Starman – Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Aug 17, 2009, 12:54 GMT

Director John Carpenter presents a romantic science fiction odyssey starring Jeff Bridges as an innocent alien from a distant planet who learns what it means to be a man in love. When his spacecraft is shot down over Wisconsin, Starman (Bridges) arrives at the remote cabin of a distraught young widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), and clones the form of her dead husband. The alien convinces Jenny to drive him ...more

Starman is certainly a different film in John Carpenter’s filmography, but a wonderful one as well.  It features and intriguing performance from Jeff Bridges, a radiant Karen Allen, and a wonderful storyline.  

The Voyager II space probe was launched with a message of peace and an invitation to visit Earth for whatever alien life that encountered the probe.  When an alien life form takes us up on the invitation, it is shot down by our jets on the orders of NSA Chief George Fox (Richard Jaeckel). The spaceship crashes in the woods and the alien inhabitant comes upon the cabin of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). 

She’s watching some home movies of her late husband.  The alien takes on the form of the late Scott (Jeff Bridges) by studying the film and finding his DNA.  Jenny is shocked to be confronted by an odd baby that grows into her late husband.  This odd visitor kidnaps Jenny and has her take him to the rendezvous with his return flight in Arizona in several days time. 

Fox has scientist Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith) examine the crash site and they find the spaceship that was shot down and it eventually leads them to Jenny.  

To quote Bowie, “There’s a starman waiting in the sky, he’d like to come and meet us but he thinks he’d blow our minds.”  What’s funny is that the Starman of the film is invited to come and visit Earth and when he does come for that visit we respond by shooting him down.  We fickle humans. 

Jeff Bridges definitely goes for the odd in his performance and that might put some people off.  I always found it a wonderful take on the character and certainly something different than we usually see otherworldly visitors portrayed. 

The Starman is a childlike newcomer, though an intelligent one.  Bridges uses a strange voice and mannerisms to make that come across.  He happens upon Karen Allen and she’s radiant in her role, you see why the Starman would seek her out as well as how a certain Mr. Jones would be taken in by her. 

There’s a wonderful rapport that develops between Allen and Bridges.  It doesn’t seem like your typical John Carpenter vehicle as it veers towards the light more than the dark, but it works. The film is a favorite in his filmography for me thanks to the chemistry between Bridges and Allen.  

Starman is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (2.40:1).  Special features are where the disc disappoints.  There are none.  What disappoints is that a foreign DVD special edition features a commentary with John Carpenter and Jeff Bridges, as well as a featurette.  I was hoping that it would finally materialize on this high def edition, but alas no.  

Starman is a wonderful film that is sweet, but not too saccharine.  It’s bolstered by some wonderful performances by the lead actors.  It may not seem like a John Carpenter film, but it ultimately endears itself to the audience.  At least it endears itself to me as I greatly enjoyed watching it again, especially so in high definition. 

It’s disappointing that we don’t get any new special features or that Carpenter/Bridges commentary (how I’d love to finally hear that one) but the performances do make the picture.  

Starman [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon. Visit the DVD database for more information.