The Last Starfighter is a film that fits into multiple categories. It is one of the first movies, next to the original Tron, to take advantage of early computer-generated images. It’s a video game movie that captures the thrilling feeling of getting lost in a video game movie – and it’s not even based on a pre-existing video game series! But more importantly, it’s a sci-fi film that takes a long, hard look at the hero’s journey that most protagonists go through and shows why a hero’s life isn’t all it is.
Most science fiction and fantasy movies, including Star Wars and Lord of the Rings, stick to the storytelling model known as the “Hero’s Journey.” Originally created by Joseph Campbell, the Journey follows a hero as they grow into their roles, going through trials and tribulations along the way. A number of fictional characters, including Luke Skywalker and Peter Parker, have gone through the Hero’s Journey over the years, serving as role models for a generation of sci-fi fans. The Last Starfighter is unique among sci-fi movies in that it takes a sledgehammer to many of the tropes associated with the Hero’s Journey, and the wish-fulfillment associated with the genre.
The movie revolves around Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a child who feels like he’s not going anywhere in life. He lives with his mother Jane (Barbara Blossom) and brother Louis (Chris Hebert) in a trailer park, and in the film’s opening, he finds out he’s missed out on a scholarship that would have been his ticket out of a humdrum existence. The only escape he finds is in the “Starfighter” video game, mainly because he is the highest scoring player in the game. However, Alex’s world is turned upside down when he discovers that “Starfighter” is actually a test to find a pilot worthy of defending the Rylan Frontier from the might of the Xo-Dan Empire. The inventor of the game Centauri (Robert Preston) takes Alex into space where he uses his skills to battle the powers of Xo-Dan and the traitorous Rylan Xur (Norman Snow).
One of the very first tropics that The Last Starfighter deconstructs are the mystical abilities with which a hero is often endowed in science fiction and fantasy films. Luke Skywalker can use the Force, Peter Parker gained superpowers from the bite of a irradiated arachnid and Arthur Pendragon is crowned king for drawing a magical sword from a stone. Alex, on the other hand, is extremely adept at video games. That ability turns out to be his “superpower” as it allows him to control the Rylan Gunstar and overcome impossible odds. Other early ’80s films would follow a similar path with their protagonists, including: Tron and war games – both like The Last Starfighterfeatures plots with video games.
Another trope die The Last Starfighter ultimately deconstructs is that of the ‘wise mentor’, especially when it comes to Centauri. Many sci-fi and fantasy films often have a wise and able mentor figure who serves as a teacher for the hero, often sacrificing himself at a critical moment. Obi-Wan Kenobi, Gandalf the Gray and Professor Charles Xavier have all stepped into this role, but Centauri is different. He is extremely knowledgeable about human culture and often has a sharp remark for any situation. Perhaps one of the most hilarious moments comes when Alex asks to be taken home, Centauri mutters in response, “I invent the game, find the kid, drag him there and he doesn’t want to be a Starfighter, I give up !” He also survives a near-death experience and returns to support Alex.
Alex shying away from being a hero is an unexpected twist, but one that sets the film apart from its predecessors and those that came after. Understandably, he panics when he discovers that the video game he’s playing is actually based on a real conflict, and it only gets worse when he first pilots the Gunstar. Many sci-fi films portrayed their hero’s rise to power as something miraculous, demonstrating that they – and by extension the audience – need not be stuck in a dead-end existence. Alex, on the other hand, quits his job at the trailer park when the movie starts. Other people have to convince him to stand up and use his skills for good, including Centuari. When Alex says he’s just a kid in a trailer park, Centauri replies, “If you think that, you never will be!” Eventually Alex accepts his title as a Starfighter and even convinces his girlfriend Maggie (Catherine Mary Stewart) to join him.
The film also succeeds in living up to its title when the Starfighters’ forces are decimated, leaving only Alex and his copilot Grig (Dan O’Herlihy) next to a single Gunstar. It has become tradition that almost every science fiction story has a moment when the hero gathers his forces to fight evil. Who could forget the infamous “Portals” scene? Avengers: Endgameor the run on the Death Star in Star Wars: A New Hope? There is no way of the cross here, no last-minute deus ex machina. Alex has nothing but Grig and his video game skills to save the day, adding a fair amount of suspense to the final battle. There is no telling if he will win.
And though Alex manages to destroy the Ko-Dan Mothership, Xur escapes at the last minute. The villain who escaped freely at the end of a sci-fi movie was unheard of; even Darth Vader, who survived the explosion of the first Death Star, met his end in Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Xur, on the other hand, is alive and still seeking the fall of the Rylan frontier. And after more than 30 years since The Last Starfighter‘s release, there may be a sequel on the way if Gary Whitta and Jonathan Betuelwho wrote the original screenplay for The last star hunter, developed a treatment for a possible sequel titled The Last Starfighters. Whitta is no stranger to playing with genres as he co-wrote Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, a Star Wars film that showed the rougher side of the war between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire. Should Whitta and Betuel’s sequel idea come to life, fans of the original film can expect a more unconventional take on the standard sci-fi adventures.
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