The farce is
with you
in this
"uproarious salute
to science fiction"
(The Hollywood Reporter) that teams comedy legend Mel Brooks with
an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy, Rick Moranis and
Bill
Pullman! When the
evil Dark Helmet
(Moranis) attempts
to steal all the
air from
planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a
clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/half-dog creature who's
his own best friend (Candy) set out
to stop him! But
with the
forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they'll
need the help of a wise imp named Yogurt (Brooks) and the mystical
power of "The Schwartz"
to bring peace and
merchandising rights to the
entire galaxy!
CRITIQUE
Like Mel Brooks says
in the documentary on the second disc of this Collector's Edition
DVD, only spoof the movies you love. Spaceballs is not just
a spoof of Star Wars and Star Trek, and other movies, it's a
classic movie in its own right. Written by Mel Brooks, Thomas
Meehan and Ronny Graham, the script tells a good story and
incorporates a lot of funny humor. The comedy is just terrific,
whether it be the Dark Helmet character and his second-in-command
(George Wyner), or the visual gags such as the very long spaceship
in the opening scene and the jammed radar monitor. Spaceballs
offers genuine humor and entertainment, aided also by excellent
performances, and the special effects (the movie was made in 1987)
hold up very well compared to today's effects standards.
THE VIDEO
MGM presents
Spaceballs in 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen. Colors look clean
and well saturated. Print quality is good except for noticeable specks and
some grain in more than several scenes.
The picture looks nice but it doesn't look cleaned up that much.
Also, I can't compare this new transfer to the old one, though I'm
sure the old one looks worse. Optional subtitles include English, Spanish
and French.
THE AUDIO
MGM presents
Spaceballs in English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and DTS 5.1
Surround. Dialogue is clear
and easy to understand, with the front speakers delivering noise
free audio. Also available are French Stereo Surround and Spanish
Mono dub tracks.
THE EXTRAS
Disc 1:
The audio
commentary by Mel Brooks is fairly decent. He goes into detail
on various topics but during other discussions just barely
scratches the surface. The track is mostly low-key but some
interesting stories are included.
Disc 2:
Spaceballs:
The Documentary (30:01) is a hip and fun look back at the
movie presented in letterboxed widescreen. It features new
interviews with Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van
Patten, George Wyner, Joan Rivers, the director of photography,
the make-up artist, and the visual effects supervisor. Topics
discussed include the movie's genesis, casting, the production
crew, working with Brooks, and more (including stories from the
set and so on). The question is, where is Rick Moranis?
Next are two
featurettes, In Conversation: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
(20:28) has the two sitting down opposite each other remembering
the movie and more, and Comic Spirit (10:01) is an
appreciation piece on John Candy.
The Storyboard to
Film Comparison (6:40) is a decent feature that you'll watch
once.
The "Fun & Games"
section includes Film Flubs, a separate menu lists six
examples of goofs from the film (select one and the scene plays
out with the gag pointed out), Spacequotes, select one of
several characters and play the quotes, and a Trivia Game,
which is fun to play.
The "Trailers"
section offers the Exhibitor Trailer With Mel Brooks
Introduction (2:10), the Theatrical Trailer (2:28), and
information about other releases from MGM.
Lastly, the
"Galleries" section offers behind-the-scenes photos, a costume
gallery, and an art gallery.
The menus on the
second disc appear in three different versions with each menu (the
Winnebago, the Spaceship and the Princess' Mercedes) displaying a
different interface. I didn't find Easter eggs, but try to move
over some of the extra buttons on the main menu screen for some
animation.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Spaceballs is
a classic sci-fi comedy and the DVD extras are pretty cool. That's
all the reason you need to pick up this 2-disc Collector's Edition
DVD.
