Starfighter

Being a child of the eighties, I can remember this movie fondly and with a lot of nostalgia for a time when movies that are corny now were just pretty damn cool then. The Last Starfighter is a great example except it isn't corny.

Some people are complaining about the visual effects but let me tell ya, they are pretty good even by today's standards. Some of these effects snobs think that if a movie's effects aren't groundbreaking or super realistic, they aren't good. Special effects are effective if they enhance a movie, not just because they use the latest computer effects or bring something entirely new to the movie world. Anyway, back to the movie.

The cast all does a good job but none of them ever went on to fame, a occurance that I blame solely on soulless Hollywood execs. Lance Guest especially, come on he did a good job. He deserves better. The plot is simple but fun and this movie is perfect for kids, as I was at the time I saw this the first thru 300th time. This movie has everything: video games, aliens, space dogfights, lasergun battles, teen angst, and 80's cheese. The Last Starfighter is a classic. Bottom Line: What a movie. If you were alive in the 80's and you missed this then you are so deprived. If you haven't seen it yet then stop reading this and go rent it or something.

This is a lost gem of a movie from the generation of "E.T.", Indiana Jones, Star Wars, etc...

When a friend showed it to me on VHS in 1984 I loved it for its originality, warmth & humor, as well as being impressed with the first-time computer-generated special effects for this kind of sci-fi film.

When I saw the 'special edition' DVD in Widescreen I snatched it right up and found that I enjoyed it as much as I did 20 years ago! The movie's special effects still looked good to me, especially the "Star Car" (my personal favorite).

But the special effects are not the centerpiece of this film. It has plenty of charm of its own to offer in plot, story, warmth, humor & good performances. Craig Safan's music score for this film is one of my all-time favorites. It almost outsizes this movie but it fits just the same.

"Starfighter" is a real gem from the 80's I will treasure in my movie collection.

I love this movie, total nostalgia. Before Avengers/Guardians of the Galaxy, there was The Last Starfighter, please add this movie to one's that I would love to have a remake!

This video game/ STAR WARS inspired space opera epic is more fun than it probably has any right to be. While there is an instant or two where the film suffers greatly from a case of the "cutes", the great casting here makes this one remain worthwhile. In particular Dan O' Herlihy, with his performance as Alex Rogan's alien friend Grig, absolutely steals this movie and gets to deliver most of the best lines. And when he's not stealing the picture, another veteran character actor named Robert Preston (Centauri) is. Good stuff especially suitable for teenage sci-fi fans but even as an adult I cannot help but have a soft spot for this cast...even Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stuart do alright here.

None of the other reviews of this film (at least those that I have seen) understand what makes this movie so wonderful. This is one of the few movies I can recall that treat teenagers with some respect, instead of as cartoon characters. Alex has the same kinds of dreams and problems we all had at the age of 18, but he really does try to do the right thing, even when it goes against his desires. The film does not show the generation gap as a battlefield, but as a fact of life that Alex has to live with, and not one that is entirely negative.

This film is totally driven by the characters. The plot, and even the CGI, while groundbreaking for the day, are not the real magic here. It is the characters.