Starman is the story of an alien being that comes to Earth in response to one of our experiments in the 80s to send capsules into space that transmitted radio signals of welcome and information about us. In an effort to assimilate, the alien finds a house and takes on the appearance of a man who's images are found inside. Turns out the man was a house painter that recently died. After thoroughly freaking out his widow, the alien makes her drive him to an alien rendezvous point. As they travel, she goes from being kidnapped to becoming a full blown accomplice. On the trip, she teaches the alien how to be human.
Much more of a heartwarming tale than I expected, Starman felt very much like a product of it's time. In an age that spawned movies like Explorers and The Last Starfighter, the 80s was a time when all of us down here were hoping to spend some quality time with beings from another planet. While this movie takes a cue from E. T. in telling us not to trust the government when it comes to dealing with alien life...they tend to have a tendency to want to dissect non-humans. Because of this, the movie is essentially a long chase sequence.
I feel like if this movie was made today though, it would be far more violent and cynical. I guess my hope is that there will never be a over-hyped remake full of explosions and bad CG. A modern version would also have ended with an intense showdown between the U.S. military and a full fleet of alien ships. While a re-make would have surely kept a sex scene in place, I find it hard to believe that a kind-hearted romance would have still been at the movie's core. This is definitely a film from a different time.
All in all, it was an enjoyable film, if not a little naive. Both Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges held the film together with their strong performances and chemistry. If you find yourself nostalgic for the 80s approach to science fiction, then I would highly recommend this film.
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