News: The Next to Last Starfighter

Jun 152010

The Starfighter Gunstar

Next up in the increasingly long line of movies that don’t need remakes/sequels is the 1984 sci-fi/adventure The Last Starfighter. One of the hallmarks of 80s childhoodry is Nick Castle’s intergalactic romper where young Alex Rogan, a video game prodigy, is tapped by the Star League to pilot a starfighter. After the home base is attacked by the evil Xur and his Ko-Dan Armada, Alex, now alone with his co-pilot Grig, has become … bum-bum-da-bummmmm!! The Last Starfighter! Only now, it’s just Starfighter. And it’s 25 years later, and Alex has come home to his old trailer park town to warn them. Something … is … coming. OOooooooOOOooooo. Returning as director is Nick Castle who since Last Starfighter has directed the tap dancing showcase Tap starring Gregory Hines and the Daman Wayans comedy, Major Payne. Not to mention Dennis the Menace. Yeah. He’s…. eclectic? Also returning from the original is Norman Snow reprising his role as the evil Xur.

Top 5 Other 80′s Movies the Sleeper Cell Believes Should Be Remade/Sequeled (The Everyone-in-the-World-Pronounces-Labyrinth-with-Two-Syllables Haiku Edition):

Xur

5 – Redone with puppet
upgrades and better film sets:
The Darker Crystal.
4 – Rampage redoes all
the 80′s roles in Even
More Action Jackson!
3 – Grown Tobe saves the
Goblins – Labyrinth 2: Revenge
Of The Minotaur
2 – Warwick and Val ride
shields through the streets of LA:
Bavmorda’s Return!
1 – Find the Jetcar the
President Said! Bonzai
Versus Lizardo.

It’s not yet known if Lance Guest will return as Alex, but after success in movies such as Jaws: The Revenge and one of the better X-Files episodes (“Fearful Symmetry), he’s due for a comeback. I think. It’s obviously too much to ask to have Chris Evans star as Alex’s younger brother Louis all grown up, but we can dream. Or maybe my personal favorite, Patrick Fugit (from Almost Famous and Wristcutters). No doubt it will be no one I think is up to the challenge (undoubtedly Sam Worthington). Which is fine. Who the hell was Lance Guest before the original? So, Alex and Grig along with the no-doubt myriad CG’ed alien starfighters protecting the Earth from an alien invasion promises to be at least as fun as the original. And hopefully will avoid the pitfalls of this year’s high profile remake Clash of the Titans. Look for it in 2011.