Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.
Today on the Classic Movie Reviews Podcast, we are taking on some solid sci-fi with The Last Starfighter (1984).
This film has a pretty low rating of 6.8 on iMDB.com[1]. On rottentomatoes.com, the film has a 77 percent on the Tomatometer and 69 percent audience approval. I am shocked. This is a fun movie. Gene Siskel placed this movie on his “Guilty Pleasures” list[2][3]. Although I’m a big Roger Ebert fan, I’m going to go with Gene this time. “At the Movies.”
Actors – The Last Starfighter (1984)
Returning
Barbara Bosson played the mother of the Last Starfighter Jane Rogan, and yes, she wined her way through this film. Bosson was first covered in the sci-fi Capricorn One (1977).
Robert Preston played benevolent alien Centauri. This was Preston’s final movie role, and he went out playing a con man. This has led some to believe this was a tribute to The Music Man (1962). Preston was first covered in the western Film-Noir Blood on the Moon (1948).
New
Lance Guest plays the kid with the right stuff Alex Rogan and his duplicate Beta Alex. Guest was born in 1960 in California. In high school, he was in a band and was in numerous plays. He worked in summer stock and took workshops until he finally decided to attend UCLA. Guest did well and worked in theater and received a Shakespeare award. He eventually dropped out of school and began auditioning for work.
He was a pretty hot item on television and eventually was cast in Halloween II (1981). A friend of director John Carpenter was looking at the pre-release film and decided Guest would be good for the role that would become The Last Starfighter (1984). Guest continued to work on television and stage. Other films include Jaws: The Revenge (1987), The Wizard of Loneliness (1988), Plan B (1997), and Night of the Wolf (2014). All this time, he was working in other mediums. Currently, he is working on personal projects and teaching acting.
Dan O’Herlihy played the good reptilian alien Grig. O’Herlihy was born in Ireland in 1919. O’Herlihy studied architecture at the National University of Ireland. However, he chose not to pursue this career. O’Herlihy has a good voice and found work on the radio and on the stage. He was spotted in a play and later cast as an IRA fighter in Odd Man Out (1947). After another film, he was selected by Orson Welles for a role in Macbeth (1948). He tackled the role of Robinson Crusoe (1954) and was nominated for an Oscar. In spite of his record, he was only given character roles and showed up in a lot of English costume dramas such as The Black Shield of Falworth (1954), The Purple Mask (1955), and The Virgin Queen (1955). Through the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked extensively on television.
He began getting better films, starring in a remake of The Cabinet of Caligari (1962), the role I associate with him the most, an Air Force general and friend of the President that must drop an atomic bomb on New York City in order to prevent an atomic war, Fail-Safe (1964), the hard to find Waterloo (1970), The Last Starfighter (1984) where he was very funny and once wore his reptile costume while he was driving home, Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), and RoboCop (1987). He continued film and stage work. O’Herlihy died in 2005 at the age of 85.
Catherine Mary Stewart played Alex’s true love, Maggie Gordon. Stewart was born in Canada in 1959. Stewart was studying singing, dancing, and acting in London. She won a big role in a rock musical, The Apple (1980). With a modest following, she moved to Los Angles in 1981. Stewart soon landed a role on ‘Days of Our Lives’ 1982-1983. It was during this time that she was cast in The Last Starfighter (1984). She was amazing in the super campy Night of the Comet (1984). Other comedies include Mischief (1985) and Weekend at Bernie’s (1989). Since then, she has been prolific in film. However, most of them are not very interesting films.
Wil Wheaton was in this movie as an unnamed friend of Louis. All his speaking lines were cut. He would have to wait for the “Star Trek: The Next Generation” 1987-1994 to speak. Actually, he had a major role in Stand By Me (1986). He has made numerous guest appearances on “The Big Bang Theory” 2009 – 2019, and he voiced the audio for the book “Ready Player One” 2012.
Vernon Washington plays the role of Otis and appears to the only black person in the entire universe.
Story – The Last Starfighter (1984)
Following the credits, the scene changes to the Starlite, Starbrite trailer park. It is located in the western US, and not much is happening there. The radio talks of the sighting of strange lights in the sky. Elvira’s (Peggy Pope’s) electrical goes out and the word is passed through the trailer court. Maggie Gordon (Catherine Mary Stewart) is leaving for a picnic and says goodbye to her granny (Meg Wyllie).
Maggie passes by the trailer of Jane Rogan (Barbara Bosson), who acts as the trailer park manager. Maggie asks where Alex (Lance Guest) is and Jane says at his usual place. Jane gets the word that Elvira’s power is out and says Alex will be by to fix it. Alex’s younger brother Louis Rogan (Chris Hebert) is out playing space alien.
Louis finds Alex playing a free-standing video game named Starfighter. The voice of the machine is that of Centauri (Robert Preston). Louis watches his brother play as Maggie, and the other kids arrive for the picnic. Alex makes the group wait as he checks to see if his college loan application has been approved. This gives Jane enough time to tell Alex he has to repair Elvira’s electrical. The group leaves without him and this is a metaphor for his life as he feels he is being left behind.
It takes until sundown for Alex to finish all the work he needs to do. Alex sits in his room and watches a mobile of the solar system spin. Alex goes back to the machine and the intro tells him, “Greetings Starfighter, you have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and Ko-Dan Armada.” He begins progressing through the levels of the game. Otis (Vernon Washington) comes by and advises Alex that things change and when you get your chance, you have got to grab it.
Maggie is the last one from the picnic to be dropped off. Alex is mad, and Maggie tries to be loving. Alex can’t stay mad. Maggie notices that Alex is about to break the record on Starfighter. The entire population of the trailer court turns out to watch. Not much else going on. In the game, Alex destroys the command ship and finishes the game.
Alex and Maggie go sit on a bench and are looking at the stars. Maggie storms away and says she just realized that Alex will be leaving. Maggie says she can’t go because of her Granny. They both pledge that they will always be together.
Jane comes home, and both Alex and Maggie leave for their trailers. Alex feels very happy because he broke the record. But his mother has to deliver the letter saying that he didn’t get approved for a college loan. Alex runs out and is standing under the Starlite, Starbright sign. A shooting star streaks to earth. At the same time, the Starfighter machine starts glitching.
A car that looks very much like a DeLorean cruises into the parking lot. The driver of the car is Centauri (Robert Preston) a humanoid alien. He asks the name of the person that beat the Starfighter game and Alex says it was him. Centauri says that he invented the game and needs to talk to Alex about a matter of the utmost importance. Alex gets into the backseat of the car and there is a shadowy figure named Beta also in the back. When Alex shakes hands with Beta, he receives a shock. Centauri says Alex is lightyears ahead of his competition. The Beta has gotten out of the car and is staying at the trailer court. Centauri says the game was supposed to be delivered to Vegas. Alex doesn’t know where he is going and has been more or less kidnapped by Centauri.
The car picks up great speed before lifting off for space. Alex sees Centauri remove his eyes and change into a glowing-eyed alien. Finally, they jump into stardrive. Centauri puts his human face back on as they slowly coast into Rylos. Alex sees the outside of the Star Fighter base before landing. Centauri goes away and Alex is released from the back by a balding female alien that speaks in a cat language.
Alex is led through a process that is very similar to the beginning of Army basic training. He is issued uniforms. One of the aliens doesn’t want to pay Centauri because Alex is from Earth. Earth, of course, is not a formal member of the Star League.
Back on Earth, Maggie comes to see Alex, but it is really the Beta under the covers slowly morphing into Alex.
On Rylos, Alex sees other recruits, and he finally sees the bay of Gunstar’s, the fighters that the Star League uses. Alex is finally given a translator and can understand. Alex is told to join the other recruits and they are aliens of all types. Ambassador Enduran (Kay E. Kuter) gives an address to the new recruits. It is at this time Alex finds he has been recruited for a war. The alien Alex talks to say you were recruited to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada and Alex finishes the sentence. Enduran explains that the frontier is an energy barrier that protects the peaceful planets of the Star League. Enduran says they have been betrayed and soon, the frontier will fall. He also says that of billions of individuals, only the dozen or so recruits have the gift needed to pilot a Gunstar. They all start shouting victory or death.
Centauri comes through and is giving half-hearted victory or death hand signs. Alex chases after him. The briefing continues with a southern accented voice, saying, “now Starfighters if you will reach under your seats, you will find a packet which contains… The accent of the voice and phrasing is clearly an homage to Maj. ‘King’ Kong played by Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964). Shoot, a fellow could have a pretty good weekend in Vega with all that stuff.
Alex walks into the hanger, where he bumps into a turtle-shell skinned alien named Grig (Dan O’Herlihy). Grig at first chastises Alex for being in the off-limits area until he realizes that Alex is a Starfighter. He then shows great deference and respect. Alex tells Grig that he doesn’t want to be a Starfighter. At the time Alex tells Grig he was recruited by Centauri, the same shows up. Grig asks Centauri if he has been up to his old Excalibur tricks again. There will be more on this in the summary. Centauri is busy counting his money. Centauri freaks a little when he finds that Alex doesn’t want to be a Starfighter.
Centauri is working on convincing Alex that it is safe when a wind starts blowing in Fighter Command. The holographic head of Xur appears. Xur is a Rylosian traitor and son of Enduran that has given the secrets of the frontier to the Ko-Dan empire. After making some threats, the head of Rylosian master spy is shown and his brain is melted as he screams in pain.
Centauri is disgusted as he transports the unwilling Alex back to Earth.
The Ko-Dan command ship is working to take down the frontier. Xur is on the deck with a crew of Ko-Dan under the command of Lord Kril (Dan Mason). The subcommanders show their disdain for Xur. One of the Ko-Dan drones reports that there is a break in the frontier, and Lord Kril orders the meteor gun to be fired. Like a petulant child, Xur steps up and says he is in command. Lord Kril apologizes but you can see on his face that there will be a price. Xur orders the meteor gun attack.
At fighter command, the attack is picked up on their screens. The remaining Starfighters and navigators head to hanger bay where the Gunstar’s are docked. The automatic defense system is activated. The defensive system is working fine until a traitor places a bomb behind the console. When it detonates, the automatic defense system fails, and some meteors hit Fighter Command.
On the Ko-Dan flagship, they get a report from their spy that one Starfighter has escaped.
On Earth, Centauri is working on his spaceship car, and Alex leaves to walk back to the trailer park. Centauri stops Alex and gives him a communicator so he can have a second chance. Centauri talks of great people from history and Alex says he is just a kid from a trailer park. In great style, Centauri replies, “if that’s what you think, then that’s all you’ll ever be.”
Alex makes it back to the trailer park during the night. He sees Maggie, and she slaps him because she is mad about something that happened with Beta. Alex goes to his bed and sleeping there is Beta, an exact duplicate of Alex. The job of the Beta is to replace Alex while he is in space.
A hitchhiker is dropped at the trailer court. He checks his space weapon and when he comes near the Starfighter game, he morphs into a Zando-Zan, a galactic assassin.
Louis wakes up and sees the Beta. They threaten to tell about his Playboy collection if he doesn’t go back to sleep. Alex signals Centauri to pick up Beta. While Alex waits by the Starfighter game, the Zando-Zan attacks. He escapes this first attack. He is saved from being shot when the Beta arrives. Centauri drives up and gets into a gun battle with the assassin, finally shooting its’ arm off. Centauri tells Alex that more of these interstellar hit beasts will be after him.
The dying Zando-Zan shoots at Alex, but Centauri jumps in the way taking the hit and saving Alex. Centauri and Alex get into the space car and head back to Rylos. Centauri gets weaker during the journey, and by the time he makes it back to the battered Fighter Command, he crashes the space car.
Grig is in the bay, and Alex takes him to Centauri. Grig tells him that he will give him a fortune before Centauri dies. Grig takes Alex to the only surviving Gunstar as the frontier is near collapse. On Earth Beta is dealing with paranoia concerning the arrival of other Zando-Zans. Louis sees the Beta take it’s head off for repairs. Beta sees another shooting star and knows another Zando-Zan has arrived.
Grig and Alex climb into the Gunstar. Grig is the navigator and mechanic. Alex sits in the gunnery chair. Alex has a battle screen and controls that are the same as the game. Grig also tells him that the ship has death-blossom, a weapon of last resort. As they take off Grig tells Alex that he is the last Starfighter. Alex freaks out about this being the only ship. Alex does some target practice.
On Earth, the Zando-Zan tracks Beta, who is working with Otis in the trailer park. Maggie touches Beta on the shoulder and he jumps. Maggie apologizes for slapping him. She invites him to go to Silver Lake that night.
Alex and Grig approach the frontier. Grig explains that deck fighters will lead the attack, and they are controlled by a communication turret on the Ko-Dan flagship. At the frontier, they see what appears to be a cargo ship. They follow and it is actually a Ko-Dan scout ship. Alex doesn’t fire at the enemy but chases it into some caves in a nearby asteroid. Finally, Alex shoots and destroys the ship. Grig thinks that Alex will never be a great Starfighter. He says he will take Alex home.
On Earth, Maggie, Beta, and the other kids ride to the lake in Andy’s truck. Beta is having problems interacting socially. He has Zando-Zan on the brain. Nearby, the Zando-Zan kills a cop and takes over his body.
Alex and Grig talk about their homes. Finally, Alex hits on the idea of hiding in the cave until the Ko-Dan armada passes by so they can attack the turret first. They are attacked by more ships and Alex rises to the occasion, dispatching the enemies. Alex tells Grig that maybe he is a Starfighter.
The cop Zando-Zan arrives at the lake. Beta is having trouble interacting with Maggie. Too passive or too aggressive or distracted. Beta listens to others across the lake and uses some words he hears. This works until he says the other girls meant nothing. She slaps him again. In frustration, he confesses that he is a Beta, and Alex is up saving the universe. The copy Zando-Zan fires at Beta. Then leaves to report that the last Starfighter is in space.
Beta and Maggie steal Andy’s truck and head after the Zando-Zan.
Although the destroyed Ko-Dan ships have not reported back, Xur insists that the attack begin. Lord Kril orders them forward with energy probs engaged. Alex and Grig power down, and the deck fighters pass overhead.
The Zando-Zan heads back to his ship. Beta explains everything to Maggie as they drive. The Zando-Zan begins broadcasting from his ship.
On the Ko-Dan flagship, the message comes in as “the last starfighter…” because on Earth, Beta has Maggie jump from the truck, and he rams the ship. Of course, Xur interprets the message as “the last starfighter is dead.” They press the attack.
The flagship passes over Alex and Grig. They powerup and attack. Alex thinks of Maggie as she thinks of him on Earth. The display picks up the Gunstar and Lord Kril orders that Xur be arrested. They open up on the Gunstar. Alex hits the turret and knocks out communications to the deck fighters. In the confusion, Xur escapes in a pod.
Alex and Grig approach the fighters, and Alex wants to use death-blossom. Panels are extended, and Alex begins using his main guns to destroy fighters. It is like shooting fish in a barrel as the fighters are not controlled. Alex uses all of the gun power. They have to wait until all of their enemies are in range before firing death-blossom. When they do, in a very nice early CGI sequence, the ship spins on its’ axis firing at everything around it. They destroy all of the fighters, but the ship is out of power.
The Ko-Dan flagship is losing its’ power, and Lord Kril orders the ramming of the Gunstar. Grig works frantically with his two-fingered hands to restore power. Power to the Gunstar is restored just as the flagship arrives. Alex opens up on the flagship destroying many systems. The sub-commander tells Lord Kril that they have no power or steering, and they are locked into the moons gravitational pull. He then asks, “what do we do?” Lord Kril calmly replies, “we die.” The flagship hits the Rylos moon and explodes.
On Rylos, Alex and Grig are decorated before the population of the world. Alex and Grig are asked to stay on and rebuild the Starfighter legion since the frontier is down, and Xur escaped. Sequel alert. Enduran tells Alex he will have an old friend to work with. A glowing-eyed alien arrives and then unmasks as Centauri. Death is such an Earth concept. Centauri tells him not to blow the good thing he has going here. Alex will stay.
On Earth, Maggie has to tell Jane what has happened to her son. The Starfighter game starts acting up again, and the Gunstar lands by the trailer park. Everybody turns out. Alex leaves the ship to talk to Maggie. They kiss. Everyone runs forward as Jane whines. Grig comes down and after being called a monster, explains that everyone on Earth should be proud of Alex for saving everybody. When Grig meets Louis, he says he hears great things about him. Grig tells him it was time to leave. Louis is told there is only enough room for Alex, Grig, and Maggie.
Maggie becomes just a girl from a trailer park and doesn’t want to leave Granny. Alex invites her, but she won’t go. Alex starts to leave. Granny tells Maggie to go. She runs to the ship and goes aboard.
The ship takes off. Otis says people will say Starlite, Starbright is the place where Alex and Maggie left for the stars.
Louis gets a bench and goes to the Starfighter game. Sequel alert. Where is the sequel?
Summary – The Last Starfighter (1984)
Tron (1982) and The Last Starfighter (1984) were among the first films to use computer-generated images (CGI). The Last Starfighter had 27 minutes of CGI and that was considered an enormous amount at the time[4].
Screenwriter Jonathan R. Betuel said he got the idea watching a young boy playing a video game. At the same time, he was reading T.H. White’s “The Once and Future King,” an Arthurian tale bases on “Le Morte d’Arthur” written in 1485. It occurred to him that the video game could work in the same manner as the sword in the stone.[5]
It says in the credits of the film that the game will be available from Atari. However, it was never forthcoming. The game was abandoned once Atari viewed the final film and mistakenly decided it was not going to be financially successful[6][7].
Starfighter games were made for early Atari home games but were not sold. Versions of the game were later sold as Star Raiders II and Solaris. Nintendo released a game titled “The Last Starfighter” in 1990. Apparently, it was a rehash of Commodore 64’s Uridium.
Rumors continue of a sequel but “Starfighter” is shown as “in development.”[8]
World-Famous Short Summary – When you grab the gold ring, hold on
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Beware the moors
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Starfighter
[3] https://news.avclub.com/read-this-enter-a-backstage-history-of-the-last-starfi-1798270301
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Starfighter
[5] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087597/trivia
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Starfighter
[7] Crossing the Frontier: Making “The Last Starfighter” (behind-the-scenes retrospective), Universal Studios Home Video, 1999.
[8] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4699298/
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