The mission comes in response to a NASA message addressed to foreigners, where a space object tries to contact humanity in a new and exciting way to carry out a specific space plan, but an American missile is laying its ship. The spaceman follows another form, taking the form of a young widow's husband and asking her to lead him from Wisconsin to Arizona while the government is trying to stop the process before it is carried out.
We see a sweet side to the director that never appeared anywhere else: an emotional palate that he rarely indulged in, but which he handles with surprising grace and subtlety.
It isn't pleasant to watch a talented filmmaker like John Carpenter willfully distort his personality to fit a commercial (read Spielbergian) profile, and only the opening suspense-horror sequences have the weight of real involvement.
[A] surprisingly tender, funny movie from John Carpenter, a man otherwise known for his intense horror/genre flicks. It may be the best sci-fi/romance hybrid ever made.
Starman contains the potential to be a very silly movie, but the two actors have so much sympathy for their characters that the movie, advertised as space fiction, turns into one of 1984's more touching love stories.
In Mr. Bridges' hands [his role] becomes the occasion for a sweetly affecting characterization -- a fine showcase for the actor's blend of grace, precision and seemingly offhanded charm.
Reel Film Reviews
August 01, 2003
Carpenter is a master of framing for widescreen, and Starman is certainly a forum for him to show off his prowess behind the lens.
