Starman (1984)

Starman is a tender, old‑school science‑fiction romance that follows a fragile, improbable journey: an alien visitor, having been wounded when his craft is shot down, takes on the appearance of a recently deceased husband and convinces the widowed Jenny Hayden to drive him from Wisconsin to a rendezvous point in Arizona before he dies. Along the way they are pursued by government agents who want to capture and study him, while a sympathetic scientist believes the visitor came in peace. If you watch the film you'll get a slow‑burn road movie that mixes suspense and wonder with an intimate emotional core. Early scenes lean into Jenny’s grief and fear as she confronts a man who looks and moves like the husband she lost; as the pair travel across small towns and wide American landscapes, that fear softens into curiosity, compassion and eventually a quiet bond. The alien’s earnest, tentative attempts to understand human behavior are often both touching and gently funny, and they provide the film’s most humane moments. Tension builds from the chase: military and intelligence forces close in, creating real stakes and occasional action, but the film never sacrifices its focus on character. The visual style and effects feel like an ’80s production—practical, occasionally understated—but work well with the film’s lyricism. The pacing favors character development and mood over non‑stop thrills. Expect to come away affected rather than exhilarated: the movie is as much about healing, the nature of being human, and unexpected connection as it is about alien contact. Viewers who like character‑driven stories, bittersweet romances, and thoughtful science‑fiction with a melancholic core will find Starman rewarding.

Actors: Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Charles Martin Smith

Director: John Carpenter

Runtime: 115 min

Genres: Romance, Sci-Fi

6.1 /10 70 /100 7.0 /10 6.7 /10