On Friday, September 15th, 2023, I uploaded a YouTube short which was part of our “Movies You’ve Probably Never Seen but Should” episode. While talking about and praising this obscure classic from the 1980s, I made an aside comment that The Last Starfighter was a B-movie. This was a mistake on my part, and while I did not mean this to be disparaging in any way, shape, or form towards the 80s Sci-fi adventure, the fact remains that I said it. My words have potentially caused confusion, bewilderment, and possibly even a small amount of pain for fans of the underappreciated film. Many of whom must have been confused and hurt by my seemingly adversarial categorization of this beloved space adventure. I can assure everyone that I did not mean to disparage The Last Starfighter in any way. When I was younger, what seemed like a random gift from a family member served as a tertiary member of my science fiction roster which set well and with pride amongst my collection of Star Trek films and episodes as well as the Star Wars movies. The Last Starfighter’s placement amongst these kings of science fiction, many of which were the gateways to our fandom, is the reason I incorrectly identified Starfighter as a B-movie. This judgement was a lack of knowledge on my part, but ignorance is no excuse. Therefore, I will correct myself and my statement right now.
The Last Starfighter is a 1984 science fiction film that tells the harrowing tale of Alex Rogan, no relation to Joe Rogan but that would explain Joe Rogan and his thoughts on aliens. Anyway, young Alex is a master player of the video game Starfighter, and arcade game within the trailer park that Alex fears he will be stuck in for his entire life. After beating the high score, Alex is approached by the game’s inventor, Centauri, who turns out to be an alien! Centauri takes Alex into outer space to be trained as a real-life Starfighter to defend the galaxy against the evil Ko-Dan empire. To cover Alex’s absence, Centauri leaves a replica android “Beta” (not a Data rip-off as this movie premiered 3 years before Star Trek: The Next Generation aired its first episode, but talk about calling the shot) to live Alex’s life while he is away. Now, I don’t want to spoil the movie for you as I would not want to deprive you of experiencing the science fiction masterpiece that is The Last Starfighter, but it’s also an almost 40 year old movie so get off your ass.
A B-movie is defined as:
“A B movie, or B film, is a type of low-budget commercial motion picture. Originally, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, this term specifically referred to films meant to be shown as the lesser-known second half of a double feature, somewhat similar to B-sides in the world of recorded music. However, the production of such films as "second features" in the United States largely declined by the end of the 1950s. This shift was due to the rise of commercial television, which prompted film studio B movie production departments to transition into television film production divisions. These divisions continued to create content similar to B movies, albeit in the form of low-budget films and series.
Today, the term "B movie" is used in a broader sense. In post-Golden Age usage, B movies can encompass a wide spectrum of films, ranging from sensationalistic exploitation films to independent arthouse productions. This evolution highlights how the concept of B movies has adapted and persisted in the ever-changing landscape of the film industry.”
The Last Starfighter, by either definition, cannot be classified as a B movie because it was produced after the 1950s, and was never part of a double feature. Even by today’s B-movie standards, The Last Starfighter was neither sensationalistic, nor exploitive. The Last Starfighter was also not produced by an independent art house.
The Last Starfighter was produced by Lorimar Pictures, which has several feature film credits to its name, but also several television series. Some movies that were produced by Lorimar Pictures are: An Officer and a Gentleman, The Dead Zone (not the DBZ movie, the Steven King movie), Tank, Dangerous Liaisons, Moonwalker, The Toxic Avenger Part 2, Cookie, The Witches, The Fish that Saved Pittsburg, and many others. And some television series you may have heard of that were produced by Lorimar Pictures are: The Waltons, Dallas, ThunderCats, SilverHawks (that’s a wink to you Virus), Love Connection (co-produced by Lorimar), ALF, Full House, Gumby, Family Matters, Steven King’s “It” Miniseries, Step by Step and many others. These numerous examples of cinematic and television quality further serves to reinforce the fact that The Last Starfighter could not be a B-movie as it was produced by a company with several decades of high quality entertainment under its belt.
Then there is the cast. Most notably Robert Preston, who played Centauri. Robert Preston has several high-profile film roles to his name, perhaps most notably starring as the con-man turned conductor with a heart of gold, Harold Hill, in the 1962 film adaptation of The Music Man. Fun note, I was convinced that Dick Van Dyke played this role until I was looking up information to write this very letter so I would also like to talk this opportunity to personally apologize to Robert Preston for believing Mr. Van Dyke was responsible for your memorable performance. I’m not sure that it’s an insult to be confused with Dick Van Dyke, but to er on the side of caution I will apologize. My point is, surely an actor of the caliber and with the standing of Mr. Preston would not lower himself to play an alien conman in a low-budget, science fiction B-movie. In fact, it was his portrayal as Harold Hill that inspired the character of Centauri in the first place. I can honestly say that the fact that I said, albeit mistakenly, that The Last Starfighter, which was Robert Preston’s last theatrical film role (he would star in two more television movies after) makes… makes me just so sad and ashamed {pause to choke up}
Yet another reason that I am mistaken is of course, the special effects. Like so many other beloved adventure classics from the 1980s, the special effects are dated. However, as I’m so fond of saying one must look at the Sitz im Leben of the times in which this artful masterpiece was made. In truth, The Last Starfighter has the distinction (along with Disney’s Tron) of being one of cinema's earliest films to use extensive "real-life" computer-generated imagery (CGI) to depict its many starships, environments and battle scenes. While the technology used to create this stunning visual imagery is dated today, it cannot be denied that at the time, movie-goers most likely thought to themselves “Wow, they actually went to space and invented lasers, totally tubular and radical dude”.
Lastly, The Last Starfighter had a budget of 15 million dollars and grossed $29 million in North America alone. By standards of the early 1980s, the average film budget was a little over $18 million. While The Last Starfighter was below this, it’s worth noting that the 2022 Oscar winner for Best Picture, Everything, Everywhere, All At Once, had a top-estimated budget of only $25 million. It not only won Best Picture, but also grossed $141.2 million at the box office. The average film budget in the 2020s is $65 million.
I would like to give special thanks to @llBasile80 and @benjaminsilvers5861 for calling out my mistake and pushing me to apologize for my error. I can only hope that this 4-page apology (as was requested) can take steps to mend the pain and damage that I have caused with my careless words. Please, I implore all of you, do not let my poor choice of words in the heat of the moment make you think less of this beloved, 80s, Scifi, classic A-movie. I also hope that if you have not already, you will seek out and enjoy The Last Starfighter so it can continue to entertain, inspire and mesmerize future generations for years and decades to come. May the luck of the Seven Pillars of Gulu be with you at all times.
