What It's About:
The U.S. military shoots down a UFO; the alien, who looks like a blue Will-o-th'-Wisp, finds its way into the home of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), a young widow still deeply mourning her recently deceased husband, who looks an awful lot like Jeff Bridges. The alien finds a piece of the husband's hair, and using his DNA, creates an identical human body. Jenny, terrified at the appearance of her dead husband, tries to escape, but the alien kidnaps her, ordering her to drive him to Meteor Crater in Arizona, where he has arranged an evacuation by his species. Starman reassures Jenny that he means her no harm, and a tense truce moves into friendship and eventually, love. They race to stay ahead of the vicious government forces that are determined to capture, kill, and dissect the alien, adding action and suspense to their cosmic relationship.
Why It's Worth Watching:
Starman is exactly the kind of alien that humans would want to encounter: intelligent and powerful, yet civilized, curious, and compassionate. What makes Starman so appealing in his affable Jeff Bridges appearance is how he exhibits all the best qualities of exceptional human beings. Of course, the government cares nothing of this and is only interested in capturing and studying him. Part of me wonders if aliens have our planet quarantined due to our primitive savagery. The main attraction, however, is the relationship between Starman and Jenny, who cannot help but see her late husband in the alien. He is not Scott Hayden, however, so the natural feelings that anyone would still have for a deceased spouse deepen into something more profound as she falls in love with the kind alien soul within the shell of the human. This movie, directed with a deft and subtle hand by horror genre genius John Carpenter (who knew he could do deft and subtle before this?), shows us both the best and the worst qualities of our species as well as showing how love transcends death and the cosmos alike.
What's in it for Her:
The romance comes slowly, after a period of terror and confusion, and she'll likely identify with Jenny's situation. The dream of regaining a lost love is a powerful idea throughout the history of human storytelling (see "Orpheus & Eurydice"), and the dream is brought to life here. She will also appreciate the compassion of the Starman, particularly the scene where he brings a deer back to life from the hood of a hunter's car. Motherhood is another strong appeal for many women, and the revelation at the end of the film that Jenny is pregnant (Jenny and Scott couldn't have kids, but Starman heals her infertility) is a moment filled with joy and promise.
What's in it for Him:
The movie is an action/adventure film as well as a romance. As Jenny and Starman are pursued by government agents, led by character actor Richard Jaeckel, who plays "vicious bureaucrat" like he was part of the Nixon Adminstration, and opposed by scientist Charles Martin Smith, who chooses to help Starman escape back into the galaxy. The other quality men will find appealing is Jeff Bridges himself, who plays Starman as an affable goofball, a smarter and less-stoned early version of Jeff Lebowski, only with alien super-powers (now wouldn't THAT be a remarkable movie?!). There's more than enough action and humor to keep the most anti-romantic men interested right to the end.
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