Spaceballs

Spaceballs*. 1987 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
Starring: Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, George Wyner, Dick Van Patten, Michael Winslow, Joan Rivers (voice), Lorene Yarnell, Jim J. Bullock, Dom DeLuise (voice), John Hurt
Director: Mel Brooks
Spaceballs is available from Amazon as a regular DVD, a collectors' edition, or one half of a double feature with Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

This would probably be my favorite Mel Brooks movie, next to Blazing Saddles. It's a science fiction parody film focusing primarily on the original Star Wars trilogy, as well as references to Star Trek and Alien among other films. However, it is notable that Brooks waited about ten years to make a film parodying Star Wars. Roger Ebert suggested in his Spaceball review that the movie definitely should've been made several years sooner, and apparently, by 1987, Star Wars parodies were completely uncool to moviegoers (yes, he really hinted at this).

Somewhere in a galaxy very, very, very, very far away, Planet Spaceball has wasted all of its air, and plans to extract the air supply from neighboring planet Druidia. Spearheaded by President Skroob (Brooks), the Spaceballs plan to abduct the Druish princess Vespa (Zuniga), who is being pushed into an arranged marriage to the narcoleptic Prince Valium (Bullock) by her father King Roland (Van Patten). Vespa runs out during the ceremony with the Droid of Honor, Dot Matrix (Yarnell & Rivers), and escapes into space, where thay are attacked by Spaceball One, a ridiculously gigantic spacecraft under the command of Dark Helmet (Moranis) and his right-hand man, Colonel Kernal Sandurz (Wyner).

King Roland hires Captain Lone Starr (Pullman) and his sidekick, the half-man, half-dog Barf (Candy) to track down and save Vespa. Lone Starr and Barf are facing a deadline to pay back their enormous debts to the hideous Mafioso Pizza the Hutt (DeLuise), so they accept the assignment. They manage to rescue Vespa and Dot Matrix from Spaceball One by radar jamming (raspberry), and escape with light speed, which Spaceball One outdoes by shooting way up to ludicrous speed, which proves painful to Dark Helmet before and after. Unfortunately, Lone Star's flying Winnebago, the Eagle 5, runs out of fuel, and crashes on a desert planet called Vega, where they meet the wise and powerful Yogurt (Brooks), who introduces Lone Starr to the SCHWARTZ!, as well as the numerous merchandising opportunities that the film would provide.

The Spaceballs aren't completely incompetent, and they use an "instant cassette" of the film so far to track down Vespa's location. They trick her into coming out of hiding and capture her again. Lone Star and Barf must rescue the princess yet again, but will the Spaceballs breach the protective field keeping Druidia's precious atmosphere before then?

Highly recommended, and you have to admit that you're still anxiously awaiting the inevitable sequel, Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money.


* The Movie Sign DVD review!