Starman
Starman

Starman

1984Movie115 minEnglish

When 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.

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Insights

IMDb6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes69%
Metacritic65/100
Google Users86%
Director: John CarpenterGenres: Science Fiction, Romance, Drama

Plot Summary

An alien spacecraft arrives on Earth and its occupant assumes the form of a recently deceased woman's husband. To survive and return home, the alien must travel across the United States with the grieving widow, all while being pursued by a relentless government agent determined to capture him.

Critical Reception

Starman was met with generally positive reviews from critics, who praised its emotional depth, Carpenter's direction, and the performances of Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen. While not a massive box office hit, it gained a strong following and is often cited as one of Carpenter's more accessible and heartfelt films.

What Reviewers Say

  • Praised for its touching romance and strong performances, particularly from Jeff Bridges.
  • Appreciated for John Carpenter's departure into more sentimental sci-fi.
  • Some critics found the plot a bit predictable, but the emotional core resonated.

Google audience: Viewers often highlight the touching love story between the human and alien, the heartfelt performances, and the film's hopeful message. Many appreciate it as a more emotional and character-driven science fiction film.

Awards & Accolades

Jeff Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Starman.

Fun Fact

John Carpenter was not the first choice to direct Starman; both Steven Spielberg and Tony Scott were considered before Carpenter took over.

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My Review

TMDB Reviews

3 reviews
GenerationofSwine

GenerationofSwin...

Look who directed it... and that raises a lot of questions doesn't it? I mean it's espically good and then you see it's john Carpenter doing a... a love story and a very moving and beautiful love story. I guess the draft Carpenter got wa...
CinemaSerf

CinemaSerf

One of Jeff Bridges' better performances this one. He is an alien who arrives on Earth and assumes the physical shape of "Hayden". Thing is, he has recently died - so you can imagine how phased his recent widow "Jenny" (Karen Allen) is as h...
John Chard

John Chard

Loving the Alien. Mixed notices then and now for John Carpenter's sci-fi love story - cum human warning parable, but the fact is is that if it touches you it's a touch that stays for ever. It's a lovely film headed up by Jeff Bridges' wo...