Save The Universe!

 And Get The Girl Too!

The Last Starfighter (1984), A misplaced video game recruits a teenage boy to defend the galaxy.  Does he have the courage to accept the challenge?

Directed by Nick Castle

Starring Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Barbara Bosson, Dan O’Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart

Why I Liked It – Old fashioned, straight ahead space opera!

I always want to call “The Last Starfighter” a “B movie”, a low budget, quickly made film designed to turn around a quick profit.  But in 1984 the fifteen million dollar budget of this movie was nothing to sneeze at.  It stands at the dawn of the heavy use of computer graphics for major portions of the movie (along with the original “Tron”).  In this case, CGI effects were created on a Cray supercomputer.  It’s some of the regular effects (called “practical effects”, it means the stuff they actually built) and the acting that gives it a cheesy feel tome.  The movie was trying to capture the “Aw, shucks” appeal of the Star Wars trilogy, but comes up just a shade short.  But the game graphics were beyond anything of the day, and still look pretty good to my eyes.  Sadly, game tech wasn’t advanced enough at the time to create the game in real life.

What’s left is some silly fun with an agreeable and able cast.  The cast is interesting because there are plenty of connections between this movie and the Star Trek universe.  Wil Wheaton is just barely in this movie, lol!  He had lines, but they ended up on the cutting room floor.  So he is fully visible in a group scene early on when Alex’s (Guest) friends pull up in a pickup truck.  He is standing behind someone in the last scene with Alex at the mobile home park.  If you look, you’ll find him.  Beyond that there’s Marc Alaimo, Barbara Bosson, Norman Snow, Geoffrey Blake, and Meg Wylie (who was in TOS as one of the Talosians).  Not to be overlooked is a beloved star of stage and screen, Robert Preston.  Best known for creating the role of Harold Hill in “The Music Man”, this was Preston’s last big screen project.  He’s perfect as the galactic rascal Centauri.

Alex Rogan is stuck in the trailer park that his mother manages.  She works another job, so he’s the person on call when things go wrong.  His dream is to get away and go to college.  He’s got a pesky little brother, and a pretty girlfriend, Maggie (Stewart).  While he waits for his life to change, he plays an arcade video game called “The Last Starfighter”.  It’s his refuge from a life he hates.  One night, he finally beats all the enemies for a perfect score.  That’s where his life gets really interesting.  A strange man who calls himself Centauri shows up in a strange car and offers the chance for a great adventure.  Before Alex has the chance to change his mind, he’s off to the planet Rylos.  What waits for him there goes from bad to worse.  The story is off and running.

You won’t be surprised by a single thing in this movie.  It’s silly, predictable fun.  Sometimes that’s all you really want.

You can stream “The Last Starfighter” on Apple TV, Amazon Prime, Vudu, Google Play Movies, and YouTube.

Rating – *** Worth A Look