Last night I watched the technologically groundbreaking 80’s movie “The Last Starfighter.” I hadn’t seen the film in almost 20 years (it was released in 1984) but was surprised that I didn’t remember that most of the visual effects were done with computer graphics. As a kid I really didn’t make that connection. At the time, computer graphics were not widely used for sets and major effects in movies – almost everything was done with miniatures – so as an 8 year old I wasn’t thinking “wow, I wonder how many polygons are in that asteroid model”; I was thinking “I wonder where can I get one of those sweet stand-up arcade games that is a really test of my spaceship fighter skills.”

By today’s standards, Starfighter’s effects look sophomoric; however, they were incredibly impressive for their time and masked some of the less-than-impressive aspects of the film (practical special effects, sets, acting, etc). I wonder how many years it will take us to be unimpressed with the computer graphics in modern groundbreaking films like “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.” (I have a few hard-to-please friends that are categorically unimpressed with modern computer graphics, and they might have a point – some of the best shots from Return of the King are practical miniature/digital hybrids)