Underrated Gems – Spaceballs: the movie review
Disclaimer: All pictures and videos used in this review are legal under the terms of the fair use agreement of 1976. Some videos will contain graphic (but humorous) language.
Welcome to another edition of Underrated Gems. The movie review series that looks at films that should’ve done better than they did. Movies that so happen to be very good. And this time around get ready as hilarity is about to ensue.
Mel Brooks has been a staple of American comedy and parody for several decades. Despite all the terrible things he saw when he served the U.S. in World War II, he never lost his sense of humor. And that’s what has helped him to become a true grandmaster of comedy. Over the years he’s produced what many would describe as some of the best comedy movies of all time. I was first introduced to Mel Brooks’ work with History of the world Part 1 and Young Frankenstein.
But in this review will look at one of his lesser known but very funny Underrated Gems, Spaceballs. For context this movie got made back in the 1980’s when Star Wars wasn’t corrupted by modern politics yet. Here’s a fun fact for everyone. Mel Brooks got permission from George Lucas to use his studio for the making of Spaceballs. But Lucas had one rule written in stone, no merchandising of a movie.
The thing is Mel Brooks has never needed or wanted to merchandise his movies. And being the comedic mastermind he is Brooks took the idea…and proceeded to satirize it in this movie. Proving how much of a comedic genius he always will be. Of course, one can expect nothing less of him.
Now on to the review of this underrated Sci-fi comedy masterpiece.
The movie opens with a parody of the Star Wars intro summary rolling across the screen. It ends with a surprise “If you can read this you don’t need glasses.”
Only Mel Brooks could pull something like that. Only he could find ways to break the fourth wall in ways that work. He proves such throughout the film.
The movie starts with an over long shot of Spaceball 1. The ship is approaching its neighbor world of Druidia. The planet Spaceball has a serious problem. It’s president Skroob, played by Mel Brooks has squandered the planet’s air. So now they’ve set their sights on stealing Druidia’s atmosphere.
Now that’s not how a good neighbor behaves at all!
Worse the president has dispatched Dark Helmet, played by Rick Moranis. With Dark Helmet is his right-hand man Colonel Sandurz, played by George Wyner. The goal is to steal the daughter of the King of Druidia. As they approach the planet one of the Spaceballs goes over Dark Helmet to contact the president. To this the evil if diminutive villain uses his magic ring on the crewman.
Helmet hits the Spaceball crewman right in their privates. Ouch, that will leave them singing in a higher octave for a while.
The plan of the Spaceballs is to force The King to give them the code for Druidia’s atmosphere shield. And they happen to know she’s getting married today and all they need do is wait.
Meanwhile down on Druidia we’re introduced to the King played by the late Dick Van Patten. He’s about to walk his daughter Princess Vespa down the aisle. The part of Vespa got taken on by Daphne Zuniga. Accompanying her as a maid of honor is Vespa’s droid Dot Matrix. The part of Dot Matrix got played by actress and mime Lorane Yarnell Jansson. But the voice work for Dot Matrix got done by the late Joan Rivers.
The problem is the princess starts to have serious doubts as she walks down the aisle. The prince in question Vallum is the only one left in the galaxy. And according to the rules Princess Vespa must marry a prince. But Prince Vallum is a very uninspiring fellow. He’s also not very good looking and a narcoleptic.
The role of Prince Vallum got taken on by actor Jim J. Bullock. So yeah, Princess Vespa has good reason to have doubts. She ends up fleeing the marriage with Dot Matrix. Spaceball 1 sets out to capture her.
The ship launches a surprise attack on them. In desperation Vespa reaches out to her father for help. Um…aren’t you trying to get away from him? Good grief Vespa knows so little about the real world.
Meanwhile the scene shifts to Intergalactic Mercenary Lone Starr played by Bill Pullman. With him is his Mawg (Half-human, Half-dog) friend Barf. The part of Barf got played by the late-great John Candy. While relaxing they get a call from Pizza the Hut. The character got played by Dom DeLuise.
He and his mechanical right hand man Vinnie make it clear to Lone Starr.
They demand 1 million space bucks by tomorrow or Pizza will “Send for him”. That's a nice way of saying he’ll kill Lone Starr. Considering he’s put on rubbish late fees and such Pizza not only looks gross but is not nice at all.
Things look bad until the King of Druidia calls up Lone Starr. He asks him to save his daughter from the Spaceballs. At first Lone Star doesn’t want anything to do with it because he’s a wanted man. But after the king promises to give him 1 million space bucks Lone Star takes up the job.
As Spaceball 1 closes in on Vespa’s ship Lone Starr and Barf arrive. They jam the radar that is they hit it with a giant glass jar of jam. The discovery gets made in a hilarious fashion. Actor Michael Winslow AKA the human sound effects machine does so. It doesn’t take Dark Helmet and Colonel Sandurz long to figure out who’s responsible.
Though for humor effect Helmet gets hit by the camera. There goes Mel Brooks with breaking the fourth wall again.
Meanwhile Eagle 5, the flying Winnebago, flies over the vehicle. Barf helps Vespa and Dot Matrix escape their ship.
The Eagle-5 takes off and goes to hyper speed. While they go hyperactive Spaceball 1 amps it up several notches. Helmet orders the ship to go to Ludicrous speed. The result is one of the funniest moments of special effects and physical humor in the movie. Spaceball 1 passes Lone Starr’s ship by leaps and miles.
Barf sums it up as, “They’ve gone to plaid.”
Spaceball 1 uses the emergency break and Dark Helmet crashes into some controls. Good thing he was wearing his helmet. But he still got rattled by the experience.
Meanwhile Eagle-5 comes out of light speed, and then they realize they’re out of gas. That’s what happens when you go cheap on the gas folks. They end up crash landing on a desert planet. It becomes clear there’s a growing attraction between Lone Starre and Princess Vespa. Gee imagine my shock!
But before things can…go to the next level Dot Matrix’s virgin alarm kicks in. That stops things dead in their tracks.
Only Mel Brooks could come up with something like that. The next day the group travels more and soon passes out from the hot sun of the planet. They’re found by a race of beings local to the planet the Dink Dinks. They revive the four and take them to a secret hideout. In a move parodying the wizard of Oz they end up in the home of the legendary sage Yogurt.
Mel Brooks takes on the role of the diminutive character. He is the master of a powerful magic known as the Schwartz.
Yogurt then launches into a hilarious advertisment of fictitious movie merchandise. Once again Mel Brooks is taking good natured jabs at the whole merchandising thing. Only a grandmaster of comedy can pull something like that off. After that Yogurt begins training Lone Starr in the ways of the Schwartz. Meanwhile there’s still the little matter of Vespa can only marry a prince.
Meanwhile Spaceball 1 figures out where Lone Starr has gone and goes after them. After consulting with President Skroob, they’re told to comb the desert.
As Lone Starr continues his training the Spaceballs comb the desert in a literal sense. More intentional and hilarious misinterpretation of words by Mel Brooks. During the sequence there’s a funny cameo by Tim Russ who would later go on to play Tuvok in Star Trek Voyager. The Spaceballs finally discover Yogurt’s symbol and decide to draw the princess out.
As it turns up Dark Helmet is also a master of the Schwartz. But Helmet got the downside not the upside. A little roasting of the whole idea of the force.
Dark Helmet uses trickery to lure out Vespa and Dot Matrix. The Spaceballs take off with their captives. Lone Starr goes after them his vehicle now gassed up and good to go. How did they get his vehicle down to Yogurt’s cave?
A funny scene occurs that has Dark Helmet playing with fictitious Spaceballs dolls. Once again, we have merchandise roasting. They force the king to hand over the combination number for Druidia’s shield. And it turns up its 1,2,3,4,5. That’s the super-secret code?? Really, really, really?
Spaceball 1 heads off to take Druidia’s atmosphere. Meanwhile Lone Starr arrives and saves Princess Vespa. A hilarious bit happens where the Spaceballs capture the “Stunt doubles” of the actors. There goes Mel Brooks breaking the fourth wall again.
After that it’s a race against time to save planet Druidia. Of note there’s a transformers G1 joke in there. Can Lone Starr and company stop the Spaceballs from stealing Druidia’s atmosphere.
So, what makes this movie an underrated gem?
Well, there’s the dialogue for a start. Mel Brooks has always been a master of manipulating language for hilarious results. And this sci-fi parody movie is no exception to that rule. Then there’s the fact that Mel Brooks makes fun of Star Wars, Star Trek, The Wizard of Oz, and even Transformers.
He makes fun of it all in a way that while adult is not mean or nasty in any way. Only true masters of comedy know how to do that, and he is a true grandmaster.
Bill Pullman in a performance before Independence Day does a great job as Lone Starr. Showing that he has some serious comedic chops. Daphne Zuniga who would later go on to Melrose Place does a pretty good job as Princess Vespa. She’s a spoiled out of touch Princess who’s about to get a first-hand taste of the galaxy. The Late John Candy gave a terrific performance as Barf.
And Mel Brooks as President Skroob and Yogurt shows his own comedic chops. Also of note is Rick Moranis’ hilarious performance as Dark Helmet. He’s a superb villain with a serious Napoleonic complex.
Now Spaceballs does have an R rating for language, adult humor, and sexual references. But it’s still a funny and underrated Gem. Some have even said it’s a masterclass in parody. So, a great and humorous story is one reason. Good natured mockery of iconic franchises is another reason.
And great performances from the entire cast. And that’s what makes Spaceballs an Underrated Gem.
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