The Last Starfighter (1984)

Director: Nick Castle
Starring: Lance Guest, Robert Preston, Kay E Kuter

Synopsis:
A trailer park handyman is recruited into an interstellar war after breaking the record score of an arcade game.

Impressions:
This is another one of those films from my family's film canon that holds a lot of sentimental value for me. It's a fun ride that's loaded with charm. It's one of the early films to use extensive CG for special effects, which is rather significant if you're interested in the history of special effects. Lance Guest is solid as the lead, but it's the hammy performances of Robert Preston as Centauri and Norman Snow as Xur that steal the show. Dan O'Herlihy as Grig and Vernon Washington as Otis are also rather entertaining. Craig Safan's score duly impresses with the orchestral pieces sounding very John Williams-esque. And let's not forget one of the great moments of awesomeness from the 80s in two words: Death Blossom. ^_^ Admittedly, it doesn't seem to have a huge budget, but it does a lot with what it has and it's so enjoyable that you probably won't even notice. If you like scifi and you like fun, you'll want this in your collection.

Rating:
Own It