The Best 1980s Sci-Fi Movie You Haven’t Seen In Decades

By Henry Hards
| Published 17 seconds ago

It is hard to imagine that a director as prolific as John Carpenter could be described as having movies that are underrated. But when his filmography includes such iconic films as Halloween, The Thing, and Escape from New York, it becomes a bit easier to understand how some of his movies might slip through the cracks. That’s especially true of Starman.

Starring Jeff Bridges in his pre-The Big Lebowski days, Starman begins in 1977, with humanity sending out a message of peace via a space probe, inviting extraterrestrial civilizations to visit Earth. However, when an alien scout vessel responds and attempts to establish contact, the U.S. government shoots it down in fear. The alien craft crashes in present-day (1984) Chequamegon Bay, Wisconsin, where it’s discovered by the widowed Jenny Hayden (Karen Allen).

Jenny sees the alien (depicted as a glowing ball of energy) clone a body for himself using DNA from her deceased husband, Scott. This alien, called Starman, carries seven silver spheres, granting him remarkable abilities. He urgently sends a message to his people, informing them of Earth’s hostility and arranging a rendezvous in Arizona. So begins a desperate attempt to escape a planet that is far less hospitable than it had expected.

Along the way, Jenny and Starman form a deep bond as they evade capture and encounter various obstacles. Their romantic relationship (despite their vastly different origins) serves as a central focus of the film, proving that empathy, understanding, and love transcend boundaries. They eventually arrive at the designated rendezvous point in Arizona, where the alien’s rescue ship awaits.

E.T. Was Rejected To Make Starman

Starman underwent a five-year development process at Columbia Pictures. The initial screenplay caught the attention of executive producer Michael Douglas, who urged the studio to acquire it before considering Steven Spielberg‘s Night Skies. After director Mark Rydell exited the project due to disagreements with Douglas, screenwriter Dean Riesner joined the movie in late 1981.

Columbia eventually decided to abandon Night Skies, deeming it too much like a Disney film aimed at children. Meanwhile, Starman was intended for a more mature audience. Night Skies was eventually retitled E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, which went on to become the highest-grossing film of its time. Riesner was tasked with maintaining Starman’s essence to distinguish it from E.T.

Everyone Loved Starman, But It Wasn’t A Big Hit

In its first weekend at the box office, Starman earned an impressive $2.9 million. The film was a hit with critics and currently holds an 86 percent approval rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The site’s general consensus praises the movie for blending sci-fi with an unconventional, heartwarming story.

Metacritic, another review aggregator, gave the film a score of 71 out of 100, based on evaluations from seven critics, indicating that Starman received generally favorable reviews. Jeff Bridges was so praised that he was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar in 1985.

Why Starman Failed

Despite being a well-liked movie upon release, Starman did not do big numbers at the box office, grossing less than $29 million against a $24 million budget. Perhaps E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial‘s huge success, a few years earlier, meant audiences felt Starman was less special.

John Carpenter delivered a quiet, emotional road movie about grief and connection, but Universal tried to sell it like a sci-fi spectacle at a time when audiences wanted either a full-blown alien invasion or pure escapist fantasy.

Jeff Bridges gives one of his best performances, strange and deeply human, but that subtlety works against the movie commercially. It’s too soft for action fans, too weird for romance crowds, and too introspective for mainstream sci-fi. The result is a film critics respected, and audiences shrugged at, stuck in that no-man ’s-land where nothing is wrong, but nothing clicks either.

Starman’s Legacy

In retrospective reviews, audiences have been much more receptive towards Starman. In true John Carpenter fashion, it seems this is another case of one of his movies being underappreciated at release before becoming a classic. Now it’s regarded by audiences and critics as one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1980s.