STARMAN

Given that this is John Carpenter directing a science fiction film starring Jeff Bridges it's a real mystery as to why it has taken me so long to see it.  Perhaps the fact that it was a commercial flop put me off?

Anyway it turns out those critics who liked it (the majority) were right.

The story is uncomplicated enough. Bridges is an alien who crash-lands on Earth, takes the form of Scott, the dead husband of Jenny (Karen Allen), and then needs to rendezvous with a rescue ship in Arizona in three days time in order not to die. To add further jeopardy the US military are trying to capture him.

The essence of the film, rather surprisingly for a Carpenter film perhaps, is both a road movie and a love story that develops between Scott and Jenny as they travel across country.  Bridges and Allen are a perfect match for each other, and Bridges in particular gives a remarkable performance in what is potentially a very difficult act to pull off, for which he he garnered a well-deserved Oscar nomination, 

In the early stages there is some nice comedy arising from Scott getting used to the ways of humans, as well as some pointed observations about humanity's shortcomings, before the romance kicks in.

So OK the special effects are basic, there's not a lot of action or suspense, and I never really understood what the alien's mission was, or why its very advanced species can only rescue him from a specific location in Arizona.

No matter, I was fully on board throughout thanks to Carpenter keeping the whole thing ticking along very capably.  Delightful.