Show me one gamer around the time who didn´t dream at least once for something like this to happen to him.

One of my most fonded movies, i remember watching this as a kid and been blown away, pass the cheesy graphics and captivated by the story which leads me to spend a ton of quarters as a kid on the coin-up machines wishing for something similar

This was playing on a nearly continuous loop throughout the better part of my childhood, but as I hadn't seen it in over two decades, I was basically watching it again for the first time. It doesn't hold up magnificently and bows to a huge number of clicheés from the decade's pop-friendly films, but still retains a strong sense of endearing sincerity and naïveté. The back of my mind kept reminding me of how terribly hackneyed the story and characters were, but that wasn't always enough to wipe the stars out of my eyes nor the grin from my face. It's a staggeringly rudimentary plot - teen going nowhere in life gets a high score in a video game, only to learn it was a secret recruiting tool for an intergalactic war - but a thorough coating of childlike whimsy and wonder, plus a few startlingly good special effects (given the era) are just enough to pull it back from the brink. Anyone younger than twenty will likely roll their eyes and snort at its simplicity, but audiences with a memory of the eighties should enjoy it for the sentimentality alone.

One of my favourite movies as a kid. I probably watched this fifteen times... more than once is unusual for me.

It is often compared to Tron because of its early use of digital effects. Much better narratively to Tron, but ultimately, disappointing with an unexciting climax. Fun enough and wonderful to see Preston in his last film role.