स्टारमैन

Starman is based on the premise that when we made an invitation in the journey into deep space of Voyager II someone out there would take us up on it. Apparently someone has and we were far from ready for it.

A shape shifting alien is down for a look/see and when he arrives he takes the image of Karen Allen's late husband who looks a whole lot like Jeff Bridges.

Though Bridges got a Best Actor nomination in my opinion the best performance in the film is from Karen Allen. Throughout the film she is registering all kinds of feelings and emotions multiple emotions at the same time like any of us would facing her situation. Imagine an alien creature taking the form of your significant other who has passed on?

Obviously Voyager II's invitation should have been destination specific like the United Nations in New York or since the USA did build and launch the probe, Washington, DC. But instead it lands in rural Wisconsin and he's got to make a rendezvous for a pickup in Arizona, the heart of red state America where folks are having trouble dealing with all kinds of humans different from them.

Bridges in the title role is a wonderful combination of genius and ingenuous. He's centuries beyond humans in his evolutionary development but a mere child in dealing with humans other than Karen Allen. But he's a quick learner and note he never harms a living soul.

There's another conflict going on, one between scientist Charles Martin Smith who'd like to study and learn from Bridges and Richard Jaeckel the military man who wants to capture him and become light years technologically advanced. We are still in a Cold War. One shudders to think had he landed in the Soviet Union or in China. Probably no better than here and most assuredly worse.

Bridges certainly takes on all the physiological aspects of male humankind and after a night of passion on a train boxcar with Allen all kinds of theological questions are raised since he most assuredly tells Allen she's pregnant from the encounter and their kid will grow up to be a great teacher.

Unusual for a science fiction film Star Man does not depend on awesome special effects, they are there but not the main focus of the story. No accident that the film didn't receive any Oscar recognition in the technical categories. Just a nomination for Bridges and one that should have happened for Karen Allen. Both of them put over a fine and startling story.