Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Gurlyndrobb While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

FirstWitch A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Logan By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Blueghost This was one of many well budgeted and well crafted science fiction films to come out in the 1980s, and it shows.It's exceptionally well shot, respectably acted, and has an excellent story, even if it skews towards what Nimoy and Gil Gerrard called the "female fantasy" of today's market trend. Even so, "Starman" tells a heart warming story of a being answering a "message in a bottle" communique from NASA, Earth. As usual we have a paranoid who is hell bent on nabbing Bridge's character for the sake of security and whatever else he might have in mind. Karen Allen, a recent widow must come to terms with both the loss of her husband and the person who has entered her life with unusual abilities.Both navigate one adventure after the other in order to reach their ultimate goal.Bridges presents the naive tourist who comes from a civilization that is a bit more socially advanced than our paranoid backwards ways, and comes to lock horns with one or two of the locals. The real pleasure about this film is that it is so well crafted. The acting is natural but also professional. It's not understated and "real" as is today's trend, nor are there any real "pretty", "handsome" nor any real "attractive" actors to detract from the story. Everyone here is a seasoned thespian who delivers well modulated performance energy. No one here is over the top, save for Bridges as he first adds life to his character, but that's to be expected given he's playing an alien.This is the kind of film that they don't make anymore, but should. Or rather it's the kind of film I'd like Hollywood to make. It's not fast paced. It's aimed at adults and anyone who is reasonably mature regardless of age. The story is not about good guys verse bad guys (mostly). There's very little gunplay here, though there is some mild violence. There's no massive CGI to awe and impress the otherwise jaded teenage viewer. The dialogue is not juvenile. The actors and characters are well rounded mature adults. There are no young nor obviously pre-teen at heart males popping off at the mouth with put down humor. This film was not test marketed (not much anyway) as today's films are.And that's why this film is worth seeing. In fact, it's worth owning, in my opinion. It's not heavy drama, but there are dramatic moments. There aren't any rapid fire vulgar jokes, but there is humor here. The characters are sympathetic, warm, and likable, except for the one bad guy, and even then you don't really have to put on your "white-hat black hat" glasses to understand what's going on.And that's the kind of film it is.Give it a shot and see what you think. Highly recommended.

Red-Barracuda Starman is certainly a bit of a departure for director John Carpenter. It seems that after the box-office disappointment of The Thing (1982) he decided that his next return to the alien film should be something less scary and more in line with the E.T. (1982) template. The result is a John Carpenter film that is decidedly more gentle natured than we had seen up to that point. After learning about humanity from the space probe Voyager 2 an alien crash lands on Earth and assumes the identity of a dead man. He enlists the reluctant help of the wife of this deceased individual in his mission to return home. Needless to say, the authorities pursue him, hell bent on preventing his departure.This change of pace for Carpenter is another film which shows the care he gave to all his movies. The story is solid, if nothing especially great. But it's nicely shot and paced, with some engaging performances, especially from Karen Allen as the bemused woman taken along for the ride by the alien. Jeff Bridges puts in an original enough turn as the starman, although it is definitely quite surprising he was Oscar nominated for it. In essence this is a road movie with a romantic sub-plot that is based around a sci-fi premise. It's fairly successful in each of its sub-genres and is a very likable piece of work overall. And for what it's worth, I much preferred it to E.T.

Pie CatLady Yes! This is a marvelous movie about humanity - our fears, hopes, strengths and weaknesses. Jeff Bridges is amazing as the Starman - he really seems to be not of this earth. Karen Allen is lovely and so appealing as she overcomes her fear and proves that love is universal. Plus Charles Martin Smith - Terry the Toad (ugh!) in "American Graffiti" - really rocks it as a humanitarian scientist, one who realizes that we invited the Starman and owe him a little respect. Not exactly handsome, but he's grown so lovable since his early role as a clumsy nerd. Probably he played that unattractive part so convincingly because he's an intelligent and talented actor. I've seen the flick ten times or more but it never grows old. It always amazes me. The acting is convincing and the story is well told. Indeed it is a brilliant romance which warms and informs the heart.

Mr-Fusion I don't know if it's cynical to describe "Starman" as "E.T." for grownups, adults, or what-have-you, but the comparison's certainly there. Which isn't to badmouth "E.T.", goodness knows I hold that movie in high regard. But "Starman" is definitely about healing, either literally with Jeff Bridges and his mystical marbles or helping Karen Allen to grieve her husband's death and start feeling again. Both actors are something to see here. Bridges transforms himself into an innocent, almost mechanized presence as Starman learns the cultures and barbarism of humans. Allen has the market cornered in hopelessly lost and numb. Just seeing here try to define love to an alien is heartbreaking. There is sadness inherent in this movie, but it's also deeply sentimental and will touch even the most hardened.A fine movie indeed.8/10