MovieChat Forums > Wavelength (1983) Discussion > Similarities to Starman

Similarities to Starman


Just finished watching my new HD copy of Starman on bluray and I immediately recalled watching Wavelength on HBO as a kid back in the early 80's. I vaguely remembered this film except that the plot was very similar to Starman and the aliens spacecraft looked almost identical: a large mirrored sphere that hovers over the desert. I was curious to watch it again since I hadn't seen it in almost 25 years only to discover that it has never been released on DVD. Well with a little persistence I was able to download a copy and just watched it and I am amazed that Mike Gray didn't try to sue John Carpenter for Starman. There are SO many similarities aside from the spaceship which obviously is exactly the same except for the Saturn-like ring of orbs around the ship in Carpenter's film, and driving to the desert to rendezvous with it in the back of the Indian's truck. Surely John Carpenter HAD to have seen Wavelength before he made Starman. I enjoy both films, but it's pretty obvious that Carpenter owes a huge debt to this hardly-known little film that only a few people like myself even remember catching on cable. Why has this not been released on DVD? Will it ever be released in HD on bluray? Surely the cult fans of this film will buy it but the record needs to be set straight. Most people will say that it's a low-budget Starman ripoff but the fact of the matter is just the opposite.

Edit: Alright, I just read some conspiracy theories about reasons why this might not have been released and they sound pretty logical. Mike Gray was given credit for the Starman TV series as part of a settlement with the caveat that this film never be released. Interesting theory indeed and makes perfect sense. There are also theories about the government cover-up because it is alledgedly too close to a true story. I'm not a big Area-51/MUFON conspiracy theorist but this also could have some legitimacy as to why this film has been pretty much buried and forgotten for the last 25 years. I think now more then ever it really needs to be released again for mass public distribution. I mean, if the government insists that they have nothing to hide then what harm can one little independent film made in 1983 starring Cherie Currie of the Runaways do to expose them, right? Or is John Carpenter just absolutely hell-bent on saving his reputation as a Director? Come on, Mike Gray, set the record straight!

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