The Last Starfighter (25th Anniversary Edition) - Blu-ray Forum

krisstivers · 08-04-2009, 05:48 PM

The Last Starfighter (25th Anniversary) Blu-ray
Universal Studios |1984 | 101 mins | PG | Aug 04, 2009

Video
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1

Audio
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (less)

Subtitles
English SDH, French, Spanish
English SDH, French, Spanish (less)

Disc
25GB Blu-ray Disc
BD-Live

Blu-ray.com Review

krisstivers · 08-04-2009, 05:49 PM

I've never seen this movie, but it seems like something I would be interested in. Can you guys tell me a little about it? Is it worth a blind buy? Has anyone picked up the Blu-ray version that was released today? Any info on the PQ/AQ would be appreciated.

rabbit · 08-04-2009, 05:52 PM

well the last time i saw this sci-fi flick was on VHS or cable tv ha!

http://www.amazon.com/Last-Starfight...9408303&sr=1-1

Sussudio · 08-04-2009, 05:53 PM

cant wait for this movie...hopefully the transfer is new for blu (and i'm guessing it is bc of the new edition), as the hd dvd one was horrendous.

wormraper · 08-04-2009, 05:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sussudio

cant wait for this movie...hopefully the transfer is new for blu (and i'm guessing it is bc of the new edition), as the hd dvd one was horrendous.

I seriously doubt it. Universal to date has not released a single blu that was on HD DVD that looked and sounded ANY different from each other.

The Gnome · 08-04-2009, 06:07 PM

Loved this movie back in the day! i am hoping that they cleaned it up though and it's not as bad as the one Sussudio described the HD DVD to be.
Good fun movie. A little dated (80's) but still good IMO

BluOgre · 08-04-2009, 06:21 PM

I always thought that this movie should be remade with todays special effects. The plot was pretty good for a sci fi. It was one of the better movies in my youth. The idea of just beating a video game means you are special.....as a kid that was amazing to me, now of course I just laugh about it.

jurassic_pork · 08-04-2009, 06:23 PM

any feedback on the transfer?

Sussudio · 08-04-2009, 07:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wormraper

I seriously doubt it. Universal to date has not released a single blu that was on HD DVD that looked and sounded ANY different from each other.

true, but the hd dvd wasn't the 25th anniversary edition, which is also coming out on dvd and leads me to believe there may be a new transfer for it...here's hoping.

and yeah, it wasn't actually horrendous, but it definitely wasn't anything you'd even consider using to show off an hd dvd (or bluray for that matter).

YodasFootPowder · 08-04-2009, 07:37 PM

Aside from the dated visual effects, this is one of the best sci-fi movies out there, in my opinion. A classic!

STARSCREAM · 08-04-2009, 07:50 PM

I used to love this movie growing up. When it first came out on dvd I bought it and it hasn't aged well.

LeonardMcGill · 08-04-2009, 08:04 PM

This is a day one buy for me. I absolutely love this movie. It's still a huge contributing factor to me playing video games today. I hope someone recruits me as a master chief

Pelican170 · 08-04-2009, 08:05 PM

oh wow, ill def. pick this up! It was on tv in March and i watched it and i still liked it hahaha. I was a little surprised...

Weirded Wonder · 08-04-2009, 08:16 PM

I hope they do use a new transfer. This is for me a great childhood memory film. I remember my father taking me to see it and simply loved it. I watched it about a year ago and still loved it.
Always thought that this was a movie that warranted a video game tie in. Probably would have looked like crap back then on Atari, but today it would be sweet.

Is there any word on special features?

Batman1980 · 08-04-2009, 08:21 PM

I'll grab this in a bit, completely forgot to look for it when I swung by to get other stuff. Hoping it's better than I remember, we'll see.

Sussudio · 08-04-2009, 08:23 PM

i know this is blasphemy, but here's a quote from the HDD review of the HD-DVD:

Quote:

Okay, so 'The Last Starfighter' is not 'Citizen Kane.' Still, I’m disappointed with the film's HD DVD debut, as this 1080p/VC-1 encode looks little better than a standard-def DVD. To be fair, 'Starfighter' didn't have a huge budget for a studio flick and was apparently shot with an early-'80s gauze process that makes everything look like a soft-focus porno. Add to that the archaic blue screen and matte effects, and the movie is hardly a recipe for high-def nirvana.

That said, it appears very little real effort (if any) went into remastering the flick for high-def. The print is pretty clean with only very slight blemishes and dirt noticeable, but that's about it for the positives the positives. Blacks are weak, with all the non-space scenes noticeably washed out. Colors are also really poor, with most hues looking drained and fleshtones very pale. There are bursts of vividness here or there -- such as the arrival of the Robert Preston character amid a haze of red smoke and, of course, the space battle scenes. On the whole, though, 'Starfighter' looks anemic.

Detail and depth are also wanting. The film never looks three-dimensional, and contrast has no pop. Sharpness is also poor, exacerbated by the soft-focus look of the everyday scenes. The primitive CGI is somewhat better, but with the limitations of the compositing processes of the time, shadow delineation suffers. A mix of problematic source material and seemingly little effort put into remastering, I’m sorry to say that this is one of the worst HD DVD transfers I've reviewed from Universal.

that's why i hope the 25th anniversary is a new transfer

Sylin · 08-04-2009, 08:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by krisstivers

I've never seen this movie, but it seems like something I would be interested in. Can you guys tell me a little about it? Is it worth a blind buy? Has anyone picked up the Blu-ray version that was released today? Any info on the PQ/AQ would be appreciated.

It's a GREAT sci-fi movie.

A young man is stuck living in a middle-of-nowhere trailer park, gets rejected for financial aid to go to college, can't seem to find a reliable job, etc. His only respite is a beat-up old video game at the park office, called Starfighter. When he beats the game's final level and attains the high score, he soon learns the game is actually a recruiting device planted on Earth to find pilots for a war raging on the other side of the galaxy.

One of my favorites of all-time. I totally forgot this was coming out this month (was thinking October, for some reason). Need to place my order!

lutefisk69 · 08-04-2009, 08:29 PM

I don't have it on DVD so even if the transfer is not all that great, I am still getting it.

Pelican170 · 08-04-2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lutefisk69

I don't have it on DVD so even if the transfer is not all that great, I am still getting it.

Thats exactly the spot im in. Its a win win for me..

doctorD · 08-04-2009, 08:43 PM

From what I've heard, the release date on this movie has been moved out to August 18. I was at BB today and they didn't have it. Neither did Fry's.

Did anyone find this today?

08-04-2009, 05:48 PM	#1
krisstivers Active Member Member since:Apr 2009 4K collection:1162 Blu-ray collection:7391 DVD collection:67 Digital collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 1	The Last Starfighter (25th Anniversary Edition) The Last Starfighter (25th Anniversary) Blu-ray Universal Studios \|1984 \| 101 mins \| PG \| Aug 04, 2009 Video Video codec: VC-1 Video resolution: 1080p Aspect ratio: 2.40:1 Audio English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (less) Subtitles English SDH, French, Spanish English SDH, French, Spanish (less) Disc 25GB Blu-ray Disc BD-Live Blu-ray.com Review Last edited by Deciazulado; 08-17-2009 at 06:12 PM. Reason: link

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08-04-2009, 05:49 PM	#2
krisstivers Active Member Member since:Apr 2009 4K collection:1162 Blu-ray collection:7391 DVD collection:67 Digital collection:1 Blu-ray reviews: 1	I've never seen this movie, but it seems like something I would be interested in. Can you guys tell me a little about it? Is it worth a blind buy? Has anyone picked up the Blu-ray version that was released today? Any info on the PQ/AQ would be appreciated.

08-04-2009, 05:52 PM	#3
rabbit Blu-ray Knight Member since:Apr 2009 Trading Score:6	well the last time i saw this sci-fi flick was on VHS or cable tv ha! http://www.amazon.com/Last-Starfight...9408303&sr=1-1

08-04-2009, 05:53 PM	#4
Sussudio Blu-ray Champion Member since:Sep 2008 Blu-ray collection:1 Blu-ray reviews:1 Trading Score:11	cant wait for this movie...hopefully the transfer is new for blu (and i'm guessing it is bc of the new edition), as the hd dvd one was horrendous.

08-04-2009, 06:07 PM	#6
The Gnome Active Member Member since:May 2008 Blu-ray collection:30	Loved this movie back in the day! i am hoping that they cleaned it up though and it's not as bad as the one Sussudio described the HD DVD to be. Good fun movie. A little dated (80's) but still good IMO

08-04-2009, 06:21 PM	#7
BluOgre Senior Member Member since:Aug 2007	I always thought that this movie should be remade with todays special effects. The plot was pretty good for a sci fi. It was one of the better movies in my youth. The idea of just beating a video game means you are special.....as a kid that was amazing to me, now of course I just laugh about it.

08-04-2009, 06:23 PM	#8
jurassic_pork Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Dec 2007 Blu-ray reviews:4 Trading Score:240	any feedback on the transfer?

08-04-2009, 07:37 PM	#10
YodasFootPowder Blu-ray Guru Top ranked HT gallery Top contributor Member since:Jan 2009 Location:Twin Cities, MN Home Theater Gallery:40 4K collection:154 Blu-ray collection:565 Blu-ray reviews: 4 Trading Score:3	Aside from the dated visual effects, this is one of the best sci-fi movies out there, in my opinion. A classic!

08-04-2009, 07:50 PM	#11
STARSCREAM Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Feb 2008 Location:Dagobah Blu-ray collection:148 Trading Score:67	I used to love this movie growing up. When it first came out on dvd I bought it and it hasn't aged well.

08-04-2009, 08:04 PM	#12
LeonardMcGill Member Member since:Jun 2009	This is a day one buy for me. I absolutely love this movie. It's still a huge contributing factor to me playing video games today. I hope someone recruits me as a master chief

08-04-2009, 08:05 PM	#13
Pelican170 Blu-ray Samurai Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Newtown, CT 4K collection:127 Blu-ray collection:735 DVD collection:256 Trading Score:13	oh wow, ill def. pick this up! It was on tv in March and i watched it and i still liked it hahaha. I was a little surprised...

08-04-2009, 08:16 PM	#14
Weirded Wonder Blu-ray Samurai Top contributor Member since:May 2009 Home Theater Gallery:17 4K collection:593 Blu-ray collection:1177 Trading Score:51	I hope they do use a new transfer. This is for me a great childhood memory film. I remember my father taking me to see it and simply loved it. I watched it about a year ago and still loved it. Always thought that this was a movie that warranted a video game tie in. Probably would have looked like crap back then on Atari, but today it would be sweet. Is there any word on special features?

08-04-2009, 08:21 PM	#15
Batman1980 Blu-ray Jedi Member since:Feb 2009 Location:District 13 Home Theater Gallery:8 4K collection:146 Blu-ray collection:394 DVD collection:57 Blu-ray reviews:22 Trading Score:48	I'll grab this in a bit, completely forgot to look for it when I swung by to get other stuff. Hoping it's better than I remember, we'll see.

08-04-2009, 08:29 PM	#18
lutefisk69 Senior Member Member since:Jul 2007 Location:Westminster, MD Blu-ray collection:427 DVD collection:1	I don't have it on DVD so even if the transfer is not all that great, I am still getting it.

08-04-2009, 08:43 PM	#20
doctorD Blu-ray Ninja Member since:Jun 2007 Location:Redmond, WA Home Theater Gallery:47 4K collection:397 Blu-ray collection:1723 Blu-ray reviews: 12 Trading Score:1	From what I've heard, the release date on this movie has been moved out to August 18. I was at BB today and they didn't have it. Neither did Fry's. Did anyone find this today?

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