"Greetings Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier from Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada."
--Ken
Last Starfighter, The
Directors: Nick Castle
Producers: Gary Adelson & Edward O. Denault
Writers: Jonathan R. Betuel
Features: Feature Commentary with Director Nick Castle and Production Designer Ron Cobb, Crossing The Frontier: The Making of The Last Starfighter full-length documentary by Sharpline Arts, Teaser Trailer, Theatrical Trailer, Production Photographs and Information, Dolby Digtal 5.1 Soundtrack, Dolby Surround (Pro-Logic) Soundtrack, 2.35:1 Aspect Ratio, enhanced for widescreen displays
Characters:
Louis Rogan - Chris Hebert
Centauri - Robert Preston
Maggie Gordon - Catherine Mary Stewart
Alex Rogan - Lance Guest
Lord Kril - Dan Mason
Enduran - Kay E. Kuter
Genre: Science-Fiction
Review:
"Greetings Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier from Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada."
The Last Starfighter tells the story of Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a trailer park teenager who longs for adventure and finds it by becoming good at a videogame. This not an ordinary videogame, though, it's actually a battle simulation unit placed by Centauri (Robert Preston), a recruiter for the Star League who has come to Earth to find a warrior to help in the battle against the evil KO-Dan Armada.
This film has been shown countless times on television over the years, and has grown a very appreciative cult audience as a result. It represents all those things which other fantasy movies from its era does, but does it in a way which almost totally unique.
The story is essentially about Alex's growth from a boy into a man, and in this case going into space and defeating the KO-Dan Armada is how Alex grows. He goes through typical growing pains, including at one point retracting completely and attempting to become a boy again (which we all know never works). It's hardly an original story arc, but at the same time it very engaging and entertaining because of its sheer familiarity.
The performances are fun, with Lance Guest pulling double duty as Alex Rogan and his twin robot "copy" Beta, Robert Preston doing a great used-car-salesmen shtick as Centauri, and Dan O'Herlihy having a great time as Alex' co-pilot Grig. Other supporting roles don't stand up as well, with Alex's girlfriend Maggie (Catherine Mary Stewart) and his mother (Barbara Bosson) seeming especially underdeveloped. Also, the one thing which is missing from this movie is that thing which makes all OK movies amazing - a great villain. This film doesn't have a Darth Vader or a Hans Gruber (Die Hard), so it is lacking that great dark element which really helps the audience identify with the hero.
The story is very kid friendly and kid-safe. It was rated PG at the time of its release, but I doubt highly it would receive the same rating today. If you're looking for some good diversionary films for your videogame-addicted kids, The Last Starfighter should be at the top of your list.
The film itself is a technical wonder kind of its day. The Last Starfighter was the first film to use Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) for all of its special effects sequences. While the effects may look dated compared to Jurassic Park and Star Wars: Episode I, you have to remember that this film was made in 1984. Without the technological leaps represented here, we wouldn't have Jurassic Park or Star Wars: Episode I, or even Toy Story. The Last Starfighter really represents the moment in time when a large studio (in this case Universal Studios) finally took the leap and jumped full fledged into CGI effects, and considering it was their first try, the end result is pretty amazing.
The DVD represents the usual stellar quality of a Universal release. The picture is very good for the age of the material, presented in the original 2.35:1 aspect ratio and enhanced for 16x9 televisions. The picture has some scratches and artifacts, but they're not terribly distracting. The sound is a new Dolby Digital 5.1 remix, and is very good, if not absolutely amazing. The supplements on the disc were produced by our friends over at Sharpline Arts, and their high standards abound throughout. Highlights include a documentary on the making of the film and the challenges they filmmakers had to overcome, a photo gallery with extensive behind the scenes and test effects shots, both the teaser and theatrical trailers, and a full length audio commentary with Nick Castle and Ron Cobb.
The Last Starfighter is a standard Hollywood happy-ending science fiction fantasy story, but it's capped by wonderful special effects and great production design, which brings it above its B-movie script. For fans of the film, this disc is a must-have, regardless of the high price (I paid $40Cdn for it, which is about $15Cdn higher than most DVDs here), thanks to the high quality of Sharpline Arts' supplements and the excellent (for its age) transfer. For people who haven't seen it I'd recommend a rental because everyone should see this movie at least once if for nothing else than historical significance.
--Ken Pierce
Contributing Editor: www.dvdfuture.com