Galaxy Quest
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Movie Reviews of Galaxy Quest
Movie Review: "By Grabthar's hammer, you shall be avenged!"
Summary: 5 Stars
In December of 1999, director Dean Parisot unleashed what is arguably the funniest sci-fi/comedy film of all time, "Galaxy Quest", which focuses upon the dissatisfied lives of five actors who had starred in a long-cancelled sci-fi television series of the same name. Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) played ship's captain Commander Peter Quincey Taggart. Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver, who is no stranger to sci-fi with her roles in the "Alien" films) played Lt. Madison. Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman, also known for his roles as Hans Gruber in the 1988 film "Die Hard" and Professor Snape in the two "Harry Potter" films) played Dr. Lazarus. Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) played ship's engineer Tech Sgt. Chen and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) played ship's pilot Laredo. Following the cancellation of the TV series, none of the actors had found descent acting jobs. Instead, they were relegated to appearing occasionally as their former "Galaxy Quest" characters at fan conventions and infrequent commercials. Especially frustrated is Alexander Dane, a trained Shakespearean actor who cannot escape the stigma of having said those immortal words, "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, you shall be avenged!"The film begins at a "Galaxy Quest" convention where the quintet is preparing to appear. Unbeknownst to them, not all of the conventioneers dressed as aliens are pretending. A group of uniformed "aliens" approach Jason (dressed as Commander Taggart) saying that they are in dire need of his assistance. Jason quickly agrees and assumes that the group is planning to pay him to appear as Commander Taggart at a fan-function. Following a night of drinking at his home, the "aliens" arrive in a limousine (per Jason's request) to escort him to their function. The "aliens", calling themselves Thermians, are Mathesar (Enrico Colantoni), Teb (Jed Rees) and Laliari (Missi Pyle). While en route to their function, Teb recites the lengthy history of Thermia to Jason, but Jason (who has a hangover) falls asleep. (Jason doesn't take the Thermians seriously; instead believing that they are simply "Galaxy Quest" fans.) Jason awakens to what he believes is a very elaborate set mimicking the NSEA Protector from the "Galaxy Quest" show. Mathesar (who always refers to Jason as Commander Taggart) tells him that the Thermians want him to negotiate a peace treaty with General Sarris (Robin Sachs). Instead, "Commander Taggart" orders the Thermians to fire upon Sarris' ship. Assuming that he has completed his performance, Jason tells Mathesar that he is ready to return home. Mathesar escorts him to an empty room and leaves. Jason, not understanding what is happening, is suddenly enveloped within a strange substance and raised to the ship's exterior where he sees millions of stars in deep space. He is suddenly shot from the ship, then finds himself standing next to his swimming pool at home. Jason finally realizes that the Thermians are real extraterrestrials, and that they mistakenly regard the "Galaxy Quest" show (which they received in deep space) as being historical fact.
The other four "Galaxy Quest" actors are busy filming a commercial for the opening of an electronics store and are disgusted because Jason isn't there. Jason arrives late and tells them about his experience with the Thermians, but they think he has lost his mind. Jason tells them that the Thermians want him to return and that he wants them to come also. They initially reject it, but change their minds when they mistakenly believe that it's a paying job. Gwen, Alexander, Fred and Tommy are whisked away to the Thermian's NSEA Protector, along with another actor named Guy Fleegman (Sam Rockwell), who had played a bit part on the original "Galaxy Quest" show. With that, the most important role for each of the washed up "Galaxy Quest" actors begins!
Dean Parisot, along with writers David Howard and Robert Gordon, created a brilliant and engaging spoof of the show "Star Trek", its conventions and trekkies with "Galaxy Quest". Tim Allen equated with William Shatner (Kirk), Alan Rickman with Leonard Nimoy (Spock), Sigourney Weaver with Nichelle Nichols (Uhura), Tony Shalhoub with James Doohan (Scotty) and Daryl Mitchell with George Takei (Sulu). Other sci-fi comedy spoof that predate "Galaxy Quest" (such as "Ice Pirates", "Pluto Nash" and "Spaceballs") are no where near as good, engaging or funny.
All of the actors in "Galaxy Quest" performed their roles exceptionally well. Two actor who played significant minor roles were Patrick Breen, who played the Thermian named Quelleck, and Jeremy Howard, who played the young and very helpful "Galaxy Quest" fan named Kyle.
I highly recommend purchasing "Galaxy Quest" on DVD, which has superior picture and sound quality, and includes several deleted scenes, trailers, biographies, the feature "On Location in Space" and production notes. "Galaxy Quest" is a film that can be watched many times while never becoming tiresome. Sit back and remember those immortal words, "Never give up! Never surrender!" as you are whisked away into the fantastic world of "Galaxy Quest"!
Movie Review: A Perfect(ly) Dysfunctional Star Trek
Summary: 5 Stars
I know - you've already seen a dozen other reviews that say Galaxy Quest is a wonderful send-up of the original Star Trek TV Series. As someone who is a HUGE Star Trek fan, I can assure you, it is, and very well done.
What really makes this movie work is not that it's a Star Trek parody. The magic is in the thoughtful and well written examination of the world of those trapped in roles from a show long dead: hating what they've become, but where the only way to survive is off the microscopic income they get from conventions, "special appearances" and such that come their way due to their fame as a character from the show "Galaxy Quest". The movie quickly makes it clear that our characters are in this situation and hate it: they hate the show, hate themselves, and hate each other.
Well, at least on the surface they hate each other: they've been together for decades, and so have long standing grudges, know every one of each other's warts and quirks, and know what buttons to push to end an argument (or start one). It's like a dysfunctional family: they can't stand each other, but know that they're all in it together. To put it another way, and as is emphasized by a statement from the character "Malthesar" early in the film, the TV show portrayed a crew that worked together in perfect harmony, trust and respect of each other. Yet, the actors behind those roles are living a life far from the ideals they once portrayed.
The leader of the crew is Tim Allen, who's character, Jason Nesmith plays a very self-centered and Shatneresque "Commander Peter Quincy Taggart" of the Starship "Galaxy Quest." He alone of the show's cast enjoys living in the past, and is center stage in every guest appearance. He loves the attention and glory it seems to bring, but is not above stealing some of that glory from his fellow cast members. Yet, even he, early in the film, is inescapably confronted with the fact that he's also a washed up has been.
Salvation comes in the form of REAL (!) aliens (apparently) disguised as Galaxy Quest groupies who track down "Commander Taggert" at a convention to ask for his help. These Thermians have no idea that the broadcasts of "historical documents" about the crew of the Starship Galaxy Quest that they've been watching are, in fact, ficton. The concept of fiction (and deceit) is totally foreign to them.
An equally clueless and hung-over Jason (Allen) goes along for a ride with the Thermians, thinking he'll be visiting yet another cardboard recreation of the ship's set, but finds out that what he thought was just another bunch of fans to be treated with contempt, are in fact the real thing.
Back on earth, he invites his castmates along to see. They (of course) think he's finally cracked, but needing the money, they follow along; and the fun begins.
I'm always looking for movies where there's growth in the characters and a lesson to be learned. Slapstick humor without purpose is, to me, not worth the effort it takes to watch. There needs to be growth, there needs to be some reason the characters are going through the situation we are seeing them in.
Fortunately, Galaxy Quest does not disappoint on this score: you see our characters come to the realization that all this is real. They try to "act" their way through the crisis that their desperate Thermian Hosts recruited them to solve, and quickly find that acting doesn't work in real life. This is played all the way through with just the right mix of the ridiculous combined with the sublime.
Once all seems lost, we see the Galaxy Quest actors pull together, learn from their mistakes, overcome their fears and insecurities, and really act like a team (just as their TV alter egoes always did); and (of course) save the day.
The cast for this movie is seasoned and impressive, and do a superb job. In addition to Tim Allen who does a great send-up of William Shatner, we have Sigourney Weaver ("Ghost Busters") as Gwen Demarco playing the the absolute antihesis of her "Ripley" character in Aliens. Alan Rickman ("Snape" in "Harry Potter") does an excellent job as a Shakespearean actor resentfully playing the alien Dr. Lazarus. Tony Shalhoub (from the TV series "Monk") is phenomonal as the ultra laid back engineer "Fred Kwan", and Daryl Mitchell does an excellent job portraying a now grown up former child star "Tommy Mitchell".
Two (at the time) newcomers in the cast were Justin Long as a teenage and nerdy Galaxy Quest groupie - later to become well known for his role as "Mac" in the Apple "Macintosh" ads. Finally, and stealing nearly every scene he's in is Sam Rockwell as a slightly neurotic wannabe actor "Guy Fleegman".
This film didn't win any major industry awards, but, like most Tim Allen films are, combines comedy with a moral lesson: It does it well, and hits its intended target dead on. For that reason, I give it five stars.
Movie Review: WONDERFULLY TASTEFUL LAMPOONING OF STAR TREK & MUCH MORE !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
SIMPLY STATED: The best and biggest lampooning of STAR TREK that is possible in our world!
FIRST I MUST SAY: that I have seen virtually all of the Star Trek episodes and movies too many times. In fact, I had my own homemade federation uniform that I wore in the 1960s, especially when the "Original Series" was first running. Still, I appreciate "Galaxy Quest" and its mission, to put STAR TREK conventionalities upside-down. Wow!
HOW IT GETS STARTED: The film opens in a "Galaxy Quest" convention now some 18 years after the show originally aired. The crew of "The Protector" are waiting impatiently and acting neurotically as they await their commander's entrance so they can all make their big entrance at the convention and get this gig over with. The comradeship which seems real on the surface is immediately seen as long-gone among the crew. These actors don't like each other and, most of all, they don't respect, but do detest their "scene-stealing hack" of a Captain, played like the perfectly imperfect backstage James T. Kirk by Tim Allen.
BUT THEN SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS: Captain Taggert is happily going through the motions and just soaking up all the hero worship and attention he's getting at the convention by his legions of trekkie-like uniformed fans while his crew just watches with envy from the sidelines. But then as he is making his way into the crowded men's room, Nesmith overhears a group of fans making very nasty comments about what a has-been he [Jason Nesmith] has become and how everyone can see that "even his friends can't stand him". It sounds kind of cliche, but the setting and Tim Allen make it really work and I feel very sorry for him. Jason Nesmith the actor suddenly realizes that his life "obviously" is meaningless and he wants to change this. With this EPIPHANY of sorts, the movie takes on a completely different and unexpected direction at light speed [literally].
That direction is comedy. We have good naive aliens that look weird. We have bad "street-smart" aliens that look and act bad and we have sweet gently-cute little aliens that want to eat each other and Nesmith too. We even have some wonderful lampooning of the Star Trek Original Series episode "ARENA" where Nesmith fights monsters against impossible odds and does his customary rolling on the ground antics which never made any sense to me when I saw Kirk doing it almost 40 years ago.
But there is more. We even have fans on Earth helping Nesmith get through some of his shipboard ordeals after he explains simply that everything about the show and ship are "all real". Then we have humor almost beyond belief as the logic is based on Trek logic and not what we take for granted as logic.
To make a very long story short, Nesmith's goal, to discover real meaning in his life is achieved, but the meaning is something that he earns along with new admiration from shipmates, fans, and aliens alike. All of this is completely integrated with the fans the aliens the starship "Protector" and the TV show enmeshed throughout the film.
To call this film thoughtfully made would be an understatment. The ending is very well done and replete with humor, drama and some twists and surprises. When it was all done I truly wished they would make a TV series called "Galaxy Quest" and include "this fine ship and this fine crew".
ABOUT THE CAST:
Tim Allen is Jason Nesmith who is Captain Peter Quincy Taggert [Capt. Kirk like] on TV's "Galaxy Quest" fictitious program
Sigourney Weaver is Gwen DeMarco -"Lt. Tawny Madison - Repeats Computer"
---*- Alan Rickman - Alexander Dane - "Dr. Lazarus - Advisor"
---*- Tony Shalhoub - Fred Kwan - "Tech Sgt. Chin - Engineer"
---*- Sam Rockwell - Guy Fleegman - "Crewman Guy - Expendable"
---*- Daryl Mitchell - Tommy Webber - "Loredo - Helmsman"
---*- Enrico Colantoni - Mathesar - "Good Alien Leader"
WHAT ABOUT THE DVD: EXCELLENT WIDESCREEN TRANSFER - TOO FEW FEATURES!
This is perhaps the one glaring shortcoming of this film. It has very few features. It has a few deleted scene segments, a short featurette and some short abridged filmographies. It was in Widescreen and the transfer was flawless. Dreamworks could do much better for features as this type of film attracts the kind of fans that really appreciate "Special Features".
FINAL THOUGHTS: Not just a space-opera comedy, but a fine comedy, and a fine film which is very satisfying to see more than once. I have seen this film at least 30 times since its release, and I do prefer the Widescreen format, but I wish the DVD had more features.
Movie Review: IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD -- IN SPACE?
Summary: 5 Stars
THE BIGGEST & BEST LAMPOONING OF STAR TREK THAT IS POSSIBLE IN OUR GALAXY!
I must admit that I have seen virtually all of the Star Trek episodes and movies too many times. In fact, I had my own homemade federation uniform that I wore in the 1960s, especially when the "Original Series" was first running. Still, I appreciate "Galaxy Quest" and its mission, to put STAR TREK conventionalities upside-down. Wow!
IT ALL BEGINS:
The film opens in a "Galaxy Quest" convention now some 18 years after the show originally aired. The crew of "The Protector" are waiting impatiently and acting neurotically as they await their commander's entrance so they can all make their big entrance at the convention and get this gig over with. The comradeship which seems real on the surface is immediately seen as long-gone among the crew. These actors don't like each other and, most of all, they don't respect, but do detest their "scene-stealing hack" of a Captain, played like the perfectly imperfect backstage James T. Kirk by Tim Allen.
BUT THEN SOMETHING HAPPENS:
Captain Taggert is happily going through the motions and just soaking up all the hero worship and attention he's getting at the convention by his legions of trekkie-like uniformed fans while his crew just watches with envy from the sidelines. But then as he is making his way into the crowded men's room, Nesmith overhears a group of fans making very nasty comments about what a has-been he [Jason Nesmith] has become and how everyone can see that "even his friends can't stand him". It sounds kind of cliche, but the setting and Tim Allen make it really work and I feel very sorry for him. Jason Nesmith the actor suddenly realizes that his life "obviously" is meaningless and he wants to change this. With this EPIPHANY of sorts, the movie takes on a completely different and unexpected direction at light speed [literally].
That direction is comedy. We have good naive aliens that look weird. We have bad "street-smart" aliens that look and act bad and we have sweet gently-cute little aliens that want to eat each other and Nesmith too. We even have some wonderful lampooning of the Star Trek Original Series episode "ARENA" where Nesmith fights monsters against impossible odds and does his customary rolling on the ground antics which never made any sense to me when I saw Kirk doing it almost 40 years ago.
But there is more. We even have fans on Earth helping Nesmith get through some of his shipboard ordeals after he explains simply that everything about the show and ship are "all real". Then we have humor almost beyond belief as the logic is based on Trek logic and not what we take for granted as logic.
To make a very long story short, Nesmith's goal, to discover real meaning in his life is achieved, but the meaning is something that he earns along with new admiration from shipmates, fans, and aliens alike. All of this is completely integrated with the fans the aliens the starship "Protector" and the TV show enmeshed throughout the film.
To call this film thoughtfully made would be an understatment. The ending is very well done and replete with humor, drama and some twists and surprises. When it was all done I truly wished they would make a TV series called "Galaxy Quest" and include "this fine ship and this fine crew".
ABOUT THE CAST:
Tim Allen is Jason Nesmith who is Captain Peter Quincy Taggert [Capt. Kirk like] on TV's "Galaxy Quest" fictitious program
Sigourney Weaver is Gwen DeMarco -"Lt. Tawny Madison - Repeats Computer"
Alan Rickman - Alexander Dane - "Dr. Lazarus - Advisor"
Tony Shalhoub - Fred Kwan - "Tech Sgt. Chin - Engineer"
Sam Rockwell - Guy Fleegman - "Crewman Guy - Expendable"
Daryl Mitchell - Tommy Webber - "Loredo - Helmsman"
Enrico Colantoni - Mathesar - "Good Alien Leader"
ABOUT THE DVD:
This is perhaps the one glaring shortcoming of this film. It has very few features. It has a few deleted scene segments, a short featurette and some short abridged filmographies. It was in Widescreen and the transfer was flawless. Dreamworks could do much better for features as this type of film attracts the kind of fans that really appreciate "Special Features".
Movie Review: By Grabthar's hammer, this is a funny movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I've never really been a fan of Tim Allen or Sigourney Weaver, so I put off watching this movie for a good while. I kept hearing and reading about how funny it was, though, so I finally gave in and watched it. The stories I heard are true because this is really an excellent comedy. I myself have some natural tendencies toward the type of TV show fans being lampooned in jest here, but we geeks have an amazing quality of laughing at ourselves when what we are seeing is genuinely funny. The idea is actually just short of brilliant; take the cast of a Star Trek-like science-fiction show cancelled twenty years ago and put them in a situation wherein they have to become the characters they played in order to save themselves and an entire civilization. The script is excellent, introducing great characterizations of the characters early on, keeping the action and comedy coming fast and furious, and maintaining the comedy at a witty and fresh level.Tim Allen plays Jason Nesmith who plays Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, an obviously Shatner-inspired character who continues to hog all of the spotlight garnered from the old Galaxy Quest series, not realizing that his fellow cast members hold him in some disdain for his egomaniacal antics. A surprisingly blonde and very funny Sigourney Weaver plays Gwen DeMarcol who plays Lt. Tawny Madison, and she has always been unhappy about the fact her character on the show was never taken seriously. Then there is Alan Rickman's character Alexander Dane who plays the reptilian-human Dr. Lazarus; this formerly successful British "real actor" despises his rubber-headed character and constantly laments the depths to which his previously distinguished career has sunk. The other characters are also great: the fairly weird Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) who plays Tech. Sgt. Chen, former boy actor Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) who plays Lt. Laredo, and even Guy Fleegman (Sam Rockwell), better known as the expendable character whose lack of a last name makes him expect to meet death around every corner. You absolutely have to love the odd alien Thermians who seek the help of Commander Taggart in a last ditch effort to save their people and culture from a ruthless menace, believing all of the Galaxy Quest shows they intercepted in space to be actual historical documents of the bravest ship's crew to travel the universe.
The new adventures of the crew of the NSEA Protector, with the characters pretending to be the heroes they aren't, are rollicking good times interlaced with plenty of comedy and ruminations as to how our heroes ended up in this kind of unbelievable situation. There are even a couple of poignant moments inserted into the story which complement the comedy quite well and provide further insight into characters who, quite impressively, never really become total parodies of themselves. The special effects are also excellent, and that is another thing that Galaxy Quest has going for it. In this type of comedy, the special effects would seem to be of secondary importance, so their impressiveness serves to keep the storyline from sinking into campiness. Industrial Light and Magic handled all of the space scenes and some of the alien monsters, and the preeminent Stan Winston created some incredible aliens and monsters to fill this outrageous universe. The DVD only makes a great movie even better, throwing in such extras as an enjoyably informative making-of featurette and a number of deleted scenes.
You don't have to be a science-fiction fan to enjoy Galaxy Quest, although it will probably resonate more with those familiar with the Trek-like nature of the subject matter. Underneath the laughs and thrills hides a decidedly human story that inspires as it entertains, and this kind of quality comedy should be easily recognized and enjoyed by just about everyone. It would have been so easy to turn this kind of movie into something really silly if not insulting, but Galaxy Quest is nothing short of a brilliantly made comedy.