Written by Joshua Tyler and Jonathan Klotz | Published
Starfighter salute! It can seem like everything is being remade these days, with the 1980s in particular turning out to be a goldmine for Hollywood studios. We have already received new ones Conan, Loose, Karate kidAnd even Time bandits.
A few of these have succeeded, but the one that will actually work, which is obtaining a license to print money, has not yet happened. We are talking about, The last starfighter. Stay tuned to see what happens with plans for more.
The last Starfighter is still relevant
Given how popular video games are, The last starfighter It remains the perfect fantasy for the new generation. Who wouldn’t love to discover that their video game is real, and now you have to go save an entire alien civilization? I remember the 80s, and I still love that this plot is true. the The last starfighter It is the greatest example of a simple sci-fi concept executed well.
The film’s title is a reference to the name of the video game in the story and the rank given to a particularly talented person. Starfighter is a job, not a ship. In the context of the film, a Starfighter is a being who operates Gunstar weapons.
A Gunstar is basically a space-traveling fighter vehicle, like the X-Wing from Star Wars or the Star Fury from Star Wars. Babylon 5. Only it is cooler than both.
The whole plot The last starfighter is that Alex, the angsty teenager who’s going nowhere, is really good at playing a game called Starfighter. He’s so good that once he gets the highest score, the game’s creator, Centauri, meets him, kidnaps him, and replaces him with a robot.
The Centauri are tasked with using the Starfighter to find recruits for the Rylan Star League in their conflict with the KohDan Empire. Rising to the stars and teaming up with a space pilot named Grig, played with gusto by Dan O’Herlihy, Alex is now the galaxy’s last hope to save us all from a malevolent invading force.
Little moments that make this ’80s classic special
It’s the small, creative details that make up The last starfighter private. Beta Alex, the Earth robot replacement for our hero, is funny, scary, and admirable. Greg’s exotic family background adds an interesting dimension to his character.
Catherine Mary Stewart, as Maggie, is the best teenage friend ever seen on screen, with the exception of Jennifer Back to the future. The last starfighter The side characters in the trailer park all have memorable remarks as well. Their unwavering support for Alex, a way to repay all the kindness he has shown them over the years, is the beating heart at the heart of the film.
Most important of all, it’s Robert Preston who plays the mysterious centaur. It’s the closest I’ve seen a film to matching the magic of the teacher on screen Back to the future Doc Brown.
The last starfighter It is so pure and so classic in storytelling style that English professors can use it to teach Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey. The film hits every beat with beauty and elegance Babylon 5 Kush.
How was the last starfighter received in the 1980s?
The last starfightermostly just because it was released in 1984, and critics at the time accused it of ripping off Star Wars. But that can be said about almost every sci-fi film released after George Lucas dominated the box office. in case The last starfighterIt’s not a fair criticism. The last starfighter It is more than just a star-studded fairy tale, cFull of happy feeling: Everyone gets a moment of happiness ending.
Not every sci-fi film needs to launch a trilogy or have enough meat to create decades of merchandising opportunities. The most satisfying movies often go in, tell an interesting story, and then go out. And few films are more satisfying than… The last starfighter.
Like the Star Wars cheating complaint, most of the criticism the film received from critics was for the wrong reasons. Roger Ebert, in a rare review error, called it “very weak material.” Meanwhile, Ebert and other critics praised it The last starfighter For its use of computer graphics, it stands alongside Tron as an early pioneer of CGI.
The Cray supercomputer created the film’s special effects, which seems strange today when a smartphone has more processing power. The result was 300 CGI spaceship scenes and a staggering 1983 budget of $14 million.
Unfortunately, those special effects don’t hold up at all. This is not the film’s fault, technology has simply advanced. In theory, the movie’s effects are still great. This Cray supercomputer wasn’t up to the challenge of meeting modern CGI standards.
Dated special effects are just one of many reasons The last starfighter It’s time for a remake, but it’s big. when The last starfighter Finally, these space battle scenes will be able to match the quality of the film’s still relevant story.
One ready player Prove that viewers love stories about getting into their favorite games, and this movie’s story isn’t half as good The last starfighter. However, it’s proof that The Last Starfighter is actually as perfect for today’s kids as it was for 1980s kids.
Every player dreams of being praised for his skill. I should know that I won the Mech Warrior Team Championship in 2005, and you better believe I still bring that into every conversation. Yes. I’m still wearing the first place jersey.
In the past few years, Hollywood has moved away from movies about being a gamer, to bring gaming to life instead. But it led Border areas. We all agree that the movie was a huge mistake, so why not go back to basics?
The worst thing I could say about him The last starfighter is that the real connection between video games never happened. NES game called The last starfighter It was a renamed version of another game. The Atari game was just a set of figures that had nothing to do with the movie.
By getting closer The last starfighter As it was intended to be, specifically, a wish-fulfillment and fantasy tale rather than a hard science fiction epic, it remains as charming today as it was then. The film’s skits and tacky ’80s costumes serve as a great reminder of the way magic can happen when sci-fi doesn’t take itself too seriously. It could be great.
The Last Starfighter Returns: Current plans for a remake and sequel
The last starfighter It was great. It will be better again. So where is that? The last starfighter remake? Some repetition of A The last starfighter The sequel has been in development since at least 2005, but if you think that means it’s close to fruition, think again.
Things were looking so good that three years ago we received a concept trailer The last starfighter 2 From writer-director Gary Whitta. Unfortunately, in 2022 Weta took to Twitter and said: “To be honest, there’s a good chance this will never happen. But if it doesn’t happen, it won’t be for lack of effort on my part and on John’s part.
Weta mentions John Betwell, who wrote the screenplay The last starfighter It has been attached to the sequel since the originalThe eventual director, Nick Castle, had hoped to direct the follow-up himself. Weta, He is best known as Writer of the Year in 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Storywas the last director who had hoped to take on the project.
Last year, Weta was singing a very different song, saying on Twitch: “We’re very, very close. We’re basically on the one-yard line and I think it’s going to happen. Since Weta hasn’t expanded on what stopped The last starfighter Sequel to the proverbial one-yard line, there is no way to know for sure what happened.
Recently, Kurt Russell and his son Wyatt Russell expressed interest in remaking this 80s classic. It remains to be seen how serious they are about getting something done.
Decades ago The last starfighter A sequel was in development, and the original film arrived in theaters to modest box office returns. It wasn’t a failure, and it wasn’t a dead franchise. But for now, it looks like it may be a while before the film gets the much-deserved revival.
Things have to change, and it’s up to you. You have been recruited by the Star League to bring you back, The last starfighter.
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