Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Starman 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown February 15, 2024

The Columbia Classics Collection Volume 4 box set includes award winners, critical darlings and fan favorites alike: His Girl Friday (1940), a sharply scripted and surprisingly timely commentary on the "dark ages of the newspaper game"; Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967), a brilliantly awkward clash-of-cultures influence on so many films that represents one of the finest unpacking of everyday race relations in 1960s cinema; Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), a heartbreaking dramatization of the impact and collateral damage of divorce and custody battles; Starman (1984), an oft-forgotten gem of a romantic sci-fi adventure that puts a spin on E.T.; Sleepless in Seattle (1993), which needs no introduction to anyone who was coming of age or searching for love in the '90s; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002), simultaneously one of Paul Thomas Anderson and Adam Sandler's best, forcing mental health, romance and social anxiety to collide in a dramedy for the ages.

From Martin Liebman's 2009 review of the film: Think of the name John Carpenter, and chances are that Starman isn't the first film that is instantly called to mind. An atypical Carpenter film but one of his very best efforts in the middle of a decade where it seemed the Horror/Action auteur could do no wrong, Starman tells a simple and beautiful story of one alien's visit to Earth. Far from the norm for Carpenter, whose films of the late 1970s and 1980s are otherwise defined primarily by Horror and Action efforts like Halloween, Escape From New York, The Thing, They Live, and Big Trouble in Little China, and even more distinct still from his array of less-than-legendary outings from the 1990s and the early 2000s including Ghosts of Mars, In the Mouth of Madness, and Vampires, Starman takes on a wholly dramatic, purely emotional, and honestly moving tone from its dark and mysterious first act to its tearjerking finale. A film that explores such deep subjects as the meaning of life, the power of love, and the importance of acceptance and understanding all in a charmingly subtle and genuine tone, Starman represents one of cinema's most moving films of all time.

Carrying a message of greetings from Earth, NASA launched Voyager II into the vast reaches of spaces in 1977. Several years later, an alien species detects its presence, interprets its data, and sends a reply to Earth -- in the form of a living visitor. The delivery vehicle crashes into rural Wisconsin and its inhabitant stumbles onto the home of Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), a widow that's still grieving the loss of her husband Scott (Jeff Bridges, Iron Man). The alien, using only a photograph and a lock of Scott's hair, clones itself into the spitting image of an adult Scott, terrifying Jenny as it grows from infant to adulthood in mere moments. Though the being resembles Scott, it struggles with basic human motor and verbal skills, its knowledge limited to the information contained on a golden disc housed inside Voyager II. Scott convinces Jenny of his need to travel to Winslow, Arizona, in a matter of days. She agrees, the two hitting the road in her Ford Mustang and traversing the country, a time she uses to teach Scott what it means to be human while she in turn begins to fall for this version of Scott. Alerted to the crash is SETI scientist Mark Shermin (Charles Martin Smith), who finds himself hot on Scott's and Jenny's trail.

Starman's core storytelling motif lies in the Road Trip genre, though it's done here in a way that's quite unlike anything that's come before or after it, particularly at such a high level of skill and expertise. Still, the very essence of Starman encapsulates the every best of the Road Trip genre, the film an exploration not of the locations passed and people encountered along the way, but of the human condition. The film posits many questions: "What does it mean to be human?" "How does one define the meaning of life and one's existence in it?" "What is death?" And perhaps the most important question of all, "What is love?" The film thrives because of the back-and-forth dialogue between two radically different perspectives. One is an alien in every sense of the word with no concept of how the basics of life and its necessities work, let alone an understanding of the more metaphysical concepts that define most every waking moment of one's existence. Meanwhile, the other represents a tarnished human soul with a lifetime's worth of experiences but still in search of how to formulate not even an answer but merely a guess as to the very smallest of details that come to define man's plane of existence, just in hopes of making it through another day.

Starman represents a major cinematic success not only thematically, but also artistically. Though far from the norm of the sort of movies that made John Carpenter famous, he shows his supreme talent to be practically absolute, his abilities not limited to any particular style or genre. Starman is incredibly sweet, uplifting, honest, and heartwarming throughout, a tone that's captured not only visually but also aurally thanks to to Jack Nitzsche's (Revenge) wonderful score. Nevertheless, there are hints scattered throughout Starman that capture the magic of Carpenter's more intense outings, in particular a superbly -- and spellbindingly -- crafted opening that takes on hints of sheer terror and incredible suspense as an alien descends upon a home and metamorphoses itself into a living, breathing human being. Below the surface, however, lies the recurring sweetness and light sense of humor that runs throughout the entire picture, each made possible not only through Carpenter's steady direction but also in the fantastic on-screen chemistry shared by Allen and Bridges, the latter delivering a one-of-a-kind and Oscar-nominated performance. Bridge's effort is extraordinary. His first moments as a man -- mimicking the voices on the Voyager II and robotically moving about as he tries to solidify his footing and understand how the human body works -- makes for nothing short of positively captivating cinema, and never once does he seem even remotely human, even when only taking into account his human figure. Even as his character comes to understand with some greater degree of accuracy not only the intricacies of the human body, both external and internal, but also the more fundamental aspects that aren't found in speech patterns and swagger, continue to enthrall through to the very end. Just as important to the story and its ability to unequivocally succeed in all areas is the character playing opposite the Starman, and Karen Allen never falters, almost matching Bridges' performance though with a wholly different style that is at once both confused and terrified and, later, open and tender.

Starman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Darker than the previous 1080p transfers, Sony's 4K presentation of Starman is nevertheless an improvement and a step towards perfection, allowing the film to bask in shadow and twilight, making it more faithful to its original appearance, as well as Carpenter and cinematographer Donald M. Morgan's intentions. Even so, delineation is excellent, without much in the way of crush, or at least not as much as one might expect. Contrast is dialed in beautifully, and the palette, full of life and color as it is, lends a more foreboding, dangerous air to the proceedings. Primaries still pop (Bridges' flannel alone tends to dominate the screen, as does his red hat), black levels are rich and sumptuous, and flashes of blue and white space light are as dazzling as ever. Detail is wonderful too, with crisp edges free of any nasty haloing, terrifically resolved fine textures (closeups of skin are especially revealing), and plenty of world wear-n-tear that give the environments a remarkable lived-in or passing-through aesthetic. Practical FX are gorgeous, even if their seams are more apparent in 4K than in 1080p, and Carpenter's dedication to the craft, while used sparingly, has never looked better. Neither has the film. With such a technically proficient encode -- grain is intact and consistent, while banding and other anomalies are entirely absent -- Starman's 4K edition bests all previous releases and stands tall as its definitive presentation.

Starman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

My favorite mix of the six films included with the Columbia Classics Collection: Volume 4 box set, Starman's Dolby Atmos track is a blast from start to finish. The film doesn't waste much time getting its titular alien to Earth, nor does the audio doddle about with little to do. Low-end output makes its presence known early and often, infusing heftier elements with all the weight and oomph necessary to grant alien powers, well, power and the might and muscle of the U.S. government its teeth and bite. The surround channels are bristling with activity too, complete with pinpoint directional effects (oh those whirring choppers), silky smooth pans between speakers, and a fully immersive and engaging soundfield that makes the most of tense action and chase sequences. Dialogue remains intelligible and perfectly prioritized throughout, and music -- a Carpenter film staple -- sounds great, without overpowering voices or ambience and without underwhelming or growing too quiet. This is still high fantasy action sci-fi, and the sound design reflects as much, but it's a thrilling addition to the experience that makes Starman even more of a gem than it already was.

Starman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Starman: The Complete TV Series (HD) - Presented in 1080p across two 4K discs, Starman: The Complete TV Series is an unexpected bonus of the highest order. You can argue about the quality of the series till you're glowing blue in the face, but regardless of your opinion, the fact that Sony saw fit to include all 22 episodes here is worthy of some high praise. The series takes place more than a decade after the film, as Paul (Robert Hays) returns to Earth to guide his teenage son Scott (Christopher Daniel Barnes), dodge the relentless government agents hot on their tails, and find Scott's missing mother. It ends unresolved, cancelled before a second season could flesh out the MIA mom subplot, but it's still a mid-80s treat TV fans will enjoy revisiting.

• Audio Commentary - While not available on the 4K disc, John Carpenter and Jeff Bridges' audio commentary is nevertheless included on the set's standard Blu-ray disc. It's an excellent track too; one that shouldn't be missed.

• Deleted Scenes (HD, 18 minutes) - More than twenty scenes are available, including "Sleeping Pills", "Self-Discovery", "We Must Go", "SAC Alert", "Positive Identification", "House of God", "The Cloning Question", "You Could Take the Car", "A Theory", "Happy Pills", "Mating Ritual", "Learning to Dance", "Vending Machine", "CB Warning", "ID Verification", "We Want Him Alive", "Fugitives", "Colorful Language", "Keep Her at 60", "Little Bit Tired" and "Take 'Em Out".

• Behind-the-Scenes Time Lapses (HD, 10 minutes) - "The Light at the Window" and "Pep Rally Prep".

• They Came From Hollywood! (HD, 23 minutes) - Director John Carpenter, actors Jeff Bridges and Charles Martin Smith, and script supervisor Sandy King-Carpenter share their memories of filming and on-set stories.

• Making-Of Featurette (SD, 11 minutes) - A vintage featurette.

• Music Video (SD, 4 minutes) - "All I Have to Do Is Dream".

• Stills Gallery (HD)

• Theatrical Trailer

Starman 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I love Starman. Have ever since my mom first took me to see it at the ripe old age of 7 in theaters. It resonates more in the nostalgic corners of my brain than elsewhere, so it's hard to determine how well it will hold up for new viewers, but I continue to recommend it as an often-overlooked '80s gem that gets overshadowed by some of the era's noisier, flashier sci-fi fare. Sony's 4K edition breathes even more life into the film too, thanks to a strong video presentation, a killer Atmos track and a bevy of supplements including the complete Starman TV series (1986-87). Highly recommended.