How a sci-fi romance about an alien visitor became a 1980s cult classic
In short: When a non-corporeal alien clones a widow's deceased husband to survive on Earth, a cross-country journey unfolds. Directed by John Carpenter, this 1984 film defied typical genre expectations, trading heavy special effects for a tender, human-centric love story that earned Jeff Bridges an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.
The development of Starman was a turbulent five-year process at Columbia Pictures. Initially optioned by producer Michael Douglas, the project saw several directors come and go, including Mark Rydell and Adrian Lyne. The studio’s anxiety was fueled by the success of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, leading to constant script revisions to ensure the film remained distinct. Screenwriter Dean Riesner, who joined in 1981, authored five rewrites under six different directors, yet he was denied official screen credit by the Writers Guild, a decision that outraged John Carpenter. Carpenter even attempted to include an on-screen dedication to Riesner, which the Guild threatened to punish by forcing the destruction of film prints.
The final film, released in December 1984, centers on the rapport between the alien visitor and Jenny Hayden, played by Karen Allen. Carpenter, eager to move away from his reputation for exploitative thrillers, modeled the film’s narrative drive after classics like It Happened One Night and The Defiant Ones. The plot follows the alien, who uses the DNA of Jenny’s late husband Scott to assume a human form, as he attempts to reach a rendezvous point in Arizona’s Barringer Crater. Along the way, he uses energy spheres to perform miraculous feats, including healing wounds and manipulating a slot machine to win a $500,000 jackpot.
While the film initially faltered at the box office, grossing $28.7 million domestically, it garnered generally favorable reviews for its emotional depth and the performances of its leads. Critics like Roger Ebert praised it as a touching love story, while others noted its unique reversal of gender roles. Despite being the only Carpenter film to receive an Academy Award nomination, it remains a singular outlier in his filmography. Attempts to revive the property, including a 2016 remake project helmed by Shawn Levy, have ultimately stalled, leaving the 1984 original as the definitive version of this sci-fi parable.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Starman (1984 film)
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