The Last Starfighter

Classic 1980's kids flick, The Last Starfighter holds up well today.

Let's start this review off with a pretty incredible fact. The Last Starfighter was the first movie to do all its special effects on computer. OK, these days it may look a little too obvious that these have been PC rendered, but at the time, for an 8 year old boy, they were damn near mind-blowing!

Lance Guest plays Alex Rogan a teenager bored with life in his trailer park. But Alex has a gift, he's really, insanely good at arcade games and this being an 80's movie, that's all he needs for his dreams to come true!

Just when it looks like Alex's life is slipping down the toilet, it turns out that the game "Starfighter" is nor run-of-the-mill Atari game after all. It is, in fact, a mere training tool invented by a guy named Centauri (who happens to be half man, half lizard) in order to root out the potential real life Starfighters on Earth. Alex's time has come and his skills are needed in an intergalactic battle against the evil "Xur". How's he going to explain this one to his trailer park chums?

So, this movie has great effects but what makes the film truly great is that it also possesses that most rare of blockbuster characteristics - a decent plot and interesting characters. These are people we can care about and that is what draws you in to a pretty far fetched storyline.

Lance Guest (pictured, right) does a great job of making Alex Rogan someone we can root for and not the whiny teenager he so easily could have been. The space battles are exciting, there's a great supporting turn from Dan O'Herlihy as Alex's sidekick Grig and most of all this movie has the Spielbergian quality of wonder. I defy any kid watching this not to wish he had the chance that Alex is given. This film can brighten your day, whether you're a child of the 80's or not. Long live Starfighter!

UPDATE: You can now play the game The Last Starfighter, yes, the one featured in the movie! Look here. (Thank me later)