Starman.

Review #1605: Starman.

Cast:

Jeff Bridges (Scott Hayden / Starman), Karen Allen (Jenny Hayden), Charles Martin Smith (Mark Shermin), Richard Jaeckel (George Fox), Robert Phalen (Major Bell), Tony Edwards (Sergeant Lemon), John Walter Davis (Brad Heinmuller), and Ted White (Deer Hunter) Directed by John Carpenter (#068 - Halloween (1978), #634 - Escape from New York, #712 - The Thing (1982), #732 - Escape from L.A., #1221 - Dark Star, #1298 - They Live, and #1479 - Big Trouble in Little China)

Review:

"I have two sides to my personality. I'm very pessimistic about the long term: we're all born alone and we die alone, and if anything good happens in between, it's great. But I'm a short-term optimist. I gained this by making movies in which it's all going to work out."

As the months change, some things stay the same while others change with the wind. One thing that has become quite clear in all the time spent watching films is just how underrated John Carpenter is as a director. There is something quite striking in the films that he managed to make in over three decades of filmmaking, ones that reach within their imagery and mood with distinct characters that has generally soared higher than the initial perceptions of its time, which by and large makes him a cult classic director worth checking out in my view. Starman, the eighth of his eighteen films, was a light success with audiences at the time in making its $20 million budget, which must have been helpful when compared to the reaction of his previous film in The Thing (1982), which also depicted extraterrestrial visitors (albeit with a nihilistic outlook). Obviously the tide turned on that film (for good reason!), but Starman has its own interesting path to eventual film that results in a feature that is a secret gem. If anyone ever tries to shoehorn Carpenter as merely a horror director, this is exactly the kind of film to blow a hole right in that theory. Inevitably, one would look to another film involving a curious visitor from another world falling to Earth and making a bond with a human. Of course E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) was also noted for certain similarities to Satyajit Ray's 1967 script "The Alien", so who knows? There were quite a few differences from the original script that were modified for a film, with Carpenter noting that one of the scripts had the alien be able to fly, and he noted in an interview that the possible similarities to films such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) startled the studio alongside other prospective directors that ranged from Mark Rydell to Peter Hyams. Carpenter, however, felt interested in making a film different from the films he did before that were in the horror genre, one that would be an interspecies love story that seems reminiscent of films like It Happened One Night (1934). This film spent five years in development, with a script that was bought by Columbia Pictures before Spielberg's film had been optioned (they dropped E.T. because they thought this film would be for grown-ups and E.T. seemed for kids. Ouch?). The script by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon would go through several re-writes that were left un-credited in Dean Riesner, Edward Zwick, and Diane Thomas.

So, if you spend a space probe out to space with a gold record (remember the phonograph? Good, I've yet to use one), what would happen if someone found it? Welp, perhaps something like this, although probably without the space orbs. The film presents itself as a mixture of science fiction and romance, doing so by bookending its effects sequences for its opening and end scenes, but the real treasure lies within the obvious: Jeff Bridges. He has managed to cultivate at least one memorable performance in every decade since the 1970s, one that has a great self-assured confidence to what he needs to do when it comes to keeping one's attention right where it needs to be. He manages to provide a wonderfully compelling performance, one that is essentially playing an imitation of himself, complete with movements that seem bird-like without just seeming like a bit. He and Allen contribute to a few bits of humor that work to the film's strength in tender growth with understanding. Allen (no stranger to romance leads with films like Raiders of the Lost Ark in spunky charm) keeps up with him just as well, one that has their own share of vulnerability alongside understanding to line up with Bridges for some useful sequences on the road in their road to love that doesn't seem quite forced for what is needed in a sweet but dutiful adventure. They start awkwardly with effective quality (how many romances start with seeing a being morph from kid to dead man look-alike?), and the culmination of that touch goes with a scene at a diner, where the weariness turns into resonance upon the sight of a resurrected deer. They carry the film as far as it goes with how touching they are, and it is definitely hard to see anyone else playing these roles better. Smith (an established character actor for a decade before soon adding directing later in the decade) also does pretty well with what he is given in with curiosity to counteract the heavy-handed effective character presence of Jaeckel. As a whole, I thought this was a pretty enjoyable movie, albeit one that could have been much sillier in the hands of anyone not as talented as Carpenter, Bridges, or Allen, because we are talking about a being that means no harm yet gets involved in a variety of quirky action moments. With 115 minutes at hand, it ends up being quite the ride for enjoyment, particularly if one is up to seeing Carpenter do something a bit different for effect: a star-crossed love story. One can't go wrong in that department with these folks at hand.

It was my birthday, so I figured, why not pick something favorable with its cast and crew? Another year come and gone from my twenties, too.

Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.