The Last Starfighter (1984)
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75% of critics liked it
(28 reviews) -
65% of users liked it
(46,436 ratings)
Trailer-park teenager Lance Guest regularly escapes from his humdrum existence by playing the video game Starfighter. His expertise at this recreational endeavor attracts the attention of affable stranger Robert Preston. Before he knows what's happening, Guest is whisked by Preston into the… More Trailer-park teenager Lance Guest regularly escapes from his humdrum existence by playing the video game Starfighter. His expertise at this recreational endeavor attracts the attention of affable stranger Robert Preston. Before he knows what's happening, Guest is whisked by Preston into the outer reaches of the galaxy! It turns out that the Starfighter game is being played in deadly earnest in outer space, and that Guest is expected to join Preston's Star League, then do battle with the wicked Kodan forces. Guest's principal ally is the lizardlike Grig (Dan O'Herlihy--and we didn't recognize him either). His great rival is the traitorous Xur (Norman Snow). The contrast between Guest's earthbound life as the son of single-mother Barbara Bosson and his new position as Starfighter is daunting at first, but soon the boy is manning a spacecraft and zapping the baddies as though he's been doing it all his life. The Last Starfighter was clearly designed with "sequel" in mind: giveaways include the resurrection of a "dead" character and the surprisingly casual escape of the villain. While the film didn't stir up enough business to warrant a sequel, the Starfighter video game remained a much-sought-after commodity by joystick-happy "warriors" all over the country. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Nick Castle Jr.
- Genres
- Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy
- In Theaters
- Jul 13, 1984 Wide
- On DVD
- Jun 8, 1999
- Studio
- Universal Pictures
Critic Reviews
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Great fun, with some truly comical moments; a must for pulp-heads and video-junkies.
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Kevin Carr, 7M Pictures
full of 80s cheese, but for someone like me who grew up with this kind of stuff, it was the perfect escape
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Brian Orndorf, BrianOrndorf.com
One of the few successful Spielberg clones, administering the usual routine of aliens and mouth-agape wonder with friendly determination and a perfect, just perfect, game boy screenwriting hook.
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Sean Axmaker, Seanax.com
The simplistic plot and simple story work thanks to the energy and light touch of director Nick Castle.
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Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews
Charmingly hokey...takes the suburban-working-class-folks-meet-space-aliens paradigm of early Spielberg and marries it to Lucas' Star Wars. [Blu-ray]
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Lance Guest
as Alex Rogan
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Robert Preston
as Centauri
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Dan O'Herlihy
as Grig
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Catherine Mary Stewart
as Maggie
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Barbara Bosson
as Jane Rogan
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Norman Snow
as Xur
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Kay E. Kuter
as Enduran
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Dan Mason
as Lord Kril
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Bruce Abbott
as Alien soldier
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Marc Alaimo
as Hitchhiker
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Ed Berke
as Cop #1
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Al Berry
as Rylan Spy
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Ellen Blake
as Clara Potter
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Geoffrey Blake
as Gary
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Owen Bush
as Mr. Boone
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Maggie Cooper
as Rylan Sergeant
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Cameron Dye
as Andy
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Chris Herbert
as Louis Rogan
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Britt Leach
as Mr. Potter
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John Maio
as Friendly Alien
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George McDaniel
as Kodan Officer
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Charlene Nelson
as Rylan Technician
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John O'Leary
as Rylan Bursar
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Peggy Pope
as Elvira
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Kimberly Ross
as Cheerleader
- Suzanne Snyder
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Robert Starr
as Underling
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Bunny Summers
as Mrs. Boone
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Vernon Washington
as Otis
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Wil Wheaton
as Louis' Friend
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Meg Wyllie
as Granny Gordon
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Bob Kenaston
as Uncle Bob
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Peter Nelson
as Jack Blake


