The Last Starfighter Blu-ray

The Last Starfighter

 (1984)

Action | Adventure | Family | Sci-Fi



An alien recruits a young video game expert into a real live-or-die battle in outer space.

For more details about The Last Starfighter on Blu-ray, see The Last Starfighter Blu-ray Review

The Last Starfighter Blu-ray, Video Quality

 


The Last Starfighter debuts on Blu-ray with a disappointing 1080p, 2.35:1-framed transfer. A mediocre-at-best presentation, The Last Starfighter appears to be the victim of rigorous digital scrubbing; plenty of fine details appear to have been washed away. The transfer lacks a sense of vibrancy and appears rather flat and drab throughout. Trees and bushes around the trailer park look like blobs of green mass with absolutely no definition to be found. There's little-to-no grain to be seen throughout, though spots and other debris do pop up from time to time over the image, and not just over the most extreme effects shots such as Xur's holographic appearance at Star League command. Detail appears appreciably higher in space than it does on Earth; the lines, ridges, and other features that make up the many alien faces, for instance, look fairly good, as do the varied alien uniforms that feature a high level of texture. It's a mixed bag to be sure, but The Last Starfighter never takes on a true film-like appearance, instead looking overly manipulated and artificial. Black levels are inconsistent at best, but flesh tones appear rather stable. In a way, the lack of absolute definition reflects the minimal graphical nature of the video game and, later in the film, the special effects, but it's still a rather disappointing visual experience.

The Last Starfighter Blu-ray, Audio Quality

 


Unfortunately, The Last Starfighter's DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack doesn't fare much better than the video presentation. The clear-cut highlight here is Craig Safan's amazing score; fortunately, it sounds rather good all things considered, each glorious note pouring into the soundstage with a fair level of definition and clarity. Sound effects throughout the film do scatter about the soundstage nicely with the front right and left speakers carrying the load of center-channel support. On the downside, there's absolutely no sense of immersion into the experience. The lack of a strong rear-channel presence -- for instance during Alex's initial flight to Rylos with Centauri -- leaves the listener feeling cold and detached from the film. Explosions and general action scene mayhem don't pack much of a punch, the track delivering the basic necessities to move the film along but never truly engaging the listener and placing him or her in the midst of the excitement. Dialogue ranges from acceptable to muddled and harsh. The Last Starfighter's lossless soundtrack isn't a total loss, but it's far from exemplary at the same time.

The Last Starfighter Blu-ray, News and Updates

• The Last Starfighter Announced for Blu-ray - April 22, 2009

The Last Starfighter Blu-ray, Forum Discussions

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