They say playing video games will not mount to anything in the future. In our time now, they are now earning millions just playing games online. But way back in 1984, you will get a scolding if your parents find you slouched in the sofa with a controller in your hands.
Our story begins in a trailer park with teenager Alex Rogan (played by Lance Guest) as our main guy. He has got a lot of dreams this teenager but when his student loan application was denied, he thinks his future is bleak and will just be stuck in the same trailer park for a long time. His only entertainment in their community was playig this lone arcade game "Starfighter".
He broke the record on this game earlier and he was "fetched" by Centauri who invented the game. Unknown to Alex, the video game is a representation of a real life confrontation between the Rylan Star League and the Ko-Dan Empire which is shown as an introduction to the game. The arcade machine was actually a test of skill to find and recruit "starfighters" across the universe.
Centauri brought Alex to Rylos to be recruited to the Starfighter Command. During their orientation he learned that there is really a war and he doesn't want to be a part of it. He confronted Centauri about it and demanded to be brought back to Earth. Earth was considered outside of the Star League and no recruitment is allowed. Thus Centauri must return Alex to Earth.
While Alex was enroute to Earth, Xur and the Ko-Dan Armada then found a break in the Rylos defenses and decimates the Starfighter Command base. All the starfighters were killed except for Grig who survived with an advanced prototype of Gunstar (their spaceship or starfighter ship). Before Centauri leaves Alex on Earth, he gave him a communicator just in case he changes his mind and decides to join in the war.
When Alex came back home, he finds this replacement Alex Beta on his bed. He then contacts Centauri again to get Alex Beta. While waiting for Centauri, an alien assassin went after the real Alex. Centauri saves Alex from the Assassin and Alex realizes that Earth is also in danger, he had a change of mind. He requests Centauri to bring him back to Starfighter Command in Rylos.
Eventually Alex arrived in Rylos and met up with Grig again. He learns that he is the "last" starfighter and Grig has to train him to pilot the advanced prototype. Meanwhile on Earth, Alex Beta is trying his best to mimic Alex trying to be normal to all, his family and his friends especially to his girlfriend. He tried to do "romance" and fails at it miserably. Alex Beta then confesses he is not Alex but she didn't believe him until another assassin showed up and shots a hole in him, showing his circuitry. Alex Beta then runs after the assassin to prevent it from reporting that the real Alex is in Space. Alex Beta then drives a truck unto the assassin's ship thus preventing it to report that the last starfighter is alive and is still in the fight.
Back up in space, the real Alex and Grig was able to bypass the Ko-Dan Armada's defenses and finally comes up to the Command Ship. In the end they succeeded in defeating the Armada and Alex is considered a hero in Rylos. He is now tasked to rebuild the Starfighter League. He then went back to Earth to see his friends and family with his Gunstar and everyone was amazed. He asks his girlfriend to join him back in Rylos for which she said yes. In the last scene, we see Alex's younger brother trying out the Starfighter arcade game machine.
This movie is typical of it time when computer graphics were being introduced in films. The CGI here is akin to those found in the original Tron movie so you feel the same ambiance but with a Star Wars appeal to it. The story line is simple, a down and out boy in the suburbs who dreams big but fails then finds an opportunity to be great only to turn it down, gets a second chance and finally succeeds, ending with a girl in his arms and lives happy ever after. Simple story yes but the story telling is linear, meaning everything lines up one after the other. You can follow the story easily and not much thinking to it.
With the destruction of the Ko-Dan Command ship, we learned that the whole Ko-Dan empire is still not destroyed thus an ensuing war is still looming. He had to rebuild the Starfighter League and the traitor Xur, is still at large, vowing a sequel perhaps. There are a lot of stupid moments in the film that we feel is passable as a B movie, but its charming none the less. Owing this to make this movie a teenage movie wannabe and surprisingly is entertaining. Don't just keep your hopes high and simply be delighted in some of its scenes of romance and awkwardness with a dash of fish out of water situations, you will be able to survive this movie till the end.
Currently this is shown on YouTube so its free to watch.
