Rating: 
Summary: Five stars for the movie, three for the DVD
Review: I first stumbled onto this movie some fifteen years ago on VHS at the age of 45 and have viewed it at least 20 times since. It is STILL a pleasure. Great acting - the incomparable Robert Preston as Centauri, Dan O'Herlihy as Grig. Numerous minor simpatico actors as well, e.g., several of the trailer park denizens. A musical soundtrack that sweeps you along. Some snappy dialogue. Rich and cute humor. Delicious little scenic embellishments here and there - the hound dog, the cat atop the video game machine, the hypnotic trailer park sign, Granny with her shotgun, etc. It all adds up to a rip-snortin' rootin' tootin' space horse opera. FUN! And you actually come to care about some of the characters. Even the schmaltzy ending, which is hokey to the nines, is so well done (including the music) as to evoke some emotion. As for the DVD, the video quality stinks. Little or no better than VHS, although the wide-screen aspect does let you see more. The musical soundtrack though is great -- crystal clear and with very deep but not artificially exaggerated low bass. Your subwoofer will love this one. The extras are educational and entertaining. They include a homage to the then-exotic Cray supercomputer, which is pictured. It resembles a modernistic Stonehenge, several towers in a circle, an object almost of veneration, which is how it is described and indeed looks. A great little movie and a flawed but still worthwhile DVD, which I wish had included the solo musical soundtrack.
Rating: 
Summary: Yes, It's Still That Good
Review: Alright, there's no real use in going into the plot of the movie here because everyone should have seen this by now and if you haven't, there are plenty of other places to find reviews on the plot, characters, etc. Let's just say that this is a very charming and fun science fiction film from the 80's that I loved from the very first time that I saw it. Now, let's talk about why you should or should not buy this in it's DVD reincarnation. First off, the picture quality and sound are not fantastic, but it's important to note that they never were. This movie is old! However, they're not horrible by any stretch. The computer animated sequences have fantastic detail. It's in the widescreen format, which is slightly annoying. The top and bottom margins are very wide. I think they should have taken less room for that, but I'm not sure if there's a standard format for widescreen movies. I'm watching it on a 27" TV, so I'm guessing that's fairly average for the size of a TV. Watching it on much less would be like having no picture at all since a good 35% of the screen isn't used. Still, I did enjoy it very much and I only noticed it a couple of times. It's just a warning for those who have smaller TV's. The infamous "extras" actually turn out to be truly extra in this case. There's great documentary-type footage on the making of the film, which goes into great detail about the trailblazing effects that went into making this great movie. Lance Guest, the star of the film, actually hosts this as well, which is a nice bonus. They've also included the movie trailer, which is pretty standard. All in all, I highly recommend this be added to your DVD collection. It's a great movie that can still be enjoyed today, almost 20 years after its initial release. It's definitely something that you should see if you have not done so before.
Rating: 
Summary: Brain Dead Movie
Review: If you want to relax, turn the brain off for a while this is one of those movies. Fun, non-thinking, just have a good time. Hey, I have seen it and have a great time!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Unashamedly pleasant
Review: This apparently was a reasonably low budget science fiction film from 1984. Its budget may have been small but it does not have the look or feel of a low budget movie. The premise and structure of the film is also interesting. The plot device is that a decent but broke kid is growing up in a trailor park. He dreams the dream of such kids but is surrounded by poverty. This however does not seem to affect him at all, he emerges as someone free of the complexs that this can sometimes cause. By mistake a video game has been installed in the trailor park. This game is actually not meant to be so much a game, but a means by which an alien civilisation can recruit army personell of a certain level of talent. This game was meant to have been dropped into a bigger town but is placed in the trailer park by mistake. The hero shows his talent and is recruited to a distant war in another solar system. In the end he saves the world but there is also a complicated sub plot about what happens at home while he is away. An unrelentingly nice and pleasant film which was a surprise hit when released.
Rating:
Summary: A true Classic
Review: I must have seen this movie when I was like 10 years old and it's totally stuck to my head. Just remembering the starfighter spinning its way to blow up alien ships gives me great memories. A must-buy for those who truly remember this film!
Rating:
Summary: Didn't know why I liked it
Review: I was a teenager when this came out, and went to see it a few times, liking it more than I thought it deserved. Now that I can see a bit more clearly, it's obvious that this is because it's one of the best-finished and satisfying movies of the time, with a great cast, and all the right attitude. It is always going to be obscure, because it's not Cool enough. I think it has roughly the same audience as "Logan's Run". Plenty of people know what is good.
Rating: 
Summary: Last Starfighter's worst nightmare.
Review: I love this movie. I'm a Sci-fi fan. However, two things force me to return this DVD movie back. First, is one of the most expensive DVDs in the market. Second, digital video transfer is as bad as an old version of VHS. For a DVD that sells ... regular price and with no video quality, this is a robbery at best. Not from Amazon, from the supplier. I suggest you all wait until they re-master and improve this DVD like Paramount did with "Battlestar Galactica"; Wow that DVD video quality is amazing, almost like Star Wars Episode I, but only Mono sound. This DVD Last Starfighter should have a retail price of ... regular price, not $34.95. Again, the movie is great, but not this so called "Special Edition". Whait for a better one, or wait for supplier to lower retail price to ... or less. If you still have your old VHS copy...save it until they improve the video quality. Old movies like "Time Machine" had better digital video transfer. I have it as well. That's why. Good luck my friends, may God bless America and you!
Rating:
Summary: Great Sci-fi
Review: If you liked Space Camp, or Short Circuit, then you will like The Last Star Fighter. I remember the first time I saw this movie, I got such a kick out of it. when I watch it now, I wish the space scenes where longer, but mabie that is why the movie is good, it leaves you wanting more. A kid lives in a secluded trailer park and the only entertainment he has is a single video game at the entrance of the park called Star Fighter. When he breaks the high score, he gets a wild suprise, The game is actualy a test for Star Fighter Pilots. An alien comes and he is taken away on a journey to the far side of the gallaxy to become a Star Fighter in a war he knows nothing about. he chooses to not get involved, but when all the other star fighters are killed, he has to decide if he will help.
Rating:
Summary: computer/sci fi blastin at its greatest
Review: One of the first science fiction films I saw and still one of the best (defintly the most underatted). Lance Guest stars as Alex Grogan a teenager who dreams of one day leaving his trailer park home with his girlfriend Maggy (Caterine Mary Stewart) and becoming someone successful, despite the insults from his so-called friends. His chance comes when he breaks the record on a Starfighter video game. He is then whisked away to a far off planet, thanks to help of Centauri (an alien talent scout), played brilliantly by Robert Preston. He discovers the Starfighter game is more like a training simulation and that the story the 'game' centers on is real and brought to life in a distant galaxy.
Okay the special effects look seriously dated compared to todays standards but Lance Guest is wonderful as the young teenager who must switch between being a regular guy and Han Solo type gunfighter. Robert Preston stands out as the supporting act, totally convincing as a wise-cracking money grabber. The bad guys take the form of monstrous creatures led by the annoying, somewhat hammy Zur. But there is a good distinction between them and the good guys, Star League. Somewhat like Star Wars, the enemies aren't too evil just bad enough to boo and hiss at.
The film moves at a steady pace and there are some great moments featuring Alex's clone while the real Alex saves the universe.
The Last Starfighter is a science fiction classic waiting to be rediscovered and remastered.
Rating:
Summary: Terrific Movie - Why the high price?
Review: ...I see that the price has been brought into line with similar offers. Not sure if a new release or just new pricing, but I've placed my order!... I really did enjoy this movie and would recommend it to anyone interested in sci-fi or action genres. Also the trailer park boy saves universe theme is well done with Alex's grand entrance back into the trailer park positively a blast! BUT - I just wonder why this DVD is so costly? It is priced entirely out of line with others having similar features. This isn't a good trend and has so far stopped me from buying it.
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