History YMMV / TheLastStarfighter

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ...for the time, anyway. As it says on the main page, the CGI effects were done with the equivalent of a smartphone's processor, and they look outdated, but the Death Blossom sequence still holds up.
** As does the Star Car, which is almost indistinguishable from the real life-size model.

* VideoGameMoviesSuck: Averted, even though technically, it doesn't have a Real life video game equivalent. Considered one of the best video game movies ever.

* Narm: The trailer park inhabitants reacting with much excitement to Alex managing to beat the game.

** Especially if you bought the '90s CD expansion - no songs and the complete "Into The Starscape" (for the final scene of the film and continuing over the end credits), criminally missing from the LP that came out in 1984 (the LP version cuts out after the point in the film where Louis whoops).

* VindicatedByCable: {{HBO}} was the best thing to happen to the film.

** Also when the drifter is (replaced? transformed? awakened?) as a Xandosan. The almost seizure-inducing malfunction of the video game screen didn't help.
*** FridgeBrilliance: He was a Zandozan all along (remember, he had a pistol that clearly didn't come from Earth). The "drifter" was merely his disguise, which the "malfunctioning" video game stripped away (probably something Centauri secretly added to the machine for that purpose).

-->[[spoiler:'''Centauri:'''(dying) Alex, I want you to know that it was for the greatest good that I brought you back. Of course... it never hurts to be rich.]]

** Especially if you bought the '90s CD expansion - no songs and the complete "Into The Starscape" (for the final scene of the film and continuing over the end credits), criminally missing from the LP that came out in 1984.

* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: The score composed by Craig Safan.

-->[[spoiler:'''Centauri:'''(dying)"Alex, I want you to know that it was for the greatest good that I brought you back. Of course... it never hurts to be rich."]]

** As does the Star Car, which is almost indistinguishable from the real life-size model.

* DyingMomentOfAwesome: [[spoiler: Beta, who sacrifices himself to keep Xur from finding out that Alex is alive by crashing Jack's vehicle into his ship. "You owe me, Alex..."]]
** [[spoiler: Also, you have to admit that when the villains buy it the commander's answer to the question "What do we do now?" - "We die." - is pretty damn awesome.]]

* VideoGameMoviesSuck: Averted hard, even though technically, it doesn't have a Real life video game equivalent. Considered one of the best video game movies ever.

** Especially if you bought the '90s CD expansion - no songs and the ''complete'' end credits, criminally missing from the LP that came out in 1984.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: ...for the time, anyway. As it says on the main page, the CGI effects were done with the equivalent of a smartphone's processor, and they look outdated, but the Death Blossom sequence still holds up.

* VindicatedByCable

* NightmareFuel: [[spoiler:The scene where after Alex's brother leaves the room, we see Alex's doppelganger forming.]]
** Also, a drifter being [[GlamorFailure revealed as]] a Zandozan by staring into the video game.
** The way the robot-alien's eyes bug out of his skull after Xur busts him up in his escape.
** [[NotVeryPrettyNowIsHe The fate of the Star League spy.]]

* VindicatedByCable