Loved this movie! Fun fact! Did you know that Meg Wylie, who played Maggie’s granny , also played the big-headed bald alien known as the Keeper, in the original pilot of star Trek, about Captain Pike? She was uncredited for it.
"Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada." Just hearing that brings me back to my fourteen year old self sitting in the theater, anxiously awaiting for the movie to start. Great video, Dan! You always come through.
One thing you might have added.. in Ready Player One (The Book), Parzival's password to get into the Oasis is "Welcome Starfighter, you have been chosen to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada".
I adore this movie; can’t believe it was 40 years ago, which would make me 19/20 at the time. Plus, it stars one of my favourite 1980s starlets, the gorgeous, Catherine Mary Stewart.
I just hope The Last Starfighter never gets a remake, because the way Hollywood is today they will screw it up even worse than what they did to Star Wars and Star Trek 😒
As well researched and fan tastic this video I decades ago decided I prefer to keep the screen illusion fantasy pristine and ignore all of the "back story" and props' info. Behind the scenes is a bit of peeping behind the curtain thrill for many. I prefer the 90 minute illusion. Ta!
Because I was born in 1962, I saw this in a drive-in theater with my girlfriend. OMG I adored it for all the reasons you describe. When I saw this I very much picked up on the "The Music Man" influence, but I didn't realize this was Preston's last film. Sad. As I recall, the CGI came of as pretty cool at the time. And my god I loved that car!! But what I really appreciated was the plot. It was much more sophisticated than it had to be. One thing I especially liked about this film is the way that the robot was presented as not having an innate fear of death. It did the right thing because that's how it was programmed. That was a pretty sophisticated take for the era. Thank you, as always, for providing such fascinating information about such a wonderful part of my youth.
This is one of my all time favorite films. Catherine Mary Stewart was my celebrity crush back in the 80’s. Thanks for doing this video Dan and thank you for mentioning our Facebook group. 😎
8:20 - In 1984 I was working a project with a computer manufacturer with licensed technology from Cray. The TLSF graphics were rendered on a CRAY-XMP. I went on to work as a real-time computing analyst for that manufacturer with machines derived from the computing systems used by Lucasfilm to manage the X-wing fighter sequences in Star Wars. I also worked at integrating the many computers that rendered real-time graphics for flight training simulators from the predecessors to Silicon Graphics.
R.I.P Robert Preston. The Last Starfighter has it own unique charm thanks to the antics of Centauri. And for my fellow nerds (or is it geeks?) after watching this sci-fi delight the first time I had always believed Robert Preston would have been the ideal actor to portray Harry Purvis in a live action movie or mini-series of "Tales from the White Hart" written by Sir Arthur C Clarke. Every time I read this excellent book of sci-fi short stories I hear Robert Preston's voice spinning these fantastic wonderous sci-fi tall tales with details of science and pseudoscience. Ah, good readings
@@barkingmouse8152 Good luck with that. In the Babylon 5 Universe, Disney owns an entire planet called, Disney Planet. Thank god that could never happen in real life … right?
Thanks Dan - that was awesome! Another great retrospective. I saw this when it was first released in 1984 with my friend Jim at the York Theatre in Toronto and we were blown away! I have to say this - Ron Cobb, we are NOT worthy! You mentioned Wil Wheaton in the cast but he is NOT the only Star Trek Alum in the movie. Meg Wyllie, who played Granny (seen beside Wil in two of those photos you showed) was Talosian “The Keeper” in “The Cage” / “The Menagerie” - making her the FIRST Star Trek guest alien ever. Playing the Zando-Zan was Marc Alaimo who would go on to play Gul Dukat in Deep Space 9. And yes Robert Preston was brilliant and I agree the “star” of the show. So, I feel, with him now, as Grig said, “battling evil in another dimension”, as well as Dan O'Herlihy also the same, you could not do a sequel anymore and I think they never should. Some great lines from this movie: “Granny, put that shotgun away, what’s wrong with you!” as well as, “I’ll have it all figured out by the time we reach the frontier. Beep Beep Beep. What’s that? The Frontier”…..
The Last starfighter was my go-to movies in the 80's. I watched it hundreds of times, many times just in the background of whatever else I was doing. i am a Boomer in my 70's and it was like a space version of a Halmark movie if I were to compare it to today. Catherine M stewart was a crush and I was surprised Lance Guest never had a better career with all of the 80's coming of age Rom-Coms that were made then.
Thank you that brought memories of watching the movie. Keep up the good work Mr. Monroe. I love your videos just brought back memories like Tron and the last starfighter was one of my favorite shows back in the day. Thank you for the good memories.
One trivia tidbit you might’ve overlooked is that the actor who played Granny, Meg Wyllie, was also the Keeper in the first Star Trek pilot, The Cage. I’m loving your show, Dan! 👏 👏 👏
My classmates and I, all Computer Science majors, watched this back in 1984. We recognized its primitive nature but knew it was the future of movie effects. It's incredible to see how much has evolved since then.
Dan, there were TWO Last Starfigher games!! 1st was a prototype for the Atari 5200 called The Last Starfighter. Then there's the NES game, too! It's also called the Last Starfighter. I get the nes one traded in from time to time.
Man, this movie was so cool when I was a kid. The idea that playing a video game could lead to being recruited to be a starfighter really captured my imagination. Still one of my favorites.
I saw this pop on my UA-cam and just had to watch. I think I have watched this movie more times than I watched Star Wars when I was a kid. The Last Star Fighter is on my top favorites list. Thank you for covering it.
A fun bit of trivia about this movie is that it is one of the many movies and TV shows that uses the world's most overused prop. It's a horizontal stand with a clear plastic tube with three smaller neon tubes inside it that flash orange. You can see it in every lab set in Star Trek TNG. It was originally made for Airplane 2 in 1981. The prop appears in the Starfighter base control room. One of the characters even plays with it briefly and makes a few comments about it.
@platypusrex2287 there are videos on UA-cam that trace it back to 1981. It must be a sturdy prop to have lasted 40 years. It's also in the movie Star Crystal, the Incredible Hulk TV series and more.
Though enjoying your enthusiasm for the science fiction and special effects of content on your channel, for this film it was the characters that drove it to whatever fame achieved. The interactions of all of them starting in the trailer park and flowing through with Grieg and Centauri. Saw it in a theatre way back in 1984 and still enjoy it on dvd!
@@Mackenziekingphoto yeah it's just Star wars and I hate that I have to specify when I'm talking to someone like yeah Star wars is my favorite and by that I mean A New Hope....ugh
@@42roadsforman Spot on. To me Star Wars....Empire.....Jedi are 1 2 and 3. The others do not hold the same magic....now if only someone had sent Ja Ja Binks to a Galaxy Far Far Away
I was just reading Ready Player One...again... and in chapter one, the very first time we see Wade venture into the Oasis, his login passphrase is "You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada."
Good call my friend, I loved the book so, of course, hated the movie for being so wrong, ( but great eye candy) and I never could pin down where I heard that line, thanks for that, I probably would have never put it together,,,, by the way, how awesome is it that in a 6 degrees situation, Wil Wheaton is the narrator for Ready Player One audiobook ( does a fantastic job of it too ) ,, so Thanks again random commenter,,,,, PS also like your nerd handle Zaphod head1 is a great name lol
@@vodkasour8385 The funny thing is I watched the movie before reading the book and wow did they ever wander off the path. I've read that Ernest Cline helped draft the screenplay, but compared to the book, it pales in comparison. Maybe one day they'll do it justice with a prime or Netflix series. Will Wheaton indeed does an amazing job with the audiobook! He narrated Ready Player Two, and Armada, as well. He's one of the better audio book narrators out there. Although I can't bring myself to listen to his version of The Martian. The mighty R.C Bray cannot be outdone.
@@zaphodhead1 so I had heard this movie was being made and It made me get the audio book that night ,, and after finishing it all I kept thinking was there is no way they are going to be able to make the parts where he plays David Lightman and the whole war games movie thing and I was seriously annoyed they didnt try to hit home about the vitual schooling ,, they may have started a small revolution had they made that seem as cool as the book did
Loved the video but Dan, you could have made this one a bit longer. For instance, there was another future Star Trek actor besides Will Wheaton. The role of the Hitchhiker who transforms into the Zando-Zan assassin monster was played by Marc Alaimo, who went on to play the Cardassian villain Gul Dukat in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. And Norman Snow, who wonderfully portrayed Xur, went on to play the role of Torin in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir."
21:58 - Oof. That's a bullet dodged. Rogen would've made a mockery and Spielberg... well it's been years since he was Spielberg that we knew and loved... Spielberg of today would've likely brought in JJ Abrams...
This film is in my top ten list of the most fun movies of all time. Not sure why it doesn't get the credit it deserves. And the Gunstar is arguably the most well thought-out space fighter ever designed. Like, you know, it was actually designed for space combat unlike almost every other sci-fi fighter. Banging soundtrack too! It still gets my juices going today as much as it did when I first saw it in the theater.
Legendary movie, loved this video with all the info in it. No wonder it was great, so much talent in every aspect of the movie. Still one of my favorites and I got the 4k remastered version when it came out. It aged remarkably well and I find it less campy than other scifi of the era. Probably because the movie played it mostly straight and serious. I have mixed feelings about a sequel or reboot, I wouldn't want it to tarish the legacy of the original. Fun fact : Ready Player One did not have a Gunstar, but Wade's authentication phrase for logging into the Oasis is : You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada.
The last star fighter also has the best feedback line in any film ever ” she won’t answer the helm, we are locked into the moons gravitational pull, what do we do?…….. We Die.”
I liked your comment about the crey Super computer. Back in the day, bout the same time period. I was working at a TV production facility running a chyron character generator. At the time no one knew what I was talking about. It was a 3 story high computer with an operators consul that looked like an Organ and created the texts for tv and movie credits. Today a sub routine on adobe after effects can do a better job. But man, I controlled a whopping six whole fonts!😁
this movie was one of few good movies that didn't do well at the box office but got a second like on home video and cable. I think it a shame it never got a sequel off the ground. I'm glad that this was a great swan song for Robert Preston. R.I.P.
Gene Winfield is an automobile designing genius. At 97 years of age he;s still at it. I would enjoy seeing a history of his television/movie creations.
Another excellent video. Thank you. I saw this when they did sneak previews at theaters. They would replace one of the time slots of whatever movie with a new movie not released yet for that night. This was one of those. I had no idea what I was about to watch. Enjoyed every minute.
Another great video Dan! Truly amazing! I remember seeing this movie In the theater for the first time and it was awesome! Thank you for this delightful insight on this ground breaking movie! Can't wait for the the next one. And, congratulations on your success with your UA-cam channel! Keep up the great work; love your channel!!!
Loved this movie when it came out and was astonished to learn that the space scenes were all created by computer. I knew CGI technology would continue to advance and would one day revolutionize the film industry--eventually replacing even actors. Thanks for all the great info.
This movie and Flight of the Navigator are core sci-fi memories from my youth, growing up in the 80s. What a fun movie. I managed to watch it again somehow many years ago and was pleased that it retained a lot of the original fun from my memory.
I saw this film when it first came out, I was into computer graphics as it was called, on my home computer as a kid. I was so excited and attentive watching this movie and just thought..WOW :)
Tron also utilized CGI and was out before this film but THAT is for another video. I always thought Ender's Game ripped off this film. Thanks Dan for another awesome vid! Zandozan's live!
Dan, your timing for this video is perfect! Our local Cinemark theater will be showing this movie next week as part of their "Back to 1984" special. Now I need to convince my daughter to go see it with me. :)
When I became president of the film club in high school, "The Last starfighter" was the first movie I ordered from the county culture department here in Denmark. Today, I have my own cinema 😊
Dan, another great installment on one of my favorite shows when I was a much younger man. I finally put two and two together and realized why I am always so excited when a new episode of yours comes up. When I was a kid, Saturday afternoons always had creature feature movies on the TV, and I always looked forward to them. I have the same excitement now over your content that I did back then. I really appreciate all the work that you put into these. Thank you so much!
I remember seeing this on TV as a kid on Saturday Night on TNT. It was part of their 'Movie Trailer Park' block. If I remember right it was one if the rare few times you didn't get interrupted by Joe Bob.
I built a replica Starfighter arcade cabinet a few years ago, heavily using the Rogue Synapse site as a reference, and running their software. I ended up selling it before moving across the country. It is now in the DFW area, to be displayed in a retro arcade sometime in the future.
Before I joined NASA in California in 1985 to be trained and operate the Cray 2s before we were upgraded to the new HighSpeed Processor system the Cray Y-MP in the ZeroOne System Division. I had no idea that The Last Starfighter used these high-end HSPs during the production of the movie (THANKS DAN). We used the Crays for the space shuttle research and other projects that were need-to-know basis. Another note, I worked across the street where the Atari Corp which was located near NASA. I had access to their black game room but I don't think they ever came out with a commercial version of TLSF. Anyway, really fun pop-corn movie, and great script and cast.
I love this film. This was 80s Popcorn fun at the Movies. Saw it at the Theater when it came out. This and Masters of the Universe are my favorite 80s popcorn flicks. Just fun. “I’m about to be killed and I’ve got a Gung Ho Iguana telling me to RELAX!” 😂😁
This movie got me passed a very bad time in my life. I love this film. I wish I could meet the stars that were in it & let them know how much their roles mean to me.
The protagonist’s Granny is the Head (pardon the pun) Talosian (aka Meg Wyllie - The Keeper) in the Star Trek original Pilot, The Cage…later incorporated into the two-parter The Menagerie.
The basic idea behind the "Last Starfighter" was a common idea at that time: The fear/ idea that a teen playing "Kill the Aliens" in New York could actually be controlling robot fighters in a war on the other side of the world. And I remember several of the graphic magazines of the time had stories in which a teen was playing a "space alien invasion" game at a local video game center, and made it all the way to the final level and successfully destroyed the enemy flagship. And when he did, the game immediately shut down. When the teen began looking for other video game those too had shut down. Then when he went home he found a group of Extraterrestrials waiting for him: They thank him profusely for defeating once and for all a brutal invasion fleet that had been threatening thousands of planets, then they give him a medal and vanish. Plus "Jumanji" is the alternative idea of a game that literally drags the player into the game.
And today, you have real young people in the military controlling drones in combat, often thousands of miles away from where they are located themselves. It has become reality.
One of the few movies from my childhood that I found myself owning on VHS, DVD and earlier this year the 4K UHD. When I was little I first heard of this movie through the record and storybook set, and have enjoyed it ever since.
Great video. The Last Starfighter could be a stand-alone film, but it also left room for sequels or a TV series. It didn't need a lot of star power. It was just a good movie. Thanx for putting time into researching the video.
Love this movie! Got to meet Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart at a comic-con, which was such a treat. Lance told me he auditioned with the Beta-unit scene. I wish they would make a sequel with Alex and Maggie's kids being Starfighters, and Louis being a general in the Star League.
Ideas for future videos: Man from Atlantis 1977 Beastmaster 1982 Electra Woman and Dyna Girl 1976 Capricorn One 1977 A Boy and his Dog 1975 Meteor 1979 Incredible Hulk 1977 The Green Slime 1968 Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot 1967
What can you say other than it was good story. I have always found it enjoyable would have liked for the story to have continued. I have seen alien characters from it used in other media such as Space Precinct. Can you imagine someone reusing props... HA! 😂 THANKS Dan! ✌️🤠
They were having anniversary showing this week in LA. Loved the movie. I borrowed tge cardboard promo with Lance in outfit. It was in lobby and well I walked out with it. No one noticed. Still have it. It is still great watch
Everybody talks about CGI effects but nobody ever mentions this film.. I remember when I was a little kid watching it I knew something was a little bit off.. after all I was raised on Star wars.. I wasn't even aware that computers could do something like this... But nobody ever talks about what a leap it was this was the first film where all the space battles were is CGI
I have a heavy metal battle vest and I've added a few pop culture patches on the front, including a Last Starfighter patch. In between songs in a mosh pit, this guy came up to me and patted my patch and yelled out, "That's the spirit!" 😃
I will never forget seeing this movie in the theater. The throw away line, "You're my Juliet, you're my Venus". Not memorable unless your friend hears, "You might enjoy it, it's my p...."
Talking about the early CGI reminded me of one of the earliest uses of computer image processing in a major motion picture -- the gunslinger's pixelated POV from 1973's Westworld. I wonder if this could be the topic of another video?
I have watched The Last Starfighter, many, many times since it was first released and have it now on DVD and Blu-Ray. Great film. And just like you, I thought Robert Preston was brilliant in it. This is a very good UA-cam video too, the first I have come across from you, and I loved it.
I was fortunate enough to have read the book before the movie came out... and I have to say. I have never seen a movie so accurate to the novel before... or since!
I think the appeal of why this movie still endures, is people who were kids during this time are a lost generation of would be space travelers. We're caught in the twilight between epochs of great achievements in space travel. Born too late to witness humanity's first steps on the Moon, and too early to tread upon the surface of another world. We are the dreamers, nurtured on tales of distant galaxies and heroic voyages through the stars. Our heads filled with promises of the 21st century like flying cars, robots, easy space travel and vacations on the moon. We were fed a diet of Star Wars, Star Trek, The Last Starfighter, and Battlestar Galactica. Our only outlet was games like Wing Commander and Elite. But movies and games are not reality. So, our spirits still yearn to explore the cosmos. But technology lags behind our imagination. Now, we're getting old. So we stand on this Earth, stuck, looking up and we can only imagine. Knowing man has walked on the moon, but knowing we'll likely never able to do so ourselves. And when we watch these movies, we remember those dreams of space adventures.
Well said! Although I'm a few years older, I know that feeling of yearning for space, but not achieving it. I guess the only way would be if Bezos put a golden ticket in several Amazon boxes that would be good for one ride into almost space. 🙂🖖💕
Loved this movie! Fun fact! Did you know that Meg Wylie, who played Maggie’s granny , also played the big-headed bald alien known as the Keeper, in the original pilot of star Trek, about Captain Pike? She was uncredited for it.
"Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada." Just hearing that brings me back to my fourteen year old self sitting in the theater, anxiously awaiting for the movie to start. Great video, Dan! You always come through.
This and Flight of the Navigator were films I loved as a kid in the 80s.
Compliance!
This movie deserved more love then it got, this was really fun to watch as a kid.
One thing you might have added.. in Ready Player One (The Book), Parzival's password to get into the Oasis is "Welcome Starfighter, you have been chosen to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada".
I adore this movie; can’t believe it was 40 years ago, which would make me 19/20 at the time. Plus, it stars one of my favourite 1980s starlets, the gorgeous, Catherine Mary Stewart.
Good simple hero's journey, you see Hollwood it can be done. Robert Preston's best line "You still want to leave and miss all the fun".
I just hope The Last Starfighter never gets a remake, because the way Hollywood is today they will screw it up even worse than what they did to Star Wars and Star Trek 😒
@fido2644 I was a big Preston admirer, too. Great actor
This and the Last Navigator. I still get chills from how bad Disney remade Escape from Witch Mountain.
@@fido2644 👍
Ruin it as bad as Star Trek & Star Wars? Unlikely, unless Jar Jar Abrams decided he had to f*** this one in the ass too.
As well researched and fan tastic this video I decades ago decided I prefer to keep the screen illusion fantasy pristine and ignore all of the "back story" and props' info. Behind the scenes is a bit of peeping behind the curtain thrill for many. I prefer the 90 minute illusion. Ta!
Because I was born in 1962, I saw this in a drive-in theater with my girlfriend. OMG I adored it for all the reasons you describe. When I saw this I very much picked up on the "The Music Man" influence, but I didn't realize this was Preston's last film. Sad. As I recall, the CGI came of as pretty cool at the time. And my god I loved that car!! But what I really appreciated was the plot. It was much more sophisticated than it had to be. One thing I especially liked about this film is the way that the robot was presented as not having an innate fear of death. It did the right thing because that's how it was programmed. That was a pretty sophisticated take for the era. Thank you, as always, for providing such fascinating information about such a wonderful part of my youth.
Definitely one of the best youtubers out there. Informative...positive..always interesting.
This is one of my all time favorite films.
Catherine Mary Stewart was my celebrity crush back in the 80’s.
Thanks for doing this video Dan and thank you for mentioning our Facebook group. 😎
I love this movie. My fave scene is when the commander of the ship tells his subordinate "We die"...
8:20 - In 1984 I was working a project with a computer manufacturer with licensed technology from Cray. The TLSF graphics were rendered on a CRAY-XMP. I went on to work as a real-time computing analyst for that manufacturer with machines derived from the computing systems used by Lucasfilm to manage the X-wing fighter sequences in Star Wars. I also worked at integrating the many computers that rendered real-time graphics for flight training simulators from the predecessors to Silicon Graphics.
R.I.P Robert Preston.
The Last Starfighter has it own unique charm thanks to the antics of Centauri. And for my fellow nerds (or is it geeks?) after watching this sci-fi delight the first time I had always believed Robert Preston would have been the ideal actor to portray Harry Purvis in a live action movie or mini-series of "Tales from the White Hart" written by Sir Arthur C Clarke. Every time I read this excellent book of sci-fi short stories I hear Robert Preston's voice spinning these fantastic wonderous sci-fi tall tales with details of science and pseudoscience. Ah, good readings
Again. Keep disney away from it.
@@barkingmouse8152 that’s for sure
DITTO!! 😮
@@barkingmouse8152 Good luck with that. In the Babylon 5 Universe, Disney owns an entire planet called, Disney Planet. Thank god that could never happen in real life … right?
Amen!! Disney or Amazon, for that matter.
Thanks Dan - that was awesome! Another great retrospective. I saw this when it was first released in 1984 with my friend Jim at the York Theatre in Toronto and we were blown away! I have to say this - Ron Cobb, we are NOT worthy! You mentioned Wil Wheaton in the cast but he is NOT the only Star Trek Alum in the movie. Meg Wyllie, who played Granny (seen beside Wil in two of those photos you showed) was Talosian “The Keeper” in “The Cage” / “The Menagerie” - making her the FIRST Star Trek guest alien ever. Playing the Zando-Zan was Marc Alaimo who would go on to play Gul Dukat in Deep Space 9. And yes Robert Preston was brilliant and I agree the “star” of the show. So, I feel, with him now, as Grig said, “battling evil in another dimension”, as well as Dan O'Herlihy also the same, you could not do a sequel anymore and I think they never should. Some great lines from this movie: “Granny, put that shotgun away, what’s wrong with you!” as well as, “I’ll have it all figured out by the time we reach the frontier. Beep Beep Beep. What’s that? The Frontier”…..
The Last starfighter was my go-to movies in the 80's. I watched it hundreds of times, many times just in the background of whatever else I was doing. i am a Boomer in my 70's and it was like a space version of a Halmark movie if I were to compare it to today. Catherine M stewart was a crush and I was surprised Lance Guest never had a better career with all of the 80's coming of age Rom-Coms that were made then.
25:11 - THE HITCHHIKER/ASSASSIN - was portrayed by Marc Alaimo. Also known for his portrayal of Gul Dukat in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
What a great movie. As a former cop I got a kick out of the scene where Centaury's car was clocked at 303mph.
Rule #1 for a Dan Monroe video: 👍. Rule #2 Watch video. Rule #3 Double check that I gave it a 👍
110% Agree !!! We Love You Brother !!! Thanks For Being You !!!
Please do Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot!
Thanks Dan!
Thank you that brought memories of watching the movie. Keep up the good work Mr. Monroe. I love your videos just brought back memories like Tron and the last starfighter was one of my favorite shows back in the day. Thank you for the good memories.
Absolutely this!
Rule 4…find something that Dan Monroe didn’t know about…and reply as replies as well as thumbs up help his channel…
“Louis, Go back to bed or I’m telling Mom about the Playboys!” 🤣🤣🤣
WHAT THE SHIT…Alex!
Yet again another one of my favourites. If I may bring one other movies to mind, Enemy Mine with Dennis Quaid and Louis Gossett Jr.
So glad I covered one of your favorites! Enemy Mine is on my list in the future :)
One trivia tidbit you might’ve overlooked is that the actor who played Granny, Meg Wyllie, was also the Keeper in the first Star Trek pilot, The Cage. I’m loving your show, Dan! 👏 👏 👏
My classmates and I, all Computer Science majors, watched this back in 1984. We recognized its primitive nature but knew it was the future of movie effects. It's incredible to see how much has evolved since then.
Saw it @ the theater when it was released. Yep, I'm old.
Me too.
Dan, there were TWO Last Starfigher games!! 1st was a prototype for the Atari 5200 called The Last Starfighter. Then there's the NES game, too! It's also called the Last Starfighter. I get the nes one traded in from time to time.
The NES one is gust a port of the Commodore 64 game Uridium with some minor cosmetic changes.
Man, this movie was so cool when I was a kid. The idea that playing a video game could lead to being recruited to be a starfighter really captured my imagination. Still one of my favorites.
I saw this pop on my UA-cam and just had to watch.
I think I have watched this movie more times than I watched Star Wars when I was a kid.
The Last Star Fighter is on my top favorites list.
Thank you for covering it.
A fun bit of trivia about this movie is that it is one of the many movies and TV shows that uses the world's most overused prop. It's a horizontal stand with a clear plastic tube with three smaller neon tubes inside it that flash orange. You can see it in every lab set in Star Trek TNG. It was originally made for Airplane 2 in 1981.
The prop appears in the Starfighter base control room. One of the characters even plays with it briefly and makes a few comments about it.
I think that prop was made in the original 60s Star Trek series..
@platypusrex2287 there are videos on UA-cam that trace it back to 1981. It must be a sturdy prop to have lasted 40 years. It's also in the movie Star Crystal, the Incredible Hulk TV series and more.
Dan, you have now touched upon the Holy Grail of all movies!
I wouldnt go that far,buuuttt cool movie.
Though enjoying your enthusiasm for the science fiction and special effects of content on your channel, for this film it was the characters that drove it to whatever fame achieved. The interactions of all of them starting in the trailer park and flowing through with Grieg and Centauri. Saw it in a theatre way back in 1984 and still enjoy it on dvd!
Hey Dan,
So glad you did a video on this overlooked film. I really liked it so much.
The film has a wonderful quality about it.
' Not A New Hope..Just Star Wars ' 🙂 Think I've found my people
@@Mackenziekingphoto I've been saying that same thing for so long it was a surprise to hear Dan say it. You're right about finding our people.
Yep 🎉
YES!!! When I saw it in 77, there was no A NEW HOPE in the crawl.
@@Mackenziekingphoto yeah it's just Star wars and I hate that I have to specify when I'm talking to someone like yeah Star wars is my favorite and by that I mean A New Hope....ugh
@@42roadsforman Spot on. To me Star Wars....Empire.....Jedi are 1 2 and 3. The others do not hold the same magic....now if only someone had sent Ja Ja Binks to a Galaxy Far Far Away
Robert Preston... Epic... I lost it when you sang "River City" in a good way.
I was just reading Ready Player One...again... and in chapter one, the very first time we see Wade venture into the Oasis, his login passphrase is "You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada."
Good call my friend, I loved the book so, of course, hated the movie for being so wrong, ( but great eye candy) and I never could pin down where I heard that line, thanks for that, I probably would have never put it together,,,, by the way, how awesome is it that in a 6 degrees situation, Wil Wheaton is the narrator for Ready Player One audiobook ( does a fantastic job of it too ) ,, so Thanks again random commenter,,,,, PS also like your nerd handle Zaphod head1 is a great name lol
@@vodkasour8385 The funny thing is I watched the movie before reading the book and wow did they ever wander off the path. I've read that Ernest Cline helped draft the screenplay, but compared to the book, it pales in comparison. Maybe one day they'll do it justice with a prime or Netflix series. Will Wheaton indeed does an amazing job with the audiobook! He narrated Ready Player Two, and Armada, as well. He's one of the better audio book narrators out there. Although I can't bring myself to listen to his version of The Martian. The mighty R.C Bray cannot be outdone.
@@zaphodhead1 so I had heard this movie was being made and It made me get the audio book that night ,, and after finishing it all I kept thinking was there is no way they are going to be able to make the parts where he plays David Lightman and the whole war games movie thing and I was seriously annoyed they didnt try to hit home about the vitual schooling ,, they may have started a small revolution had they made that seem as cool as the book did
Loved the video but Dan, you could have made this one a bit longer.
For instance, there was another future Star Trek actor besides Will Wheaton. The role of the Hitchhiker who transforms into the Zando-Zan assassin monster was played by Marc Alaimo, who went on to play the Cardassian villain Gul Dukat in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. And Norman Snow, who wonderfully portrayed Xur, went on to play the role of Torin in Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Rightful Heir."
21:58 - Oof. That's a bullet dodged. Rogen would've made a mockery and Spielberg... well it's been years since he was Spielberg that we knew and loved... Spielberg of today would've likely brought in JJ Abrams...
Yea, imagine Captain Lensflare doing Last Starfighter.
This was my favorite childhood movie.
FYI , Centauri's Star Car was in The Back to the Future movies parked opposite the Cafe 80's building 🎉
Thank you so much!!!
The Last Starfighter has always held a special place for me.
Good memories.
Great video.
This film is in my top ten list of the most fun movies of all time. Not sure why it doesn't get the credit it deserves. And the Gunstar is arguably the most well thought-out space fighter ever designed. Like, you know, it was actually designed for space combat unlike almost every other sci-fi fighter. Banging soundtrack too! It still gets my juices going today as much as it did when I first saw it in the theater.
Legendary movie, loved this video with all the info in it. No wonder it was great, so much talent in every aspect of the movie. Still one of my favorites and I got the 4k remastered version when it came out. It aged remarkably well and I find it less campy than other scifi of the era. Probably because the movie played it mostly straight and serious. I have mixed feelings about a sequel or reboot, I wouldn't want it to tarish the legacy of the original. Fun fact : Ready Player One did not have a Gunstar, but Wade's authentication phrase for logging into the Oasis is : You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Ko-dan Armada.
Omg, sequel. Didn't notice the typo 🤦♂️
The last star fighter also has the best feedback line in any film ever ” she won’t answer the helm, we are locked into the moons gravitational pull, what do we do?…….. We Die.”
The first line I think of when I saw this review.
Hahahaha. Heck yeah!!! That line sticks to the head. You will ALWAYS think of it!!!!
I liked your comment about the crey Super computer. Back in the day, bout the same time period. I was working at a TV production facility running a chyron character generator. At the time no one knew what I was talking about. It was a 3 story high computer with an operators consul that looked like an Organ and created the texts for tv and movie credits. Today a sub routine on adobe after effects can do a better job. But man, I controlled a whopping six whole fonts!😁
this movie was one of few good movies that didn't do well at the box office but got a second like on home video and cable. I think it a shame it never got a sequel off the ground. I'm glad that this was a great swan song for Robert Preston. R.I.P.
Gene Winfield is an automobile designing genius. At 97 years of age he;s still at it. I would enjoy seeing a history of his television/movie creations.
Robert Preston's performance in this movie was GOLD!
Great show Dan, you pour your heart into your videos!!
The character name change was interesting, if you look at the story boards shown in the early part of this post you can see “Skip” refered to
Another excellent video. Thank you. I saw this when they did sneak previews at theaters. They would replace one of the time slots of whatever movie with a new movie not released yet for that night. This was one of those. I had no idea what I was about to watch. Enjoyed every minute.
“Commander Krill, what do we do?” …….,”We DIE!”😱
I think Dan Mason would have made a great Klingon.
He was in a first season ST:TNG but not as a Klingon.
You forgot the 'Vrrt!' sound as his eyepiece moves! ^_~
One of the best Villian 'Ending' scenes in film.
Another great video Dan! Truly amazing! I remember seeing this movie In the theater for the first time and it was awesome! Thank you for this delightful insight on this ground breaking movie! Can't wait for the the next one. And, congratulations on your success with your UA-cam channel! Keep up the great work; love your channel!!!
Loved this movie when it came out and was astonished to learn that the space scenes were all created by computer. I knew CGI technology would continue to advance and would one day revolutionize the film industry--eventually replacing even actors. Thanks for all the great info.
The Lotus Esprit in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) had a similar wheel concept, although these flipped up and stowed away completely.
Greetings Starfighter, you have been recruited to defend the Frontier against Zur, and the Kodan Armada.
👍👍⭐⭐❤🌹💯
Terrific Dan, massive thanks to you and colleagues for putting this together. Magnificent.
This movie and Flight of the Navigator are core sci-fi memories from my youth, growing up in the 80s. What a fun movie. I managed to watch it again somehow many years ago and was pleased that it retained a lot of the original fun from my memory.
I saw this film when it first came out, I was into computer graphics as it was called, on my home computer as a kid.
I was so excited and attentive watching this movie and just thought..WOW :)
Tron also utilized CGI and was out before this film but THAT is for another video. I always thought Ender's Game ripped off this film. Thanks Dan for another awesome vid! Zandozan's live!
Dan, your timing for this video is perfect! Our local Cinemark theater will be showing this movie next week as part of their "Back to 1984" special. Now I need to convince my daughter to go see it with me. :)
When I became president of the film club in high school, "The Last starfighter" was the first movie I ordered from the county culture department here in Denmark. Today, I have my own cinema 😊
Dan, another great installment on one of my favorite shows when I was a much younger man. I finally put two and two together and realized why I am always so excited when a new episode of yours comes up. When I was a kid, Saturday afternoons always had creature feature movies on the TV, and I always looked forward to them. I have the same excitement now over your content that I did back then. I really appreciate all the work that you put into these. Thank you so much!
Exactly!!
Robert Preston. Hollywood legend.
I remember seeing this on TV as a kid on Saturday Night on TNT. It was part of their 'Movie Trailer Park' block. If I remember right it was one if the rare few times you didn't get interrupted by Joe Bob.
I remember that, and I do remember Joe Bob making comments before (after?) commercial breaks. I remember him making comments about the early CGI.
It amazes me that what once took a Cray X-MP can now be done cheaper and better on a standard desktop PC.
I built a replica Starfighter arcade cabinet a few years ago, heavily using the Rogue Synapse site as a reference, and running their software. I ended up selling it before moving across the country. It is now in the DFW area, to be displayed in a retro arcade sometime in the future.
“Starlite, Starbright. Where Alex and Maggie left for the Stars!” 😁
Before I joined NASA in California in 1985 to be trained and operate the Cray 2s before we were upgraded to the new HighSpeed Processor system the Cray Y-MP in the ZeroOne System Division. I had no idea that The Last Starfighter used these high-end HSPs during the production of the movie (THANKS DAN). We used the Crays for the space shuttle research and other projects that were need-to-know basis. Another note, I worked across the street where the Atari Corp which was located near NASA. I had access to their black game room but I don't think they ever came out with a commercial version of TLSF. Anyway, really fun pop-corn movie, and great script and cast.
I loved this movie. It made every video game geek’s dream come true. And Robert Preston was the perfect choice!!!!!
I love this film. This was 80s Popcorn fun at the Movies. Saw it at the Theater when it came out. This and Masters of the Universe are my favorite 80s popcorn flicks. Just fun. “I’m about to be killed and I’ve got a Gung Ho Iguana telling me to RELAX!” 😂😁
Another great video! As far as early movies to use CGI, don’t forget 1982’s “Tron.”
This movie got me passed a very bad time in my life. I love this film. I wish I could meet the stars that were in it & let them know how much their roles mean to me.
The protagonist’s Granny is the Head (pardon the pun) Talosian (aka Meg Wyllie - The Keeper) in the Star Trek original Pilot, The Cage…later incorporated into the two-parter The Menagerie.
Yes she was. I scrolled through the comments to see if anyone would call that out. Nice! 🎉
The basic idea behind the "Last Starfighter" was a common idea at that time: The fear/ idea that a teen playing "Kill the Aliens" in New York could actually be controlling robot fighters in a war on the other side of the world.
And I remember several of the graphic magazines of the time had stories in which a teen was playing a "space alien invasion" game at a local video game center, and made it all the way to the final level and successfully destroyed the enemy flagship.
And when he did, the game immediately shut down. When the teen began looking for other video game those too had shut down.
Then when he went home he found a group of Extraterrestrials waiting for him: They thank him profusely for defeating once and for all a brutal invasion fleet that had been threatening thousands of planets, then they give him a medal and vanish.
Plus "Jumanji" is the alternative idea of a game that literally drags the player into the game.
And today, you have real young people in the military controlling drones in combat, often thousands of miles away from where they are located themselves. It has become reality.
Damn, been 40 yrs now! Was 21 and just station at FT Riley, KS when saw it!!!! Came off my first tour in Korea!
Another great video, Mr. Monroe. Thank you for this one especially though. The Last Starfighter is one of my all-time favorite films.
One of the few movies from my childhood that I found myself owning on VHS, DVD and earlier this year the 4K UHD. When I was little I first heard of this movie through the record and storybook set, and have enjoyed it ever since.
Great video. The Last Starfighter could be a stand-alone film, but it also left room for sequels or a TV series. It didn't need a lot of star power. It was just a good movie. Thanx for putting time into researching the video.
Excellent family movie. Hollywood simply can't make a movie like that again. They always have to put their "message" in it
Love this movie! Got to meet Lance Guest and Catherine Mary Stewart at a comic-con, which was such a treat. Lance told me he auditioned with the Beta-unit scene. I wish they would make a sequel with Alex and Maggie's kids being Starfighters, and Louis being a general in the Star League.
Ideas for future videos:
Man from Atlantis 1977
Beastmaster 1982
Electra Woman and Dyna Girl 1976
Capricorn One 1977
A Boy and his Dog 1975
Meteor 1979
Incredible Hulk 1977
The Green Slime 1968
Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot 1967
Keep it coming Dan! I'm loving it all. You're bring back my childhood. Thank You!
What can you say other than it was good story. I have always found it enjoyable would have liked for the story to have continued.
I have seen alien characters from it used in other media such as Space Precinct. Can you imagine someone reusing props... HA! 😂
THANKS Dan! ✌️🤠
Thank you, Dan. You had a home run with this review. One of my favorites.
They were having anniversary showing this week in LA. Loved the movie. I borrowed tge cardboard promo with Lance in outfit. It was in lobby and well I walked out with it. No one noticed. Still have it. It is still great watch
ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT DAN!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!👍👍⭐ I LEARNED A LOT ABOUT THIS TIMELESS CLASSIC!❤😊🌹⭐⭐💃
BTW, ain't it just amazing how at the time they were capable at all to export CGI animation in HD?
Lol right?
I remember seeing this long ago and loving it. To this day, I couldn't place it until now. Thanks, Dan, for the flashback. Going to watch again.
Everybody talks about CGI effects but nobody ever mentions this film.. I remember when I was a little kid watching it I knew something was a little bit off.. after all I was raised on Star wars.. I wasn't even aware that computers could do something like this... But nobody ever talks about what a leap it was this was the first film where all the space battles were is CGI
Thanks once again!!!!
I had a crush on Catherine Mary Stewart when I saw this movie. Gorgeous girl.
Her and Phoebie Cates 😘
I have a heavy metal battle vest and I've added a few pop culture patches on the front, including a Last Starfighter patch. In between songs in a mosh pit, this guy came up to me and patted my patch and yelled out, "That's the spirit!" 😃
Catherine Mary Stewart from Night of the Comet. Whatever Happened to Night of the Comet. I had more of a crush on Kelli Maroney to be honest.
I had a crush on Kelli too.
I will never forget seeing this movie in the theater. The throw away line, "You're my Juliet, you're my Venus". Not memorable unless your friend hears, "You might enjoy it, it's my p...."
This movie is definitely a guilty pleasure!
Talking about the early CGI reminded me of one of the earliest uses of computer image processing in a major motion picture -- the gunslinger's pixelated POV from 1973's Westworld. I wonder if this could be the topic of another video?
Westworld is on my list for a future video :)
"I don't think anyone's ever portrayed an outer space con man.." - Robert Preston.
Ummm Harry Mudd? Mudd's Women? 1966? 😊
And the character who sold the Tribbles on the ST-OS space station.
@@lancerevell5979 Cyrano Jones
I have watched The Last Starfighter, many, many times since it was first released and have it now on DVD and Blu-Ray. Great film. And just like you, I thought Robert Preston was brilliant in it. This is a very good UA-cam video too, the first I have come across from you, and I loved it.
I was fortunate enough to have read the book before the movie came out... and I have to say.
I have never seen a movie so accurate to the novel before... or since!
I think the appeal of why this movie still endures, is people who were kids during this time are a lost generation of would be space travelers. We're caught in the twilight between epochs of great achievements in space travel. Born too late to witness humanity's first steps on the Moon, and too early to tread upon the surface of another world. We are the dreamers, nurtured on tales of distant galaxies and heroic voyages through the stars. Our heads filled with promises of the 21st century like flying cars, robots, easy space travel and vacations on the moon. We were fed a diet of Star Wars, Star Trek, The Last Starfighter, and Battlestar Galactica. Our only outlet was games like Wing Commander and Elite. But movies and games are not reality. So, our spirits still yearn to explore the cosmos. But technology lags behind our imagination. Now, we're getting old. So we stand on this Earth, stuck, looking up and we can only imagine. Knowing man has walked on the moon, but knowing we'll likely never able to do so ourselves. And when we watch these movies, we remember those dreams of space adventures.
Well said! Although I'm a few years older, I know that feeling of yearning for space, but not achieving it. I guess the only way would be if Bezos put a golden ticket in several Amazon boxes that would be good for one ride into almost space. 🙂🖖💕