Directed by:
Mel BrooksCinematography:
Nick McLeanComposer:
John MorrisCast:
Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, John Candy, Daphne Zuniga, George Wyner, Joan Rivers, Lorene Yarnell Jansson, Dick Van Patten, Michael Winslow (more)Plots(1)
The Farce will be with you in this outrageously hilarious send-up of epic sci-fi movies, created by comic genius Mel Brooks. Boasting a cast of cosmic crazies, it's a four-star comedy sensation that scores eight trillion on the laugh meter! Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga), whose hairstyle surely ranks as one of the universe's oldest creations, is kidnapped by the evil Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). But fear not! Lone Star (Bill Pullman) and his half man, half dog sidekick Barf (John Candy), blast into action in their space Winnebago, struggling against time (and their own limited intelligence) to rescue the Princess. Along the way they'll confront the gooey Pizza the Hutt, a sassy robot named Dot Matrix, and a little creature called Yogurt who possesses the mystical power of the Swartz. The gags fly faster than laserblasts as the fearless and clueless space heroes wage interstellar warfare for life, liberty and the pursuit of massive merchandising opportunities. Lampooning everything from Star Wars and Alien to Planet of the Apes, this hysterically funny space oddity will send you into hyperspace with fits of laughter! (20th Century Fox AU)
(more)Reviews (5)
Because I never miss an opportunity to slag Star Wars, I will now say that since its mythology is like a parody of sci-fi and, and that half of the episodes are (unintentionally) funny, I think Spaceballs is an essentially pointless film. I’m writing this only because I don’t like Star Wars and I love making fun of it ;-). The fact is that I was able to overcome my prejudices towards film parodies and I had a lot of fun with Spaceballs. 7/10
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From my perspective, this is an overrated film, with its biggest problem being the inconsistency in the quality of its gags. Some very funny jokes are followed by basement-level attempts or mere tries at humor. The film benefits from parodying well-known pop culture references, but I'd say it more or less parasites off them. Overall impression (with a bit of squinting) 40%. It's one of those films that work if you're tired and want something undemanding to unwind with. Incidentally, it didn't make a significant impact commercially.
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It's not Brooks' best film (that's clearly The Producers), but it's definitely his best parody. I dare say that in terms of the number of jokes, their escalation and the bursts of laughter they provoked in me, it is on a par with Hot Shots or The Naked Gun films. The best character is of course Lord Helm, followed by President of Spaceballs. There are a few films whose directors I envy for being able to invent and make them - Spaceballs is one of them.
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I've only seen Dracula: Dead and Loving It by Mel Brooks, which despite it below-average reception and ratings, I enjoyed far more than this parody of one of the most famous movie sagas. On the one hand, I appreciate the imaginativeness of the screenwriters, but on the other hand, I found most of the jokes and gags rather stilted and unexploited. The film tries to parody other sci-fi classics of the 60s and 70s, like Planet of the Apes and Alien, but these attempts were blatantly predictable and lacked humour. Definitely heaven for fans of Brooks and SW, but ultimately quite a disappointment for me.
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It is a bit outdated, but a good joke never stops being a good joke. In this case, there are excellent gags, unfortunately accompanied by quite ordinary jokes that sound quite awkward. However, as a parody of "Star Wars," the movie functions quite well. I really laughed at some scenes, so it earns points in its favor. Moreover, this is not a parody that only "Star Wars" fans will enjoy, others will also laugh.
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