This is one that definitely doesn't hold up when viewing as an adult vs dumb kid me. It's a modified ripoff of Ender's Game with some decent practical fx but a wholly unsatisfying story. There's a lot I can forgive such as a bunch of old people living in a trailer park who actually cheer and give a shit that a teen broke his record on an arcade game in the middle of the night, or that an alien being replicant who acts like a soulless automaton could fool anyone into believing it's a real person. What I can't forgive though is that in 1984, the absolute heyday of scale models, matte paintings, and practical fx, this film chose to use the most absolute primitive dogshit CGI for its space scenes that I've ever seen in my life. They are absolutely ridiculous and totally take you out of any kind of mood you're in, not even close to being convincing. I'd prefer anything else, a flying saucer on a string Ed Wood style, stop motion, whatever, but this is terrible. Why?
⭐ 1/2 out of ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐