John Carpenter’s Starman framed as a tender ’80s sci‑fi road romance

Collider calls John Carpenter's 1984 film Starman his most underrated work, highlighting the ’80s sci‑fi road romance that stars Jeff Bridges.

The piece describes Carpenter turning from menace to tenderness, framing Starman as a love story about an alien trying to understand tenderness somewhere between Wisconsin and Arizona. It praises Bridges’ studied, understated performance and Karen Allen’s grounded turn as Jenny Hayden, notes Jack Nitzsche’s soft, heartbeat-like score, and observes that Bridges received an Oscar nod.

The article argues the film’s quiet moments and themes of love, loss and connection have kept it resonant decades later. Starman was released December 14, 1984, runs 115 minutes, was written by Bruce A. Evans and Raynold Gideon, and is available to watch on Tubi in the U.S.

Key Topics

Culture, John Carpenter, Starman, Jeff Bridges, Karen Allen, Jack Nitzsche