Yeah, I'm the bearer of bad news for Bowie fans. The song "Starman" is not in the movie "Starman". If you can get past that crushing defeat I think you'll like this movie.
Don't expect a scifi, an adventure or an action flick of any sort (even though each of those elements figure prominently) because this is a love story. That's what differentiates it from the other films it has been compared to, namely "E.T." and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". All of these films share the theme of an advanced, benevolent alien visiting the Earth in peace but getting bushwhacked instead, but "Starman" focuses more on the love story between the alien and the human.
In that respect I can only compare it to films like "Ghost" or "Splash" or the excellent David Bowie film "Man Who Fell to Earth". These are love stories which revisit the old Shakespearean "star-crossed lovers" theme but with interesting supernatural twists.
So with that in mind, watch this movie if you're in the mood for a sentimental ride. Do NOT expect laser guns and spaceships. I gotta hand it to director John Carpenter for pulling this one off, right on the heels of "The Thing" (1982) which is a dark, claustrophobic tale of terror, about as opposite as you can get to "Starman". John Carpenter, known to most people as the master of moody suspense and disturbing horror, shows us a rare side of himself as the sentimentalist (for a third side, the comedian John Carpenter, be sure to check out "Big Trouble in Little China").
The excellent chemistry between Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges brings it on home. Watch it with your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, dog or cat. Love knows no boundaries between species, or even planetary lifeforms.
Don't expect a scifi, an adventure or an action flick of any sort (even though each of those elements figure prominently) because this is a love story. That's what differentiates it from the other films it has been compared to, namely "E.T." and "The Day the Earth Stood Still". All of these films share the theme of an advanced, benevolent alien visiting the Earth in peace but getting bushwhacked instead, but "Starman" focuses more on the love story between the alien and the human.
In that respect I can only compare it to films like "Ghost" or "Splash" or the excellent David Bowie film "Man Who Fell to Earth". These are love stories which revisit the old Shakespearean "star-crossed lovers" theme but with interesting supernatural twists.
So with that in mind, watch this movie if you're in the mood for a sentimental ride. Do NOT expect laser guns and spaceships. I gotta hand it to director John Carpenter for pulling this one off, right on the heels of "The Thing" (1982) which is a dark, claustrophobic tale of terror, about as opposite as you can get to "Starman". John Carpenter, known to most people as the master of moody suspense and disturbing horror, shows us a rare side of himself as the sentimentalist (for a third side, the comedian John Carpenter, be sure to check out "Big Trouble in Little China").
The excellent chemistry between Karen Allen and Jeff Bridges brings it on home. Watch it with your boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, wife, dog or cat. Love knows no boundaries between species, or even planetary lifeforms.