Review of The Last Starfighter (1984) by Martin B — 14 Jul 2008
What do you get when you decide to use CG effects before they're good enough to use? You get The Last Starfighter. Every time they go to a computer-created shot of a ship or planet, it's quite jarring - takes you right out of the film. Technology just wasn't up to where it needed to be yet.
The movie felt like a giant cash-in attempt, trying to suck in kids based on both their love of videogames and their love of Star Wars. That Star Wars envy is most obvious in the score. While decent music, you can hear the SW inspiration in almost every piece, and a few cues almost sound like direct copies.
24-year-old star Lance Guest looks every bit of 24, though we're supposed to believe he and his friends are teenagers, getting ready to go off to college. But at least he's a passable actor, which is more than I can say for most of the supporting cast.
I think if I saw this as a kid, I might have enjoyed it (as I was one of those kids into videogames and Star Wars), but I had never seen it until now; and as an adult, it's just another silly, mediocre Star Wars knockoff.
This review of The Last Starfighter (1984) was written by Martin B on 14 Jul 2008.
The Last Starfighter has generally received positive reviews.
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