A modest box office success in 1984, but has time faded The Last Starfighters lustre?
Certainly not, argues Timon…
Greetings, Starfighter.
You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada.
For those who saw and grew up withThe Last Starfighter, the plot is pure teenage male fantasy.
your system gaming skills are not only recognised as being amazing, but are needed to save the galaxy.
The Last Starfighterisnt really about the sad sacks in the trailer park.
Its about Alex and his desire to escape his mundane existence.
Enter the Yoda-like figure that every young man needs to fulfil his destiny.
In this case, its Robert Prestons Centauri.
However, unlike mentors of your traditional sci-fi films, Centauri isnt a warrior or a spiritual guide.
Obi-Wan never did that, but then Obi-Wan never had a flying saloon car, either.
What if the Wright Brothers thought that only birds should fly?
And did Galoka think that the Ulus were too ugly to save?
Hell, even the death of all the other Starfighters is treated lightly:
You mean theyre dead?
asks a horrified Rogan, to which the reptilian Grig replies, Death is a primitive concept.
I prefer to think of them as battling evil, in another dimension.
The Last Starfighterwas also quite groundbreaking for its time.
And then theres the score.
Its already had an incarnation as a side-scrolling videogame and was even adapted as an off-Broadway musical.
