Unofficial Synopsis
Princess Vespa doesn’t want to marry the prince that has been chosen for her. Instead of protesting, she simply leaves her soon-to-be hubby and runs away. Regretfully, President Skroob and Dark Helmet are in need of oxygen (because they’re running out of it on the planet Spaceball) that Vespa’s father, King Roland, kingdom/planet has. Their plan is to kidnap Vespa and hold her ransom while they suck out all the air from planet Druidia. Their plan would be fine, except the king hires a hero named Lone Starr, accompanied by his partner Barf, to retrieve Vespa and her car. Lone Starr will not only need the help of his friends, but also the mysterious power of the Schwartz to overcome Helmet and Skroob.
In 1987 this worked well. Star Wars was still fresh in moviegoers’ minds, since Return of the Jedi was only four years removed before the release of Spaceballs. Releasing Mel Brooks’ comedy in that frame of time was perfect. Spaceballs belonged in the 80s, it was a perfect marriage. Flash forward twenty years or so and the comedy here still works, to an extent.
The jokes laid out by Brooks were more hit than miss. Spaceballs, at least in my mind, signified the end of Mel Brooks’ best comedies. You could see he was stretching for humor in this movie. At times you would have goofy lines spat out (like Lone Starr yelling “BARF!!!” at the beginning of the film and Barf replying, “Always when I’m eating!”) that seemed to flutter, even for 1987, but still are quickly forgotten when more refined pieces of comedy enter the scene (Pizza the Hut anyone?). It was more hit than miss. Gags are old, funny lines and especially delivery is oh-so important. That’s why I have to point out that there are moments in Spaceballs where you’ll simply bust a gut laughing. For example, when Moranis’ Dark Helmet is asking for ludicrous speed from Spaceball One, the dialogue between him and Colonel Sanders (did you get that one?) is priceless.
Dark Helmet: What’s the matter, Colonel Sanders??!! CHICKEN???!
I mean, come on, how hilarious is that?
Humor aside, the cast assembled for Spaceballs was out of this world good. You had the likes of Bill Pullman as Lone Starr the main hero. The very beautiful Daphne Zuniga as the hilarious ‘helpless’ (yeah, right) princess. Of course there was the antagonist Dark Helmet played by the very funny, very goofy Rick Moranis. Following him is the director himself, Mel Brooks as President Skroob (and Yogurt the wise). Rounding out the pack is the late, great John Candy as Barf, who just absolutely steals the show as Pullman’s sidekick. You’ll miss him after watching him in this film, if you don’t already. Other personalities include George Wyner as Colonel Sanders, Dick Van Patten as King Roland, father to Vespa, and Joan Rivers as Dot Matrix. This is a solid cast for a comedy of this type, and they make this film memorable.
Anyway, I think that Spaceballs definitely holds its own, even after 25 years. Again, with respect to Brooks (because his early comedies were simply epic on a comedic scale), I think this is his last great comedy before his other works, which show signs of aging in its writing. Regardless, it’s a fantastic film that truly defines what sort of entertainer Mel Brooks was in his prime.
As for the Blu-ray, this is the second release of the stand alone Spaceballs film. If memory serves me correct, Fox released a Mel Brooks Collection on Blu-ray/DVD some years ago, which featured this film in it as well (just googled it, yep). Technically, this is the third go around, and for the most part I think they got it right. The Blu-ray is definitely a clean transfer, as you’ll get little to no graininess or artifacts in it. One of the best scenes that really show how well the transfer was for Spaceballs is during the desert scene. You get a lot of vivid colors, and if you look real close at Dark Helmet’s car, you can finally see the mirrors underneath really quite well (no, seriously). It’s just that good. There are no color banding issues or compression issues; this is a very solid Blu-ray release (third time is a charm).
On top of a very solid picture, you also get the audio in 5.1 DTS-HD, which is perfect for the subtle soundtrack included. The film comes in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
Now, the real reason you’re seeing this Blu-ray again is for the features. Here’s what you’re looking at on this $20 release:
– Force Yourself! Spaceballs and the Skroobing of Sci-Fi
– Watch the Movie at Ludicrous Speed
– Audio Commentary by Mel Brooks
– Audio Commentary by Mawgese and Dinkese
– Spaceballs: The Documentary
– In Conversation: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
– John Candy: Comic Spirit
– Storyboard-to-film comparison
– Film Flubs
– Spaceballs Galleries
– Exhibitor Trailer
– Original Trailer
Most of what you see here has been done with the last release. The only difference between that release and this one is the first feature. It’s a new feature with an older Mel Brooks, who still has it! It’s informative, hilarious and a well-made documentary that last about 15-minutes. The other stuff is something you’ve seen before, if you owned previous copies of Spaceballs. Is that bad? Not really, you can’t beat the price for this. Just don’t expect anything drastically different from this Blu-ray in comparison to the previous.
For folks who never owned the previous, you’re in for a treat.
Overall, the special features are darn solid. I loved seeing the John Candy documentary again. I miss that man.