The Last Starfighter (Collector's Edition) [4K Ultra HD]

Product Information

Collector’s booklet featuring writing by Amanda Reyes and sci-fi author Greg Bear’s Omni magazine article on Digital Productions, the company responsible for the CGI in The Last Starfighter

Additionally, Arrow has provided their typically well appointed insert booklet, along with a reversible sleeve featuring original and newlyInterstellar Hit-Beast: Creating the Special Effects – interview with special effects supervisor Kevin Pike Into the Starscape: Composing The Last Starfighter - Interview with composer Craig Safan (HD 12:20) The disc finishes things off with some standards: a theatrical and teaser trailer along with a very large image gallery. The gallery looks to have been lifted directly from the original Universal Collector’s Edition DVD, and the images all look like standard-definition upscales. The galleries include cast photos, photos of the arcade game within the film, photos of the various sets and props (including the Star Car and Gunstar ship) and all of the bad guys. There are also photos from an alternate ending (dumped to make the final sequences a little grander), photos around the effects, including wire frames, and then photos showing various promotional materials. In all there are a few hundred photos. Excalibur Test: Inside Digital Productions - interview with sci-fi author Greg Bear on Digital Productions, the company responsible for the CGI in The Last Starfighter

Arrow Video’s new 4K restoration of “The Last Starfighter” will have you feeling ready to take on the Kodan Armada. Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited to watch this new 4K Blu-ray release from Arrow Video, which comes with a single BD100 disc that houses the feature and all the special features. The 4K Blu-ray n boots up to a standard menu screen with options to set up audio and video or explore bonus features.Now newly restored from a 4K scan of the original negative and featuring a 4.1 mix originally created for the film's 70mm release, The Last Starfighter arrives loaded with exclusive and archival bonus features. Strap yourself in: the Ultra HD adventure of a lifetime is about to begin! A caption reads: The Last Starfighter. A Lorimar Production. A Universal Picture. Coming this summer. Be advised that Barnes & Noble is having a 50% sale on Arrow Video products until November 30 th, 2020. High school senior Alex Rogan (Lance Guest) wants more than the life of a trailer park resident. He dreams of going to a proper college, far away from the park, but a rejection for a loan seems to leave that dream in the dust bin. Frustrated, he decides to take a spin on the Starfighter game set up at the local store, only to find himself beating the high score and setting a record. That enough seems to brighten his spirits, until a mysterious man appears looking for the person who beat the record. Alex rightfully takes credit and the man introduces himself as Centauri (Robert Preston), creator of the game, offering Alex an incredible prize for such an achievement. Curious and with little to lose, Alex accepts, only to find himself transported to the distant planet Rylos, currently under siege from the Kodan Armada. Suddenly, Alex must decide which he wants more: to return to the trailer park or to seize the opportunity to become something more. Excalibur Test: Inside Digital Productions – a new interview with sci-fi author Greg Bear on Digital Productions, the company responsible for the CGI in The Last Starfighter (7:46)

You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the Frontier against Xur and the Kodan Armada. Studios & Distributors: Lorimar Film Entertainment (as A Lorimar Presentation) | Universal Pictures (as A Universal/Lorimar Production) | Arrow Video in the film version (I'm sure there are some fans out there who feel strongly that Preston should have replaced Mastroianni in the "final five".) For those not familiar with the details regarding Ultra HD Blu-ray you can refer to my article that includes some pertinent data on the subject. Here is the link:

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Calibrated with Calman color calibration software and Portrait Displays C6 HDR2000 colorimeter from Portrait.com) Greetings Starfighter! Inside the Arcade Game – an interview with arcade game collector Estil Vance on reconstructing the Starfighter game I found it odd that Arrow didn’t release the film in 4K in 2020, as their restoration was impressive, but I figured they had a reason for the decision. That reason, I had assumed, was more than likely around the film’s CGI effects, which represent an early use of the technology and look rough compared to its modern usage, thanks to it all being rendered in a lower resolution. With Arrow still being new to the format at the time, I could see where they might think the film wouldn’t benefit. In the end, I don’t know if they had all that much to worry about. Yes, some of the same artifacts evident on the Blu-ray are still clear as day here during the sequences using computer renders of the era, from aliasing artifacts to jaggies and banding. Still, I can’t say they’re any worse than what the Blu-ray’s high-definition presentation already shows. In a handful of cases, I think the wider contrast afforded by HDR does help hide some of the digital anomalies. This 4K Ultra HD release of The Last Starfighter comes with the same three audio mixes as Arrow’s 2020 Blu-ray release and they sound just as good. One is a stereo mix in DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0, one DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix, and a DTS-HD Master Audio 4.1 mix originally created for the film’s 70mm release and never included on any home video format before the 2020 Blu-ray release from Arrow.

Again, there’s a little overkill here, but it’s clear much love and thought went into the features, the material around Digital Productions, and the film’s early computer effects still being the strongest material. Closing Semi-tangentially, for those who may be interested, there's a rather charming musical version of the film byIt’s still a solid restoration and presentation that bests Universal’s previous editions. Still, I didn’t find this 4K presentation to offer that large of an upgrade over Arrow’s already sharp-looking Blu-ray. Arrow Video ups the ante of their previous Blu-ray release of The Last Starfighter with a wonderful UHD presentation. The film itself is like a warm blanket—perfectly cozy and a much-needed shot of good ole positivity. With a nearly perfect presentation and a wonderful assortment of extras new and old, this is definitely the kind of upgrade that fans of the film will appreciate. Highly recommended!