Something I once loved almost as much as watching my favorite sci-fi movies growing up was watching them getting made fun of. Mel Brook's sci-fi/fairy tale is the perfect movie for that. Brooks' brings his usual flavor of comedy to space, spoofing such movies as "Star Wars", "Star Trek", and "Alien". Comedies like Brooks' really appealed to me when I was younger and stuck with me as I grew up. I have always loved his work and this is probably his best, or at least most memorable.
The cast is really what made this movie work. Most notable are Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet (the film's villain) and John Candy as Barf (the half-man/half-dog sidekick). The film also stars Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Joan Rivers, and, of course, Mel Brooks. It is the story of Lone Starr and his parter, Barf, being hired by the king of the planet Druidia to rescue Princess Vespa from Dark Helmet and his army of Spaceballs. While it sounds a little odd, let me assure you: it is. It has a fairy tale plot and pokes fun at all of the most clichéd science fiction elements.
Though I have to admit, while I loved the movie when I was younger, I found it more difficult to sit down and watch it now. There are a lot of visual gags that are funny the first or second time you watch it, but they soon wear out. I find this trouble with a lot of Brooks' films. Excellent for the first few times, but I begin to lose interest after that. Of course, don't let that stop you if you haven't yet seen them. Especially "Spaceballs". It is one of those movies you need to see at least once.
May the Schwartz be with you...
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