sethifeldman
For every kid who dreamed of a far off adventure and an endless supply of quarters. A fun family-friendly popcorn flick.
GusF
The film has a great script by Jonathan R. Betuel and it is nicely directed by Nick Castle, otherwise best known for playing Michael Myers in "Halloween" (1978). Along with "Tron", it is remembered for its groundbreaking early use of CGI and the special effects, state of the art for the time, hold up surprisingly well. Although the film has a comparatively serious plot, there is a great undercurrent of humour throughout the film.Lance Guest is a very engaging male lead as both Alex Rogan and his robot duplicate Beta Alex while Catherine Mary Stewart is likewise very good as his girlfriend Maggie Gordon. It's a shame that neither of them had any other big successes as they're both likable and talented actors. In his final film, Robert Preston is great as the interplanetary con man Centauri. However, in spite of his relatively limited screen time, the show is stolen by my fellow University College Dublin alumnus Dan O'Herlihy as Alex's alien navigator. His great voice and Irish accent were as recognisable as his face was unrecognisable and he gets many of the best lines in the second half of the film. His papers in the UCD Archives, where I seem to spend most of my working life these days, so I really must have a look at them one of these days to see if there is any Hollywood gossip! I think that part of the reason that the film works as well as it does is that the actors generally play it straight in both the dramatic and the comedic scenes rather than going over the top in the latter. There are several hints in the film that a sequel was planned but it never materalised, unfortunately.
sanctuary22
I would give this movie an 11 if I could. Even now after 30 years, I still laugh at the early scenes' subtle jokes and intricate character interplay while crying multiple times as love and commitment continually overcome fear and hesitancy in the final half hour. While both Star Wars and this movie portray a "small town" boy thrust into the intergalactic spotlight, Star Wars plays out on the grand stage while Starfighter is more the intimate portrait. Not to mention, Starfighter went where no movie had gone before in basically inventing from scratch the CGI technology that we now take for granted. How much longer would it have taken if the producers had not taken the leap of faith that this movie could be built on a computer screen versus the tried and true modeler's table. And then there is Craig Safan's score that rivals and in many cases surpasses John Williams' Star Wars themes. I still often listen to the soundtrack, turning the volume way up as the heart wrenching notes that carry the final scene give way to a crescendo of joy as the credits roll. In the end, there is one small scene that will forever lock The Last Starfighter as my favorite right beside Star Wars. The scene occurs just after the Beta unit sacrifices himself to save Alex. That is when Maggie turns to the sky and speaks to Alex across the gulf of space, knowing he will hear even though light years separate them. Five simple words that characterize the theme of the entire movie. You can hear those words and understand their meaning by watching yourself. And then learn what a truly special movie The Last Starfighter is.
Aleksandar Sarkic
As a big fun of the 80's decades, science fiction, and old arcade video games, i give myself a task to watch this movie, and after some time i finally give it a try and i must say it surprise me, it is very solid movie. The movie reminds me on some mix of E.T. Extraterretial, Back To the Future, Starman and even Star Wars, but it is very unique and have own atmosphere. If you love 80's, lighter sci-fi, fantasy and old arcade video games this movie is definitely for you, of course there are some flaws in a movie, but after watching it i felt happy and nostalgic.my grade: 7/10.
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