STARMAN

(December 1984, U.S.)

One of the biggest questions circulating Hollywood during the 1980s must have surely been, "Hmmm, let's see...how can we copy E.T. and reap the rewards?" John Carpenter may have been one of the first ones to answer and quite possibly the only one to make a decent job of it. It was a mighty stretch from the string of horror films he'd made since HALLOWEEN in 1978 and the first true sign that the man had a beautiful heart. STARMAN is also, in my opinion, Carpenter's last great film. Nothing he ever did after that caught my attention as anything worthy, despite whatever cult status BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA may have achieved since its release (I've still never seen it).

The film begins with the premise of the actual Voyager 2 space probe that was launched in 1977, carrying a welcoming message of peace to all intelligent life in the universe. As a sample of our good will, the gold phonographic record includes greetings in various languages and even a recording of "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones (hey, if the Stones don't get us a visit from other planets, then I don't know what will!). The invitation is interpreted and answered by an alien ship. Of course, leave it to our boneheaded government to panic before thinking and shoot the poor visitor down, causing it to crash somewhere in Wisconsin. Our visitor, whatever it is, starts out as a floating ball of glowing energy before it settles into the isolated home of recently widowed Jenny Hayden (played by Karen Allen). Using a lock of hair from Jenny's deceased husband Scott (played by Jeff Bridges), the alien clones himself a human body in the form of Scott while Jenny watches in horror. The alien "Starman" is also carrying several small silver spheres which provide him with energy and also perform various miraculous feats. "Starman" is not on Earth for only a few minutes before he realizes our hostility and summons his people to come and get him right away. Arranging a rendezvous with them in three days in Arizona, he gets Jenny to drive him there against her will.

Jenny starts off as frightened and hostile, but of course, eventually comes to understand and appreciate the "man" she's with. As they make their way across America against those who seek to capture "Starman", he learns to communicate and inevitably finds his way into Jenny's heart. Like E.T., he will die on our planet if he doesn't escape our government hostiles and make the rendezvous at the Arizona crater in time. Along the way, as a sign of their newfound attachment, they make love aboard a boxcar train and Jenny learns that she's now pregnant with "Starman's" child, a boy, despite the fact that she's not supposed to be able to have children. A true miracle, indeed (and one that would eventually lead to a short-lived ABC-TV series of the same name). Like E.T. also, the film's climax has its own form of excitement as Jenny and the now dying "Starman" reach the crater while Army helicopters mercilessly shoot at them. As they're finally surrounded, a large, spherical spaceship descends, magical light surrounds the couple, "Starman" is restored to perfect health and it's now time to say goodbye. His departure may not have us in tears like Spielberg managed to do to us, but it's still heartwarming, nonetheless.

I think back on STARMAN, and I think back to the end of 1984, when there was other science fiction dominating the big screen with DUNE and 2010. Carpenter's film, with Jeff Bridges' Oscar-nominated performance, stood out the most for the very reason that E.T. did two years prior; heart, humanity and love. David Lynch's film and the sequel to 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY were great, but hardly touched us on such an emotional level. With STARMAN, sci-fi is mixed with quirky drama and the promise of love and understanding between what is, in reality, two different species. Bridges and Allen share a very sweet chemistry and sympathy for each other's characters, and Bridges proves that a role of this sort is meaningful (on a galactic level) to make a difference in his career. Still, it was the end of John Carpenter for me, but I'm grateful, nonetheless, for the small string of back-to-back hits he gave us (or me!).

Favorite line or dialogue:

Starman: "You are a strange species. Not like any other...and you'd be surprised how many there are. Intelligent, but savage. Shall I tell you what I find beautiful about you? You are at your very best when things are worst."

(Hey, "Starman", come visit us NOW, and tell us if you still feel that way!)