The Last Starfighter

PG

1984

1 hr. 40 min.

Sci-Fi

List

76%

89 Reviews

Tomatometer

70%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

After finally achieving the high score on Starfighter, his favorite arcade game, everyday teenager Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) meets the game's designer, Centauri (Robert Preston) -- who reveals that he created Starfighter as a training ground for developing and recruiting actual pilots to help fight a war in space. Whisked away from the banality of his trailer park life to a distant alien planet, Alex struggles to use his video game-playing skills to pilot a real ship, with real lives at stake.

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Critics Consensus

While The Last Starfighter is clearly derivative of other sci-fi franchises, its boundary-pushing visual effects and lovably plucky tone make for an appealing adventure.

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Pamela M

Loved this movie! I was 15 & in dire need of more SCI-Fi type entertainment. It was a desert in 1984! I read the novelization as well after I saw the film (like 3 times)!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/23

Full Review

Bob W

This is from my childhood. I thought it was the best movie ever at the time. Arcade games and space. Every young boys dream! I just watched it and it brought back all the memories I had as an 8 year old. I highly recommend it! Sure the graphics aren't like they are now. But if you've ever dreamed about going to space, you have to watch it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/05/23

Full Review

Connor B

it a fun movie for gamers and for kids

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/25/23

Full Review

Steve D

Ridiculous but also a lot of fun.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/24/23

Full Review

Trenaway E

One of the best movies of the 1980's! A movie I would love for them to remake, as long as they did it right!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/06/23

Full Review

Bryan K

I have watched this movie about five times in my life. I have now bought this movie on 4K and really enjoyed it all over again. I want them to make "The Last Starfighter 2". Also; if they do make a second movie; don't let Disney's woke destroyer of possibly good movies make it.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/22/23

Full Review

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Nick Castle

Director

Lance Guest

Alex Rogan

Robert Preston

Centauri

Dan O'Herlihy

Grig

Catherine Mary Stewart

Maggie Gordon

Barbara Bosson

Jane Rogan

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The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - The Last Starfighter

2:33

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - A Gung Ho Iguana

1:35

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - Death Blossom

2:50

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - We Die

1:50

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - A Terrible Nightmare

1:43

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - Victory or Death!

2:36

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - Interstellar Hit Beast

2:02

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - Centauri's Proposition

3:00

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - A New Adventure

2:34

The Last Starfighter: Official Clip - Record Breaker

2:08

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Jake Cole

Slant Magazine

Perhaps the one area in which it’s ahead of its time is in its conceit of an arcade game being used as a military recruiting tool.

May 5, 2023

Full Review

Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

Writer Jonathan Betuel, to his credit, has invested a very human element in this film, an ingredient that all too many sci-fi, hardware presentations lack.

Jul 13, 2022

Full Review

Paul Taylor

Financial Times

An engaging enough comic fantasy for the post-'60s generation who've given up entirely on the Gutenberg Galaxy and are tracking Horatio Alger's footsteps via the video circuitry route.

May 3, 2022

Full Review

Alan Jones

Starburst

Manages to draw some charm from its two-dimensional characters.

Jul 21, 2022

Full Review

William Wolf

Gannett News Service

The movie is entertaining in an unpretentious way. It also is extremely good-natured, despite the combat scenes, and some may find it a welcome relief from the summers more intense fantasy films.

May 3, 2022

Full Review

Jack Garner

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

The only question is whether the recent decline in arcade popularity will limit the audience this film deserves. The Last Starfighter has an ingratiating appeal that might carry it well beyond the video-game enthusiasts who are its core audience.

Rated: 4/5

May 3, 2022

Full Review

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Synopsis

After finally achieving the high score on Starfighter, his favorite arcade game, everyday teenager Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) meets the game's designer, Centauri (Robert Preston) -- who reveals that he created Starfighter as a training ground for developing and recruiting actual pilots to help fight a war in space. Whisked away from the banality of his trailer park life to a distant alien planet, Alex struggles to use his video game-playing skills to pilot a real ship, with real lives at stake.

Director: Nick Castle
Screenwriter: Jonathan R. Betuel
Rating: PG
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 19, 2016
Sound Mix: Surround

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