The Last Starfighter [Blu-ray]

I'll make this quick because cookieman108 did an excellent job on reviewing the movie. If you're here looking at this DVD you're here because you like the movie. Is it a great movie? No. But it's a fun movie. It's one of those movies on a Sunday afternoon after a stressful week you just put on and relax. I'm here because I'm happy to see that the movie is available on Blu-ray and the price is decent (on sale). I have not seen the movie being steamed so it's nice to be able to watch it whenever I want. Looks and sounds good. Get a copy

I love the themes of the 80s movies. I love this movie! Robert Preston was so funny. It can be a family movie but not for kids under 12. Enjoy.

The plot, the special effects, the cutting-edge prosthetics! Every 80's arcade brat loved this flick.

A Very entertaining movie from the 1980's before AI. Great animation.

I'd heard about The Last Starfighter for years, but always from people who claimed it merely copied Star Wars. During the 1980s, many studios tried to imitate the Star Wars phenomenon. Paramount pulled Star Trek out of mothballs so it could have its own sci-fi franchise. Universal's Battlestar Galactica was embroiled in lawsuits with 20th Century Fox over copyright infringement (not surprising given that Universal hired key members of the Star Wars production team). Dozens of other copycat space adventure films from that era have faded into obscurity. Indeed, the plot of The Last Starfighter does seem eerily similar to A New Hope: - Teenager with remarkable piloting skills can't go to college because of poverty and household chores; - Wizened mentor finds him and tries to recruit him to fight against an evil empire; - Teen initially refuses, but reconsiders when the empire threatens his family; - Mentor figure dies as teenage pilot flees with companions; - Teen pilot takes down evil empire's main ship with just his starfighter; - Movie ends with victory celebration. In addition, the production design is similar to the original Star Wars. The ships of the Rylan Star League have white interiors like the Rebel Alliance's capital ships. The Ko-Dan Armada has dark grey interiors like the Empire's Death Star. Rogan's starfighter has red lasers, like the X-Wings, and the Ko-Dan ships have green lasers, like the Tie Fighters. Despite the similarities, the film feels different from Star Wars. Or, at least it feels like it has a heart and soul of its own. I think it's partly the context. The Last Starfighter doesn't take place "A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away" but rather in a 1980s trailer park. Indeed, The Last Starfighter has a lot for fans of 1980s nostalgia. The film really captures what it was like to be a young sci-fi/video game fan during the 80s. Alex Rogen comes to the attention of the Rylan Star League because of his high score in an arcade game (I'm sure many of us wish our high scores had greater consequences). In A New Hope, Luke wanted an adventure; in The Last Starfighter, Rogan - like many kids - wanted to be Luke. The Last Starfighter is fun, but it lacks a rich ensemble of characters. The story is all about Rogan and his ability to shoot down enemy ships. The movie takes too long in showing Rogan's attempts to pilot the ship and fire the lasers (Star Wars smartly skipped over Luke's training). Rogan then proceeds to take down the entire Ko-Dan armada singlehandedly (the enemies make the Stormtroopers seem like crack shots). There's no sense that the victory was a team effort, or even that other pilots died on the mission with him (as during the Death Star trench run). The other characters seem to exist only to give Rogan moral and technical support rather than as a character in his own right. In 1984, The Last Starfighter was the first movie to use computer-generated effects to to depict realistic spaceships (TRON came out two years earlier, but it only used CGI to depict an abstract video game environment). The effects hold up surprisingly well, at least on my 17-inch computer screen. The film is pretty frugal with its effects and the camera doesn't linger too long on effects shots. The ships are definitely too shiny and clean, but they do look like spaceships. I recommend The Last Starfighter if you like space opera and want a 1980s nostalgia trip. The fact that it resembles A New Hope in so many ways yet feels different speaks to the diversity of stories that can be told within a single story archetype. The movie feels like an homage to the effect Star Wars had on a generation of kids, including yours truly.

This movie was a favorite when it first came out. The music gets into my inner child and stays there for the day. Definitely family appropriate. Some of the acting is hokey. But, who can't chuckle at "go to sleep!" $5. A bargain.

The first movie to make extensive use of CGI. Not great compared to today's movie graphics, but cutting edge in 1984. Earlier sci-fi movies were still sliding models down wires and adding chemical film effects (think Star Wars, 1977).

Good quality dvd, good early sci-fi!

il es ecrit version francaise sur le site et ces faux que en anglais pas de langue francais juste soutitre

Buena película de mis recuerdos de adolescencia entrañable español castizo subtítulos y lenguaje

The Last Starfighter isn’t an innovative or particularly blockbuster SF movie of 80s cinema, but for a lot of Gen-Xers who were kids at the time, the idea that being good at video games allows a nobody from a trailer park to save the galaxy still holds a lot of nostalgic value. The movie’s been available on various home video formats over the years, but as we move into the age of streaming, it’s quite possible this 4K limited edition from Arrow Video is the best the movie will ever look. The Last Starfighter had a rough entry into the HD era. The original Blu-Ray released by Universal back in 2009 was a pretty careless transfer, smearing out details with some aggressive digital noise reduction or DNR that made the image look waxy and unnatural in an attempt to get rid of film grain. Arrow did a proper HD restoration in 2020 that corrected this and was a much more respectful treatment of the film. In 2023, Arrow came back and did a 4K transfer with HDR, and the image, while a noticeable step up from its previous BD, is a huge step up from the older Universal transfers. Grain is present but stable and free from artifacts thanks to a high bitrate. Details are sharp, and while the 80s CG can’t look super clean and detailed, it’s still better than it ever was; it gets a big boost from the HDR, as does everything else, from nice, inky blacks to bright neon signs, and of course, video game interface screens. This is just a fantastic 4K/HDR restoration that brings viewers back to how they might have seen it on the big screen the very first time in the 80s. Audio also brings some nice surprises, although not if you already own the previous Arrow HD restoration. There’s no Dolby Atmos mix here, so home theater owners won’t get the full natural benefit in audio, though upmixing can take some of the sting out of that. However, the movie does include a lossless 5.1 mix, a 2.0 mix, and, perhaps most surprising of all, a 4.1 mix derived from 70 mm prints of the film that were reserved for premium movie theaters of the time. All the mixes are good, though none go the extra mile the way some 80s restorations have, such as the surprising Dolby Atmos audio for Dragon Slayer or even Star Trek: The Motion Picture, but what’s here kicks in the subwoofer at appropriate times and still utilizes surrounds when appropriate. For extras, fans are in for a treat. The same extras present in the previous Arrow BD limited edition are included here, and there are a ton. An informative booklet with essays about the film and its special effects, three audio commentaries, including the original first DVD commentary, and two new ones from the previous BD restoration, one with star Lance Guest and his son, and the second from a knowledgeable film fan podcast. There are interview features with other stars, SF novelists, and archival extras that were present in the past Universal disc, like documentaries. There are also image galleries and, of course, trailers. There’s a ton of extras here to make any fan happy. All in all, if you don’t yet own The Last Starfighter in 4K and want it in 4K, get this immediately; it’s a safe buy for you. If you own the previous Universal versions and you’re wondering whether it’s worth the upgrade, it totally is, and you should get this version. If you already own the previous Arrow BD restoration, there’s not a whole lot new here, but the 4K/HDR upgrade is still a noticeable step up from the BD, and if it will bug you that your 4K/HDR display isn’t getting used to full potential, then scratch that itch with this version.

Un film che ho cercato e ricercato , quasi introvabile , manca la lingua italiana ma per dire la verità non lo trovo un difetto dato che preferisco la lingua originale ( att.ne i sottotitoli sono in inglese ), qualità video ottima ed effetti speciali ( vintage ) da film targato 1984. Film legato a ricordi di conseguenza per me , ora parzialmente adulto , è fantastico poterlo rivedere .

Het was keileuk om zo'n fantastische film die ook mee aan de basis lag van de enorme ontwikkelingen van CGI gebruik in films volledig geremastered terug te kunnen bekijken. Thx