bowmanblue
I remember going to see 'Spaceballs' when it came out in the cinema (a building with a massive TWO screens and is no longer there any more). I think I was about 11 at the time. Back then I didn't really know who Mel Brookes was, or anything about his other films. I just liked 'Star Wars' and that was all I needed to know. And, based on that most flimsy of reasons to see a film - I loved it! It's a parody of 'Star Wars' (and the occasional other sci-fi gag) which follows the original's plot reasonably accurately, i.e. rougish smuggler must rescue a princess from a black-helmetted space dictator. Now, nearly three decades later I thought I would watch it again and, I didn't love it… so much.I guess it's one of those films where you have to be young to really laugh at every single joke. I now feel that, although much of the time I was at least smiling a bit, it's not quite as funny as when I used to laugh at simpler things. It's a decent enough watch and it's nice seeing John Candy clearly enjoying himself as the 'Chewbacca-type' creature (unsubtly named) 'Barf.' Now I look at it again I can't help thinking that Mel Brooks is trying a little too hard to be everywhere, as he casts himself as basically the lead (and a couple other roles) and now I see it through adult eyes, he seems a little too full of himself, even if he does play a complete idiot.I mentioned John Candy as the stand-out role, but the others are good, too. Bill Pullman is functional as the 'hero,' but it's Rick Moranis who steals every scene as the completely incompetent 'Darth Vader' rip-off, now known as 'Dark Helmet.' There's a great 'Alien' cameo too by John Hurt and some other nods to a few famous franchises, so you'll probably need to know all movies in the genre to appreciate everything.I may be sounding a little harsh overall, but I did enjoy it again, even after all this time. I'll probably watch it again in another ten years, but next time I'll know not to expect it to be the same as when I was a kid.
ElMaruecan82
"I am your father's brother's nephew's cousin's former roommate". "What does that make us?" "Nothing. Which is exactly what you're about to become"This is from the climactic fight scene between Dark Helmet and Lone Starr, echoing the iconic confrontation between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader in "The Empire Strikes Back": also this is a joke viewers could see coming from a mile, but I'll use it to point out the main problem with "Spaceballs". Basically, the film is saying "I'm the official parody of the "Star Wars" saga". What does that make it? Well, not nothing, but not anything more than being the… official parody of the "Star Wars" saga.That's how we all remember "Spaceballs" and there are worse reputations, but it's very revealing when the funniest gags have nothing to do with "Star Wars". Take that hilarious moment when Helmet's right-hand man uses a VHS of the film to spot where the good guys are, they pause the film at the present time so that we see on the TV what happens in real time during the movie. It's just the most vertiginous and dizzying 'mise en abime' process ever used in a film, and the funniest too with a dialogue using the word 'now' like the famous 'Who's on first?' routine. It's for moments like these that "Spaceballs" should be appreciated. It's a shame that there are more smile-inducing little gags than creative hilarious bits like this. And I feel almost guilty to write that, because I used to love the film. Well, in fact, my history with "Spaceballs" was is in three acts.Act One: I'm eight, I discover the film on a Saturday afternoon, I can't stop laughing at Dark Helmet's antics and I really, really enjoy the film. My cinematic knowledge wasn't as extended as today, for what it's worth, and I don't even think I was familiar with the original "Star Wars", because when the real film was aired a few weeks later, I thought it was actually copying "Spaceballs", in an uglier way. Yup, "Spaceballs" introduced me to the "Star Wars" saga. And it was one of my favorite comedies. Act Two: I'm sixteen. I'm a comic-book nerd, I love Tex Avery cartoons and I adore parodies. I'm discovering the Zucker Abrahams Zucker movies and I'm looking for "Spaceballs". There was no Internet, no way for me to remember the title, so it's only by pure luck that I find the VHS in the video store. I finally discover Mel Brooks (although I was familiar with many of his films). I see the film with excitement, alone, in a dark room, expecting to have a Madeleine Proust sensation. I find the film enjoyable, amusing with some funny parts I didn't even get as kid, notably the Virginity alarm and the Valium yawning Prince. I realize this was John Candy as Barf, that Melrose Place girl (Daphne Zuniga) as Princess Vespa, Rick Moranis from "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" and good old President Bill Pullmann as Lone Starr. Overall, the rediscovery adds to the enjoyment.Act Three: I'm thirty-four. I watch the film. I like it, but the pleasure relies more on the nostalgic effect. The film is as much about the 80's as "Star Wars" actually, no CGI, good old miniatures, even though a little cheap-looking. Of course, some parts have aged better, most of the good stuff involves Dark Helmet and his crew. But overall, you get some amusing jokes, that are so innocent and fun you don't feel like criticizing them. So, what exactly lacks in the film? I don't know, it's droll and funny but it has the appeal of TV sketches and never really tries to transcend its material, the film only exists for the sole mission of making as many references as possible to "Star Wars" and the Sci-fi genre.This is typical of Mel Brooks, either he tries to make a unique original film and you get "The Producers", "Young Frankenstein" or "Silent Movie" or it's a matter of parodying classics by the book and you get "Blazing Saddles", "High Anxiety" and "Spaceballs", funny movies that work because they know what they should remind you of, all the time. This is the problem with "Spaceballs", once you know "Star Wars", apart from a few original bits like Pizza the Hutt or the 'One Froggy Evening' homage, it's routine humor that makes you want to go directly on Youtube and check the best parts rather than see the whole film. The film has this biting Brooksian humor with the character of Yogurt whose main occupation is to work on the merchandising but that bit had already been used in the 'now' scene. And I guess Brooks might have sinned by being too confident that his film would be a sure hit and overestimated people's interest for "Star Wars" four years after the final opus. But this obsession for parody made the director lose his way, and the disastrous "Robin Hood: Men in Tights" proved that he was already slipping and the popularity of "Spaceballs" had more to do with the actors' performances, Moranis, Candy, and even Brooks himself as Yogurt and President Skroob. There was some potential for satire in this film, but it's so busy retelling the "Star Wars" story that it loses its time on cute gags, and some supposed to sound funny but, for some reason, don't really make you laugh. All right, "may the Schwartz be with you". Ha-ha.The saddest thing is that the parody genre stil had brighter days to come. One year later, ZAZ brothers' "Naked Gun" would make the box-office Top 10, and you know why it worked? Because it copied a genre, archetypes and situations, but not a specific target, so it could stand alone as a movie, and a classic. Sadly, "Spaceballs" comes across as a SNL sketch of epic proportions.
