesn't appear in the movie.

Rating:
Summary: THE MESSED UP MOVIE!!
Review: This movie is sooo messed up, the alien dude is stupid and as is the lady, it has some funny parts, but mostly it's bad.. not a well rounded ending.

Rating:
Summary: WE ARE NOT THAT BAD
Review: After watching so many alien movies that deplict aliens as mean and scary, every so often you'll find one that sort of makes you feel sorry for them.

That is the case with Starman. 'Scott' intercepts a recored that homo-sapions have launched in space and he answers the call. When he gets here the human race try to kill him. And all he wants to do is go home before he dies.

The music in this movie is very dramatic as it helps the mood of what 'Scott' is going through to get home.

Yes there is romance, if you like that kind of thing, but it does not take away from the over all atmosphere of the movie. This is a good one to buy.

Rating:
Summary: The Acting and Story are First Rate.
Review: Karen Allan and Jeff Bridges star in this science fiction/romance from John Carpenter, of efforts to return a peaceful humanoid (Jeff) from another planet to his spaceship that's come to take him home, before the army closes in. The story is touching and the acting is quite good. I wish they would ignore the failed TV series that was done with this, and do a second movie instead.

Rating:
Summary: A gentle sci-fi romance
Review: "Starman" is one of the sweetest science fiction films of all time. Exploring it's subject matter where "E.T." left off, "Starman" is an engaging story about love against all odds. The "Starman" of the title is played by Jeff Bridges in an Oscar nominated performance. He's a being of pure energy who assumes the form of Karen Allen's dead husband to travel to his alien rendevous. Allen's first reaction to Starman is that of horror, then fear, but eventually through thier adventure together Allen's character falls in love with the Starman, and he learns what it is like to experience human emotion.

The film is directed by John Carpenter who was responsible for such horror masterpieces like "Halloween", and "The Thing". Like his earlier masterpieces, Carpenter's "Starman" is a character study however unique considering it is essentially a love story between a human and an man from outer space. Carpenter shows more patience in story telling here. In "Halloween" and "The Thing" and other films of his like "The Fog", the strange being in those films was the monster, here he's the sympathetic one.

Perhaps the most appealing thing about "Starman" is Jeff Bridges performance. He gives a totally unique prescence that is not entirely unfamiliar. At the beginning he seems like an infant, spastic in movement and speech. He is amazed with the most simple of acts. Bridges' Starman then matures with feelings and observations of human behavior and love. He makes a heart breaking decision and although his face is a blank slate we feel what is in his heart.

"Starman" is basically "E.T." for adults or at least for those wanting a little more romance. It is a sweet little film.

Rating:
Summary: Space, Stars and Love
Review: Beginning with the hollowy echo of the Rolling Stones' hit "I Can't Get No Satisfaction" and accompanied by numerous visuals of a bleak and soundless outer space, "Starman" kicks off its unusually heartwarming story with a hovering satellite circumnavigating the muted cosmos, bleeping out salutations in a multitude of languages in the hopes that an alien passerby will hear and accept Earth's amiable invitation. Unbeknownst to a recently widowed recluse named Jenny Hayden, she is the anchorage and guide for an extraterrestrial who abandons ship after a calamitous crash landing to Earth.

Arriving at her home in the middle of the night, the foreign ball of light takes on the form of Jenny's deceased husband Scott, sending her into an emotional tempest filled with hundreds of clinging memories. Starman's time on Earth is limited, a simple visitation gone awry by appending circumstances. He must reach a specific place in the US within the time allotted to return home to his native planet or he will die on Earth. Jenny is his elected navigator for his destination, a reluctant and terrified aide from the start. As time passes, she learns of Starman's dire situation and responds with empathy and support, at long last permitting herself to love again as fervently as she once had.

Jeff Bridges gives an amusing and exceptionally believable impression of being in a foreign body, his wobbly gait and bird-like sharp head movements impressively sustained whenever he is on camera. Furthermore of clumsy charm are his speech patterns, patchy and monotone, his enunciation of simple English highly exaggerated and humorous. Even though Bridges is portraying a seemingly emotionally detached extraterrestrial, he manages to put forth overwhelming compassion with the subtle glistening of his eyes, something that one would least expect from this peripatetic spirit of the sky. As he becomes more accustomed to human interaction, so does he adapt to the body he assumed and the indescribable passions that the human spirit possesses. His candor is mesmeric and endearing, expressing nothing but the deepest sincerity in his words and feelings. It is a wonder to behold that one man can convey all this in a simple character like Starman. Oscar should've been his prize.

Karen Allen is the right-hand, the perfect balance to the awe-inspiring storyline with her realism, sensitivity and dedication to this perfect stranger with an all-too-familiar face. Her vast, pale eyes emanate fear, confusion, sympathy and adoration simultaneously, and her understated approach to her role makes Jenny's ongoing turmoil genuine and heartfelt.

I also think more attention should've been given to the unpretentious and enchanting screenplay, proclaiming the beauty of humanity in one simple but sincere citation from Starman himself: "Do you know what I find beautiful about your species? You are at your best when things are worse." This is such a pure examination of human nature that I have seen thus far, and I recommend it to those who are fans of Steven Spielberg's colossal tearjerker "E.T.". Like Spielberg, I fear John Carpenter will not attract any artistic recognition from his peers or Hollywood's many critics for quite some time, no matter how favored these kinds of films are with the general public. I beg to differ with these stony commentators when I say that if a movie makes you feel what isn't normally evoked in a more realistic situation, it should rightfully be deemed pure art. After all, who makes the claim that Oscar is the singular and indubitable voice for true talent? Reflect on this, my fellow film buffs...

Rating:
Summary: Bridges Gives Life To "Starman"
Review: In a joint venture by the governments of the world, a space probe is launched into the farthest reaches of the Galaxy bearing a message from the United Nations, as well as "Greetings" in fifty-four languages; it's purpose is to attempt to contact any extraterrestrial life and proffer an invitation to visit us here on Earth. In "Starman," directed by John Carpenter, Jeff Bridges stars as the alien who responds, only to be met with a less than cordial greeting once he arrives. Encountering hosts with a militaristic, if-you-can't-identify-it-shoot-it-down attitude, Starman is forced to take refuge and elude the very ones he has traveled so far to see. The burning question of course is, why? And, unfortunately, nobody seems to know. For his striking portrayal of Starman, Bridges deservedly received a Best Actor nomination from the Academy, and it proves to be the highlight of the film. From the outset, even as he is transformed into the vessel he must occupy during his stay with us ( a terrific sequence), his presence on the screen is captivating. He truly creates a unique character, distinct in form and substance, from the physical gestures that define him, to the subtle emotional depth he so aptly demonstrates and uses so well to convey to us who this being really is. It is through him that we are drawn in to this story of the travails with which he is beset during his sojourn upon our world, and with him we can only try to understand the motivation of powerful men who seem to live their lives in fear of the unknown or diverse. As Jenny Hayden, the young woman who through circumstances beyond her control becomes involved with Starman, Karen Allen adds just the right touch of sympathy to underscore the emotional situation in which Jenny finds herself ensconced. And there's just enough chemistry between her and Bridges to make this special relationship between their characters work effectively. Ultimately, how they relate to one another, and the tenderness with which they pursue their objective, becomes the real thrust and focal point of the story. Carpenter, in fact, would have been well advised to have stayed more within the parameters of that relationship and explored the workings thereof, rather than divesting the story into other, less fruitful areas and surrounding the main characters with a plethora of stringent stereotypes. While an entertaining film, "Starman" is surprisingly lacking in originality and imagination, both in story and direction; not to say this isn't a worthwhile endeavor, because it is, and it's definitely worth seeing. But it just seems that Carpenter could have mined the emotional depths a little more, developed the connection between Starman and Jenny more fully. Had he taken that path, this could have been a truly exceptional movie. As it is, it's a good film, better than the average sci-fi offering (especially for it's time, 1984), but given that Bridges brought so much to this with his creation of such a memorable character, the movie as a whole could have been so much more. The supporting cast includes Charles Martin Smith (Mark), Richard Jaeckel (Fox), Robert Phalen (Major Bell), Dirk Blocker (Cop #1) and M.C. Gainey (Cop #2). Although it is not what you would call a "great" or "classic" movie, "Starman" does succeed in making us take pause to reconsider some of our possibly preconceived notions of the way things are or should be; in the end, it's a call for understanding and love between all people everywhere, and a proposition put forth for universal peace. And with a theme like that, combined with the terrific performance by Bridges, you could do a lot worse for an evenings entertainment.

Rating:
Summary: tender, moving, classic - with a pinch of special effects
Review: In the persuit of finding intelligent life, NASA sends out a greeting via the Voyager probe... when it's discovered by an alien race, they send one of their people to meet the people of earth.

When the Starman (Jeff Bridges) comes to earth to learn about humanity, he is knocked off course by an Air Force missle and far away from his rendevous point where he must return to in 3 days or die in the alien environment. He finds a lock of hair from a young widow's (Karen Allen) dead husband and uses the genetic material to take on human form.

When Jenny (Karen Allen) sees the visitor, she is cut to the quick. Here is man she loves, but wait... he's dead! Jenny finds herself torn in a million directions - she dearly misses and loves her husband, and his likeness is standing right in front of her, but she knows it's not really him... at least not on the inside.

Despite the obvious differences, the fact that this alien visitor looks exactly like her late husband makes her defenses break down little by little so that she actually begins to see the kindness of the person inside.

The plot changes from her being his captive to becoming his protector from the government and military fast on their heels and evolves into a romance of sorts. It's nothing like what you expect, but even the most stony hearted individual will find this moving and endearing.

The ending is unforgettable and something you'll want to see over and over again. This is definitely John Carpenter's best work.

Rating:
Summary: Wonderful love story
Review: I think Karen Allen is one of the most underappreciated actresses around. Just watch what she does with this role, it'll make your heart melt. Jeff Bridges manages to hit just the right note as the alien trying to understand humanity, and falling in love along the way. The chemistry clicks in a gentle, wonderful way. The only false element, and I think it handicapped the movie and prevented it from being truly great, were the "bad guys", the military persuing the Bridges character. As eager as I was to buy into the plot, the antagonists were cartoonish. A more menacing, subtle threat to the alien's mission would have given the movie a second, darker dimension.