Spaceballs Blu-ray delivers great video and superb audio in this excellent Blu-ray release
In this spoof of 'STAR WARS' and a handful of other sci-fi flicks from the 1970s and '80s,
space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog/half-man sidekick, Barf (John
Candy), must rescue a spoiled Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark
Helmet (Rick Moranis) in time to pay off Pizza the Hut. With 'Spaceballs', director Mel Brooks
is at it again, this time with a science-fiction parody with all the blue-screen special effects and
weird makeup (though in this film, things are always slightly off-kilter and unpolished). Here,
maverick space travelers set out to save the planet Druidia, which is being harassed by the
Spaceballs, a sinister group attempting to pilfer Druidia's air resources. Among the many gags
and jokes is a hilarious parody of a classic scene from 'Alien'. Mel Brooks himself makes one of
his funniest acting appearances as Yogurt, a send-up of 'The Empire Strikes Back's Yoda.
Where have you gone, Mel Brooks? A Comedy-starved nation turns its lonely eyes to you. In an
age
where
Comedy has taken a giant step in the wrong direction, where the greats like Candy,
Murray,
and Belushi, and films like Animal House, Ghostbusters, and
Spaceballs seems as dead as a laptop dropped to the floor (ahem), movie fans can turn
their
lonely eyes to Blu-ray for the rejuvenation of old favorites that, when properly presented, can
make
even the oldest of motion pictures and styles of film long since departed seem new. Such is
certainly the case with the release of Spaceballs, the quintessential
parody
film that spoofs cinema's most widely-known series, Star Wars. Starring writer and
director
Mel Brooks, the comedic genius with titles like Blazing Saddles and
Young Frankenstein
to his credit, Spaceballs delivers across the entire spectrum, much of its story playing as
completely ridiculous, even in the confines of a parody of a Science Fiction story, but therein lies
the magic of the movie. The inane and over-the-top nature of the picture, which plays in stark
contrast to something that is more subtly funny like Ghostbusters, never misses the
mark, and the absurdity of the characters, situations, and dialogue deliver nonstop laughs at
ludicrous
speed.
Behold my ring! It's shiny and cool and can control oversized vacuum cleaners!
The Spaceballs, a group of dangerous misfits led by President Skroob (Mel Brooks), have
squandered their atmosphere and are no longer able to breathe good, clean, healthy air. Their
plan is simple: steal the atmosphere from Druidia, a clean and comfortable planet that is about to
play host to the wedding of the century between its very own Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga)
and the last remaining prince in the galaxy, the sleepy-eyed Prince Valium (Jim J. Bullock). When
a case of cold feet spurs Vespa and her golden droid companion, Dot Matrix (voiced by Joan
Rivers), to flee the scene of the wedding in Vespa's outer-space capable Mercedes, she soon finds
herself in the clutches of Spaceball One, a massive starship commanded by Dark Helmet
(Rick Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (George Wyner). Meanwhile, the meandering renegade
tandem of Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog companion Barf (John Candy) find
themselves in need of one million spacebucks to pay off a debt to the vile gangster Pizza the Hut.
When they receive a distress call from Vespa's father, King Roland (Dick Van Patten), Lone Starr
and Barf agree to rescue the princess for the princely sum they need to get Pizza off their back.
The rescue attempt brings more trouble than the pair could have imagined as they find
themselves on the run from the Spaceballs, causing them to land on a planet where they
encounter the all-knowing Yogurt (also Brooks), a money and merchandising-obsessed Master of
Schwartz that will lead Lone Starr towards his destiny.
Spaceballs didn't accidentally become the best Parody picture of all-time. Ambitiously
tackling the end-all, be-all of movie franchises, Star Wars, Spaceballs came with
high expectations to get it right, and not only did it deliver, but it also set a new standard for
laughs in the context of the Parody, matching and in some ways surpassing Brooks' own best
efforts of years past. Spaceballs didn't just retell Star Wars in a humorous
fashion; instead, it took some of the important themes, characters, and situations and inserted
them into a story that plays more like a classic fairy tale of a damsel in distress and her rescue by
a knight in shining Winnebago than it does just a series of unrelated vignettes strung around a
loosely-developed plot. Spaceballs succeeds because most of the humor would work
even in a
galaxy where Star Wars didn't exist. George Lucas' then-trio of pictures certainly serve
as the primary influence for the look of Spaceballs, and Brooks' picture derives some of
its humor
straight from those movies, but most everything works well enough on its own merits that
audiences
aren't consistently hit over the head with Star Wars references. Even when they are, it
is Spaceballs rather than Star Wars that remains at the forefront of the
experience, Brooks' picture never overshadowed by Lucas' but instead retaining a firm grasp on
its own identity. Spaceballs
takes the complete opposite approach to the Parody when compared to the genre's more modern
offerings; Disaster Movie et
al. simply take a product as-is and toss it aimlessly into a blender and hope for the best.
Spaceballs, on the other hand, actually takes the time to secure the best elements of
any given picture and finely integrate them into its own unique story in a humorous way. No
surprise that it's the latter style that made Mel Brooks one of the best Hollywood has ever known
while filmmakers that take the Disaster Movie approach couldn't even tie Mel's shoes.
Even though a few odds and ends seen throughout Spaceballs are either dated ("Dot
Matrix," $5 worth of gasoline considered enough) or fallacious (two instances of characters
moving about open space without the aid of a suit and helmet; apparently this is the same outer
space as seen in Superman IV: The Quest for Peace), the film holds up remarkably well,
the humor neither stale nor irrelevant in 2009. The characters find their strides almost instantly
thanks to infectious dialogue and remarkable comedic performances by each primary cast
member. Rick Moranis in particular delivers an inspired and completely over-the-top effort that
ranks amongst his very best in his performance of the Darth Vader-like Dark Helmet. Even
secondary characters, particularly any Spaceball
that has a speaking part, far exceed expectations and manage to make their small characters as
memorable as Dark Helmet, Skroob, Barf, Lone Starr, or Vespa. Whether the radar man played
by Michael Winslow, the communications officer who went around (not over!) Dark Helmet's
helmet, or the entire group of cross-eyed "@$$#0!($," Spaceballs features some of the
best one-minute characters in all of cinema. The film also gets plenty of play out of its more
subtle jokes, particularly those that take everyday expressions literally; "jamming" the enemy
radar means shooting an extra-large jar of raspberry jam at Spaceball One, and President
Skroob's strict orders to "comb the desert" results in several troopers pushing combs across the
sandy
terrain. Of course, Mel Brooks doesn't stop there, seeing an opportunity to poke fun at
the situation by writing into the script a line questioning the
merits of following the literal rather than implied translation of the President's orders. Also
recalling the scores from Lawrence of Arabia
and Jaws, taking aim at several other movie franchises including Planet of the Apes,
Alien, and Star Trek, and
acknowledging throughout the importance of marketing and merchandising to a film's success,
Spaceballs never falters to deliver the quintessential movie parody.
Spaceballs lands on Blu-ray with a marvelous 1080p, 1.85:1-framed transfer. Though
appearing just the slightest bit dim, the transfer nevertheless dazzles in most
every area. Colors appear rather strong throughout, particularly the brighter hues as witnessed
in the scenes
taking place on Druidia. Even in the other primary locales, all of which feature their own unique
colors schemes -- brown and tan dominate the interior of the Winnebago; steely grays are found
predominantly inside Spaceball One; shadowy, muted browns make up much of Yogurt's
underground lair -- all manage to impress greatly on this Blu-ray release. The higher resolution
also greatly improves upon the detail seen throughout. Whether the wear on Lone Starr's
Indiana
Jones-esque leather jacket or the revelation of some of the imperfections on the set --
scratches, dents,
and mediocre paint jobs -- the 1080p transfer allows audiences to see Spaceballs as it
was meant to be seen. The transfer also allows for easier recognition of some of the film's more
subtle background information that might have been missed in previous releases, for instance a
line of Rocky VHS boxes on
a lower shelf of the Mr. Rental station aboard Spaceball One. Special effects shots appear
noticeably rougher than any other aspect of the film, with a bit more in the way of grain and
containing the majority of the scratches, pops, and speckles. Still, the appearance of such
anomalies is generally minimal and hardly distracting. Outside the effects shots, the transfer is
generally clean and film grain is never overbearing. Also sporting adequate blacks and flesh
tones, Spaceballs on Blu-ray looks fantastic for home viewing, better than even the cast
and crew could have imagined when viewing the "instant cassette" of the film on the bridge of
Spaceball One.
Boasting a DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack, this Blu-ray release of Spaceballs betters its
home video predecessors considerably. No matter what the soundtrack has to offer, the lossless
mix handles it expertly. The upbeat track that accompanies the opening scrolling text dazzles
across the entire range, playing clearly and cleanly as it engulfs the soundstage, and is equalled in
presence by the menacing, Jaws-like track that plays over the opening shot of a rumbling
Spaceball One as it slowly maneuvers through space. Throughout the film, music plays
with a clarity that dazzles in every instance, and its presence may be enjoyed throughout the entire
soundstage. The rear channels come alive with regularity, both in support of the music and offering
plenty of information during action sequences. Whether echoing voices, organ music at Princes
Vespa's wedding ceremony, Bon Jovi's "Raise Your Hands" as heard during the introductions of Barf
and Lone Starr, or laser blasts during a shootout in the final act, the back channels certainly make
their presence known and provide great atmosphere and a sense of immersion into the
Spaceballs experience. Complimented by crystal-clear dialogue reproduction,
Spaceballs soars with a wonderful soundtrack that surpasses all expectations.
Spaceballs arrives on Blu-ray with a good selection of bonus features, headlined by a
commentary track with Writer/Director/Actor Mel Brooks. Brooks delivers a suitable yet
somewhat
dry track. He recounts plenty of basic tidbits about the making of the film, covering the casting,
the
score, the process of writing the film, and more. He points out many of the jokes in the picture
that
more often than not speak for themselves, but discusses some of the more nuanced parts of the
films, like "Skroob" almost being the reverse of "Brooks." This is a good commentary that fans
should enjoy. Spaceballs: The Documentary (480p, 30:04) takes an interesting look into
the world of the film, featuring plenty of cast and crew interview clips as they recount not only
the
film but the angles that made it so successful, particularly what makes for a great spoof. The
piece
also covers the special effects, the sets and props, shooting locations, the gags and the fun
on-set,
and much more. In Conversation: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan (480p, 20:30)
contains a discussion amongst the writers recounting several facets of the project, focusing, no
surprise, on the writing. The piece can meander at times but longtime Spaceballs fans
will want to sit down with this one.
John Candy: Comic Spirit (480p, 10:02) is next, a good piece remembering one of
Comedy's all-time great stars through interview clips with Spaceballs cast and crew,
vintage clips of Candy speaking on his career, and clips from his other works. Watch the
Movie in Ludicrous Speed (1080p, 0:29) plays the entire picture in seconds. Also included
are several still galleries: 'Spaceballs:' The Behind-the-Movie Photos, 'Spaceballs:' The
Costume Gallery, and 'Spaceballs:' The Art Gallery. Storyboard-to-Film
Comparison (480p, 6:41) shows several scenes played side-by-side with their hand-drawn
storyboard counterparts. Rounding out the extras on disc one is Film Flubs (480p), a
collection of six scenes with filmmaking errors highlighted, and two trailers: Exhibitor Trailer
With Mel Brooks Introduction (480p, 2:12) and the film's theatrical trailer (480p, 2:30).
Also included on a second disc is a DVD edition of the film. Containing a 1.85:1 presentation on
one side and a 4:3 cropped presentation on the other, the disc also contains several
supplements: a commentary track, the theatrical trailer, and "Special Behind-the-Scenes
Footage."
Saying that Spaceballs represents Mel Brooks at his best would be a disservice to the
director's other works, but the film is definitely his most accessible to audiences thanks to its
structure built around Star Wars. A parody of that franchise but certainly a film that is
both funny and unique in its own right and capable of standing on its own without the Star
Wars crutch, Spaceballs nails the parody concept and certainly surpasses any such
endeavor of a more recent vintage, and arguably beats any parody from any era. This Comedy
classic arrives on Blu-ray as a great overall package from MGM. Boasting a strong 1080p transfer, a
wonderful lossless soundtrack, and plenty of bonus materials, not to mention a DVD copy of the
film, adding Spaceballs to the collection is as big a no-brainer as ditching Prince Valium for
Lone Starr. Fasten all seat belts, seal all entrances and exits, close all shops in the mall, cancel the
three ring circus, secure all animals in the zoo, engage ludicrous speed, and buy this one
immediately! Highly recommended.
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MGM Home Entertainment in conjunction with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have announced the technical specs and special features for the upcoming Blu-ray release of 'Spaceballs', which is due to hit store shelves on June 16th. Coming on a BD-50, video will ...
In an early announcement to retailers, MGM Home Entertainment in conjunction with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment have revealed that they will bring the Mel Brooks comedy 'Spaceballs' to Blu-ray on June 16th. No technical specs have been announced at this time, ...
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