Last Starfigher (1984)

Cast:

Lance "Save me from Jaws: the Revenge" Guest is Alex Rogan/Beta Alex
Dan "Omni Consumer Products's Old Man from Robocop" O'Herlihy is Grig
Catherine "Reg from Night of the Comets" Mary Stewart is Maggie Gordon
Robert "The Music Man is actually an alien video gamer headhunter?" Preston is Centauri
Norman Snow is Xur

What the box says:

Millions of light-years ago, a great frontier was constructed in the universe to protect the Star League of Planets from its enemy, the evil KO-DAN. But now a defector has given the key to the frontier to the KO-DAN, and Starfighters from throughout the galaxy are needed to defend the peace. One recruiter, the alien scalawag Centauri (Robert Preston), visits Earth to fill his quota of recruits and finds Alex (Lance Guest), an 18-year-old Earthling with as extraordinary talent for video game wizardry. Alex is quicklly propelled into the regions of otuer space to join others from planets throughout the Star League to fight a war to save the universe.

Plot:

At a trailer park, Alex Rogan lives with his younger brother, Louis, and mom. His main recreation is the Starfighter game when he isn’t with his girlfriend Maggie. He is able to break the high score and beat the game.

We can tell that Alex is a dreamer with big plans the way he keeps talking about wanting to leave the trailer park and go somewhere besides city college with Maggie.

A strange man, Centauri, arrives at the trailer park and wants to meet who broke the score on the Starfighter game he created. Driving off with Alex, the car then flies off into space which understandably freaks Alex. After engaging the warp drive, Centauri lands on another planet.

Alex is taken through decontamination and given a uniform.

I wasn't in Police Academy.

Back on Earth, Centauri left a Beta, robot doppelganger of Alex.

On Rylos, Alex sees the GunStars, ships from the game. The briefing begins. Starfighters must defend the frontier from the Kodan armada. He meets his navigator, the reptilian, Grig. Grig can’t quite understand why Alex doesn’t want to a Starfighter. Xur, a traitor to Rylos who has joined the Kodan armada, contacts the StarFighter base.

Centauri finally agrees to take Alex back to Earth.

At the frontier with the massive energy field, Xur is able to launch an attack with the meteor gun at the StarFighter base. Xur learns that 1 StarFighter escaped.

On Earth, Alex heads back to the trailer park. Centauri gives him a communicator just in case. Maggie promptly slaps Alex for his strange attitude. Back in his room, Alex finds the Beta Alex who explains what has happened. Alex calls Centauri. Suddenly, a Zando Zan, an alien bounty hunter, attacks Alex when Centauri drives up. He is able to shoot the alien who wings him. Alex has to go back or else Xur will keep sending more bounty hunters after him. Beta Alex will be left behind as the target.

Centauri takes Alex back to Rylos. Barely landing at the base, Centauri collapses. Alex finds Grig as Centauri dies. Grig shows Alex the prototype of the GunStar and explains the weapons including Death Blossom. After launching, Alex learns all the other StarFighters were killed in Xur’s attack.

It'll be like shooting womp rats in Beggar's Canyon. Reluctantly, Alex engages in some target practice.
Admit it, this is one sweet Heads Up Targeting Display...

Who knew the headless horseman lived in a trailer park with his little brother? Back on Earth, Beta Alex is still acting kind of nervous around Maggie. He’s unaware of another Zando Zan that is watching him. Beta Alex and Maggie go with some other teens to the nearby lake.

Grig explains how they need to attack the communication turret on the command ship. They talk about their families and Alex realizes a plan that might work to hide and then attack the command ship from behind.

Beta Alex admits he’s not Alex to Maggie when the Zando Zan attacks him. He chases the bounty hunter and is able to crash a truck into the Zando Zan’s ship to keep him from sending a message that there is still a StarFighter left.

The armada heads on unaware of the GunStar which is shut down.

This ship is fast enough for you, old man... As the command ship passes by, Alex begins to prep the GunStar.

The Kodan commander isn’t happy with Xur when they detect the approaching GunStar. Alex is able to destroy the communication turret. The explosion on board allows Xur to escape the command ship.

Alex readies the secret weapon, Death Blossom. As the Kodan fighters enter range, Alex handles them before activating Death Blossom. That takes care of the fighters but leaves the command ship left. Grig is able to activate enough power to escape as the command ship is pulled into the gravitational pull of the moon.

Alex is welcomed as a hero on Rylos. They want him to rebuild the StarFighter legion. Centauri greet him. Alex decides to stay.

Back on Earth, Maggie is waiting when the wind blows as the GunStar lands. Alex leaves the ship he greets mom and explains about the Beta Alex. Grig meets the people. Alex asks Maggie to go with him. She leaves. As they fly off, Louis is at the StarFighter game to practice.

What I say:

From my deluded ramblings throughout my other reviews, it should be guessed I'm a child of the 1980s. Don't hold that against me...Well, in the mid 80s, some movies were re-run beyond infamy. Some movies were run to the point they became inscribe on our brains like someone carved into an apple with a rusty nail. Alligator, Big Trouble in Little China, Critters, and Ninja 3: the Domination were just a few of those movies. Where am I going with this? If any of my truly ninjaexcellent ten of fans has guessed that the Last Starfighter was another of these movies. You shall be promoted to 2nd Degree Fuschia-Striped-Paisley-Suspendered Ninja gopher.

The mid-1980s hadn't completely worn out of the Star Wars feel. Though, after the trilogy was finished, things weren't looking good for any more Star Wars things other than the Droid and Ewok cartoons and the Endor movies.. Times were changing. More of the low budget action movies that had built Cannon Films, the ninja movies that got kids quoting things like "only a ninja can defeat nother ninja" (tell me you didn't say that too). However back to the Star Wars connection, I do have to admit, watching the special where some of the special effects guys mention how George Lucas's group didn't quite see the possibility of computer generated effects seems pretty funny coming from the group that released the Jar Jar Binksian plague upon the free-world.

Teenager playing an arcade game and feels disconnected from where he lives and has Catherine Mary Stewart as his girlfriend. Not any wish fullfilment in that. The Starlite trailer park could have been more allegorical of Tatooine if it had been a moisture farm and if Luke Skywalker had wanted to go into town to pick up some power converters. Alex is a guy who has dreams and not quite sure what to do. Sounds a bit like Luke Skywalker without the Jedi powers.

Can't say much about Robert Preston as Centauri. I haven't seen any of his other movies though am curious about the Music Man. Most alien mentors are meant to be prophet-like (ala Obi-Wan Kenobi). However, Centauri is at best a conniving weasel which would be his good quality. He still is on the side of the good guys.

Granted things did seem a bit sci-fi stereotypical with the whole Alex-Beta bit. The whole part about the Beta version of Alex on Earth while Alex was in space just didn't seem that good an idea. It just felt like the typical identical-twin or cousin bit from a sitcom where one didn't know anything about the other one. Beta doesn't understand Maggie, and hilarity doth ensue. Well, it gave a reason to alternate between Earth and GunStar ship. We have seen what other movies do when they focus too much on one part for too long: the ultra-light chase scene from Howard the Duck.

If you exclude Tron the only true video game movie left is the kiddie version of Rain Man, better known as the Wizard. However, the Last Starfighter is the movie that taught us that playing video games could help save the universe. How many times did your parents tell you to get off that video game? Say what you will, at least the Starfighter game is more practical and far less violent than any of the Grand Theft Auto games.

Quotable Dialogue
"When I told the police, they told me it was swamp gas."
"Up to your old Excalibur tricks again, eh Centauri?"
"May the luck of the 7 Pillars of Gulu be with you at all times."
"And did Geloca think the Yulus were too ugly to save? "
"Death is a primitive concept. I prefer to think of battling evil in another dimension."
"I've always wanted to fight a desperate battle against incredible odds."
"Me die and miss all the excitement?"
Morals of the Story
Breaking the high score on arcade games will draw the elderly to be impressed.
Aliens love to drive DeLoreans.
Video games will help save the universe.
Evil aliens sound robotic.
Older brothers with decapitated heads don't really disturb younger brothers.
Aliens are very pessimistic.