Starman

Play trailer

Starman

PG

Released Dec 14, 1984

1h 55m

Sci-Fi

Romance

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

86%

Tomatometer

36 Reviews

70%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Answering a NASA message intended for aliens, a space being tries to contact mankind, but an American missile grounds his ship. Scrambling, the so-called Starman (Jeff Bridges) inhabits the body of a late Wisconsinite and kidnaps the dead man's widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). Determined to reunite with a vessel from his home planet at a predetermined site, Starman and Jenny travel to Arizona. Pursued by military officials trying to kill him, Starman forges a lasting bond with Jenny.

Watch on Fandango at Home

Buy Now

Critics Consensus

What initially begins as sci-fi transforms into a surprisingly sweet, offbeat drama, courtesy of John Carpenter's careful direction.

Read Critics Reviews

Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Give ample credit to director John Carpenter also for his fluid storytelling.

Dec 17, 2018

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

There is little that is original in Starman, but at least it has chosen good models.

Jun 6, 2007

Full Review

Dave Kehr

Chicago Reader

It isn't pleasant to watch a talented filmmaker like John Carpenter willfully distort his personality to fit a commercial (read Spielbergian) profile, and only the opening suspense-horror sequences have the weight of real involvement.

Jun 6, 2007

Full Review

Howard Waldstein

CBR

Starman is a standout in the auteur's body of work.

Jul 18, 2023

Full Review

Don Shanahan

Cinephile Hissy Fit Podcast

John Carpenter shows a softer side in changing genres.

Jan 17, 2023

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

Yes, it is illogical, safe and predict- able, but it is also emotionally uplift- ing and has a sense of warmth about it which is a welcome addition to the Carpenter canon.

Jul 22, 2022

Full Review

Read all reviews

judy b

One of my top five favorite movies! I am watching it for maybe the fourth time. A real mix of sci-fi, action and surprisingly, romance!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/01/24

Full Review

Alec B

A reminder of what a great filmmaker Carpenter was at this time. The movie could easily have veered into overly sentimental trash at any moment and never does. The ending is just beautiful, mostly due to Bridges and Allen

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/26/24

Full Review

Ann C

Beautiful! Jeff Bridges is perfect as Starman. You'd completely believe that he is an alien learning to inhabit his Earth body. The way he and Karen Allen learn about each other and discover their feelings for each other is completely believable. You're rooting for them completely! A bittersweet ending, but hopeful.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

04/09/24

Full Review

Mike P

Grieving widow Karen Allen has a close encounter...She is visited upon by an alien (Jeff Bridges) who takes the guide of her deceased husband...And then they engage in an inter-species romance; as he flees his adversaries; foreign and domestic. It's very ET meets The Return of Martin Guerre... It also like an 80s version of Ghost in some ways.. I think there should have been more of a question of is this the spirit of her husband or an alien...More suspense and ambiguity on that issue...I also think they should have made it edgier; like The Shape Of Water which covers similar issues; but it's a little more explicit and shocking, to an effective degree..Whereas this feels kind of standard issue; kind of formula; kind of mid; kind of meh. It's a little too ho-hum for me to recommend this... Also I know Jeff's performance was critically acclaimed; but I thought it was pretty High School, to be honest... Overall: thumbs👎

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/07/24

Full Review

helder f

It's a nice movie for a Saturday afternoon. It plays with the idea of extraterrestrial life but also with our idea of what makes us human. Nothing in the movie is extraordinary but it's entertaining. Surprisingly, it does not fell outdated for great part. It's a bit too long and the story drags out a bit more than it probably should.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

02/12/24

Full Review

Lomer A

Super movie - grossly underrated!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/14/23

Full Review

Read all reviews

Read More

Read Less

POST RATING

WRITE A REVIEW

EDIT REVIEW

John Carpenter

Director

Jeff Bridges

Starman

Karen Allen

Jenny Hayden

Charles Martin Smith

Mark Shermin

Richard Jaeckel

George Fox

Robert Phalen

Maj. Bell

Show Less Cast & Crew

Show More Cast & Crew

Starman: Official Clip - Not From Around Here

2:11

Starman: Official Clip - How to Say Goodbye

2:09

Starman: Official Clip - I Gave You a Baby

2:13

Starman: Official Clip - Road Block

2:11

Starman: Official Clip - I Send Greetings

2:06

Starman: Official Clip - The Deer Hunters

2:13

Starman: Official Clip - Arizona Maybe

2:13

Starman: Official Clip - Yellow Light, Go Very Fast

1:49

View more videos

The Way We Were

64%

81%

The Way We Were

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The Way We Were

Roxanne

88%

63%

Roxanne

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Roxanne

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

79%

69%

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone

29%

36%

Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone

Watchlist

Yor, the Hunter From the Future

14%

47%

Yor, the Hunter From the Future

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

If The Shape of Water is Too Adult for Your Kids, Watch These 3 Films Instead

RT on DVD: A Sweet I Love You, Man Deleted Scene, Zooey Deschanel’s Latest, and More

The Dude Teams Up With "Iron Man"

View more photos

Synopsis

Answering a NASA message intended for aliens, a space being tries to contact mankind, but an American missile grounds his ship. Scrambling, the so-called Starman (Jeff Bridges) inhabits the body of a late Wisconsinite and kidnaps the dead man's widow, Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen). Determined to reunite with a vessel from his home planet at a predetermined site, Starman and Jenny travel to Arizona. Pursued by military officials trying to kill him, Starman forges a lasting bond with Jenny.

Director: John Carpenter
Producer: Larry J. Franco
Screenwriter: Bruce A. Evans, Raynold Gideon, Dean Riesner
Distributor: Columbia Pictures
Production Co: Columbia Pictures Corporation, Industrial Light & Magic, Delphi II
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi, Romance
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 14, 1984, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Jan 1, 2015
Runtime: 1h 55m
Sound Mix: Stereo, Dolby Stereo, Surround, Magnetic Stereo 6 Track
Aspect Ratio: 70mm, Scope (2.35:1)

Most Popular at Home Now