An '80s sci-fi cult classic Star Wars movies starting in 1977, sci-fi space operas became highly popular films to showcase on the big screen. This includes everything from Star Trek's transition to the big screen in 1979, all the way through to 1999's satirical Galaxy Quest. The longevity of the genre has also been aided by its history, with popular franchises still ongoing as of writing.
However, aside from satires and previously-established franchises, there were other space opera films around the same time that became well-ed in movie history. This includes 1979's Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, 1980's Battle Beyond the Stars, and 1984's adaptation of Dune, which was directed by David Lynch and saw Kyle MacLachlan take on the role of Paul Atreides. But, among these memorable entries is one film that revolutionized the genre, alongside many other films that came after it.
The Last Starfighter Gets Moderate Praise For Its Early Use Of CGI
The 1984 Film Paved The Way For Modern Blockbusters
VFX artists have offered moderate praise to 1984's best movies about playing video games, the film holds a 76% from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and spawned a small franchise that includes a novel and comic adaptation.
The 5 Best (& 5 Worst) '80s Sci-Fi Movies
On the heels of Star Wars' success the '80s, had a slew of sci-fi movies ranging in quality. For every Blade Runner, there was a dud to match.
Now, Corridor Crew have reacted to The Last Starfighter's heavy use of CGI in their space battles, which includes characters shooting at various spaceships flying through the sky. Starting at 15:22, the group are moderately impressed by the action sequence, which Niko explains was made using some of the first computer technology for film:
So this is in the day where, if you want a nice computer, you go out and you buy a piece of furniture, called the computer. And so this is like a C-shaped tower, with benches on the side of it, that you could nap on while you waited for your renders to come out! [Laughs] So they bough a Cray mainframe. Basically wrote the software live while they made the movie.
They had a guy who could draw the spaceship as a draftsman, who could draw it from the top, front, and side, to equal proportions with the exact placement of all the s.... You'd have a digitizer, and you'd talk to them, and be like, "Okay, here's a point for this corner." You'd go through and place all your points.
Niko went on to explain how this was all done in a 2D space, using coordinates from the multiple-angled drawing to create a digital, 3D shape for the spacecraft and other objects made using CGI. However, due to a lack of ways to fully develop 2D images in a digital space, they used computer vectors to craft and move everything onscreen. He also revealed it was the first ever use of CGI to replace the background of a shot:
Niko: This is the first ever, shot on a bluescreen, CG background replacement.
Jordan: You compare this to now, obviously it doesn't "hold up" traditionally. But it is so much better than it has any right to be.
Niko also revealed one of the earliest tests for their brand of CGI involved creating X-Wings from Star Wars and showing them to George Lucas. However, he wasn't a fan due to how clean they looked, prompting them to go back to the drawing board and see if they could make them look more realistic. Check out Corridor Crew's full reaction, alongside a breakdown of the CGI's history, below:
What The Last Starfighter's Impressive CGI Says About The Movie
It Holds An Important Place In Cinematic History
The heavy use of CGI in The Last Starfighter may have paved the way for future movies to rely on the technology, not just in the space opera genre. Everything from modern day Star Wars to the Marvel Cinematic Universe relies heavily on CGI throughout their movies, making the 1984 film the perfect blueprint for everything that came after. Given its importance in cinematic history, it's possible reliance on the technology simply wouldn't be the same without this movie.
The Last Starfighter might be getting a sequel, though nothing new has been reported about it since 2021.
Source: Corridor Crew/YouTube
The Last Starfighter
- Release Date
- July 13, 1984
- Runtime
- 101 minutes
- Director
- Nick Castle
Cast
Lance GuestAlex Rogan-
Robert PrestonCentauri
WHERE TO WATCH
The Last Starfighter follows Alex Rogan, a skilled video game player, who is transported to another planet after mastering an arcade game. Unbeknownst to him, the game served as a recruitment tool for real interstellar pilots tasked with defending a distant alien world from a looming threat.
- Writers
- Jonathan R. Betuel
- Main Genre
- Action
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