John Carpenter has been named in conjunction with the Academy Awards twice throughout his esteemed career. The first time was early in his career when Carpenter served as co-writer, editor, and composer for the short film The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, which won the 1970 Oscar for Best Live Action Short Film. The second was when Jeff Bridges was nominated for Best Actor in 1984’s Starman. For a filmmaker who had dealt exclusively in horror and variants of science fiction, Starman was a distinct foray into familiar genres mixed with romance that many did not associate with John Carpenter. With positive reviews, Starman nonetheless faltered at the box office. While it did result in a brief television series continuation in 1986, the original film has become a cult classic despite being one of Carpenter’s lesser-known endeavours, making it this week’s Best Movie You Never Saw! Karen Allen co-stars in this often overlooked classic.
Inspired by the Voyager 2 spacecraft launched in 1977, the movie has some eerie parallels to The Terminator. In Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin, the Starman begins as a ball of energy that ventures to the home of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen), who recently suffered the loss of her husband, Scott (Jeff Bridges). The alien replicates his body before sending a message to his home planet that Earth is hostile. With three days to rendezvous, Starman and Jenny begin their journey to Arizona. They’re pursued by a cold, calculating government agent (Richard Jaeckel) and a likeable astronomer (Charles Martin Smith). While not a hit, Starman influenced a whole host of other films, including Jeff Nichols’ Midnight Special, while also spawning a short-lived series starring Robert Hays.
This episode of the Best Movie You Never Saw is written by Alex Maidy, narrated by Chris Bumbray, edited by Edward Clark, and produced by Adam Walton. Watch previous episodes below and let us know how you think Starman stacks up in John Carpenter’s filmography!