Spaceballs (1987) (Movie Review)

   Throughout the 1970’s and 80’s, writer, producer, occasional actor, and director Mel Brooks was a comedy legend, and pioneered some of the genera’s biggest classics, including “The Producers”, “Young Frankenstein” and “Blazing Saddles”. 

My personal favorite of his works, and one of my all-time favorite comedies is his 1987 satire “Spaceballs”. Despite receiving mixed reviews upon release, “Spaceballs” has survived through the decades as a cult classic, and is one of the most popular titles under Mel Brook’s filmography. The film is a straight forward lampoon of the “Star Wars” franchise, with all the characters representing goofy variations of the ensemble from the iconic series. In many respects, it’s become a cliché to spoof the “Star Wars” franchise, as there have been a number of parodies over the decades, and even in the late 1980’s, there was a fatigue of “Star Wars” spoofs. However, “Spaceballs” to me, remains the all-time best spoof of the iconic franchise, as it goes one-step beyond a straight forward parody, and creates its own unique world, with its own collection of memorable characters. In fact, the film made such an impact that some viewers were introduced to “Star Wars” by watching “Spaceballs” first. One of my fondest memories of introducing “Star Wars” to one of my best friends was his statement after-words that … “Yeah, it was a good movie, but it felt like a rip-off of Spaceballs” ... clearly unaware that the former came before the ladder. So, let’s take a look back at one of the most famous Sci-Fi/ comedies ever made.

   Here's the set-up, the evil Spaceball empire has squandered all its air, and now has a shortage of oxygen. Thus, the greedy Spaceball leaders aim to steal all the air from a nearby planet, using their Princess as leverage to obtain the planets oxygen. With the help of a local space-pirate named Lone Star, the Princess escapes, and a goofy space adventure is underway, with the villainess Spaceball empire on the heels of our renegade hero’s. What I love most about this movie are that it’s obvious stand-in’s for both the characters and formula of “Star Wars” all seem to take on a life of their own, and never once come off like tired imitations. Instead of a one-note replica of the evil Emperor from the “Star Wars” series, Mel Brooks plays a goofy president with a distinct look, and personality that’s all his own. Even his Yoda stand-in called Yogurt has his own distinct character quirks, which make him feel different. Luke Skywalker and Han Solo are merged into one central lead hero named Lone Star, which allows us to recognize the familiar, while viewing him as a different entity all together. He’s played by Bill Pullman, and it’s the role I’ve always associated most with the actor.

   The Chewbacca stand-in could have easily just been a dumb sasquatch look-alike that makes even goofier sounds, but instead it’s a unique half-man half-dog character named Barf, brought to life by the distinct charm and charisma of the late comedian John Candy. 

The signature gold-robot in this film curiously is a female, with Joan Rivers as voice and Lorene Yarnell delivering a solid physical performance in the suit. Making this a female character makes her a double tribute to both the original C-3PO, and also the golden robot Meg from the 1927 Sci-Fi classic “Metropolis”. The slimy slug Jabba the Hutt from “Return of the Jedi” get’s an obvious, yet amusing make-over as Pizza the Hutt, and it subsequently makes for a terrific cameo by the late Dom DeLuise. I also have this movie to thank for introducing me to Michael Winslow, who plays a Radar Technician. He’s a talent whose vocals can create his own distinct sounds, or imitate other sounds perfectly, and he saved Mel Brooks a lot of money by providing a number of sounds in the film. Also, while the Spaceballs are modeled after the Stormtroopers, I like that the suit colors are reversed from their presentation in the Star Wars movies, as the technicians are now dressed in white, while the soldiers adorn black armor. I also loved that Grand Moff Tarkin, who was a main villain in the first “Star Wars”, actually got a goofy stand-in. For his character, it comes in the form of an incompetent officer named Colonel Sandurz, and played with great charisma from George Wyner.

   Also, I can’t forget Dick Van Patten as King Roland, who’s the only main lead that wasn’t based on a preexisting “Star Wars” character. Other recognizable “Star Wars” alumni including the Jawa’s, and Millennium Falcon likewise have their silly counterpoints in this film … actually, the Falcon itself makes a brief appearance in one shot at a gas station. On a side note, I always loved that the main hero-ship comes in the form of a flying RV, which alone gave it a lot of personality. Let’s finally talk about the Princess Leia stand-in named Princess Vespa, and played by a beautiful young Daphne Zuniga. From the bun hair, to her snippy attitude, Vespa is an affectionate, and funny spoof of the classic princess, but with her own charms and likability, which makes her stand apart. Honestly, I’d call Princess Vespa one of my favorite movie Princesses in her own right, even if she’s not on the same high-bar as the original Leia. Vespa’s more of a stick in the mud, and her personality is that of a child that aged but never grew up, making her a fun off-set to all the other princesses out there. Also, I never get tired of this gag in which her signature Leia hair-buns are head-phones. 

   Don’t worry … I saved the best character for last, and subsequently, he’s one of my all-time favorite movie villains. While Darth Vader from the original “Star Wars” franchise is obviously one of cinema’s most iconic bad guys, his comedic counterpart named Dark Helmet means just as much to me, but for different reasons. 

Rather than just being an obvious parody of Darth Vader, Dark Helmet manages to create his own unique identify, largely in part of Rick Moranis, who’s fantastic in the role, and improvised many of his own lines. Instead of an intimidating strategist, he’s a pathetic dweeb, but he isn't completely devoid of intelligence either, which is credible for a comedic villain. Dark Helmet is more "childish" with his personality ... making it all the more amusing that he likes to play with dolls in his spare time. Personally, of all the popular funny villains out there, no-one entertains me more than this guy. The reason he works so well is because everyone in the movie still treats him like he’s Darth Vader. Everyone is still terrified of him, he has a giant empire at his command, yet he’s clueless in how to run it. For my money, there’s nothing funnier than a powerful, all controlling villain who’s a complete looser. He has over a dozen quotable lines, Rick Moranis is exploding with charisma, energy, and he’s the biggest driving force that always brings me back to this movie.

   Ever sense I was a little kid, I’ve adored comedies, but “Spaceballs” was the movie that made me love 4^th wall related hummer, and how a comedic artist can get creative in a variety of ways for a movie to bring self-awareness to the audience watching the film. We have characters stepping-out of bounds with the set, there’s physical interaction with the camera, accidently turning the movie off, characters acknowledging a lengthy scene-transition-dissolve, and even the stunt-doubles accidently get captured during an action scene. 

One of my favorite gag’s follows after a lengthy scene of forced exposition, in which a character turns to the camera and says … “Everybody got that!” Another great joke is the “Instant Castes”, which also worked as my personal introduction to all of Mel Brooks classic comedy movie titles. Also, I love visual gags that make the environment feel in the vain of a live-action cartoon. Jokes like the “jammed radar” are highly clever, and unforgettable. I also find some of the more subtle in-jokes to be the biggest knee-slappers … like our hero being found in the “Ford Galaxy”. One joke that’s especially relevant today is the films stab at “merchandising”, and how that always seems like the main selling point for movies these days. Another comedic detail I always loved were the bumper stickers on the spaceships, which are amusing as a concept, but they also work as a means of introducing us to what the characters are like before we meet them.      

   If I was to nit-pick at some details, there are some inconsistences in the rules of the films set-universe. The most obvious example is that our villain’s main goal is stealing oxygen from a planet, as a means to replenish their own air supply … and yet … there’s a scene in which the character Barf walks down a ladder into the cold vacuum of space … and is breathing just fine, without the need of a suit or oxygen tank. 

Another detail that bugs me in general is when comedies verbally address exactly what their spoofing. Gratefully, there isn’t too much of it in this film, but there are still those select moments that I feel spoil some good jokes. For example, there’s a lengthy spoof aimed at the transporter pads from “Star Trek”, and while it builds to a fantastic punchline … “no more beaming, this time I’m going to walk” … it’s unfortunately also spoiled by Mel Brooks verbally acknowledging the show he’s spoofing. With that said, I do love that this movie occasionally spoofs other films and media outside of Star Wars. There’s an admittedly predictable, yet still welcome nod to “Planet of the Apes”. I especially love all the little winks to “The Wizard of Oz”, including the famous group in the tunnel shot, which just happened to be the first thing I ever saw from this film. I distinctly remember catching the scene on TV as a kid and thinking ... "What the heck is this, some kind of OZ in Space". Perhaps the most loving spoof scene of the whole film is the chest-burst creature from “Alien”, with the late John Hurt reprising his signature role from the 1979 classic, and saying … “Oh No, Not Again”.

   Another thing I have to mention is the rousing music score composed by John Morris. As expected, the movie begins with an opening crawl in the vain of “Star Wars”, along with a hilarious caption stating “If you can read this, you don’t need glasses.” However, this opening gets my hyped like I’m watching a real “Star Wars” movie, largely thanks to this score. While the notes and melody are different from the classic John Williams score, it still cares the same sense of triumphant excitement. Actually, a lot of the movie gets me excited like any real “Star Wars” movie. There’s an escape from a prison, which leads into an exciting laser-shootout, and even with a comedic presentation, it’s still a lot of fun. There’s also a memorable scene spoofing lightspeed, in which a ship goes “ludicrously fast”, result in a moment that’s both funny and one that again plays to my love of the franchise. Even the big, goofy lightsaber duel between Lone Star and Dark Helmet is a lot of fun, as it’s both an entertaining action sequence, as well as chalk full of funny gags.

  I know most fans put “Spaceballs” underneath the comedy classics of Mel Brooks peak era, but for me … this movie is special. 

It may not be the absolute funniest movie ever made, but it is still pretty damn funny, and it easily stands as one of my favorite comedies of all time. Actually, I’d honestly take it a step further, and place “Spaceballs” among my personal favorite movies. Rather than being one obvious joke aimed at “Star Wars”, there’s so much charm that comes from everything presented in this film. The characters are memorable, the visual jokes are a complete riot, and it’s the perfect blend of my two favorite categories, that of Sci-Fi and comedy. The film is simply a joy to watch, especially with the films goofy ensemble of villains stealing the show. All these years later, this film still makes me laugh, and the characters make it even more fun to keep coming back for more. All in all, it’s an absolute joy from beginning to end, and it will always have a secure spot among my favorite comedies.

Thanks for reading my review of the 1987 comedy classic “Spaceballs” … and continue to enjoy the movies you Love!