Spaceballs [Blu-ray]

 

 

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Mel Brooks had already parodied everything else -- westerns, Hitchcock films, spies, silent movies -- by the time he got to science fiction. The result: "Spaceballs," a painfully punny and deliriously wacky little spoof of Star Wars. It's probably Brooks' goofiest movie (it has a character called BARF!), but it's still loads of fun.

The Spaceballs -- led by Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner) and Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) -- are planning to steal all of the peaceful planet Druidia's air. So they try to capture Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), who has just run away from an arranged marriage to a narcoleptic prince (along with her faithful droid Dot Matrix). Their plan: blackmail the king into turning off the Air Shield, allowing them to suck away the atmosphere!

But the princess and Dot are rescued by the rakish mercenary Lone Star (Bill Pullman) and his faithful mog, Barf (John Candy). The unlikely little group soon finds themselves on the sandy planet of Vega, where Lone Star begins to learn about the mystical Schwartz from the merchandising know-it-all Yogurt. But is his Schwartz enough to defeat Dark Helmet's?

For the record, this is the least subtle movie Mel Brooks has made. I mean, he's never been a subtle director to begin with, but this movie has so many puns that you can literally see them coming a mile away -- when the President of the Spaceballs starts yelling that he wants them to comb the desert, you know exactly what you'll be seeing in two seconds.

And it's pretty darn funny. Brooks takes hilarious pokes at "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Aliens" ("Oh no... not again!") and "Planet of the Apes," and there are plenty of fun in-jokes that reflect it (the transporter accident that causes the president to end up, um, facing the wrong way). It does have a few comedy scenes that fall flat, such as when Helmet and Sandurz watch a videotape of, um, their own movie.

Brooks also has plenty of fun with the constant merchandising jokes, and he... well, "breaking the fourth wall" is too gentle a term. Smashing the wall to pieces and dancing on its remains would be more descriptive ("God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money").

You pretty much know what to expect with the characters -- a Han Solo/Luke Skywalker amalgam, the rogue with a heart of gold and a mysterious past; the feisty (whiny) princess ("Ith her oyal igness' atched uggage!"); the annoying droid, and the shaggy sidekick, as well as slapsticky characters like Yogurt and Pizza the Hut. And of course, the villains -- Brooks has a smallish role as a frustrated president, and Moranis is loads of fun as a dweeby supervillain who still plays with dolls.

"Spaceballs" isn't Brooks' best work, but it is a hilariously goofy sci-fi farce that deserves plenty of watching. Use the Schwartz!

un film parodie a prendre avec humour sans aucun sérieux. très amusant drôle
a ne pas écouter si vous ete trop sérieux ou incapable de faire abstraction de l absurde

Quickly: still pretty funny, a bit dated.

Summary: Mel Brooks spoof on Star Wars and other Sci-Fi movies.

The Good: still very funny at times. You know what to expect from Mel Brooks and this doesn't disapoint. Laughing out loud is to be expected.

The Bad: this is also to be expected from Mr. Brooks, but the movie is filled with groaners. It's getting a bit old, the effects, while never that great are starting to look worse. Even worse though are the current event referances. Usually Mr Brooks is better at not making as much current cultural referances. There were some jokes that were definately dated and could be totally confusing for a decade or so younger then I.

The Ugly: Joan Rivers - even though it's only her voice it still drives me nuts.

Ovarall: still pretty funny if a bit dated. Laughed more then I have at anything recently. Would be amusing to see Brooks do something with the new Star Wars Trillogy, I'd love to see what he did with Binks.

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