I’m loving the SideQuest retro reviews; keep em coming! 👍 Always great to see Wing Commander & Nexus getting some attention. Here's hoping you're able and willing to eventually tackle Dark Side of the Moon (by Southpeak Interactive). Not sure if it's ever had a digital release, but I can especially recommend the physical DVD release if it can be hunted down. - cheers
My favorite is... Alex "Wait....we've got to hit the turret to get the fighters, but we've got to go through the fighters to hit the turret?...We're dead!" Grig "Don't worry, I'll have it all figured out by the time we reach the Frontier" Alarm goes off Alex "What's that?' Grig deadpan..."The Frontier...."
So many great lines I like: How many starfighters are left? Including you? Yes ONE!! you see him cussing nonstop but can't hear cause of the roar of takeoff Golden
Damage report! Guidance system out. Auxiliary steering out. Divert! Divert! She won't answer the helm! We're locked in the moon's gravitational pull! What do we do? (Eye doohicky closes) We die.
The "world record" scene is one of my favourites! It's really sweet, and it provides a counterpoint to his surly behaviour through the first half of the movie---it shows that Alex is genuinely liked by the people in in the trailer park, and while they may not understand what he's doing, they're excited for him to succeed all the same. In the final scene, where they all gather to see him off in the spaceship, the earlier scene gives a depth and sense of community to the moment that would otherwise be lacking.
The one scene I adored in this movie is when the main character's first brought to the Starfighter headquarters. Everything starts very eerie and strange with a woman speaking a different language motions him further in. Then they place a translator in his shirt collar and all the languages make sense and it stops being scary. It's so simple but so great.
I also like how the alien woman instantly goes from "mysterious sexy alien lady" to "woman getting shit done" the second she knows Alex can understand her. Most movies would have tried to at least hint at her being a love interest or a friend to Alex, but not here. Lady has a galaxy to save and no time for noobs.
@@punkinholler Oh yeah! Imagine someone trying to hit on her. “Y’know, I’m a professional starfighter” “I’ve dated starfighters. All talk and poor preformance”
"Centauri is like this circus showman" Robert Preston is doing a callback to his famous stage and film role of the con man Harold Hill in The Music Man.
“Greetings starfighter, you’ve been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada” A quote a few guys from work often use even today.
@@toomanyaccounts Also the AH-56 Cheyenne, a canceled program for a fast attack helicopter that actually had a rotating gunners seat much like the Gunstar.
@@barbaros99 The Pkunk Fury's special attack was making the hippy psychic birds insult their opponent to recharge the Fury's batteries. But I hear spinning is a cool move, too.
I actually met Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart - by accident - while I was helping a friend of mine sell art at London Comicon some years ago. I'd gone for a break and a wander around and saw them both and GENUINELY jumped up and down and had a real-life "squeeee!" moment as this is my number one film of all time. Lance was really lovely and seemed genuinely pleased to meet such a fan. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed a bit tired - it had been a long day for everyone by that point - but I DID walk away with a signed photo from both of them, very happy indeed. And then went to chat with the cast of 'Allo 'Allo who were on the table next to them. This movie is an absolutely classic and always, always makes me smile ❤❤❤❤
I am so sorry if I came across that way! Conventions can take a lot of energy, but you are why we do what we do and I honestly appreciate you and try hard to convey that! I do not ever take you for granted. Sending love, energy and a huge smile and hug!
Saw this film in cinemas and was a 13yo kid living in a Minnesota trailer park. I was the target demographic and in modern parlance, I "saw myself in this character". Amazing film and yes can confirm the animations were convincing. I didn't even know what CGI was in 1984.
I watched it when it came out. I didn't know what the fuss was about until years later learning that all space scenes were computer generated. Back then when programs had to be loaded from cassette tapes, the visual effect really hit me.
I was a teen when I saw this in the 80z. It was freaking amazing... We felt like our video game playing was really training us for better things... 🤷🏻♀️
I was floored to see Meg Wyllie as "Granny". Meg is best remembered as the Keeper, in Star Trek's pilot episode, "The Cage", (used in the two-parter, "The Menagerie" season one). The Last Starfighter is what happens when excellent actors come together with clear purpose and direction.
I absolutely love this movie. Thank you as always for your excellent retrospective, although you forgot to mention that the alien assassin who shows up at the trailer park is none other than Gul Dukat.
I absolutely loved this movie! I wore out my VHS copy from a TV recording as a kid! There is so many good characters, world building, early computer graphics, sci-if concepts, and the music was just outstanding! I can still quote the movie!
“Charming” is just absolutely the best word for this film. Good god, but it’s fun. Saw it at the drive-in when I was a little kid, and a bunch of times since.
Double features at the drive-in were a weekend staple - it helped that we lived near one of the two drive-ins we had in town at the time. We would ride our bikes to a nearby hill and watch while trying to make out the faint sound from the speakers you would hang on your car window. Krull, Ice Pirates, all kinds of cheesy 80s classics. And barring that, weekend matinees at the dollar cinema. It was what you did before Blockbuster Video. Or the Internet.
The role of Centauri was written for Robert Peston specifically, with his role of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man in mind. Preston duly performed the part as such.
@@RowanJColeman you need to look up the interviews that Louis Gossett, Jr. did at sci-fi cons where he does the sounds and gestures of the Drac. also there are different versions of the film with added content that explain one or two things.
Was thinking about this movie when watching this, the alien looked similar. Both so unreported, and that one had famous stars. Thanks for covering this movie. It was like Never Ending Story for me.
I think the reason it did not do better is timing, it was too late to capture the full effect of Star Wars coming out, and too soon to capture on the CGI boom. I do agree however that the film hits all the right notes to make it a great film.
I think at least part of the reason The Last Starfighter's been overlooked is that, at the time, an adult admitting to liking video games wasn't very socially acceptable.
I'm glad you've covered this underrated masterpiece from the 80s. I'll try and think of what you should do next before we reach the frontier... (Alarm sound). .... ahhh!
5:42 Nice touch, having Grigg help Alex up off the floor and, without thinking about it, Alex starts shaking hands as a means of introduction... ...and Grigg is all like _'What on Earth are you doing to my hand?'_
Lol its not even done streaming but this video is the second video that comes up when I search the last star fighter in youtube. Man must really be a hidden gem.
This movie has always had a place in my heart. I didn't really know about it in the 80s through Cinema, but instead I had the comic book and saw the movie finally years later. It's definitely a feel good movie. As a one off it was perfect. There was no need to tell a prolonged story. And it wasn't Star Wars or Star Trek, it was it's own thing. I think a video game would be a really cool way to explore the universe more.
Me too. A random book I had read. And then it came out as a good movie too. Felt like it was my personal secret nobody knew about. Like Narnia and Never Ending Story until the movies came out for them too.
The Last Starfighter has still a very special in my heart. For the 14 year old early computer nerd in a backwater it´s the perfect example for a movie giving hope. Well, real life turned out to be different though ....
My dad was in Comp Sci and Graphics, so my childhood was things like TRON and The Last Starfighter. He also took us to Labyrinth so he could check out that owl.
Tetley is acceptable. Bonus points for mentioning squeezing the bag against the inside of the mug. If you'd said Twinings it would have demanded an immediate rescinding of friendship on my part. You avoided that deftly.
I watched this on TV once as a child and it left such a huge impression on me that I spent years looking for what the film was. This was before the Internet really had a way to easily find these things, and even when I did find it, none of my local video shops had a copy I could rent. I remember it being such a ecstatic moment when I was finally able to watch it again after nearly 15 years of searching. It was charming, fun, and uplifting and every bit worth the wait.
Watching this as a 46 year old man who saw this on video and cable a bunch as a kid, hearing that soundtrack nearly brings me to tears. This is just such a fun movie. Robert Preston was clearly cast because someone saw The Music Man and was like “Do that but be from space”. It’s also really economic storytelling. Few movies these days can tell a story like this and have you done with it in less then two hours
As a teen in the 80s, this was pure imagination fuel for me. I remember when my family stayed in a hotel for a week while my dad did some work at the Pentagon (he was in the reserves, so I don't remember what it was he was actually doing) my sister and I watched this movie over and over and over again on the in-room cable TV. (Along with Conan the Destroyer and another fun and weird little movie called TAG: The Assassination Game). Thank you so much for making this video. It brought back a lot of good memories. 🙂
@@Sku11Leader Wow. I forgot about Gotcha! I'll have to check it out. Never saw it (I think). I looked both up and I guess TAG was a lower budget offering. I actually need to watch TAG again, as I only remember bits of it (actually it's coming back the more I think about it). I remember the ending and how the hero trys something to get the killer to stop murdering people... Don't want to spoil it. 😉 If you like 80s movies it's worth a nostalgic watch. 😀
Well done Ron Cobb for designing the Gunstar. It's a great looking bit of kit! Also the concept art for the hopefully still-being-made part two is fantastic!
@@WrathOfTheGoth I always thought of it more as The Dirty Dozen in space, LOL. A gang of criminals trying to fight against an overwhelming enemy force:)
@@ukmediawarrior well both Blake's 7 and Farscape feature a crew of prisoners thrown together on an intelligent alien ship that they steal and later use to fight the fascist militaristic society that imprisoned them (when they are not on the run from it) and eventually get caught up in an intergalactic war between super powers. The Dirty Dozen are more like The Suicide Squad in WWII. Prisoners forced to fight _for_ a government in a dangerous mission in exchange for reduced sentences/freedom. If they survive.
One of my favorite moments from this movie comes right towards the end. When the Kodan battleship is disabled by Alex’s Gunstar it is falling into a moon, one of the bad guys asks “What do we do!?!” His superior flips shut his eye covering and says “We die.” So damn cool.
Grigg’s laugh is wonderful. I’ve always done it my whole life since seeing this as a kid. Also, my friends and I have quotes for years, “We’ve been caught in the moon’s gravitational field! What do we do?!” “…We DIE.” It’s such a fucking amazing moment.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to this film as a kid in the 80's. It nicely encapsulates that "can do" optimism of the era. It has always brought smiles and warmth, and on a couple of occasions it has served as a lift during dark times. It will always be in my collection, and I look forward to showing it to my kids when they are little older.
I still find it ironic that a period when people my age grew up being told that today might be the day that all life is extinguished in nuclear hellfire produced such gosh-dang heartwarming movies.
I saw this wonderful movie in the theaters back in 1984. Was with my dad, and after reading the ad for it in the movie section of the newspaper, we decided we'd go see it. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. The story, acting, characters, FX, and that magnificent score by Craig Safan....I still know that theme well! Great music. And for me, great music can make any movie good, though The Last Starfighter didn't have to have that incredible score, but it sure made the movie more memorable!
I liked the film. I could relate. Being stuck in a small poor town even though we lived near Silicon Valley by an hour (the town still doesn't have google Street View bc they are worried people in the town would rob or kill them. Lol.) and waiting more.
I saw this with my little brother in the small New Hampshire town where we lived at the time, in a tiny one screen theater, and we both loved it. I have the same affection for it, and especially agree with the strong performances from Preston and O'Herlihy, two veterans who swung for the fences with every scene.
I can still remember seeing The Last Starfighter in theaters, and the Starlog write up on the computer generated special effects. I remember taping it off pay cable and the tape wearing out due to the number of times I watched it.
I can tell from the premise that this film inspired the book Ready Player One (trailer parks), Batteries Not Included (humble setting), and Ender's Game (simulation game). I can also see two kinds of aliens here resembling the aliens from Enemy Mine and Babylon 5.
Love this movie so much. My mom and I would watch it over and over again on VHS, it holds a very special place in my heart. Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane!!
I was born in 1980, watched this movie sooo many times with my dad back when I was a kid. A few years back when I watched the anniversary edition, it wasn't until almost the end that I realized that I had been watching the whole movie with a big goofy grin on my face the whole time.
I watched Last Starfighter in Jr High for the first time. It was an amazing movie. More down to earth than Star Trek because it happened in our time. I love ST but this movie will always be on the top of the list for favorite movies of all time. I hope the sequel comes out soon and is just as good. One can only hope.
I grew up with The Last Star Fighter and always loved it back then and hadn't watched it for like 15+ years until earlier this year and I was amazing how well it held up which made me very happy as the movie ended. That was one of the movies I watched all the time that no one else I knew growing up ever heard of same with Monster Squad.
As somebody who saw this movie as a child, I can tell you I rewatched it many a time. Thank you for this video it was a great trip down memory lane and I think I'll go watch The Last Starfighter now... 😁
I was lucky enough to see this when I was a kid, and I watched many time on UK Saturday afternoon TV. Im now well in to my 40's and I still own my VHS copy and now on DVD and still enjoy watching it. Whenever I hear the movie theme tune I cant help but smile. One day I will find the arcade game and and woop with joy as it starts up. "Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada."
I love this movie! I didn’t see it in theaters when it came out, but I found it in video rental stores later in the 80’s. Such a fun movie combining all the things I love - video games, science fiction, quirky mentor and a teen love story with a happy ending. Simple story, but it works so so well.
I was 8 when this came out. LOVED this movie, the 3d effects at the time blew my mind! I kept wishing I'd get a high score on an arcade game and get swept into an adventure.
yeah like any time you were good at any spaceship related video game after seeing this movie, the back of your mind you'd be like "maaaaaybeeee it will happen?". Just made you want to believe in movie magic so much. That scene at the end where Loius looks at the video game intro sequence where the spaceship takes off and then up at the real ship taking off and just goes "WWOOOOOOWWWWW!!!" so perfectly captures the feeling of being a kid and thinking anything can be possible.
Man this takes me back to my small TV with broken aerial and bulky VHS player. Playing my movies recorded from the TV, perfectly pausing recording between commercial breaks to get the best addition to my VHS tape library. This movie was up there with personal fave of the times.
Thank you for The Last Starfighter love. I really agree with what you say here. Being a kid from a small American Midwest town I too can understand the perspective. I got this movie as a VHS bargain bin gift from my dad he found some 15 years after it came out, it was something that as he said a must see. Truly an essential movie for any sci-fi or movie fan in general.
The Last Starfighter is an amazing movie. I have it on DVD and I watched it back in 2013 or 2014 and loved it. I think the reason it didn't end up being a bigger hit than it was, has to do with the fact that it was out the same summer as Ghostbusters and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, both of which were still in theatres when The Last Starfighter debuted. It's really hard to know after the fact though. Especially if you weren't born yet when the movie came out.
You might be totally right about this. I remember that I watched both of those in the theaters while The Last Starfigher I watched in parents room because that was where we had HBO.
@@Obsidianone831 I don't know for sure though, because I was born in December, 1986 so I wasn't there to see the way things unfolded at the time, and I didn't even know about The Last Starfighter until I got it on DVD as part of a four-pack with Flash Gordon (1980), Battlestar Galactica, and David Lynch's Dune.
This is one of my absolute favorite 80's Sci-Fi movies. It captures that "Charm" & "Feel" that other 80's flicks have. Such as "The Explorers", "ET" & "The Goonies".
Absolutely fantastic film. This was one of my favorite movies growing up. I wore out 2 VHS tapes of it. One of the reasons it wasn't as popular as it should have been was due to the groundbreaking CGI. When it was released it had 27 minutes of CGI effects, which some audiences considered to be too much. You mentioned JMS and B5, but you forgot one important detail. JMS stated he designed Starfury as a tribute to the Gunstar from this film.
Great presentation! I always enjoyed the sincere charm and innocence of the Last Starfighter. The fact that it features the great Robert Preston and Dan O'Herlihy makes it even better! A great effort by everyone involved, and it is clear that the cast were having a great time making this classic. P. S. As to favorite ST vessels; I agree, Excelsior IS cool looking but for me, it's Miranda class all the way! ✌
I loved that movie. You are right. Saw it in the theater with my husband. We were both always science fiction fans and went to every sci fi movie we could afford.
Loved the video! Just wanted to add, you said "I wish I'd seen this when I was a kid-" - I saw this in the late 80s on VHS as a kid, and yeah, I did watch it over and over. As a kid there was all the superficial stuff, but as an adult, I think in part it was because it was unashamedly instructive on a very child-friendly level. I mean the movie practically states its thesis in the dialogue, in the scene when Alex tries to leave: Alex: "Centauri, you've got the wrong person. I'm not some kind of space warrior. I'm just a kid who lives in a trailer park." Centauri: "Well... If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be." In the video you mentioned you grew up in a far-flung place; I too grew up in a small community, where you could see the workings of heavy industry from my bedroom window. I identified VERY strongly with the protagonist. I wore out my tape on this one. I love how at the start of the movie, you see him applying for college grants and scholarships; he's dying to move on with his life - but when he does move on, the world outside his comfort zone is a much bigger, scarier place than he could've possibly imagined, and he runs back home, terrified. It's a sci-fi metaphor, I guess, for what happens to most people when they first go to university, or "move to the big city". That kinda makes it something of a coming-of-age tale. Anyway, thanks for the video, and I might have to dig out the Bluray this weekend...
Thanks for a nice, positive, upbeat review. I remember this as a good take on the arcade games being a recruiting device for a wider universe. ST Constellation Class is my favorite for it's versatility and scrappiness. And as an American ... I'll take the "Ted Lasso" approach to your comments on tea. :-p
I guess I am old. I saw The Last Star Fighter in the theater when it came out. I loved the movie but forgot all about it until I saw your video. Now I'm going to have to look to see who is streaming it and give it a watch. Thanks
It's a fairly well know classic scifi. I'm 42 and grew up in Poland and this movie was huge. Both to me as an artist, gamer and a kid this movie was super important. Most of my friends that loved video games (atari and amiga) loved it as well. It was so "cool" to see a movie that had a character who was a video gamer as well - most of us were mocked for being into video games. I know i was. Found the movie very charming and the CGI got me into becoming an artist.
I couldn't agree more with your entire review of this movie. Watched it when I was really young. I remember going to the arcade on the weekends after seeing this film and thought if I played good enough that I too would be asked to join the fight. Well, forty years later and no space ships have landed in my back yard.
Loved this movie growing up, i had an old VHS recording taped from when aired on TV and i wore that tape out. Before covid I got a chance to see a 35 mm print of this on the big screen and it did not disappoint.
I've seen this movie more times than any other movie - well over a hundred, maybe two hundred. It isn't even in my top 10 favorites, but I never got (get) tired of it and watched it every time I had a chance when it was on HBO/Cinemax in the 80s.
I found a 25 year Anniversary edition of The Last Starfighter a few years ago and snatched it up as I loved the movie back in the 80s. I watch it every once in a while as it is a good movie.
After seeing first showing of "The Last Starfighter" at the Century Theaters across from the Winchester Mystery House we called Lance Guest, and my comment to him was to question his having billing over the great Robert Preston. His reponse was, that was his managers doing, after all he was the title character of the movie, and how awesome it was to work with Robert Preston who really was great. I also thought it was funny that a kid, who worked at the same Century Theaters just a few years earlier, had his name at the top of the Marquee.
Lance used to come in to the Hollywood Guitar Center drum shop and hang out with us. He was a very chill and nice person. I would love to see a sequel to this gem of a movie.
I saw this around a year after it released. So long ago. But the first couple of lines stuck with me and I always think of them on a hot summer morning. "It's gonna be a sparkling day....". Admittedly, in the UK, that ain't very often. Since release, I must have watched this movie well over a thousand times.
OMG!! The Last Starfighter was one of my favorite movies!! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've watched this movie from start to finish when it came out on VHS. This movie is just good FUN just like a video game at the time when kids and adults alike were flocking to the arcades to see the latest outings. I was REALLY hoping for a sequel to this movie seeing how Xur escaped at the end and what of the other Starfighter that escaped after Xur's first attack? I still after all these years LOVE the Starcar I hope Eaglemoss or Hotwheels make some replicas to commemorate this great movie.
I covered this film for a magazine when it came out. It turned out to be Robert Preston's last film. He told the studio he would only promote the film after he saw it. He didn't promote it at all. The movie tie-in paperback was a bestseller before the film was released, but the week the film came out, sales of the paperback died.
Subscribe to my gaming channel here: ua-cam.com/channels/4AQjWVhQBOoHlOrKn_SJqA.html
I’m loving the SideQuest retro reviews; keep em coming! 👍
Always great to see Wing Commander & Nexus getting some attention.
Here's hoping you're able and willing to eventually tackle Dark Side of the Moon (by Southpeak Interactive). Not sure if it's ever had a digital release, but I can especially recommend the physical DVD release if it can be hunted down. - cheers
I would love to see you review Homeworld. It was one of my favorite sci-fi games growing up and I think that it still holds up.
Would love to see a great sequel made.
Rowan did 7oy ever see stracrash the thevonnwith David hasselhoff and chrstopher Plummer shd carlonje Munro
Done done done!
Alex "It will be a slaughter"
Greg "That is the spirit"
Alex " I ment our slaughter"
Is my favorite bit of dialog from that movie
My favorite is...
Alex "Wait....we've got to hit the turret to get the fighters, but we've got to go through the fighters to hit the turret?...We're dead!"
Grig "Don't worry, I'll have it all figured out by the time we reach the Frontier"
Alarm goes off
Alex "What's that?'
Grig deadpan..."The Frontier...."
"YES, one Gunstar against the armada. I've always wanted to fight a desperate battle against INCREDIBLE odds."
So many great lines
I like:
How many starfighters are left?
Including you?
Yes
ONE!!
you see him cussing nonstop but can't hear cause of the roar of takeoff
Golden
Damage report!
Guidance system out. Auxiliary steering out.
Divert! Divert!
She won't answer the helm! We're locked in the moon's gravitational pull!
What do we do?
(Eye doohicky closes) We die.
@@tylerleecarter My favorite scene from almost any movie.
The "world record" scene is one of my favourites! It's really sweet, and it provides a counterpoint to his surly behaviour through the first half of the movie---it shows that Alex is genuinely liked by the people in in the trailer park, and while they may not understand what he's doing, they're excited for him to succeed all the same. In the final scene, where they all gather to see him off in the spaceship, the earlier scene gives a depth and sense of community to the moment that would otherwise be lacking.
The one scene I adored in this movie is when the main character's first brought to the Starfighter headquarters. Everything starts very eerie and strange with a woman speaking a different language motions him further in. Then they place a translator in his shirt collar and all the languages make sense and it stops being scary. It's so simple but so great.
I also like how the alien woman instantly goes from "mysterious sexy alien lady" to "woman getting shit done" the second she knows Alex can understand her. Most movies would have tried to at least hint at her being a love interest or a friend to Alex, but not here. Lady has a galaxy to save and no time for noobs.
@@punkinholler Oh yeah! Imagine someone trying to hit on her.
“Y’know, I’m a professional starfighter”
“I’ve dated starfighters. All talk and poor preformance”
At least he didnt have to put a fish in his ear😁
@@DycuswasHere LOL too funny😂🤣
@@blackc1479 A reference less and less people get as time goes on.
"Centauri is like this circus showman"
Robert Preston is doing a callback to his famous stage and film role of the con man Harold Hill in The Music Man.
And it was his final on-screen performance, as I recall. He was amazing in this.
That makes so much sense...
@@punkinholler Here is a good example of it: ua-cam.com/video/LI_Oe-jtgdI/v-deo.html
Preston was perfect in his role.
76 Gunstars on the big Parade!
“Greetings starfighter, you’ve been recruited by the star league to defend the frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada”
A quote a few guys from work often use even today.
Burned into my memory.
If I said that at work they would just stare blankly at me…I don’t quite fit in at work.
@@Boelick I get those same blank stares from others when I frequently quote, "We shall see, Xur!"
Most bad ass line ever. With the ship shot up, out of control and headed to a crash.
"What do we do?"
"We die."
The Gunstar is such a cool ship, and they do a great job of matching the sets to the exterior. And, of course, Death Blossom is awesome.
the helmet system is something that is in irl such as apache helicopter and several advanced planes
I marked out when, years later, it was the special attack for one of the races in my favourite videogame of all time, Star Control 2.
@@toomanyaccounts Also the AH-56 Cheyenne, a canceled program for a fast attack helicopter that actually had a rotating gunners seat much like the Gunstar.
The Gunstar would outclass many Sci-Fi Fighters....even today!
@@barbaros99 The Pkunk Fury's special attack was making the hippy psychic birds insult their opponent to recharge the Fury's batteries. But I hear spinning is a cool move, too.
I actually met Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart - by accident - while I was helping a friend of mine sell art at London Comicon some years ago. I'd gone for a break and a wander around and saw them both and GENUINELY jumped up and down and had a real-life "squeeee!" moment as this is my number one film of all time. Lance was really lovely and seemed genuinely pleased to meet such a fan. Catherine, on the other hand, seemed a bit tired - it had been a long day for everyone by that point - but I DID walk away with a signed photo from both of them, very happy indeed. And then went to chat with the cast of 'Allo 'Allo who were on the table next to them. This movie is an absolutely classic and always, always makes me smile ❤❤❤❤
I am so sorry if I came across that way! Conventions can take a lot of energy, but you are why we do what we do and I honestly appreciate you and try hard to convey that! I do not ever take you for granted. Sending love, energy and a huge smile and hug!
Saw this film in cinemas and was a 13yo kid living in a Minnesota trailer park. I was the target demographic and in modern parlance, I "saw myself in this character". Amazing film and yes can confirm the animations were convincing. I didn't even know what CGI was in 1984.
One streetlight town, and I was 2 years older. It was inspiring.
I watched it when it came out. I didn't know what the fuss was about until years later learning that all space scenes were computer generated. Back then when programs had to be loaded from cassette tapes, the visual effect really hit me.
I was a teen when I saw this in the 80z. It was freaking amazing... We felt like our video game playing was really training us for better things... 🤷🏻♀️
The score for this film is amazing. It literally punches hope into your veins, especially in the film's final moments.
I was floored to see Meg Wyllie as "Granny". Meg is best remembered as the Keeper, in Star Trek's pilot episode, "The Cage", (used in the two-parter, "The Menagerie" season one). The Last Starfighter is what happens when excellent actors come together with clear purpose and direction.
I absolutely love this movie. Thank you as always for your excellent retrospective, although you forgot to mention that the alien assassin who shows up at the trailer park is none other than Gul Dukat.
Haha yeah I literally only just recognised him after I rendered the video.
How are peaple commenting 4 days before it's release?
And a Wil Wheaton cameo in there somewhere.
@@aaronstanley6914 Because Patrons and Members get videos early.
@@RowanJColeman ya got to love patreon perks ☺
I remember watching this movie over and over again when I was 7 or 8. I still put it on every now and then. It’s a great movie!
I absolutely loved this movie! I wore out my VHS copy from a TV recording as a kid! There is so many good characters, world building, early computer graphics, sci-if concepts, and the music was just outstanding! I can still quote the movie!
Great Pick. My two other suggestions if this is how we are classifying Hidden Gems. Enemy Mind and Starman.
“Charming” is just absolutely the best word for this film. Good god, but it’s fun. Saw it at the drive-in when I was a little kid, and a bunch of times since.
Double features at the drive-in were a weekend staple - it helped that we lived near one of the two drive-ins we had in town at the time. We would ride our bikes to a nearby hill and watch while trying to make out the faint sound from the speakers you would hang on your car window. Krull, Ice Pirates, all kinds of cheesy 80s classics. And barring that, weekend matinees at the dollar cinema. It was what you did before Blockbuster Video. Or the Internet.
The role of Centauri was written for Robert Peston specifically, with his role of Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man in mind. Preston duly performed the part as such.
Any plans to cover Enemy Mine ?
Yet another underrated 80th film.
Yes, it's on the list :)
Crazy. I thought of Enemy Mine when I saw Rowan was covering The Last Starfighter.
Both great movies and both very underrated.
@@RowanJColeman you need to look up the interviews that Louis Gossett, Jr. did at sci-fi cons where he does the sounds and gestures of the Drac. also there are different versions of the film with added content that explain one or two things.
Was thinking about this movie when watching this, the alien looked similar. Both so unreported, and that one had famous stars. Thanks for covering this movie. It was like Never Ending Story for me.
I still listen to the main theme from this film on occasion. It’s absolutely fantastic
That triumphant brass gets you everytime.
This and The Explorers were my two favorite lesser known movies as a child! Great review!
"I prefer to think of them as battling evil......in another dimension" 🤣
"Starlight Star Bright, the place where Alex and Maggie left for the stars!"
I think the reason it did not do better is timing, it was too late to capture the full effect of Star Wars coming out, and too soon to capture on the CGI boom. I do agree however that the film hits all the right notes to make it a great film.
I think at least part of the reason The Last Starfighter's been overlooked is that, at the time, an adult admitting to liking video games wasn't very socially acceptable.
My dad definitely turned up his nose at it. 11 year old me thought it was great.
This movie and Enemy Mine are criminally underrated.
I'm glad you've covered this underrated masterpiece from the 80s.
I'll try and think of what you should do next before we reach the frontier...
(Alarm sound).
.... ahhh!
5:42 Nice touch, having Grigg help Alex up off the floor and, without thinking about it, Alex starts shaking hands as a means of introduction...
...and Grigg is all like _'What on Earth are you doing to my hand?'_
Lol its not even done streaming but this video is the second video that comes up when I search the last star fighter in youtube. Man must really be a hidden gem.
The Last Starfighter is one of my favorite movies of that decade.
This movie has always had a place in my heart. I didn't really know about it in the 80s through Cinema, but instead I had the comic book and saw the movie finally years later. It's definitely a feel good movie. As a one off it was perfect. There was no need to tell a prolonged story. And it wasn't Star Wars or Star Trek, it was it's own thing. I think a video game would be a really cool way to explore the universe more.
Me too. A random book I had read. And then it came out as a good movie too. Felt like it was my personal secret nobody knew about. Like Narnia and Never Ending Story until the movies came out for them too.
The Last Starfighter has still a very special in my heart. For the 14 year old early computer nerd in a backwater it´s the perfect example for a movie giving hope.
Well, real life turned out to be different though ....
My dad was in Comp Sci and Graphics, so my childhood was things like TRON and The Last Starfighter. He also took us to Labyrinth so he could check out that owl.
Tetley is acceptable. Bonus points for mentioning squeezing the bag against the inside of the mug.
If you'd said Twinings it would have demanded an immediate rescinding of friendship on my part. You avoided that deftly.
Twinnings can get in the bin.
*walks away slowly whistling innocently*
Tea bags? How déclassé... loose tea, steeped in a tea pot for 5 minutes (black tea). Don't squeeze the leaves; only a barbarian would do that! :-)
I cant blame you tea guys but I'm the same way about coffee. There is a right way and there are the wrong ways. Instant is not coffee
@@willlauzon3744 Yes! And tea bags are not tea! (especially when we're talking about Tetley and Lipton)
I watched this on TV once as a child and it left such a huge impression on me that I spent years looking for what the film was. This was before the Internet really had a way to easily find these things, and even when I did find it, none of my local video shops had a copy I could rent. I remember it being such a ecstatic moment when I was finally able to watch it again after nearly 15 years of searching. It was charming, fun, and uplifting and every bit worth the wait.
Walking through Walmart and saw this in the discount blu-ray bin and bought it without a second thoughy
Can confirm, I watched this as a kid and subsequently dedicated some much-prized VHS space to it so I could watch it over and over.
Watching this as a 46 year old man who saw this on video and cable a bunch as a kid, hearing that soundtrack nearly brings me to tears. This is just such a fun movie. Robert Preston was clearly cast because someone saw The Music Man and was like “Do that but be from space”. It’s also really economic storytelling. Few movies these days can tell a story like this and have you done with it in less then two hours
As a teen in the 80s, this was pure imagination fuel for me. I remember when my family stayed in a hotel for a week while my dad did some work at the Pentagon (he was in the reserves, so I don't remember what it was he was actually doing) my sister and I watched this movie over and over and over again on the in-room cable TV. (Along with Conan the Destroyer and another fun and weird little movie called TAG: The Assassination Game). Thank you so much for making this video. It brought back a lot of good memories. 🙂
Never saw TAG, but do remember Gotcha! with a young Anthony Edwards.
@@Sku11Leader Wow. I forgot about Gotcha! I'll have to check it out. Never saw it (I think). I looked both up and I guess TAG was a lower budget offering. I actually need to watch TAG again, as I only remember bits of it (actually it's coming back the more I think about it). I remember the ending and how the hero trys something to get the killer to stop murdering people... Don't want to spoil it. 😉 If you like 80s movies it's worth a nostalgic watch. 😀
absolutely iconic movies: Flight of the Navigator, Last Starfighter, Krull, Short Circuit.
Well done Ron Cobb for designing the Gunstar. It's a great looking bit of kit! Also the concept art for the hopefully still-being-made part two is fantastic!
Ron Cobb is a legend…. 👍
Blake seven is definitely a hidden gem and It’s great for the show
It's on the list. Never seen it myself and am currently very busy with the big Star Trek videos, but I'll definitely get around to it at some point.
@@RowanJColeman while not full of weird aliens, the tone is close to Farscape. I suspect that you'll love it.
@@WrathOfTheGoth I always thought of it more as The Dirty Dozen in space, LOL. A gang of criminals trying to fight against an overwhelming enemy force:)
@@ukmediawarrior well both Blake's 7 and Farscape feature a crew of prisoners thrown together on an intelligent alien ship that they steal and later use to fight the fascist militaristic society that imprisoned them (when they are not on the run from it) and eventually get caught up in an intergalactic war between super powers.
The Dirty Dozen are more like The Suicide Squad in WWII. Prisoners forced to fight _for_ a government in a dangerous mission in exchange for reduced sentences/freedom. If they survive.
Agreed! It's some great classic low budget British sci-fi! 😎😃
It was weird for me when I got older and realized that not everyone my age grew up watching movies like this, Willow, and Monster Squad.
One person abandoned the Frontier. And this movie is absurdly quotable. "Theoretically, we should already be dead!"
"IN ANOTHER DIMENSION!?!? HOW MANY ARE LEFT?" "Including yourself?" "YEAH!" "ONE!" "ONE????" I love that.
One of my favorite moments from this movie comes right towards the end. When the Kodan battleship is disabled by Alex’s Gunstar it is falling into a moon, one of the bad guys asks “What do we do!?!” His superior flips shut his eye covering and says “We die.”
So damn cool.
One of the best, and certainly most underappreciated movies of all time. Thank you for shining your light on this.
Grigg’s laugh is wonderful. I’ve always done it my whole life since seeing this as a kid.
Also, my friends and I have quotes for years, “We’ve been caught in the moon’s gravitational field! What do we do?!” “…We DIE.” It’s such a fucking amazing moment.
I was lucky enough to be introduced to this film as a kid in the 80's. It nicely encapsulates that "can do" optimism of the era. It has always brought smiles and warmth, and on a couple of occasions it has served as a lift during dark times. It will always be in my collection, and I look forward to showing it to my kids when they are little older.
I still find it ironic that a period when people my age grew up being told that today might be the day that all life is extinguished in nuclear hellfire produced such gosh-dang heartwarming movies.
I saw this wonderful movie in the theaters back in 1984. Was with my dad, and after reading the ad for it in the movie section of the newspaper, we decided we'd go see it. I loved it. Absolutely loved it. The story, acting, characters, FX, and that magnificent score by Craig Safan....I still know that theme well! Great music. And for me, great music can make any movie good, though The Last Starfighter didn't have to have that incredible score, but it sure made the movie more memorable!
I liked the film. I could relate. Being stuck in a small poor town even though we lived near Silicon Valley by an hour (the town still doesn't have google Street View bc they are worried people in the town would rob or kill them. Lol.) and waiting more.
I watched this as a kid, and did repeatedly watch it, even to this day. :)
Robert Preston is Amazing!
I saw this with my little brother in the small New Hampshire town where we lived at the time, in a tiny one screen theater, and we both loved it. I have the same affection for it, and especially agree with the strong performances from Preston and O'Herlihy, two veterans who swung for the fences with every scene.
I can still remember seeing The Last Starfighter in theaters, and the Starlog write up on the computer generated special effects. I remember taping it off pay cable and the tape wearing out due to the number of times I watched it.
I can tell from the premise that this film inspired the book Ready Player One (trailer parks), Batteries Not Included (humble setting), and Ender's Game (simulation game). I can also see two kinds of aliens here resembling the aliens from Enemy Mine and Babylon 5.
The author of ready player one Ernest Cline wrote Armada which is basically a rewrite of The Last Starfighter.
Love this movie so much. My mom and I would watch it over and over again on VHS, it holds a very special place in my heart.
Thank you for a wonderful trip down memory lane!!
what i love at 2:30 that the "warp tunnel" or whatever that is is red and blueshifted depending on the viewing direction - that is so cool
I was born in 1980, watched this movie sooo many times with my dad back when I was a kid.
A few years back when I watched the anniversary edition, it wasn't until almost the end that I realized that I had been watching the whole movie with a big goofy grin on my face the whole time.
I watched Last Starfighter in Jr High for the first time. It was an amazing movie. More down to earth than Star Trek because it happened in our time. I love ST but this movie will always be on the top of the list for favorite movies of all time. I hope the sequel comes out soon and is just as good. One can only hope.
I grew up with The Last Star Fighter and always loved it back then and hadn't watched it for like 15+ years until earlier this year and I was amazing how well it held up which made me very happy as the movie ended. That was one of the movies I watched all the time that no one else I knew growing up ever heard of same with Monster Squad.
As somebody who saw this movie as a child, I can tell you I rewatched it many a time. Thank you for this video it was a great trip down memory lane and I think I'll go watch The Last Starfighter now... 😁
I was lucky enough to see this when I was a kid, and I watched many time on UK Saturday afternoon TV. Im now well in to my 40's and I still own my VHS copy and now on DVD and still enjoy watching it. Whenever I hear the movie theme tune I cant help but smile. One day I will find the arcade game and and woop with joy as it starts up. "Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada."
www.roguesynapse.com/games/last_starfighter.php
I love this movie! I didn’t see it in theaters when it came out, but I found it in video rental stores later in the 80’s. Such a fun movie combining all the things I love - video games, science fiction, quirky mentor and a teen love story with a happy ending. Simple story, but it works so so well.
I was 8 when this came out. LOVED this movie, the 3d effects at the time blew my mind! I kept wishing I'd get a high score on an arcade game and get swept into an adventure.
yeah like any time you were good at any spaceship related video game after seeing this movie, the back of your mind you'd be like "maaaaaybeeee it will happen?". Just made you want to believe in movie magic so much. That scene at the end where Loius looks at the video game intro sequence where the spaceship takes off and then up at the real ship taking off and just goes "WWOOOOOOWWWWW!!!" so perfectly captures the feeling of being a kid and thinking anything can be possible.
Man this takes me back to my small TV with broken aerial and bulky VHS player.
Playing my movies recorded from the TV, perfectly pausing recording between commercial breaks to get the best addition to my VHS tape library.
This movie was up there with personal fave of the times.
Thank you for The Last Starfighter love. I really agree with what you say here. Being a kid from a small American Midwest town I too can understand the perspective. I got this movie as a VHS bargain bin gift from my dad he found some 15 years after it came out, it was something that as he said a must see. Truly an essential movie for any sci-fi or movie fan in general.
The Last Starfighter is an amazing movie. I have it on DVD and I watched it back in 2013 or 2014 and loved it. I think the reason it didn't end up being a bigger hit than it was, has to do with the fact that it was out the same summer as Ghostbusters and Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, both of which were still in theatres when The Last Starfighter debuted. It's really hard to know after the fact though. Especially if you weren't born yet when the movie came out.
You might be totally right about this. I remember that I watched both of those in the theaters while The Last Starfigher I watched in parents room because that was where we had HBO.
@@Obsidianone831 I don't know for sure though, because I was born in December, 1986 so I wasn't there to see the way things unfolded at the time, and I didn't even know about The Last Starfighter until I got it on DVD as part of a four-pack with Flash Gordon (1980), Battlestar Galactica, and David Lynch's Dune.
A wholesome and beguiling sci-fi adventure that’s truly in a class of its own-Thanks for giving it its due.
Great Video. The Last StarFighter is one of the top childhood films which I have passed down to my children much to their grunting.
This is one of my absolute favorite 80's Sci-Fi movies. It captures that "Charm" & "Feel" that other 80's flicks have. Such as "The Explorers", "ET" & "The Goonies".
Absolutely fantastic film. This was one of my favorite movies growing up. I wore out 2 VHS tapes of it.
One of the reasons it wasn't as popular as it should have been was due to the groundbreaking CGI. When it was released it had 27 minutes of CGI effects, which some audiences considered to be too much.
You mentioned JMS and B5, but you forgot one important detail. JMS stated he designed Starfury as a tribute to the Gunstar from this film.
Great presentation!
I always enjoyed the sincere charm and innocence of the Last Starfighter. The fact that it features the great Robert Preston and Dan O'Herlihy makes it even better!
A great effort by everyone involved, and it is clear that the cast were having a great time making this classic.
P. S. As to favorite ST vessels; I agree, Excelsior IS cool looking but for me, it's Miranda class all the way! ✌
"Louis, you're having a terrible, terrible nightmare. Go to sleep."
I bought a Last Starfighter t-shirt last week and now this is in my recommendations. Well done UA-cam.
Who remembers the NES game.
I remember loving this movie as a kid. I only remember a few scenes.
I loved that movie. You are right. Saw it in the theater with my husband. We were both always science fiction fans and went to every sci fi movie we could afford.
Loved the video! Just wanted to add, you said "I wish I'd seen this when I was a kid-" - I saw this in the late 80s on VHS as a kid, and yeah, I did watch it over and over. As a kid there was all the superficial stuff, but as an adult, I think in part it was because it was unashamedly instructive on a very child-friendly level. I mean the movie practically states its thesis in the dialogue, in the scene when Alex tries to leave:
Alex: "Centauri, you've got the wrong person. I'm not some kind of space warrior. I'm just a kid who lives in a trailer park."
Centauri: "Well... If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be."
In the video you mentioned you grew up in a far-flung place; I too grew up in a small community, where you could see the workings of heavy industry from my bedroom window. I identified VERY strongly with the protagonist. I wore out my tape on this one.
I love how at the start of the movie, you see him applying for college grants and scholarships; he's dying to move on with his life - but when he does move on, the world outside his comfort zone is a much bigger, scarier place than he could've possibly imagined, and he runs back home, terrified. It's a sci-fi metaphor, I guess, for what happens to most people when they first go to university, or "move to the big city". That kinda makes it something of a coming-of-age tale.
Anyway, thanks for the video, and I might have to dig out the Bluray this weekend...
Thanks for a nice, positive, upbeat review. I remember this as a good take on the arcade games being a recruiting device for a wider universe. ST Constellation Class is my favorite for it's versatility and scrappiness. And as an American ... I'll take the "Ted Lasso" approach to your comments on tea. :-p
Have always loved this movie. Your review brings back some good memories from my childhood.
I guess I am old. I saw The Last Star Fighter in the theater when it came out. I loved the movie but forgot all about it until I saw your video. Now I'm going to have to look to see who is streaming it and give it a watch. Thanks
It's a fairly well know classic scifi. I'm 42 and grew up in Poland and this movie was huge. Both to me as an artist, gamer and a kid this movie was super important. Most of my friends that loved video games (atari and amiga) loved it as well. It was so "cool" to see a movie that had a character who was a video gamer as well - most of us were mocked for being into video games. I know i was. Found the movie very charming and the CGI got me into becoming an artist.
Such a underrated film, its one of my mom's favorite sci-fi type films.
I warmly remember this movie from my youth. Thank you. I'll have to watch it again now.
Just watched this (again) last night! One of my favorite SF movies from my childhood in the '80s, along with Tron and Flight of the Navigator
I couldn't agree more with your entire review of this movie. Watched it when I was really young. I remember going to the arcade on the weekends after seeing this film and thought if I played good enough that I too would be asked to join the fight. Well, forty years later and no space ships have landed in my back yard.
Loved this movie growing up, i had an old VHS recording taped from when aired on TV and i wore that tape out. Before covid I got a chance to see a 35 mm print of this on the big screen and it did not disappoint.
I've seen this movie more times than any other movie - well over a hundred, maybe two hundred.
It isn't even in my top 10 favorites, but I never got (get) tired of it and watched it every time I had a chance when it was on HBO/Cinemax in the 80s.
I found a 25 year Anniversary edition of The Last Starfighter a few years ago and snatched it up as I loved the movie back in the 80s. I watch it every once in a while as it is a good movie.
Excellent video again. This classic film definitely needs more recognition. Also perfect builders brew, tea and 2 🤣
When i was a kid watched this so much i could speak along with every actor's part word for word
After seeing first showing of "The Last Starfighter" at the Century Theaters across from the Winchester Mystery House we called Lance Guest, and my comment to him was to question his having billing over the great Robert Preston. His reponse was, that was his managers doing, after all he was the title character of the movie, and how awesome it was to work with Robert Preston who really was great. I also thought it was funny that a kid, who worked at the same Century Theaters just a few years earlier, had his name at the top of the Marquee.
Rowan J Coleman "That's the perfect cup of tea in my opinion"
Every English viewer "Hold My Beer"
;)
Lance used to come in to the Hollywood Guitar Center drum shop and hang out with us. He was a very chill and nice person. I would love to see a sequel to this gem of a movie.
I saw this around a year after it released. So long ago. But the first couple of lines stuck with me and I always think of them on a hot summer morning. "It's gonna be a sparkling day....". Admittedly, in the UK, that ain't very often. Since release, I must have watched this movie well over a thousand times.
I have always loved this film. Saw it in the theatre when it came out. More than once, and have re-watched it often over the years.
Great video. Loved this movie and even read the novelisation. I need to show it to my kids.
I did see it as a kid and I did watch it hundreds of times. Legendary movie. Thanks for this 🤙🏻
OMG!! The Last Starfighter was one of my favorite movies!! I can't begin to tell you how many times I've watched this movie from start to finish when it came out on VHS. This movie is just good FUN just like a video game at the time when kids and adults alike were flocking to the arcades to see the latest outings. I was REALLY hoping for a sequel to this movie seeing how Xur escaped at the end and what of the other Starfighter that escaped after Xur's first attack? I still after all these years LOVE the Starcar I hope Eaglemoss or Hotwheels make some replicas to commemorate this great movie.
Still remember watching it on tv and I still love it!
I covered this film for a magazine when it came out. It turned out to be Robert Preston's last film. He told the studio he would only promote the film after he saw it. He didn't promote it at all. The movie tie-in paperback was a bestseller before the film was released, but the week the film came out, sales of the paperback died.
I will never forget this theme tune.
Also A++ spaceship design. We need more hero ships like this.