Written by Henry Hards | Published
It’s hard to imagine that a director as talented as John Carpenter could be described as having movies that are underrated. But where his filmography includes such iconic films Halloween, Somethingagain Escape to New Yorkit becomes easy to understand how some of his films may slip through the cracks. That is especially true A star.
Starring Jeff Bridges in the pre-The Big Lebowski days, A star begins in 1977, when humanity sends a message of peace with a space probe, inviting alien civilizations to visit Earth. However, when an alien scout ship responds and tries to make contact, the US government shoots it down in terror. Alien boats crash in present-day (1984) Chequamegon Bay in Wisconsin, where they are found by widow Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen).
Jenny sees an alien (represented as a glowing ball of energy) create a body for herself using the DNA of her dead husband, Scott. This alien, called Starman, is in possession of seven silver particles, which give him incredible abilities. He urgently sends a message to his people, informing them of Earth’s hostility and plans to meet in Arizona. So you begin a desperate attempt to escape a planet that is less hospitable than you expected.
Along the way, Jenny and Starman form a deep bond as they avoid capture and encounter various obstacles. Their romantic relationship (despite their very different backgrounds) serves as the main focus of the film, proving that compassion, understanding, and love transcend boundaries. They finally arrive at the designated rendezvous point in Arizona, where an alien rescue ship awaits.
ET Refused to Star
A star underwent a five-year development process at Columbia Pictures. The original screenplay caught the attention of executive producer Michael Douglas, who urged the studio to get it before considering Steven Spielberg’s song. The Night Sky. After director Mark Rydell left the project due to disagreements with Douglas, screenwriter Dean Riesner joined the film in late 1981.
Eventually Columbia decided to abandon it The Night Skyconsidering it more like a Disney movie aimed at children. Currently, A star it was intended for a mature audience. The Night Sky it was eventually renamed ET the Extra-Terrestrial, which became the highest grossing film of its time. Riesner had been tasked with keeping Starman’s essence in order to separate it from him ET
Everyone Loved Starman, But It Wasn’t a Big Hit
In its first weekend at the box office, A star it earned an estimated $2.9 million. The film has been a hit with critics and currently has an 86 percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The general consensus of the site praises the movie for combining sci-fi with an unusual, emotional story.
Metacritic, another review aggregator, gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on reviews from seven critics, indicating that A star received generally good reviews. Jeff Bridges was so praised that he was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar in 1985.
Why Starman Failed
Despite being a very popular film upon its release, A star it didn’t do much at the box office, grossing less than $29 million against a budget of $24 million. Maybe ET the Extra-TerrestrialThe big success, a few years ago, meant that the audience felt it A star it was not special.
John Carpenter delivered a quiet, emotional road movie about grief and connection, but Universal tried to sell it as a sci-fi spectacle at a time when audiences wanted a full-on illegal invasion or pure escapist fantasy.
Jeff Bridges gives one of his best performances, strange and deeply human, but that subtlety works against the film commercially. It’s too soft for action fans, a little too mainstream for the romance crowd, and too self-conscious for mainstream sci-fi. The result is respected film critics, and goofy audiences, clinging to that place where nothing is wrong, but nothing clicks.
Starman’s legacy
In retrospect, the audience has been very receptive A star. In true John Carpenter fashion, it seems this is another case of one of his movies being underrated upon release before it became a classic. It is now regarded by audiences and critics as one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s.
