John Carpenter's Starman is a 1984 science-fiction fantasy film directed by John Carpenter that tells the story of an alien (Jeff Bridges) who has come to Earth in response to the invitation found on the gold phonograph record installed on the Voyager 2 space probe.
The screenplay was written by Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon, and Dean Riesner (who was uncredited). Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role. The film inspired a short-lived television series of the same name in 1986 which starred Robert Hays and Christopher Daniel Barnes.
Plot
In 1977, Voyager 2 was launched containing a gold phonographic disk with a message of peace and inviting visitors to come to the planet Earth. The Voyager 2 probe is intercepted by an alien space ship, which sends a small observational scout vessel in response to the invitation in order to establish first contact with Earth. However, instead of being greeted by its human hosts, the U.S. government shoots down the alien craft. Crashing in Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin, the alien, as a blue ball of energy, stumbles upon the house of the recently widowed Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). While there, the alien finds a lock of hair of the deceased Scott Hayden in a photo album and uses it to clone a new body in the likeness of Scott, which the stunned Jenny witnesses. The starman (Jeff Bridges) has seven small silver spheres which provide energy to perform miraculous feats. He uses the first one to send a message to his people that his craft has been destroyed, that the environment is hostile, and that he will rendezvous with them at "landing area one" in three days. He then uses the second one to create a holographic map of the United States in order to compel the dumbstruck Jenny to take him to Arizona.
As the shock wears off, Jenny turns both hostile and frightened of him. After repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempting to escape, she finally implores the Starman to shoot her with her pistol. But instead, the starman releases the pistol's magazine and tells her he means her no harm. As they continue on their journey, the starman, who had a rough understanding of English syntax from the Voyager 2 disk, learns to communicate his presence to Jenny, and Jenny teaches the Starman that humanity is not completely savage.
The starman explains to Jenny that he has three days to get to the rendezvous point, Arizona's Barringer Crater, or he will die. She teaches him how to drive a car and use credit cards, intending on escaping so he can continue his journey alone. However, as she is about to make her escape, she witnesses him miraculously resurrect a dead deer. Deeply moved, she resolves to help him at whatever cost.
Along the way, the couple is pursued by the United States Army who detected the crash. The army contingent is led by a cold-blooded NSA chief George Fox (Richard Jaeckel) who is reluctantly assisted by a decidedly more humane civilian SETI scientist named Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith). After finding the Voyager 2 phonographic disk in the starman's ship, Shermin understands that Earth invited the starman to visit in peace. Shermin later determines through collected pieces of evidence that the alien had taken the appearance of the deceased Scott Hayden.
While staying at a motel, Jenny and the starman learn that they have been discovered by the police, who are holding position outside the motel until the federal government arrives. Employing a distraction, the two fugitives escape, and as the police chase after them, one of them shoots at them, critically wounding Jenny. In order to escape, the starman crashes the vehicle into an overturned gas tanker and protects both himself and Jenny with one of his silver spheres. Under the cover of the explosion, they take refuge in a mobile home that is being towed.
The starman, down to his last two silver spheres, uses one to heal Jenny. He then leaves her and attempts to reach the meteor crater alone, as he is afraid she will be hurt again. Jenny catches up to him and they continue their journey together. While stowing away on a boxcar, the couple make love. Later that night, the starman tells Jenny "I gave you a baby tonight." Jenny attempts to explain to him that she is infertile, and cannot conceive a child, but the starman insists, saying, "Believe what I tell you." He explains to the stunned Jenny that the baby will be the son of her dead husband, because he is a clone of Scott. He also explains that he will know all that the starman knows and when he grows up he will become a teacher. He tells her that he will stop the gestation from going further if she wishes, but the joyful Jenny embraces him, in acceptance of this gift.
The couple mistakenly travel too far on the train and arrive in Las Vegas. To make matters worse, Jenny has lost her wallet. The starman uses their last quarters in a slot machine, which he manipulates in order to win the jackpot. The couple use their winnings to buy a new car to complete the drive to Winslow, Arizona, which is near Barringer Crater.
Meanwhile, Fox has received information from NORAD that the trajectory of the starman's observation craft, prior to it being shot down, was to Barringer Crater, and concludes that the Starman, along with Jenny Hayden would be in that general vicinity within the next 24 hours of that determination.
Near the end of the journey, the starman and Jenny are confronted in a cafe in Winslow, where Mark Shermin interviews the dying alien. The starman explains to him that his people had previously visited Earth, and are interested in humans, because out of all the many savage intelligent races in the universe, humans are at their best when things are at their worst. At this point, Shermin allows the starman and Jenny to leave, risking his own career.
The couple reach the crater as Army helicopters buzz them. Suddenly, a large, spherical landing craft appears in the sky and descends into the crater. Light surrounds the couple, and the starman is instantly restored to health. He tells Jenny he will never see her again. Jenny confesses her love and begs him to take her with him, but he says she would die on his world. He then gives her his last silver sphere, telling her that her son will know what to do with it. As she watches in silence, the ship rises, carrying the starman away.
Cast
Production
This script was being developed at Columbia at the same time as another script about an alien visitation. The studio did not want to make both, so the head of the studio had to choose which film to make; he decided to make this one and let the other script go to a rival studio. The other script was for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.[1]
Release
Critical reception
Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported Starman earned a 79% rating from the critics it surveyed;[2] some critics consider it one of the best films of 1984.[3][4]
Box office performance
Starman grossed $2,872,022 in its opening weekend, debuting at number 6.[5] Overall, the film grossed $28,744,356 in its domestic run on an estimated budget of $24,000,000.
Award wins and nominations
Jeff Bridges was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actor, marking the only film by John Carpenter to receive an Academy Award nomination. Bridges was also nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Drama and was awarded the Saturn Award for Best Actor. Karen Allen also received a nod for Best Actress from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. The film itself was nominated Best Science Fiction Film. Jack Nitzsche received a Golden Globe nomination for his score.
American Film Institute Lists
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to Starman was released on December 14, 1984.[8][9]
- Jenny Shot - Jack Nitzche
- Here Come the Helicopters - Jack Nitzche
- Honeymoon - Jack Nitzche
- Road Block - Jack Nitzche
- Do You Have Somebody? - Jack Nitzche
- Pickup Truck - Jack Nitzche
- What's It Like up There? - Jack Nitzche
- All I Have to Do Is Dream - Karen Allen, Jeff Bridges
- Lifting Ship - Jack Nitzche
- I Gave You a Baby - Jack Nitzche
- Morning Military - Jack Nitzche
- Define Love - Jack Nitzche
- Balls - Jack Nitzche
- Starman Leaves (End Title) - Jack Nitzche
In popular culture
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra covered "Starman Leaves (End Title)" for their 2005 cover compilation album, The Science Fiction Album. The 2010 single "Symphonies" by Dan Black, and its remix featuring Kid Cudi, sampled CoPPO's cover of the song. In fact, at the end of the music video the lead character is beamed away by a bright circular spaceship, similar in the manner in which the Starman from the film departs Earth.[10] The music video itself contains scenes which pay homage to several Jeff Bridges films, including Tron and King Kong.
See Also
Starman (TV series)
References
External links
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