When many horror fans hear the name John Carpenter, they automatically think of him as a horror director. What many fail to realize, however, is that he has directed some quality films outside the genre. In fact, he wrote the Academy Award-winning film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy. STARMAN, one of Carpenter’s films, is not a horror film, but a science fiction love story.
STARMAN starts with a satellite entering the atmosphere of a foreign plant somewhere in the universe. The planet, inhabited by intelligent beings, recovers the satellite and sends a spaceship to earth to get to know another intelligent life form in the universe. Jenny Hagen (Karen Allen) is a widow who is still grieving the loss of her husband (Jeff Bridges) when a spaceship crashes close to her home. A ball of light comes from the ship, enters her house, and takes on the identity of her deceased husband by using a DNA sample from a lock of his hair that she has kept in a photo album. Thinking that she is dreaming or hallucinating, Jenny cannot believe that her dead husband is standing in front of her. She soon learns that this man is not her husband, but an alien from another planet who curious about earth, a Starman. He, however, sees that earth is hostile and sends out a distress signal to his planet to send a ship to come get him. With the help of Jenny, the Starman must make his way to a crater in the Arizona desert to be picked up. Meanwhile, the United States military has unearthed Starman’s ship and is trying to find him so they can keep him captive and find out his intentions for coming to earth.
The film deals with many continuing social issues. Humans fear what we do not know, and find the unfamiliar potentially harmful. We seek out the unknown, but also fear it and fail to understand the consequences, and always expect the worst. This is what the film explores. Throughout the film, the characters fail to understand the reason for the Starman’s visit to earth. He has trouble understanding the English language and only has learned about us from a record on the satellite. He is here to learn about humans, but is also here to help them as well. There is an array of social and ethical issues that this film exploits, and it is one of those films that make you open your eyes and think.
STARMAN has a great script, it is well crafted and the character development and storyline are top-notch. Writers Bruce Evans and Raynold Gideon have created a script and a story that really plays on the emotions. Besides all the social and ethical issues this film brings to the table, it is also a film of hope and love. What would you say to someone you lost and if you were given another chance to see him or her one more time, even if that person was not who they seemed to be? This is what the script brings to light, and it does it well.
The film has good production values, especially for the time in which it was produced. In 1984, computer effects were a big deal in films. There are some great stunts and some action packed-scenes.
The acting in the film is exceptional. Jeff Bridges was nominated for an Oscar for this performance. Karen Allen also gives a great performance.
The Blu-ray disc does not come with any special features, but the quality of the disc makes up for it. This Blu-ray disc has to be the best one I have viewed so far. The picture is crisp with crystal clear images. The sound is mixed perfectly and Dolby TrueHD 5.1 sound sounded great on my surround sound system.
STARMAN is a film that really grabs you and does not let go. It is a film that makes you think about it far after you have finished watching it. It is not only an action-packed film, but it has great meaning. It is a film that will make you laugh, cry and question your own values. It is a film well worth checking out, whether it is your first time or you are discovering it once again. The quality of the Blu-ray disc alone is well worth viewing.
– Horror Bob
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