Spaceballs (1987) / Comedy-Sci Fi

MPAA Rated: PG for crude suggestive humor and language, and for comic violence
Running Time: 96 min.

Cast: Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Rick Moranis, John Candy, Mel Brooks, Dick Van Patten
Director: Mel Brooks
Screenplay: Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, Ronny Graham
Review published November 28, 1997

Needless to say, Mel Brooks (History of the World Part I, High Anxiety) has fallen off big time over the years, but there's just enough left to pull out a few decent chuckles in this spoof of Star Wars and other sci-fi films.

The planet Spaceball is running low on air so their evil leaders plot to steal the air from the peace-loving planet of Druidia. The spaceballs kidnap Vespa (Zuniga, The Sure Thing), the Druish princess and attempt to ransom her for the air. The king of Druidia (Van Patten, Westworld), and Vespa's father, hires the mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman, A League of Their Own) to save the day.

Spaceballs takes a while to find its footing, but does begin to pay off somewhere around the middle with some occasionally inspired satire. The choice of actors is second-rate, but at least there was no Harvey Korman appearance.

Sure, for every funny moment, there are two groaners, but it's all in goofy fun, and worth watching for a few key moments. Definitely a step below Brooks' 70s work, however it's still hard to dislike all the same.

 Qwipster's rating::

©1997 Vince Leo