The Last Starfighter

The Last Starfighter
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nick Castle
Written by	Jonathan R. Betuel
Produced by	Gary Adelson Edward O. Denault
Starring	Lance Guest Dan O'Herlihy Catherine Mary Stewart Robert Preston
Cinematography	King Baggot
Edited by	Carroll Timothy O'Meara
Music by	Craig Safan
Production companies	Lorimar Productions[1] Universal Pictures[1]
Distributed by	Universal Pictures[1]
Release date	July 13, 1984 (1984-07-13)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$15 million
Box office	$29 million (North America)[2]

The Last Starfighter is a 1984 American space opera film directed by Nick Castle. The film tells the story of Alex Rogan (Lance Guest), a teenager who, after winning the high score in an arcade game that's secretly a simulation test, is recruited by an alien defense force to fight in an interstellar war. It also features Dan O'Herlihy, Catherine Mary Stewart, and Robert Preston in his final role in a theatrical film. The character of Centauri, a "lovable con-man", was written with him in mind and was a nod to his most famous role as Professor Harold Hill in The Music Man (1962).^[3]

The Last Starfighter was released on July 18, 1984, by Universal Pictures. It received $29 million in the worldwide box office, against a budget of $15 million, and positive reviews from critics. The film, along with Walt Disney Pictures' Tron (1982), has the distinction 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. There was a subsequent novelization of the film by Alan Dean Foster, as well as a video game based on the production. In 2004, it was also adapted as an off-Broadway musical.