Review of Starman (1984) by Stefan G — 14 Mar 2015

Almost immediately, Starman comes across as an attempt to capture the same sentimental mojo that made E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial a box-office smash. While this particular film is certainly more bearable in that regard, it still reeks of the kind of Spielbergian schmaltz that's almost guaranteed to make a ton of money.

The story isn't really well written, which I would probably expect from a movie that is so obviously trying to cash in on Spielberg's more success sci-fi smash. However, I find that the performances at least make some attempt to bring genuine human emotion, even though all trace of a human touch seems to consistently get overshadowed by the prevailing air of sentimentalism.

That being said, what makes the film somewhat watchable is that, in terms of sentimental schmaltz, it's not really forceful in its approach, and the film itself moves at a leisurely pace, but that tends to work to the film's disadvantage.

In all honesty, it's not a bad film, and with its careful direction, it manages to avoid being saccharine in overly painful levels, although the ending doesn't help the cause by much.