The Last Starfighter (1984). Insert Coin to Defeat Xur.

#thelaststarfighter #80smovies
Stam Fine Reviews looks at the 80s sci-fi adventure, The Last Starfighter. A great film that didn't find a big audience on release but has since been regarded as a classic. Also, it's one of the first major films to have most of its effects all created with CG. Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) beats the high score of a video game and is drafted to fight a war in space.
Also stars Catherine Mary Stewart, Robert Preston, Daniel O'Herlihy. Directed by Nick Castle.

[@rosskwolfe]

"We die." Is one of the most badass pre-death one-liners ever delivered.

[@McAllisterSellsFlorida]

It’s always been one of my favorite favorite movie lines

[@PlasmaMongoose]

He has accepted his fate.

[@nuanil]

@@PlasmaMongoose He is a true warrior, dedicated to the way of the sword.

[@mikavirtanen7029]

Veteran Hollywood Golden Age actor Robert Preston's last theatrical movie, and he gave a great final performance as interstellar con-man Centauri...lovely Catherine Mary Stewart never made it to the A-list, but The Last Starfighter, Night of the Comet, Dudes and Weekend at Bernie's are solid work in my book.

[@GoldenfoxxPrime]

I always felt like Stewart should've been way bigger than she was. Absolutely loved her in this, especially as a kid.

[@stantheman9072]

She was always a favorite of mine, too. I enjoyed her later movie A Christmas Snow. After her run into the early 90s, most of her work has sadly (for me at least) been bit parts and guest roles. All in all tho, she’s done just fine in an industry that chews up and (if they’re lucky) spits out so many.

[@carlrood4457]

@@GoldenfoxxPrime Night of the Comet is another fun movie she's in. Unfortunately, young actresses often have a short shelf life

[@TheFrogfeeder]

I feel like Catherine Stewart didn’t go for the “Weinstein interview” when she was supposed to, that’s why she never got big. She was a good b-movie 80s actress, was also in a couple movies with them barbarian twins… if you notice, in the days of topless raunchy 80s b-movies, she was never topless or raunchy in her work…

[@stantheman9072]

@TheFrogfeeder point well taken, certainly fits known facts

[@TerryParr]

Such a fantastic movie! I met Lance Guest at a convention... I actually ran into him before the show and I said "Greetings Starfighter". Proud moment indeed.

[@charlescarmichael1124]

Oh my gosh please tell me he responded accordingly...

[@TerryParr]

He just smiled. I was hoping he would scream out "Victory or death". but no lol. @@charlescarmichael1124

[@danielwilliamson6180]

Last Starfighter is such a great movie. Tron meets Star Wars.

[@TMS5100]

I loved the last starfighter when it came out. It has a lot of heart and charm, it's not just another knockoff. The soundtrack is really epic and memorable as well.

[@robwalsh9843]

The Gunstar is still one of the coolest warships in sci fi. Friggin' magnificent design!

[@jond1965]

Nah.. X-Wing tops them all.

[@nuanil]

@@jond1965 Nah bro, Gunstar is da best.

[@chrisose]

Last Starfighter and Enemy Mine are still two of my favorite movies from that time period.

[@robwalsh9843]

Coincidentally, Jeriiba from EM kept reminding me of Grigg.

[@11679MRT]

I really enjoyed this as a kid. Highly underrated film.

[@gridlock7425]

Always loved this movie. It's got that 80s charm. Xur chews every bit of that scenery too. Great stuff.

[@IanM-id8or]

The Last Starfighter was exactly the movie I first expected to see when I saw Star Wars for the first time (in 1977 - I'm that old)

[@l.a.gothro3999]

My late dad LOVED this movie. He thought that Robert "Prof. Hill" Preston was great! (PS: He was 61 years old when this movie came out.)

[@IamShawnMichaelAllen]

I just bought this on DVD to watch it with my 75 year old Dad. He’d mentioned it recently and so I got it, it’s arriving tomorrow. Cheers to dads!

[@garycoulier]

Very touching. I too absolutely loved this movie.

[@domm6812]

Absolute classic. Grew up watching this on VHS over and over through the years. So good! And the music is so memorable.

[@paganarh]

Although I haven't seen this movie for at least two decades, I still remember all the better scenes

[@LordTalax]

I didn't know the pilot was also the "Old man" of OCP. Quite a character difference.

[@6581punk]

Yep, plus the evil toy company owner in Halloween 3. His son was an actor too, in Superman III, Never Say Never Again and Death Wish III.

[@mikavirtanen7029]

@@6581punk Gavan O'Herlihy was also Airg Thaughbaer in Willow. That was a nice change, because he was almost always casted as an asshole or a villain.

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

9:09 My parents hated it when I played video games as a kid. They kept saying it only makes me stupider and will never turn out to be useful in my life. I'm 40 now and I work on video games, currently managing a QA team. My parents are now totally cheering for me playing more video games. Don't underestimate your kids' hobbies. It might turn out to be a viable source of income in the future, and at the same time make them happy people who work with things they actually like instead of ending up in a job they hate.

[@donovan1971]

My favorite rainy Sunday movie theater experience. I saw this then Silverado and chased it with Ghostbusters. That was a fun day. 😊

[@IanM-id8or]

"More warm and fuzzy feelings than sticking a fork into an electrical outlet" Damn, that's funny

[@m2habert]

¿and what about... "'being picked' sounds so much nicier than 'DRAFTED'..." ?

[@Novastar.SaberCombat]

I actually met Alan Dean Foster (who wrote the book). He and I were on the same panel together at a convention in San Jose, CA (Baycon, 2007). Great guy.

[@lisvender]

I like that point you made about the film’s partial timelessness. You wouldn’t know that The Last Starfighter was an 80s film by glancing at it, but you’d know it by watching it. It’s 80s in tone, if not presentation

[@Red-rl1xx]

I watched this movie over & over & over on HBO back in early '85 while I was recovering from getting hit by a car and getting both my legs broken. I bought it on DVD a few years ago.

[@bfragged]

I always remember the scene where they all start yelling “Victory or Death!”

[@lnwolf7563]

This and The Explorers, two classics from my childhood that will always make me feel nostalgic.

[@PsyopAgentProvocateur]

I’m surprised that our narrator recorded over this movie. My Dad dubbed it off and made a backup because we watched it so often, and leant it to friends in exchange for some of their movies. Our beta and then later VHS collection was massive, this was still one that got watched far to often when there was a large choice available.

[@Yxalitis]

Last Starfighter plot summary: "Press this button to win"

[@stewmott3763]

Thanks for reminding me how much I love this movie, and to watch it yet again, on a Saturday morning. It's definitely a Saturday morning movie.

[@citizenVader]

Neo Arthurian science fiction when it's best. The sword in the stone is just an arcade game.. Genius and good for a sequel.

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

It's even still technically doable with Lance Guest, too. The older Alex, now relegated to commanding the Legion rather than flying a Gunstar, trying to rebuild it all against a new threat from beyond the Frontier. Have someone new play an older Lewis, who isn't a Starfighter, but is the best Navigator in the Legion (and a classic "Kirk" type), as well as Alex and Maggie's daughter, who is an accomplished Starfighter in her own right, but tends to take after Lewis more than Alex or Maggie. He's been petitioning the League all this time to admit Earth into its membership, but they keep refusing, and time is running out. They desperately need Earth's military expertise, resources, and population to help bolster the battered and corrupted League and its deeply fractured Legions.

[@chrissiebawn9357]

I just found this movie on DVD awhile ago and bought it and watched it for the first time again since FOREVER because as a girl and now grown up girl...LOVE LOVE LOVE always! Thank you for sharing 😀❤🙏🖖🌍

[@TokyoXtreme]

7:55 my favorite scene, which I still quote several times a month; the other one, also shown, is (monocle-flip) "We die". This movie is so great, and I saw more than once while it was in theaters. And who knows how many times on HBO and VHS.

[@davehandelman2832]

Fantastic!!! I LOVED Starfighter as a kid!!

[@markboomgaarden4679]

I grew up watching this movie. One of my all time favorite soundtracks, too

[@sandytrunks]

@6:46 "... If that's what you think, then that's all you'll ever be!" Love that quote.

[@stillhammered3060]

I didnt see this as a kid when it first came out but was able to see it at the Drafthouse last year. It was awesome. Even the early computer graphics looked so much better in a theater compared to a TV.

[@6581punk]

I remember it being reviewed on TV but also didn't see it until much later. It might have been the 2000s before I saw it.

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

It could've been so much better, though. The original plan had been to render those models on the Cray supercomputers of the time, for several months to get the best possible results. It would've been absolutely STUNNING for the time. Would've been like when we all saw the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park for the first time. Mindblowing. They were going to push it to the absolute limit of tech at the time, which no one had EVER tried before. But the studio bumped the release date closer, and they lost nearly all of their time on the computers, having to finish in weeks what they'd planned to take months. I'd honestly give anything for someone to get those original models, or maybe even just redo them entirely, and then put them into a remastered version of the movie, as intended.

[@marcbrasse747]

Totally agree but like to add the following: It’s one of those movies which somehow transcends all its individual elements. Furthermore: It had the mysterious “somehow everything magically falls into place” factor most of us hope for all our lives. Other sci fi movie examples are Tron and Sky Captain And the World Of Tomorrow. Happened against all odds yet fully deserved it.

[@GeneralPadron]

One of my favorite films of all time...

[@theproplady]

I remember seeing this in the theater when it came out. I'm glad it didn't just try to be a Star Wars clone. It never would have succeeded. It was a cute, loveable jab at heroes journey adventure stories and a beautiful time capsule of 80s era Southern California. It also accurately captures the sheer number of wood-panelled walls that existed in the 80s.^_^

[@tanuki2k]

Loved this film as a kid

[@christopherspoors894]

Brilliant film, I managed to record it years ago and I can't stop watching it, I especaily love the line "things change always do"

[@kitslagle6296]

I can't believe you recorded over it. You monster lol. This is one of those movies I watch any time I saw that it was on as a kid and a young adult. I loved everything about this movie except that there was no sequel.

[@TheBeird]

So that’s where the “Die!” meme comes from

[@Skoora]

Dan O’Herlihy ..damn. Never knew he was under all that prosthetic. From this to an evil Warlock in Halloween 3 and then Robocop. Genius.

[@Christopher-tz3mr]

Such a fan of this movie. Grew up watching movies recorded by my parents on VSH Tapes. 3 movies per tape.

[@bluduece420]

This movie is classic. Loved it when I was a kid. A remake of this in an R rating would be nice.

[@BHarris25]

I saw this movie in the theater, first movie I ever saw in the theater. I was 4. This is one of the earliest movies to use CGI.

[@BiancaRoughFin]

This video helped me wake up some long lost memories of the characters as i was 3~4 years old when i the movie. I was way too young to understand what was going on.

[@Conn653]

I have this movie on DVD and love watching it. After seeing this clip, I may pull it out again 🙂

[@skwervin1]

I have always loved this movie - funny, sad, cool and just plain fun.

[@MrGchiasson]

I watched it and it was a fun movie. The first CGI effort...fun plot, storyline and pace. A 'feel good' sci-fi flik.

[@carlosalbertogarciamartine4150]

I loved this movie. Had been a long ride since, but...

[@DoremiFasolatido1979]

The problem with the rocks (and also the ships, actually) is that the team didn't get enough time on the Cray to render them properly. They'd planned to spend quite a long time running the renders on the system, but that got cut to a fraction of what was planned because the studio changed the release date to a much, much earlier one. It forced them to finish the render too soon, and to scramble just to get the movie edited and ready by the deadline. Editing which was massively interfered-with by the studio execs. What we could've gotten...even in that era...would've been absolutely mindblowing compared to what we got. And what we got was still not bad.

[@jBKht931]

Very fun movie. Really great when it came out and to this day. Doesn't get the screen time it deserves these days. Thanks for sharing.

[@robvegas9354]

Great movie, the soundtrack is top shelf! And 10 out of 10 for Centauri! What an awesome dude!! I also got this as a freebie with a pack of 3 blank VHS tapes back in the day and watched the hell out of it. Good times!!!

[@BaseDeltaZero1972]

"Dived off a cliff faster than Papilon" Earned my subscription right there! (the follow up novel "Banco" is worth a read as well BTW)

[@carlh-thehermitwithwi-fi679]

guilty pleasure movie

[@KabukiKid]

I loved this movie as a kid. I was one of the few to see it on the big screen back then. It also had really great theme music.

[@MattMcIrvin]

I remember seeing this because of its status as a technical milestone: I was excited about the nascent art of computer graphics (which I kinda sorta would parlay into a career, though not in Hollywood), and this was the first feature film to use CGI for essentially all of its space effects. Those graphics now look quaint--they pushed the capability of the 1980s supercomputer they used for rendering, and they've dated much worse than motion-controlled model effects from the same era. But for that same reason, they've turned into a kind of historical time capsule. The reviews mostly concentrated on Robert Preston's charming, incongruous performance, basically just doing Professor Harold Hill as an alien. He's really the biggest draw. The fantastic premise, that a video game is secretly recruitment or training for some kind of real war (or even controlling the war), was very much in the air in the early 1980s and showed up in a bunch of science-fiction stories around that time, though 1984 was about a year or two past its heyday.

[@RichardEKranz]

I believe my friend and I wore out two vinyl Last Starfighter albums each, Craig Safan's music is that good. BTW that main title goes brilliantly with almost every Japanese animation opening.

[@donmiles6176]

This is an excellent movie and have seen many times over the years. Has a really good story line and is not your average sci fi movie. All in all a great cast and a well rounded movie.

[@alaricgoldkuhl155]

Loved this movie as a teenager and one year later the book Ender's Game came out. Good times.

[@MrShadowpanther3]

It is crazy how far computers have come in 30-40 years that you can do this on your phone now.

[@thedad7313]

Those Gunstars were cool.

[@billfrantz1638]

Let’s go! Best movie ever!

[@simongee8928]

Agree. This was a grand film; pure escapist fun - ! 😊

[@buuntaa1986]

Love this movie. Grew up watching it

[@ZiddersRooFurry]

I own a virtual replica of the Star Car in Second Life. :D I think the fact that this film was so low-key compared to most big budget sci-fi films of the time and managed to copy them more as a sincere homage than a competing rip-off that it has an authentic feel to it a lot of knock-off's lack. This is very much a by-the-numbers Excalibur meets the Heroes Journey IN SPACE yet it's got all these little quirky elements that help ground it. From the trailer park to the lovable con artist to the lovable alien sidekick. I can't help smiling whenever I think about this film.

[@freedomguy55]

I was introduced to this film when I was young and I loved it. It’s pure escapist fun. The elements of the movie were well constructed. From characters to score to story. Even though some of the execution was corny its spirit was beautiful. Highly recommended 👍

[@cwolfxuk]

Love the film, have since it came out!

[@brianellis6517]

One of the top 10 to me !!! 😊😊😊

[@ParkysPlace]

This video is delightful. Thank you Stam Fine. 😎

[@chitterlingsrtasty]

One of my faves from childhood

[@carlrood4457]

It's fitting that Robert Preston's final role was in the spirit of his most famous part, Harold Hill from The Music Man.

[@Ironstarfish]

Little known great movie of my childhood

[@jon545]

The last starfighter is one on top of the list that I treasure

[@darrendewar2222]

Love this movie it really needs a reboot

[@jarjarbinks3360]

I still love this film.

[@Giarcnek]

Watched this at the Drive-in when I was 11...Gremlins was the double feature.

[@GUNMETALGUYUSA]

A Nostalgic Staple In Any Movie Collection

[@paulwalker3758]

I love that the Tucker tubes from Star Trek appear in this film. They’re just a sci-fi staple.

[@caronstout354]

As well as the "Most Important Device in the Universe...

[@TheEmperorjun]

❤❤❤this was nostalgic...how I wish a visionary producer and director will revive the franchise and make a comeback to have a sequel of this...totally underated but totally phenomenal...

[@StarkSpartan]

really great film, thank you for posting.

[@michaelkitner9631]

I enjoyed the commentary. Definitely makes me want to watch this movie again!

[@MB-ig6gl]

Loved this movie. Thanks for pointing out how it is not an 80s movie - pop songs, clothes, etc. Hadn't thought about it but good assessment.

[@6581punk]

Still enjoy this one. Even if the visuals are dated now. What is weird is having Dan O'Herlihy playing his co-pilot and a good character. To me he's best known the the "old man" in Robocop and Conal Cochran in Halloween 3, both morally dubious characters to downright evil.

[@darrendemello3225]

Loved this movie. And I had the comic, which for a kid who didn't have a VCR in the 80s was almost as good as having it on tape.

[@thebadgamer1967]

I love this movie beyond words since 1985 my vhs copy was worn out

[@MarkHurlow-cf2ix]

My school played this for us when it came out because we had a film projector and got a class on how to repair it and run. Our principal would get new movies from our theater after the first week so not to ruin his business and we watched everything for free in my school. He would announce the the movie and we would get lunch and two hours off while kids ran the movie every other week.

[@RockyBergen]

I really adored (adore) this one!

[@itiswhatitis4846]

This movie is like biscuits and gravy, sticks with you for a long time but in a good way lol!

[@nymalous3428]

I loved this movie as a kid. I remember watching a documentary about it a number of years ago. They talked about the computer used to do the digital effects and about Robert Preston's character (and how similar he was to his depiction of Professor Harold Hill from the Music Man). I remember them talking about how they had problems with the computer for a good bit, and there was even talk of using models on wires instead (much like was done for Star Wars). In retrospect, the Beta-unit was one of the best parts.

[@matty2timez708]

I was 12 when this came out and I saw it in the theaters. This movie was so good back then!

[@Scimarad]

I'm always surprised how good a lot of this looks; I remember it being way more basic.

[@Absaalookemensch]

This was such an enjoyable movie.

[@danparker8254]

Thanks for giving musical credit to Safan.

[@fenderfetish]

Underrated film - nothing but fun =^)

[@saramarrspellmaker9592]

Makes one think....There is a scene in the Last Starfighter when the pilot shows photos of his family using what looks to be a smart phone. In 1984, cell phones looked more like a WW2 military walkie-talkie.

[@CallMeMrRook]

I love a great a great scifi cheese ball filled with action, romance, laughs and feel good factor..TLS had all of this and I can still watch it today as i did back then

[@gordonmills2748]

Early CGI! Video games! A gung-ho iguana! But for me (and I was 18 in 1984) it was all about Catharine Mary Stewart as Maggie. Good gods she's beautiful.

[@snagel515]

I loved this movie....

[@charlescarmichael1124]

I had a choice and my mom insisted I see Karate Kid that day. That movie changed my life at the time (12 years old). I saw Star fighter a couple years later. Watched it 3 times that day. (VHS)

[@propellerhead428]

Still one of the best movies

[@jamesroseby3823]

I saw this movie when it was first released. I enjoyed it immensely then and still enjoy it when it’s shown on rerun. It should be a cult classic by now.

[@ELEKTROSKANSEN]

Well, it IS a cult classic. Contrary to common perception, a cult classic is something that is NOT enjoyed by the majority of the audience. A "cult" is by definition a limited selection of people, cherishing something that is dismissed by others. That's why "Star Wars" is simply a "classic" that everyone knows, and "The Last Starfighter" is a cult classic cherished by people who are into 80s movies.