Born in the 70's, I absolutely adored this movie when I was younger. It's a classic hero redemption story, where the hero has real problems that must be solved before an ascent can be made to star status.
There sure were a number of memorable & somewhat underrated sci-fi movies like this The Last Starfighter in the 1980s like Night of the Comet, Innerspace, Flight of the Navigator, Tron, Enemy Mine, Outland, Lifeforce, The Wraith, The Thing, They Live, etc... alongside the big hitters of ET, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, Predator and Aliens. The 1980s was such a great decade for sci-fi in either horror, family or action thrillers.
It was a great time for movies for sure. I saw so much in the theaters back then with my wife and then our kids later on. It was great. It is too bad there is not such attention to these kinds of movies today. So much fun back in those days.
Kid if the 70's and 80's here. Do you remember the 3 kids that flew a tiltowhirl to space in the clear bubble made by thier computer? Good movie but can not find or remember the title.
Best period ever, but it went downhill pretty fast, in the early 90s with the gradual loss of freedom and evil taking over every aspect of our lives. We went from a period of freedom to a nightmare society in less than a generation.
I loved this movie as a kid. I used to play Yar's Revenge all day every day, and I could play the game until it flipped. When the movie came out I imagined I was training for an intergalactic mission.
I used ti flip games also,ah,what a nostalgic ride down memory lane.Saw this film at the cinema and-LOVED-it.The hero of this movie was so relatable,living in a trailer park,yet,wanting a much different,better life. Can we ssay-REBOOT. LOL>
1984 was a huge year for some really incredible movies such as The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters. It's no surprise then that The Last Starfighter didn't do as well at the Box Office. It was up against a very big list of great movies.
Unless you include the popular 80s toy franchises and the Star Trek movies, I don't think any of the Star Wars imitators did well, though Battlestar Galactica had a cult following. Star Trek became a better model for TV in the 90s.
I was born in 1971. Pong was released in 1972. Growing up and seeing the video game industry arrive was amazing. It was a special experience to go to a local arcade during the height of the video game craze. My home town mall had a large arcade with all of the classics. Stepping inside a dimly lit arcade with flashing colorful screens and the sounds coming from every machine. And then going to the local department store to play with the demo consoles and early personal computers. The Last Starfighter most definitely appealed to kids like myself, who were fascinated with all things video game and all things computer. It was truly a time of wonder for me, and had a big influence on who I would become, what career path I would take, and what my life-long hobbies would be. The story, that the video game was a recruitment tool, captured the imagination of kids like myself. Few movies do this anymore.
Born the same year. Had a knock-off pong for my B&W TV. I even took a class in middle school called "Games computers play". We played Star Trek over the modem to NC State and went to a local arcade to see how pinball machines work and I played my best game ever of Red Barron. I very much enjoyed Last Star Fighter and dreamed to be like Alex. And years later, I played America's Army, an actual recruitment video game by the government.
@@carlosrivas1629 there is a lot of corruption in the process, I'm not denying that, but the inflation from 1980s to now is utterly insane. The CGI departments are also overworked with insane deadlines due to the Disney scrapbooking formula, where they have to work on 10 different cuts of the movie and don't know if it'll make it into the final product, so I have no doubt that they cut a lot of corners where they can.
I saw this movie in Paris when I was 13. I had a beer and a smoke sitting in the theater, bought from a seriously hot young French girl that didn’t speak English. Yea, the world was that awesome once.
I recently rewatched The Last Starfighter and while the cgi is very early and video game like, there's some great practical effects and make-up and the story is pretty engaging.
I saw The Last Starfighter in the theater and then when it hit VHS, I owned it and we saw it with our daughter over 1,000 times. She and I loved that movie and we still watch it once or twice a year even today but now we have it in a much better resolution. This is one of my favorite movies and it really holds up over time. I grew up in a small, close community, similar to the trailer park depicted in the movie and it really hits you in the feels. Love this movie along with John Carpenter's The Thing.
Engaging is a perfect word for this. It's also very fun, like many movies of the era. Though they didn't have the budgets of some larger movies, I feel they were movies like this, Flight of the Navigator and Wargames. They encapsulated the era but were important for future filmmaking. Calling them experiments feels inappropriate because they had their own vision. I unfortunately can't think of a word to better suit them. Some of my favourites of the era were Tron and Innerspace.
The Death Blossom super weapon on the Star Fighter was just about the coolest, most kick ass thing I had ever seen at the time. It was the cherry on top that really elevated the movie.
One of my favorite movies of the 80s. Lots of good quotes from this one. A great movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. And the soundtrack is excellent as pointed out. You can identify a true 80s movie fan if they can quote the movie.
Still one of my all-time favorites! This and Flight of The Navigator Got constant rewatches when I was a kid. We would always go to the arcade and look for a space fighter game thinking we were going to get recruited by an alien species too lol
Even to this day, I still quote lines from this film, much like I do for Star Wars. Sure, TLS's dated computer-generated visuals can be awkward for some, yet its story has a lot of heart and the premise of an intergalactic power using games to find would-be recruits was pretty novel for its time. That and the big bad's introduction scene is honestly one of cinema's greatest.
This movie is in it's own way more accurate about the 80s than any other movie of the time. Other movies showed a lot of things that just weren't real for most people. The people living in that trailer park basically *ARE* how people back then acted and lived. I kinda love this movie, even today.
Somewhat atypical for Hollywood is that Alex had a pretty decent support system. No one was telling him "you can't do that". He was frustrated with his trailer park life, but had some really good people on his side. That's why it's the discussion of family with Grig that has him find is courage and confidence. While he has a new life and duties that will keep him away indefinitely, you don't have the sense that he NEVER intends to come back and visit.
The Last Starfighter is one of those movies I put on when I'm feeling nostalgic for the arcade days of my childhood. Overall it's a perfectly servicable film where the heroes are likable, the villains are detestable, and good triumphs over evil in the end. It never really tries to get any deeper than that, and given how often modern cinema wants to portray itself as a sermon from the pulpit, I think we can all be thankful for that.
Thank you! I was 10 when this film was released. I was well-steeped in Star Wars. The oldest of my two older sisters took myself and best friend (he, being one year younger at age nine), and, honestly, loved it far, far more than SW. I preferred the look and feel. I preferred the ship design by far. Plus, I felt more connected as Alex wasn’t an Everyman on another planet, like Luke….he was an Everyman RIGHT HERE! Playing video games! As long as I live, despite seeing the original SW trilogy in the theater, I’ll NEVER forget seeing The Last Starfighter in the theater in the summer of 1984 at age 10! Disturbed by Beta’s transformation, disturbed by the alien ‘hit beast’ and the Ko-Dan inferiors when their faces were exposed, and the torture and death of the Rylan spy….but…BUT!….the Gunstar!….Alex accepting responsibility! The desperate bravery! Death Blossom! All of it! Yay!!! Loved it then. Love it now!
This was my favourite movie when I was a kid, I absolutely loved it for years. The '80s really is a classic era for cinema, sci fi in particular. Fun fact: The exact same premise for recruitment by video game would go on to be reused in the SGU pilot were David Blue's character was recruited the same way (the guy who figured out the eighth chevron.
This was a firm favorite for me at the time. Beautiful score, cinematic direction, a fantastic twist on the Sword in the Stone, and some truly ambitious CGI. They really swung for the fences with this one. I have a copy of an original one-sheet on my wall, signed by Nick Castle, Catherine Mary Stuart, and Lance Guest. As others have pointed out, the main reason why it didn't do better at the box office was just the strength of the competition (1984 was maybe second only to 1982 in that regard).
"Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of them as battling evil in another dimension." - Grig The Last Starfighter is a great movie and even rivals Star Wars.
One of my favorite movies of all time. I've always been surprised it hasn't received a sequel or series of any kind. Granted, I don't trust Hollywood to do it justice in this day and age, but it lent itself very well to being a franchise.
I remember seeing The Last Starfighter when it first came out in 1984. At the time I remember thinking a lot about how much the CGI effects had advanced since Tron only two years earlier. Too bad it didn't do better at the box office, it's a very enjoyable film. The script was very well written with a lot of humor without overdoing it. The Beta Unit was a great character, it was hilarious watching his attempts to fit in. Also, Alex's little brother, Louis, absolutely steals every scene he appears in. He was great!
You don’t realize how groundbreaking this movie almost was. They used the Cray II supercomputer to create and render the cgi - and the problem was they were running out of time - one option of rendering was on a scale of about 3-6 months, which is the route they ended up being forced to take. Had they been granted the time for the higher-end rendering (9-12 months I think it was), this movie would have melted peoples minds with how good the cgi was (it was already great - far beyond what Tron did 2 years earlier). This movie is always underrated - the acting and screenplay are perfect all around, and the score (I have the complete score) is one of the greats, deserving as much praise as Goldsmith and Williams and Horner. It’s not just for us children of the 80’s - my teen kids love it too.
Fantastic movie for kids growing up at that time. I remember wanting to fly a ship like that when I was that age. Really campy and a wonderful movie. It is too bad they don't make shows like this now.
I wanted to drive the car that turned into a plane that turned into a spaceship. Also, the James Bond car that turned into a submarine. And Adam turning into He-Man. And apple turnovers.
This was easily one of my favorite movies growing up. My dad rented this on VHS from our local gas station when it first came out and I was hooked instantly. We still quote this movie to each other every so often to this day. Years ago I wrote a treatment for a sequel hoping no one would do it before me. So far no one has but that ship has sailed. In any event, it's a fun and easy to watch and enjoy movie from a time when movies were made to entertain us.
Thanks so much for reviewing this. I can hear the epic score even now! One scene always struck me in later years: my old man was a drunk and my mom was a nobody - the Army was ticket out and the scene with Alex absorbing the loan rejection (before Centauri shows up) always hit me hard.
Alex Rogan: "Listen, Centauri. I'm not any of those guys, I'm a kid from a trailer park." Centauri: "If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be!”
This and Enemy Mine were the culmination of great early 1980s space sci-fi films (besides SW). Loved this movie, it's music, and simple story. It does bring in the question of them doing a possible CGI remake, where the film is untouched, but the CGI is overhauled. I still think it's great with the video game look to the ships, but today, the Gunstar and fight scenes can look even more amazing.
Absolutely loved this film back in the day and still do now. I imported the Arrow 4k edition and it looks great. I sold my HD DVD edition soon after. For some odd reason this has never been released in the UK since it's vhs release.
I absolutely loved this film when I was an early teenager! And I have to say, even to this day, I think the design of the Gunstar is a more realistic take of a space fighter than almost anything else in any other film…. the separation of the gunner and pilot, the manoeuvring jets etc etc.. fantastic film!
I love the moment where he breaks the record and is swept up in the elation of the crowd, but then there's a subtle look on his face as it reinforces his fears of being stuck in the trailer park where breaking a video game record such an event.
Dave, so glad you reviewed this movie. I was and still am a huge fan of the film. The premise was fun for a young teenager who struggled with popularity and friendships. The computer generated effects were awesome to me as I was a computer loving kid playing away on my Atari 800xl. I think what held this movie back was the sets for the base. They seemed to much like something out of the TV based Buck Roger’s or Battlestar Galactica and not organic like Star Wars sets. In fact the movie reused an item that was in both of those show with flashing tubes on a bench with some top dials. Those that know, know. The other issue is why was earth not conquered first if we were not part of the Frontier? I digress, I so wanted a sequel but alas never got one. I’m afraid to show my kids because they will laugh at the effects today and tarnish my childhood love for this movie.
From a military strategy standpoint, attacking Earth first makes sense if you need the resources for a long war. But that clearly was not Xur's plan. He wanted a blitzkrieg. Taking Earth first would mean leaving an occupation force to maintain the subjugation of a hostile population whilst still dealing with a much bigger threat. Taking Earth would have been like Hitler attacking Switzerland when he still had France to deal with. Another aspect is that Xur probably wouldn't consider "inferior" beings like humans to be a threat - much like the Ewoks to Palpatine. Earth was a backwater, it posed no threat.
@grantjohnson4810 From what I understood though, Earth was outside the protection of the frontier barrier so why not conquer all those areas outside the barrier then attack Rylos and it's allies within the frontier?
@@Xerxes910 Again, you would have to leave an occupation force. If you needed the resources for a protracted war, then yes, you would do that. But for a blitzkrieg war (which was clearly the plan) invading smaller areas first that posed zero threat (Earth had no space military capabilities, to their knowledge) would just pull troops and ships away from the actual fighting.
This honestly was my favorite movie growing up. And it still is one of my tops today. I was 5 or 6 years old when I first watched this on V. H. S. The eighties were a great time for scifi. Innerspace, Enemy Mine, The Last Starfighter, Krull, RollerBabies, etc. Good teenager movies.
I saw this in theatres with a neighbor who was a few years younger than me. The jump scare, when the alien reaches through the ceiling at Alex, made my friend literally jump in air!
As someone who was a teenager in the 80's, and heavily into video games The Last Starfighter, along with Tron in 1982 were like they were plugging directly into my brain, absolutely amazing, and I still love them today. Back then we dreamed of video games that looked as good as the games in those movies and now we have games that look way better than the CGI effects (which were rendered on a Cray supercomputer) and can do them real-time on phones. The Gunstar in The Last Starfighter was designed by the legendary Ron Cobb which explains why it looks more realistic and plausible than many contemporary spaceship designs. It's a classic design.
I love this movie. It's a shame that the rushed deadline prevented it from having much better looking CG. I own a 25th Anniversary Edition on Blu-Ray and if it ever had a remastered version with higher quality CG I'd also buy it.
This film will always hold a special place in my heart. I was watching my VHS of it with a friend one night at college and it helped me have the courage to do something very... let's just say awkwardly goofy. But it led to us dating, so... you could very easily say that (at least in part) I owe my four children and wife of 16 years to this movie.😊
"Things change. Always do. You'll get your chance! Important thing is, when it comes, you gotta grab it with both hands and hold on tight!" - Otis - The Last Starfighter
I worked in a movie theater when this was out. Consequently, I saw the whole thing about 40 times! I agree with your assessment; fun, nostalgic, but not the cultural cataclysm that STAR WARS represented.
The Last Starfighter came out in the early days of mass VHS rentals, so I’m betting it earned back a lot of money that way for the studio. I’m sure a lot of people saw it at home vs the theater. I know I did.
This was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid! I think it was one of the first movies I bought as well when I started collecting them in high school. I'm guessing I'm a few years older than you so it wasn't scary for me and as a frequent arcade visitor, it was a really cool idea! I watched it again a few years ago and while it wasn't as great as I remembered it being, I also noticed that the CGO/effects weren't too bad for that time!
Basically “yeah! Alright!”. But him being greeted by the game with the same manner (after this great Starfighter has already been found…Alex…)… has left many to wonder/imagine he (Louis) might ought be the next. Heheh
Fond memories of this film, I was 9 years old when it released. Still preferred Star Wars, but loved the story/plot, the video game recruitment idea was on point for the time, the gory aliens was cool for the 'ick' factor, loved the GunStar ship design, and 'Grig' was a charming and likeable co-pilot/comic relief. I'd hoped for a sequel, they definitely set up for one, but alas to no avail.
Another great review. I loved this film as a kid. I dont know how many times I watched it on VHS. The sequel has been stuck in development hell for many many years now. Something to do with the rights and what not. The sequel last I heard was Alex pretty much handing the torch down to his son. It is a shame. Cos it would be one of those movies like Tron Legacy if done right could be a fun romp.
This film is one of those that's stuck with me, as during the early '00s, my family was taking a road trip, and to pass the time, my parents had us try and guess movie titles via the number of words in the title. This one caused such a stink as to whether starfighter was one word or two, we had to use hotel wi-fi, a novelty at the time, to determine the truth. Regardless of personal anecdotes, though, it is still an absolutely great film, and one that is sorely underappreciated.
Although my brother and I had some criticisms about Last Starfighhter, we both enjoyed it to the point that we watched it twice in back to back showings. The movie was obviously derived from the video game Space Invaders and that was one of it's biggest weaknesses since the idea of a Space Barrier blocking the Empire from invading League territory was a bit juvenile when one is aware that no field can cover any significant volume of space, and the Empire could have by - passed the League to attack other areas of the Galaxy. On the other hand, The Gunstar with it's homing missiles and laser turrets makes a lot of sense when one considers how realistic combat would occur in space. Why bother trying to outmanuevere your enenmy when it's more efficient to send a barrage of homing missiles his way and/ or swing faster traversing laser turrets to target him as he zips by.
THIS AND 1980 'Battle Beyond The Stars'' (Richard Thomas - 'The Americans', Robert Vaughn - 'Man From Uncle') was ANOTHER GREAT FILM!!! I FRIGGIN LOVED THESE MOVIES!!!! 👌 😎🇬🇧
A great example of 80’s cheese done right. It’s a fun, unassuming movie featuring really early CGI, great character moments, comedy and a lot of heart. It is also has the best line ever uttered by a villain in his last moments of life. I saw it with my future wife in the theater when I was 20. Haven’t seen it in a while, but the last time I watched it, I found that it held up really well.
I remember reading about this film's production before I saw it. I think they used the most powerful supercomputer in the world, at the time, The Cray. The production design was by the recently departed Ron Cobb of Alien(s), Conan, Raiders, BTTF, etc fame. He was one of my secret heroes back in the day (secret as in, nobody knew who I was talking about). I'd buy those supplements published by Starlog that documented the productions, with art and schematics of props, etc. His name kept coming up on all the best ones. Hell of a talent.
Thank you for posting this review. A few years back, I had the opportunity to get this when I visited the half price bookstore, but didn't. I regret my choice.
It was a very fun movie. I recall a few years back, before Hollywood was obsessed with THE MESSAGE, there was talk of actually making a sequel, and I still think it could work.
I loved this movie, I just bought it from Amazon a few months back. It’s still great. Apparently they are working on a sequel! Thanks for reviewing it.
I don’t remember The Last Starfighter in the Theaters in 1984,probably because this movie was overshadowed by Ghostbusters,Gremlins,Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom & etc,however I do remember this movie coming on Showtime in the mid 80’s & renting this movie on VHS. I hadn’t seen this movie in over 25 years,still memorable for the most part & thanks to your fantastic video reviewing this flick,I will definitely have to check out The Last Starfighter again.
One of my favorite films of the era, I always enjoyed this. I think there's some real depth to the writing that deals with big concepts like, war, sacrifice, bravery, and rising above one's origin. To me it's summed up when Centauri tries to convince Alex to come back by comparing him to great men of the past. Alex protest that he's not any of those people, he's just a kid from a trailer park. Centauri's response makes the film when he tells Alex that if that's what he thinks, "then that's all you'll ever be." Of course, Robert Preston's "Herald Hill" space con-man with a heart of gold routine is also worth the price of admission. All around, a real classic.
two points id like to share: 1) at the time there was a slew of movies where the earthling saves the day in a fantastic world but goes home to be a boring drone on earth. this was the first to have the main character kiss the earth good bye and go on to be more than just a drone. 2) did you catch the remark from Grig to Centuri asking him if he used the Excalibur test again. Centuri was Merlin
As suspicious as it sounds, I never felt a comparison between this and Star Wars until you mentioned it. Maybe that's why TLS is so special to me as it embodies the original Star Wars (IV) concept that even the most unlikely person can rise from mediocrity to that of hero status. It's a great feel-good movie that reminds me of what Disney, et al, movies used to be: good entertainment. And, Dan O'Herlihy's performance behind all that prosthetic was fantastic.
Alex Rogan: "Listen, Centauri, I'm not any of those guys. I'm a kid from a trailer park." Centauri: "If that's what you think, then that's _all_ you'll ever be!" This movie was so much fun! Talented and memorable cast, revolutionary effects, and a great heroic story. Always glad to see when one of my childhood favs gets some positive PR. Thanks Dave!
I was freaked out by Beta's transitional appearance as well. I was also freaked out by the guy who got his head melted. Centauri... "So you still want to go and miss all the excitement?" 😆 I'm almost positive I'm a couple years older than Dave, and I was still freaked out 😀. Also, poor Lance Guest... I was sorry to see his career collapse 😔. I blame Jaws the Revenge.
Great review! It's not a bad film and certainly warrants at least one watching. In regards to the cgi, I personally hate the hyper-realism of today's computer animation. 80's cgi had a surreal quality to it, where a rendered object appeared 3 dimensional, yet still didn't look quite real despite how polished and perfect the object was. This was the whole charm of computer graphics for me back then, and I still feel that way now.
Grig:" 'Death' is a primitive concept. I considered them that they went to another life in an another dimension." Alex Rogan:" ANOTHER DIMENSION!!!?" HOW MANY FIGHTERS WE HAD LEFT?!!!" Grig:"Besides you?!!" Alex Rogan:"YEAH!!" Grig:"(Gunstar lifting off).....ONE!" Alex Rogan:"....ONE?!!!" 😂
If there’s one word I can describe this film, it would be “earnest”. Its heart was in the right place and everyone making it really believed in it. Writer Ernest Cline really liked it since he copied the premise for his book Armada. I recorded it off of cable and wore the tape out with repeated views.
This takes me back! I saw it on opening day because it looked cool to my 11 year old self... and my 11 year old self was not disappointed ! I think I went back a few times to see it. I remember revisiting it in my 20s and being thorough cheesed out... but maybe a new revisit? 🤔
I rented this from our local video store, many years ago and loved it. It's low budget and everything you said, but it does have an appeal. It would be good for young teens, who would enjoy some of the gross scenes.
From what I gather a lot of senior computer animators who ended up working for Pixar and Lucasfilm were hugely inspired by The Last Starfighter at the time, it showed what could be possible even with primitive 80's Unix mainframe technology. The CGI was definitely groundbreaking for its time, this was only 2 years after the CG Genesis Wave animation was made by a small team at ILM for The Wrath of Khan and that was seen as pioneering work in computer animation. Computers were not yet powerful enough to create convincing texture mapping without crashing, so they had to cut corners to deliver the effects on time. Even shadows were challenging to render back in 1984 and took twenty times longer to render than modern graphics. I'm with you on the plusating Beta face, that was always cut from the broadcast version on TV, along with the scene of the Spy's face being melted by a laser beam during Zur's broadcast. It's a shame that Universal didn't do a decent transfer for the initial Blu Ray release, a lot of people complained about the poor picture quality and terrible sound, the fans deserved better. Thankfully Arrow Video did a 4K transfer in recent years, which apparently looks gorgeous and remixed the sound to 5.1 surround. The DVD version seemed to be hard to come by here in the UK for many years, possibly due to licensing issues and the original studio Lorimar being bought out by Universal.
Great review, and yes for some reason the CGI space spaceships didn't and don't bother me either. The novelisation is also a good read written by Alan Dean Foster. This film and Explorers (1985) were some of my favourites when I was nine years old. Explorers novelisation by George Gipe vastly improves on the film.
I loved this movie as a kid and I love it now. I think everything you said about it Dave is spot on. It may have had aspects of a Star Wars knock off, but it had it's own charm and uniqueness. Much of it I like more than Star Wars.
![Seungmin "그렇게, 천천히, 우리(As we are)" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kAzmhLHePqU/mqdefault.jpg)
me as a kid back in the 80s had no idea this movie wasnt a financial hit in the theaters. i just know i loved it and watched every time it came on tv
Me too Brother, me too...
I was 7 or 8 years old when I saw this movie. It holds a special place in my heart. Thanks for the review and walk down memory lane.
Same, this film is awesome.
Same for me too! 😊
I was 12... I was the perfect age for this.... Loved it.....
VHS, VHS...
Same for me. Love this movie.
Born in the 70's, I absolutely adored this movie when I was younger. It's a classic hero redemption story, where the hero has real problems that must be solved before an ascent can be made to star status.
There sure were a number of memorable & somewhat underrated sci-fi movies like this The Last Starfighter in the 1980s like Night of the Comet, Innerspace, Flight of the Navigator, Tron, Enemy Mine, Outland, Lifeforce, The Wraith, The Thing, They Live, etc... alongside the big hitters of ET, Back to the Future, Star Wars, Star Trek, Terminator, Predator and Aliens. The 1980s was such a great decade for sci-fi in either horror, family or action thrillers.
It was a great time for movies for sure. I saw so much in the theaters back then with my wife and then our kids later on. It was great. It is too bad there is not such attention to these kinds of movies today. So much fun back in those days.
I grew up watching all the movies you listed! They really just don’t make them like they used to.
Kid if the 70's and 80's here. Do you remember the 3 kids that flew a tiltowhirl to space in the clear bubble made by thier computer? Good movie but can not find or remember the title.
@@leebrewer7394 Explorers.
It was a bountiful time! We didn't even know it.
The 80’s were such a great time to be a kid. So many original classics.
Best period ever, but it went downhill pretty fast, in the early 90s with the gradual loss of freedom and evil taking over every aspect of our lives. We went from a period of freedom to a nightmare society in less than a generation.
I loved this movie as a kid. I used to play Yar's Revenge all day every day, and I could play the game until it flipped. When the movie came out I imagined I was training for an intergalactic mission.
Yar's Revenge!??
Can we be friends?
Yar's Revenge! Same here. Used to love that game.
I used ti flip games also,ah,what a nostalgic ride down memory lane.Saw this film at the cinema and-LOVED-it.The hero of this movie was so relatable,living in a trailer park,yet,wanting a much different,better life. Can we ssay-REBOOT. LOL>
1984 was a huge year for some really incredible movies such as The Terminator, Beverly Hills Cop, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Ghostbusters. It's no surprise then that The Last Starfighter didn't do as well at the Box Office. It was up against a very big list of great movies.
Unless you include the popular 80s toy franchises and the Star Trek movies, I don't think any of the Star Wars imitators did well, though Battlestar Galactica had a cult following. Star Trek became a better model for TV in the 90s.
Gremlins came out in '84 too. And Karate Kid.
Yes, indeed! 1984 was a fun year. Good times.
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, 2010, Dune, Starman also came out that year.
THE NEVERENDING STORY
I was born in 1971. Pong was released in 1972. Growing up and seeing the video game industry arrive was amazing. It was a special experience to go to a local arcade during the height of the video game craze. My home town mall had a large arcade with all of the classics. Stepping inside a dimly lit arcade with flashing colorful screens and the sounds coming from every machine. And then going to the local department store to play with the demo consoles and early personal computers. The Last Starfighter most definitely appealed to kids like myself, who were fascinated with all things video game and all things computer. It was truly a time of wonder for me, and had a big influence on who I would become, what career path I would take, and what my life-long hobbies would be. The story, that the video game was a recruitment tool, captured the imagination of kids like myself. Few movies do this anymore.
Born the same year. Had a knock-off pong for my B&W TV. I even took a class in middle school called "Games computers play". We played Star Trek over the modem to NC State and went to a local arcade to see how pinball machines work and I played my best game ever of Red Barron. I very much enjoyed Last Star Fighter and dreamed to be like Alex.
And years later, I played America's Army, an actual recruitment video game by the government.
From a time when good cinema didn't have to mean that it cost billions to make.
A definite classic.
It cost 15 million to make in 1984, 44 million in 2023 dollars.
@@danielseelye6005 most movies do not cost a billion, they make a billion. but why let reality get in the way of a good narrative.
In fairness, if you factor in inflation, their budgets are more than a little bit closer to modern movies, although not on the scale of Disney Marvel.
@@Capt.Thunder bullshit, i have seen way too reused effect from other movies in the marvels to ever think it cost that much.
@@carlosrivas1629 there is a lot of corruption in the process, I'm not denying that, but the inflation from 1980s to now is utterly insane.
The CGI departments are also overworked with insane deadlines due to the Disney scrapbooking formula, where they have to work on 10 different cuts of the movie and don't know if it'll make it into the final product, so I have no doubt that they cut a lot of corners where they can.
This is one of my all time favourite movies.
Growing up... As a kid... This was on par with Star Wars.
Great film 🙂👍
I love this movie; I wish we got a sequel in the late 80s or even early 90s, but I hope it's just left alone at this point.
this does'nt need a sequal, its good as a stand alone story and should stay that way.
I saw this movie in Paris when I was 13. I had a beer and a smoke sitting in the theater, bought from a seriously hot young French girl that didn’t speak English. Yea, the world was that awesome once.
I recently rewatched The Last Starfighter and while the cgi is very early and video game like, there's some great practical effects and make-up and the story is pretty engaging.
I saw The Last Starfighter in the theater and then when it hit VHS, I owned it and we saw it with our daughter over 1,000 times. She and I loved that movie and we still watch it once or twice a year even today but now we have it in a much better resolution. This is one of my favorite movies and it really holds up over time. I grew up in a small, close community, similar to the trailer park depicted in the movie and it really hits you in the feels. Love this movie along with John Carpenter's The Thing.
Engaging is a perfect word for this. It's also very fun, like many movies of the era. Though they didn't have the budgets of some larger movies, I feel they were movies like this, Flight of the Navigator and Wargames. They encapsulated the era but were important for future filmmaking. Calling them experiments feels inappropriate because they had their own vision. I unfortunately can't think of a word to better suit them. Some of my favourites of the era were Tron and Innerspace.
If you were alive when it was out you loved it. We loved all of it.
The Death Blossom super weapon on the Star Fighter was just about the coolest, most kick ass thing I had ever seen at the time. It was the cherry on top that really elevated the movie.
One of my favorite movies of the 80s. Lots of good quotes from this one. A great movie that doesn't take itself too seriously. And the soundtrack is excellent as pointed out. You can identify a true 80s movie fan if they can quote the movie.
We die…
Hear that you slimes? I'm famous!
Still one of my all-time favorites! This and Flight of The Navigator Got constant rewatches when I was a kid. We would always go to the arcade and look for a space fighter game thinking we were going to get recruited by an alien species too lol
Even to this day, I still quote lines from this film, much like I do for Star Wars. Sure, TLS's dated computer-generated visuals can be awkward for some, yet its story has a lot of heart and the premise of an intergalactic power using games to find would-be recruits was pretty novel for its time. That and the big bad's introduction scene is honestly one of cinema's greatest.
Still looks better than Babylon 5!
@@StreetPreacherr ... you're not wrong. XD
...Babylon 5 - Amigas, The Last Starfighter - Cray supercomputer...
I fondly remembered the lines:
"What do we do?"
"We die"
long after I'd forgotten they were from this film.
@@FraggleH My fav quote will always be: "What are you worried about, Grig? Theoretically, we should already be dead!"
This movie is in it's own way more accurate about the 80s than any other movie of the time. Other movies showed a lot of things that just weren't real for most people. The people living in that trailer park basically *ARE* how people back then acted and lived. I kinda love this movie, even today.
Somewhat atypical for Hollywood is that Alex had a pretty decent support system. No one was telling him "you can't do that". He was frustrated with his trailer park life, but had some really good people on his side. That's why it's the discussion of family with Grig that has him find is courage and confidence. While he has a new life and duties that will keep him away indefinitely, you don't have the sense that he NEVER intends to come back and visit.
The Last Starfighter is one of those movies I put on when I'm feeling nostalgic for the arcade days of my childhood. Overall it's a perfectly servicable film where the heroes are likable, the villains are detestable, and good triumphs over evil in the end. It never really tries to get any deeper than that, and given how often modern cinema wants to portray itself as a sermon from the pulpit, I think we can all be thankful for that.
An amazing movie that deserves a proper sequel.
That CGI looked absolutely mind-blowing by 1984 standards.
Thank you!
I was 10 when this film was released. I was well-steeped in Star Wars. The oldest of my two older sisters took myself and best friend (he, being one year younger at age nine), and, honestly, loved it far, far more than SW. I preferred the look and feel. I preferred the ship design by far. Plus, I felt more connected as Alex wasn’t an Everyman on another planet, like Luke….he was an Everyman RIGHT HERE! Playing video games!
As long as I live, despite seeing the original SW trilogy in the theater, I’ll NEVER forget seeing The Last Starfighter in the theater in the summer of 1984 at age 10!
Disturbed by Beta’s transformation, disturbed by the alien ‘hit beast’ and the Ko-Dan inferiors when their faces were exposed, and the torture and death of the Rylan spy….but…BUT!….the Gunstar!….Alex accepting responsibility! The desperate bravery! Death Blossom! All of it! Yay!!!
Loved it then. Love it now!
This was my favourite movie when I was a kid, I absolutely loved it for years. The '80s really is a classic era for cinema, sci fi in particular. Fun fact: The exact same premise for recruitment by video game would go on to be reused in the SGU pilot were David Blue's character was recruited the same way (the guy who figured out the eighth chevron.
It's a copy of Green Lantern (and kind of Spider-Man).
This was a firm favorite for me at the time. Beautiful score, cinematic direction, a fantastic twist on the Sword in the Stone, and some truly ambitious CGI. They really swung for the fences with this one. I have a copy of an original one-sheet on my wall, signed by Nick Castle, Catherine Mary Stuart, and Lance Guest. As others have pointed out, the main reason why it didn't do better at the box office was just the strength of the competition (1984 was maybe second only to 1982 in that regard).
I'm jelly...
"Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of them as battling evil in another dimension." - Grig
The Last Starfighter is a great movie and even rivals Star Wars.
My brother LOVES this movie! This and the Rocketeer though I liked it for Jennifer Connelly!
One of my favorite movies of all time. I've always been surprised it hasn't received a sequel or series of any kind. Granted, I don't trust Hollywood to do it justice in this day and age, but it lent itself very well to being a franchise.
I remember seeing The Last Starfighter when it first came out in 1984. At the time I remember thinking a lot about how much the CGI effects had advanced since Tron only two years earlier. Too bad it didn't do better at the box office, it's a very enjoyable film. The script was very well written with a lot of humor without overdoing it.
The Beta Unit was a great character, it was hilarious watching his attempts to fit in.
Also, Alex's little brother, Louis, absolutely steals every scene he appears in. He was great!
You don’t realize how groundbreaking this movie almost was. They used the Cray II supercomputer to create and render the cgi - and the problem was they were running out of time - one option of rendering was on a scale of about 3-6 months, which is the route they ended up being forced to take. Had they been granted the time for the higher-end rendering (9-12 months I think it was), this movie would have melted peoples minds with how good the cgi was (it was already great - far beyond what Tron did 2 years earlier). This movie is always underrated - the acting and screenplay are perfect all around, and the score (I have the complete score) is one of the greats, deserving as much praise as Goldsmith and Williams and Horner. It’s not just for us children of the 80’s - my teen kids love it too.
The arcades!!!
I miss those simple times of playing arcade games with my friends.
I remember watching this in my local Odeon.
One of my all time favourites to this day.
The 80s were a fantastic time to be alive.
This is an absolute blast from the past for me. Loved this as a kid, think I watched it at about 6 years old!
Sound of my childhood: “Greetings Starfighter! You have been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.”
“Things change. Always do. You'll get your chance! Important thing is, when it comes, you've got to grab it with both hands, and hold on TIGHT!”
I cried with joy everytime I hear from the old man's words when I'm down in life. 🥲
Fantastic movie for kids growing up at that time. I remember wanting to fly a ship like that when I was that age. Really campy and a wonderful movie. It is too bad they don't make shows like this now.
I wanted to drive the car that turned into a plane that turned into a spaceship.
Also, the James Bond car that turned into a submarine.
And Adam turning into He-Man.
And apple turnovers.
This was easily one of my favorite movies growing up. My dad rented this on VHS from our local gas station when it first came out and I was hooked instantly. We still quote this movie to each other every so often to this day. Years ago I wrote a treatment for a sequel hoping no one would do it before me. So far no one has but that ship has sailed. In any event, it's a fun and easy to watch and enjoy movie from a time when movies were made to entertain us.
Thanks so much for reviewing this. I can hear the epic score even now!
One scene always struck me in later years: my old man was a drunk and my mom was a nobody - the Army was ticket out and the scene with Alex absorbing the loan rejection (before Centauri shows up) always hit me hard.
Craig Safan did an amazing job with The Last Starfighter score as well as the one he wrote for Remo Williams.
Alex Rogan: "Listen, Centauri. I'm not any of those guys, I'm a kid from a trailer park."
Centauri: "If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be!”
One of my childhood favourites.
Glad you noted the excellent soundtrack from Craig Safan Dave, it’s a classic.
This and Enemy Mine were the culmination of great early 1980s space sci-fi films (besides SW). Loved this movie, it's music, and simple story.
It does bring in the question of them doing a possible CGI remake, where the film is untouched, but the CGI is overhauled. I still think it's great with the video game look to the ships, but today, the Gunstar and fight scenes can look even more amazing.
Absolutely loved this film back in the day and still do now. I imported the Arrow 4k edition and it looks great. I sold my HD DVD edition soon after. For some odd reason this has never been released in the UK since it's vhs release.
Saw this when I was 14 at a drive-in movie theater in 1986, and it was so awesome, I watch it at least once a year and I will do so with my kids :-)
I absolutely loved this film when I was an early teenager! And I have to say, even to this day, I think the design of the Gunstar is a more realistic take of a space fighter than almost anything else in any other film…. the separation of the gunner and pilot, the manoeuvring jets etc etc..
fantastic film!
I love the moment where he breaks the record and is swept up in the elation of the crowd, but then there's a subtle look on his face as it reinforces his fears of being stuck in the trailer park where breaking a video game record such an event.
Dave, so glad you reviewed this movie. I was and still am a huge fan of the film. The premise was fun for a young teenager who struggled with popularity and friendships. The computer generated effects were awesome to me as I was a computer loving kid playing away on my Atari 800xl. I think what held this movie back was the sets for the base. They seemed to much like something out of the TV based Buck Roger’s or Battlestar Galactica and not organic like Star Wars sets. In fact the movie reused an item that was in both of those show with flashing tubes on a bench with some top dials. Those that know, know. The other issue is why was earth not conquered first if we were not part of the Frontier? I digress, I so wanted a sequel but alas never got one. I’m afraid to show my kids because they will laugh at the effects today and tarnish my childhood love for this movie.
From a military strategy standpoint, attacking Earth first makes sense if you need the resources for a long war. But that clearly was not Xur's plan. He wanted a blitzkrieg. Taking Earth first would mean leaving an occupation force to maintain the subjugation of a hostile population whilst still dealing with a much bigger threat. Taking Earth would have been like Hitler attacking Switzerland when he still had France to deal with.
Another aspect is that Xur probably wouldn't consider "inferior" beings like humans to be a threat - much like the Ewoks to Palpatine. Earth was a backwater, it posed no threat.
@grantjohnson4810 From what I understood though, Earth was outside the protection of the frontier barrier so why not conquer all those areas outside the barrier then attack Rylos and it's allies within the frontier?
@@Xerxes910 Again, you would have to leave an occupation force. If you needed the resources for a protracted war, then yes, you would do that. But for a blitzkrieg war (which was clearly the plan) invading smaller areas first that posed zero threat (Earth had no space military capabilities, to their knowledge) would just pull troops and ships away from the actual fighting.
The Last Starfighter and Enemy Mine are two of my favorites.
This honestly was my favorite movie growing up. And it still is one of my tops today. I was 5 or 6 years old when I first watched this on V. H. S.
The eighties were a great time for scifi.
Innerspace, Enemy Mine, The Last Starfighter, Krull, RollerBabies, etc. Good teenager movies.
I loved this movie when I was young, Such a great idea for a film.
I saw this in theatres with a neighbor who was a few years younger than me. The jump scare, when the alien reaches through the ceiling at Alex, made my friend literally jump in air!
i saw this movie in the theater in 84, absolutely loved it. recently watched it with my son and now hes a fan. hope we still get a sequel, or a game 🤞
As someone who was a teenager in the 80's, and heavily into video games The Last Starfighter, along with Tron in 1982 were like they were plugging directly into my brain, absolutely amazing, and I still love them today.
Back then we dreamed of video games that looked as good as the games in those movies and now we have games that look way better than the CGI effects (which were rendered on a Cray supercomputer) and can do them real-time on phones.
The Gunstar in The Last Starfighter was designed by the legendary Ron Cobb which explains why it looks more realistic and plausible than many contemporary spaceship designs. It's a classic design.
This is still a good movie, especially compared to the movie standards of today.
I love this movie. It's a shame that the rushed deadline prevented it from having much better looking CG. I own a 25th Anniversary Edition on Blu-Ray and if it ever had a remastered version with higher quality CG I'd also buy it.
“Listen, Centauri, I’m not any of those guys!”
“If that’s what you think, then that’s all you’ll ever be!”
This film will always hold a special place in my heart. I was watching my VHS of it with a friend one night at college and it helped me have the courage to do something very... let's just say awkwardly goofy. But it led to us dating, so... you could very easily say that (at least in part) I owe my four children and wife of 16 years to this movie.😊
"Things change. Always do. You'll get your chance! Important thing is, when it comes, you gotta grab it with both hands and hold on tight!" - Otis - The Last Starfighter
Watched this movie late night in the 90s as a kid. I loved it but never understood it because I was too young. This just unlocked a core memory
I worked in a movie theater when this was out. Consequently, I saw the whole thing about 40 times! I agree with your assessment; fun, nostalgic, but not the cultural cataclysm that STAR WARS represented.
The Last Starfighter came out in the early days of mass VHS rentals, so I’m betting it earned back a lot of money that way for the studio. I’m sure a lot of people saw it at home vs the theater. I know I did.
This was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid! I think it was one of the first movies I bought as well when I started collecting them in high school. I'm guessing I'm a few years older than you so it wasn't scary for me and as a frequent arcade visitor, it was a really cool idea! I watched it again a few years ago and while it wasn't as great as I remembered it being, I also noticed that the CGO/effects weren't too bad for that time!
I am not sure exactly what Louis yelled right at the end but it still makes me smile.
Basically “yeah! Alright!”. But him being greeted by the game with the same manner (after this great Starfighter has already been found…Alex…)… has left many to wonder/imagine he (Louis) might ought be the next. Heheh
I loved this film as a kid. Glad to see you cover it.
Fond memories of this film, I was 9 years old when it released. Still preferred Star Wars, but loved the story/plot, the video game recruitment idea was on point for the time, the gory aliens was cool for the 'ick' factor, loved the GunStar ship design, and 'Grig' was a charming and likeable co-pilot/comic relief. I'd hoped for a sequel, they definitely set up for one, but alas to no avail.
Another great review. I loved this film as a kid. I dont know how many times I watched it on VHS. The sequel has been stuck in development hell for many many years now. Something to do with the rights and what not. The sequel last I heard was Alex pretty much handing the torch down to his son. It is a shame. Cos it would be one of those movies like Tron Legacy if done right could be a fun romp.
This film is one of those that's stuck with me, as during the early '00s, my family was taking a road trip, and to pass the time, my parents had us try and guess movie titles via the number of words in the title. This one caused such a stink as to whether starfighter was one word or two, we had to use hotel wi-fi, a novelty at the time, to determine the truth. Regardless of personal anecdotes, though, it is still an absolutely great film, and one that is sorely underappreciated.
Although my brother and I had some criticisms about Last Starfighhter, we both enjoyed it to the point that we watched it twice in back to back showings. The movie was obviously derived from the video game Space Invaders and that was one of it's biggest weaknesses since the idea of a Space Barrier blocking the Empire from invading League territory was a bit juvenile when one is aware that no field can cover any significant volume of space, and the Empire could have by - passed the League to attack other areas of the Galaxy.
On the other hand, The Gunstar with it's homing missiles and laser turrets makes a lot of sense when one considers how realistic combat would occur in space. Why bother trying to outmanuevere your enenmy when it's more efficient to send a barrage of homing missiles his way and/ or swing faster traversing laser turrets to target him as he zips by.
This movie was a major part of my childhood. Glad you reviewed it. We watched it not that long ago, and we still think it holds up very well.
The Gunstar is such an underrated pop culture spaceship! Would be amazing if Lego made a UCS version. Death-Blossom!!!
“Granny put that shotgun away!” always made me laugh as a kid and still does
Granny was one of the Talosians from the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Cage.
One of my favorite sci fi movies of the 80s. Loved TLS, The Thing, and Krull.
THIS AND 1980 'Battle Beyond The Stars'' (Richard Thomas - 'The Americans', Robert Vaughn - 'Man From Uncle') was ANOTHER GREAT FILM!!! I FRIGGIN LOVED THESE MOVIES!!!! 👌
😎🇬🇧
Thank you for reviewing these older movies!
A great example of 80’s cheese done right. It’s a fun, unassuming movie featuring really early CGI, great character moments, comedy and a lot of heart. It is also has the best line ever uttered by a villain in his last moments of life. I saw it with my future wife in the theater when I was 20. Haven’t seen it in a while, but the last time I watched it, I found that it held up really well.
I remember reading about this film's production before I saw it. I think they used the most powerful supercomputer in the world, at the time, The Cray. The production design was by the recently departed Ron Cobb of Alien(s), Conan, Raiders, BTTF, etc fame. He was one of my secret heroes back in the day (secret as in, nobody knew who I was talking about). I'd buy those supplements published by Starlog that documented the productions, with art and schematics of props, etc. His name kept coming up on all the best ones. Hell of a talent.
Can’t believe they haven’t gone back to the well and made a sequel or reboot of this movie.
And Maggie's Grandma was in Star Trek's pilot 'The Cage' as the leader of the Talosians.
This movie came out 10 years before I was born, but it was one of my favorite 80s movies growing up.
Thank you for posting this review.
A few years back, I had the opportunity to get this when I visited the half price bookstore, but didn't. I regret my choice.
It was a very fun movie. I recall a few years back, before Hollywood was obsessed with THE MESSAGE, there was talk of actually making a sequel, and I still think it could work.
I love this movie. I always thought Grig's head looked more like an armadillo.
I was 6 when that movie came out and loved it.
It's a bit of a shame we never got a sequel.
I loved this movie, I just bought it from Amazon a few months back. It’s still great. Apparently they are working on a sequel! Thanks for reviewing it.
I don’t remember The Last Starfighter in the Theaters in 1984,probably because this movie was overshadowed by Ghostbusters,Gremlins,Indiana Jones & Temple of Doom & etc,however I do remember this movie coming on Showtime in the mid 80’s & renting this movie on VHS.
I hadn’t seen this movie in over 25 years,still memorable for the most part & thanks to your fantastic video reviewing this flick,I will definitely have to check out The Last Starfighter again.
One of my favorite films of the era, I always enjoyed this. I think there's some real depth to the writing that deals with big concepts like, war, sacrifice, bravery, and rising above one's origin. To me it's summed up when Centauri tries to convince Alex to come back by comparing him to great men of the past. Alex protest that he's not any of those people, he's just a kid from a trailer park. Centauri's response makes the film when he tells Alex that if that's what he thinks, "then that's all you'll ever be." Of course, Robert Preston's "Herald Hill" space con-man with a heart of gold routine is also worth the price of admission. All around, a real classic.
The Theme Song is still one of my favorites.
two points id like to share: 1) at the time there was a slew of movies where the earthling saves the day in a fantastic world but goes home to be a boring drone on earth. this was the first to have the main character kiss the earth good bye and go on to be more than just a drone. 2) did you catch the remark from Grig to Centuri asking him if he used the Excalibur test again. Centuri was Merlin
As suspicious as it sounds, I never felt a comparison between this and Star Wars until you mentioned it. Maybe that's why TLS is so special to me as it embodies the original Star Wars (IV) concept that even the most unlikely person can rise from mediocrity to that of hero status. It's a great feel-good movie that reminds me of what Disney, et al, movies used to be: good entertainment. And, Dan O'Herlihy's performance behind all that prosthetic was fantastic.
Alex Rogan: "Listen, Centauri, I'm not any of those guys. I'm a kid from a trailer park."
Centauri: "If that's what you think, then that's _all_ you'll ever be!"
This movie was so much fun! Talented and memorable cast, revolutionary effects, and a great heroic story. Always glad to see when one of my childhood favs gets some positive PR. Thanks Dave!
I only realised recently that Grigg is played by the OCP head honcho in Robocop
I was freaked out by Beta's transitional appearance as well. I was also freaked out by the guy who got his head melted. Centauri... "So you still want to go and miss all the excitement?" 😆
I'm almost positive I'm a couple years older than Dave, and I was still freaked out 😀.
Also, poor Lance Guest... I was sorry to see his career collapse 😔. I blame Jaws the Revenge.
Great review! It's not a bad film and certainly warrants at least one watching.
In regards to the cgi, I personally hate the hyper-realism of today's computer animation. 80's cgi had a surreal quality to it, where a rendered object appeared 3 dimensional, yet still didn't look quite real despite how polished and perfect the object was. This was the whole charm of computer graphics for me back then, and I still feel that way now.
Grig:" 'Death' is a primitive concept. I considered them that they went to another life in an another dimension."
Alex Rogan:" ANOTHER DIMENSION!!!?" HOW MANY FIGHTERS WE HAD LEFT?!!!"
Grig:"Besides you?!!"
Alex Rogan:"YEAH!!"
Grig:"(Gunstar lifting off).....ONE!"
Alex Rogan:"....ONE?!!!"
😂
If there’s one word I can describe this film, it would be “earnest”. Its heart was in the right place and everyone making it really believed in it. Writer Ernest Cline really liked it since he copied the premise for his book Armada. I recorded it off of cable and wore the tape out with repeated views.
This takes me back! I saw it on opening day because it looked cool to my 11 year old self... and my 11 year old self was not disappointed ! I think I went back a few times to see it. I remember revisiting it in my 20s and being thorough cheesed out... but maybe a new revisit? 🤔
I rented this from our local video store, many years ago and loved it. It's low budget and everything you said, but it does have an appeal. It would be good for young teens, who would enjoy some of the gross scenes.
From what I gather a lot of senior computer animators who ended up working for Pixar and Lucasfilm were hugely inspired by The Last Starfighter at the time, it showed what could be possible even with primitive 80's Unix mainframe technology.
The CGI was definitely groundbreaking for its time, this was only 2 years after the CG Genesis Wave animation was made by a small team at ILM for The Wrath of Khan and that was seen as pioneering work in computer animation. Computers were not yet powerful enough to create convincing texture mapping without crashing, so they had to cut corners to deliver the effects on time. Even shadows were challenging to render back in 1984 and took twenty times longer to render than modern graphics.
I'm with you on the plusating Beta face, that was always cut from the broadcast version on TV, along with the scene of the Spy's face being melted by a laser beam during Zur's broadcast.
It's a shame that Universal didn't do a decent transfer for the initial Blu Ray release, a lot of people complained about the poor picture quality and terrible sound, the fans deserved better. Thankfully Arrow Video did a 4K transfer in recent years, which apparently looks gorgeous and remixed the sound to 5.1 surround.
The DVD version seemed to be hard to come by here in the UK for many years, possibly due to licensing issues and the original studio Lorimar being bought out by Universal.
Great review, and yes for some reason the CGI space spaceships didn't and don't bother me either. The novelisation is also a good read written by Alan Dean Foster. This film and Explorers (1985) were some of my favourites when I was nine years old. Explorers novelisation by George Gipe vastly improves on the film.
I loved this movie as a kid and I love it now. I think everything you said about it Dave is spot on. It may have had aspects of a Star Wars knock off, but it had it's own charm and uniqueness. Much of it I like more than Star Wars.