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Starman: Original Motion Picture

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Starman

Starman

Starman: Original Motion Picture

Starman
by Jorge Solis, Resident John Carpenter Expert

HUGE

John Carpenter's Starman is about an alien from another planet who crash-lands on Earth. The alien has three days to reach Arizona to catch up with his mother ship. If he doesn't make it back home, he will die. Not only is the clock ticking but he also has to deal with the military chasing after him.  

This could have been easily been another chase film but there is something else at the core of the story.  Starman is also a love story.  Karen Allen plays Jenny Hayden, a suffering widow. The love story takes a twisted turn as the alien takes on the form of her dead husband, Scott. Jeff Bridges takes on two different roles. As Scott, Jeff Bridges is a jokester, a guitarist, and a singer.

You only see Jeff Bridges as Scott through the home movie Karen Allen is watching in the beginning. As the alien, Jeff Bridges is awkward, confused, and his voice sounds hoarse. Notice how differently he acts with each character and you will definitely be impressed.

Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon have written an astounding screenplay filled with symbolism and metaphors. Jeff Bridges portrays the alien as naive, gentle, and innocent. The alien learns about human nature as he takes many stops from Wisconsin to Arizona. His first interaction with humans is comical but then the story becomes darker with more human interactions. With each stop, he learns how violent, greedy, and corrupt humans are. He also sees the best of human nature near the end as he learns about compassion and kindness. Charles Martin Smith plays Mr. Sherman, a man who chases after UFOs. He is the last human the alien interacts with and in my opinion, he represents hope.

There are other things in this movie that make it unique. The Starman transformation was done by Stan Winston and Rick Baker. The transformation begins with a glowing baby, then a teenage boy with a distorted face, and finally, a full-grown man. The love theme is at its peak when Starman carries Jenny in his arms and walks away from an explosion. The music was done by Jack Nitzche. I have my own theory with the music. I think John Carpenter helped with the music but didn't want to take credit for it. In my opinion, he would rather be the guy known for the music of Halloween than the guy who made the music for Starman.   

John Carpenter is the director of violent movies filled with bloody gore such as Vampires and The Thing. I say that only a horror movie director could have done the sentimental and romantic movie, Starman. The camera work is brilliant especially when the camera takes on the point of view of the blue orb, the man running at Jeff Bridges, and the helicopter. I may be spoiling the ending for many but it is necessary to discuss his impressive direction. The camera is kept in one place as Jeff Bridges walks away in the snow surrounded by red light and the movie ends with a close-up of Karen Allen's face. I believe that Starman is John Carpenter's best work as a filmmaker.

Starman DVD

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