Review of Spaceballs (1987) by Filius S — 13 Dec 2015
Spaceballs is the Mel Brooks adaptation to Star Wars, and the Sci-Fi genre in general. Lampooning everything from the original trilogy, to Alien, to Planet of the Apes; Spaceballs tells the story of intergalactic adventurer Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man/half-dog companion Barf (John Candy).
The two renegades cruise the universe in their Space Winnebago as they run from the clutches of ruthless space gangster Pizza the Hutt. Along the way they come across Princes Vespa, who has just escaped from her arranged marriage ceremony, and who's also joined by her droid Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers). Unfortunately for the crew, the evil Skroob (Mel Brooks) dispatches his enforcer Darth Helmet (Rick Moranis) to thwart the escape.
If you've seen Mel Brooks films before, just apply the formula to Sci-Fi films from the 80's, and make sure to lean heavy on the tropes. The film has that 80's comedy style, from the relatively safe and boring cinematography, to the low brow 80's jokes, this is one of the classics of the genre, right up there with Top Secret!, Police Academy, and Hot Shots.
TL;DR - 8/10.
It's a little dated, it's a little childish, and it's campy as all hell, but Spaceballs is a super charming movie that doesn't seem to get old thanks to its choice of movies it pokes fun at. You might not find yourself rolling on the floor laughing, but it's difficult to watch this movie without at least smiling through most of it.
This review of Spaceballs (1987) was written by Filius S on 13 Dec 2015.
Spaceballs has generally received positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
