Spaceballs (1987) User Reviews (392)

One of the funniest parodies I've ever seen.

[patriciogl10 · 8/10 · 13 November 2019]

Spaceballs strikes me as how a parody should be made. It's not overbearing, the jokes are spot on, the pastiche references are quite memorable, as most of the quotes from this film. With a seemingly ridiculous plot because of its burlesque nature, it doesn't interfere with the comedic purposes, so plot and humour go wonderfully hand in hand. Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet (sometimes the simplest humour is where it's at) is incredibly funny as well as John Candy as Barf (the names alone makes one giggle). The great Mel Brooks makes his grand appearance too and he acts accordingly as expected, the man is a comedy genious and proves it movie after movie and graces us with his hilarious participations.

Undoubtedly the laugh star in this is Rick Moranis, I mean the mightiest villain of all time is absolutely the opposite of what you would expect and that makes it an excellent situation for comedy which was perfectly executed. Every little detail counts for comedy, you'll notice many nuances and obscure references to other films once you have watched it a couple of times, and believe me it gets better after each viewing, Spaceballs absolutely deserves it.

The duel scene between Dark Helmet and Lone Starr and the spoof on the classic "I am your father!" moment is comedy gold. And of course one of the things I absolutely treasure about Mel Brooks' films is their exhilarating self-awareness, that always gets me; the more absurd they make it, the better! The example of this film is when Colonel Sandurz is browsing through some VHS tapes and puts the tape of Spaceballs, the very same film which they are making at the moment, and then they watch themselves on the screen, that is just ridiculously funny.

Spaceballs is a classic in my book, watch it and make it on your own.

"Lord Dark Helmet! So we meet again for the first time for the last time!"

[DarthBill · 8/10 · 28 April 2004]

Brisk parody of "Star Wars" and other great science fiction films pits Bill Pullman and his man-dog/dog-man partner John Candy against Rick Moranis and Mel Brooks as they try to rescue Princess Daphne Zuniga from the clutches of the evil Space-Balls.

The cast are clearly enjoying themselves and there's a gag almost every minute, mostly notably the Star Wars gags. Some of the best are -

1) Pizza the Hutt

2) The 'Alien' Diner scene with John Hurt ("Oh no... not again!")

3) Yogurt the Yoda clone (also Mel Brooks; "Please, I'm just plain Yogurt.")

4) Dot's "Virgin Alarm" ("Designed to go off before you do.")

5) A pot shot at "Lawrence of Arabia"

6) The 'combing the desert' sequence

7) Rick Moranis 'playing with his toys'

8) The Statue of Liberty Transformer

9) The Planet of the Apes sequence

10) The light saber schwartz duel

11) The guard instructing Bill Pullman on how to properly do the Vulcan nerve pinch.

12) Accidentally capturing the stunt doubles.

13) The quote unquote "sexual tension" between Bill and Daphne.

And many more. Keep an eye out for this one.

"Where're you from?" - Daphne Zuniga

"I don't know. Somewhere in the Ford Galaxy." - Bill Pullman

So Lone Star, I see your Schartz is as big as mine........

[PIST-OFF · 8/10 · 28 April 1999]

Spaceballs is one of the funniest movies ever. In the tradition of Airplane it spoofs nearly all modern SciFi including: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Return Of The Jedi, Alien, Star Trek, and Planet Of The Apes. Mel Brook's has had some funny movies but this takes the cake. Rick Moranis is inarguably his second best role after Strange Brew. John Candy has one of his better performances. Bill Pullman (a long way from Independence Day) is the central character Lone Star, a combination Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Sight gags and classic memorable lines are present here from beginning to end. Just looking at Dark Helmet is enough to induce laughter. Spaceballs is a truly great film. Let's see how well you handle it!

Hilarious if you are in the right mood for it.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 7/10 · 29 October 2004]

This movie can be absolutely hilarious, if you are in the right mood for it. If you didn't liked this movie, then you probably weren't in the right mood, because there is no way you can dislike and find this movie unfunny.

Most fun thing about the movie is Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet who is the complete opposite in every way of the ultimate bad guy from the entire universe; Darth Vader, especially in size. Like almost every other Mel Brook's movie this movie has some extreme hits and some extreme misses, by seriously it all is just a matter of taste. What might seem funny for some is unfunny to others and vice versa.

The acting is over the top and quite bad actually especially Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga. Thank goodness that the sidekicks are the better and funnier characters in this movie, characters with poetic names such as Barf, Colonel Sandurz, Major Asshole, Yogurt and Pizza the Hutt.

The movie suffers from some horrible eighties songs, the curse of almost every eighties movies these days, other than that, there isn't much negative to say about his movie even though it is far from Brook's best.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Mel Brooks is a genius!

[Smells_Like_Cheese · 10/10 · 10 November 2003]

Spaceballs is one of my favorite comedies of all time, it's actually one of those few movies that I know every single line too. I know that seems a bit sad, but this film has so many memorable lines that it came so natural. I've watched this movie since I was a little girl and the strange thing is that every time I watch it, it just seems to get funnier and funnier. I don't understand how a person could not laugh with this film, it just has perfect humor that I'm sure could make the emotionally stunted person laugh. How could you not laugh at Rick Morannis as Lord Helmet? He was beyond a perfect choice for Helmet, he was the complete opposite of what Darth Vadar was, and he didn't have a problem making fun of himself. In fact, the whole cast looked like they had the ultimate blast making this film, everyone clicked so well. The story is one of Mel's finest parades, of course, this one is of Star Wars or pretty much any space film.

Lord Helmet and President Skroob wish to steal all of Planet Druidia's fresh air and transfer it onto their own, but they must get the combination to the air shield that is protecting it. King Roland's daughter, Princess Vespa, runs away from her wedding, since King Roland is the king of Druidia, Lord Helmet kidnaps her to get the combination. King Roland asks space rebel, Lone Starr and his faithful side kick Mog(half-man half-dog) Barf, to save the princess. But things quickly turn bad when Helmet does get the combination and now Lone Starr must use the "schwartz" and defeat Lord Helmet and Skroob before they suck all the air from Druidia.

Spaceballs is seriously just a great comedy, I guarantee you that you will have a good laugh by watching this film. Every scene is just so funny, my favorite is always the one with Lord Helmet playing with his dolls and Corinel Sanders walks in on him, you'll just have to see what I mean, but it's the funniest scene in my opinion. But there isn't one scene that isn't funny. If you are a fan of Mel Brooks, I don't see any reason why you shouldn't love this film, it's my second favorite just behind Young Frankenstein, but that was a tough choice. I highly recommend Spaceballs for anyone, please see this film, you won't regret it.

10/10

I still like it

[Antagonisten · 6/10 · 17 October 2007]

I must have seen this movie about twenty times back in the early 1990's when it ran on cable every other month. I really remember how funny i thought it was, especially considering that many of the other things i watched were crappy science-fiction films that were also on cable then. Many people seem to think that this is a spoof of Star Wars, but really it's more a spoof of the whole science-fiction genre. Not least that low-budget crap i used to watch on TV on Sunday's, movies that i can't remember the title of and that you're not likely to see on collector's DVD any time soon.

So, how does this hold up now that i've watched it again after all this time? Well, better than i thought, that's for sure. I was afraid that this movie would be one of those i loved before but couldn't understand at all any more. But while i didn't exactly love it this time around, i still understand why i loved it back then. And there are still a few really good laughs here. Not least when it comes to Rick Moranis Darth Vader-spoof "Dark Helmet". A few of the scenes with him (and his whole appearance) still make me laugh.

Aside from the science-fiction theme this is mostly regular Mel Brooks-fare. I've always had two major problems with him. First of all the fact that he always mixes really funny stuff with horribly dated and boring scenes. Second of all i'm no fan of Brooks acting. Many times his characters are among the least funny in the movie, and sometimes when he gives himself a lot of room, that can be a problem.

In general though this movie is generally quite funny. It's far from one of Brooks greatest (Blazing Saddles is my favorite and it's light years better, if you'll excuse the pun), but it still holds it's own and is superior to many of his later movies. It feels a bit dated and the pace is far from today's quick-paced comedies. But in general i still like it. 6/10.

Yuks in "Space"...

[Mister-6 · 9/10 · 9 February 2000]

Leave it to Mel Brooks; no one else could make a space movie with references to "The Wizard of Oz", "The Godfather", Mr. Coffee and flying Winnebagos.

"Spaceballs" is just about the best post-"History of the World Part I" film Mel has made and that's saying something, considering how many great jokes Mel and Company is able to pull off while within PG territory.

Easy enough to guess that this is Mel's take on "Star Wars", complete with his own versions of C-3P0 (Dot Matrix), Princess Leia (Princess Vespa), Chewbacca (Barf the Mawg) and a combination of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker (LoneStarr).

Oh, and let's not forget Dark Helmet! The very embodiment of evil (Mel Brooks-style) who not only wears a black cloak and headpiece but also a stylishly-wide black tie. And when he strikes...it's usually not above the belt.

The gags come fast and furious and, as is usually the case, all the regular faces show up (Graham, DeLuise, Van Patten) and Mel gives it all he's got. Lots of space sagas get equal ribbing (the "Star Wars" trilogy, "Alien", "Planet of the Apes") and there isn't a cliche that Mel fails to notice.

You can't blame Mel Brooks for thinking this genre needed a good skewering. He started it in "History of the World" with his "Jews in Space" coming attraction and continues it here. My only complaint: Mel, why did you have to wait so long??

Eight stars, plus a half star more for Pizza the Hutt; I loved it, especially when the pepperoni started running. Also for President Skroob's (Brooks') comment after being mis-transported ("Why didn't somebody tell me my a** was so big??").

Okay, nine stars. Mel Brooks strikes back!

George Lucas Laughed at this

[view_and_review · 7/10 · 6 June 2014]

They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery. It's the 1980's and the Star Wars trilogy is a mega success as was Michael Jackson. With a movie franchise that successful and a pop artist that successful you must parody the two. Enter Mel Brooks and Weird Al Yankovich, but this review isn't about the song "Eat it."

Spaceballs was truly funny. In fact, it is a parody that other parodies should model themselves after. Many parodies overdo it and exaggerate things so much that it's not funny but just awkward. Spaceballs had a nice mix of slapstick humor and funny characters. The casting was supreme with Rick Moranis playing Dark Helmet, John Candy playing Barf, and even Mel Brooks as Yogurt. This was a spoof that George Lucas had to laugh at.

Of course it is my dear... I guarantee it!

[thrasyllus · 10/10 · 17 November 2005]

A joyous, hilarious fairy-tale (which just happens to be set in a galaxy resembling one far, far away, a long time ago)! Many cheap, childish, utterly irresistible gags. Special effects of sufficient quality that they don't distract. Excellent ensemble acting with Rick Moranis a real highlight. And a space Winnebago...

One of Mr. Brooks's finest efforts! When the cod-seriousness of Episodes I, II and III gets too much for you, just imagine Mace Windu with his Schwartz tangled and pop this movie on.

Now, it's getting a bit stuffy in here so I'm off to inhale some delightful Perri-air.

Silly satire based on Star Wars

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 9 December 2018]

Released in 1987, Mel Brooks' "Spaceballs" parodies the Star Wars flicks and includes jokes based on Star Trek, "Lawrence of Arabia," "Alien" and "Planet of the Apes."

Some people hate this film, but it works for what it is: a totally goofy spoof. It's consistently amusing with several laugh-out-loud bits and memorable lines.

The cast is notable, highlighted by John Candy as Barf, Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, Brooks as Yogurt, and Joan Rivers' voice as Dot Matrix. The rest are good too (Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz, etc.).

The film runs 1 hour, 36 minutes.

GRADE: B

Very funny "Star Wars" spoof

[jhaggardjr · 9/10 · 15 June 2000]

"Spaceballs" is one of my favorite Mel Brooks comedies. Brooks has made some of the funniest movies of our time ("The Producers", "Brazing Saddles", "High Anxiety", etc.) and I think "Spaceballs" is up there in the same league. This film spoofs the "Star Wars" movies in general, but there's also references to "Star Trek", "Alien", and "Planet of the Apes" just to name a few. The actors are all very funny, with Brooks in two roles: President Skroob and Yogurt (his version of Yoda); the late John Candy as Barf the mawg (half man, half dog); Rick Moranis as the Darth Vader clone Dark Helmet; Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, the Luke Skywalker takeoff; Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, similar to Princess Leia; and Dot Matrix, the robot with the voice of Joan Rivers who's obviously in the C-3P0 role. There's plenty of silly gags throughout "Spaceballs", and I laughed most of the time. Very funny, entertaining sci-fi comedy from one of the great comedic filmmakers of all time.

***1/2 (out of four)

Comedy classic

[grantss · 7/10 · 1 March 2017]

Good parody of Star Wars. Hilariously funny at times, though very silly at times too. Probably the movie that set the standard for movie parodies. Ultimately doesn't just spoof Star Wars - Alien gets a shot, as well as Planet of the Apes. Contains the trademark Mel Brooks slapstick and plays on words and names.

Decent performances from an all-star cast (some of whom weren't stars at the time, but are now): Mel Brooks (of course), Rick Moranis, John Candy, Bill Pullman, Daphne Zuniga, Dick van Patten, and Joan Rivers' voice. Probably the only good movie Bill Pullman has acted in. Also has John Hurt in a very minor role.

A comedy classic.

Spacebad

[leningrad-cowboy · 1/10 · 23 December 2015]

I watched Spaceballs a second time yesterday because I thought there must be something to it. I didn't like it the first time and I hate it even more the second time I watched it. Maybe I just don't understand this movie. Is it too smart, too deep, too complicated? Is it funny because it is supposed to be bad? It was just plain awful, I couldn't stand keeping my eyes open. Kept thinking "please just press this stupid self-destruct-button already and be done with it." If I didn't watch it in the cinema (80ies special) with my friends, I would have stopped watching after half an hour. I was trying very hard to laugh at the "jokes". I just couldn't do it.

Instead of Jabba the Hut, his name was Pizza the Hut- OMG Yoda is Yoghurt- Jesus Comb the desert!- they are literally combing the desert- HAHAHAA May the Schwartz be with you- Is "Schwartz" suppose to mean something I don't get? Is it funny because it doesn't mean something? Is it funny because it sounds like "Schwanz"?

For me it is really important in a movie to have likable characters. In this movie I didn't care for any of them. Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet was a good choice for this roll though, but all the other characters should have a self-destruct-button to press.

The laughs increased or me after a "Star Wars" marathon.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 13 March 2023]

Altering my rating points up two notches years after hitting the middle of those ten white stars, it can be attributed to the number of laughs increasing as a result of watching the first three films in the "Star Wars" films. Certainly not all the intended gags land as expected, but in parodying not only the saga of the Jedi's but other space based Sci fi movies TV shows, three quarters of the gags results in snicker or giggle of some kind. Not every character is accurately defined by their "Star Wars" character, particularly the spoiled Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) who is nothing like the strong willed but no nonsense Princess Leia. Bill Pullman helps the producer save money by playing a combination of both Luke skywalker and Hans Solo, and is perfectly adept in his role. I didn't care for Zuniga who overemotes while everyone else plays their roles only slightly tongue-in-cheek but seriously. Zuniga seems to be holding in a laugh, and that is unfortunately distracting.

Being a Mel Brooks movie, it has to feature Brooks and he plays two roles, including a parody of Yoda. John Candy gets a few giggles as the Chewbacca takeoff, but it's Joan Rivers who gets genuine laughs spoofing C3PO. After a while, I forgot it was someone else under the metal costume. Rick Moranis gets laughs as the Darth Vader ripoff, simply by his height and his Napoleon complex attitude. Smaller roles (Dick Van Patten as the king, John Hurt hysterically spoofing his "Alien" character's demise, George Wyner as a parody of Peter Cushing) are good too. The inside Hollywood jokes (spoofing the home video industry and product tie-ins) won't appeal to everyone, being a bit dated, but those who love the "Star Wars" films will be very amused. Brooks utilizes his typical depreciating humor, with the Yogurt intro definitely a "Wizard Oz" reference. So with laughs up for my first viewing in years, I'm able to write a better review than had I watched it without "Star Wars" tie-in.

Who You Gonna Call -------- Spaceballs

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 7 February 2010]

There are some that say Mel Brooks's best satire is Spaceballs. Personally I like The Producers, but I'd never argue with anyone who holds out for this gut splitting comedy which uses both subtle satire and heavy bellylaughs drilled into the viewer with the skill and speed of one writing with light saber pen.

The main object of the satire is the original Star Wars movie, but during the course of the film Brooks took a shot at The Wizard Of Oz, The Bridge On The River Kwai, Lawrence Of Arabia, Planet Of The Apes and Alien and a few others I could name if I thought about it. The man does know his film history.

All is happy on the planet Druidia where King Dick Van Patten is eagerly awaiting the wedding of his daughter Princess Daphne Zuniga to her intended bridegroom, the eager Prince Valium played by Jim J. Bullock. But evil forces in the galaxy are afoot, the planet Spaceballs has a permanently polluted atmosphere and its President Skroob and his aides Colonel Sanders and Dark Helmet played respectively by Mel Brooks, George Wyner, and Rick Moranis have hatched a scheme to kidnap the princess and suck the atmosphere out of Druidia and take it back to Spaceballs.

They look like they just might succeed, but a Han Solo like character Lonestar (Bill Pullman)and his faithful half man, half dog companion John Candy pull off a rescue, but they are hunted people now throughout the galaxy. All seems lost, but fate has directed them to a desert like planet where they meet up with Yoda who acquaints them with the most potent force in the universe, the all powerful Schwartz.

The gags come so fast and furious that if you pop a kernel of popcorn in your mouth you could miss a gem. The performances are letter perfect and Brooks gives everyone in the cast his own bit or two. I forgot to mention Joan Rivers who is the voice of a C3PO character called Dot Matrix, companion to Zuniga the Druish princess complete with virgin alarm. And watch out if you mess with Zuniga's hair.

If I had to name a favorite it would be Rick Moranis playing Dark Helmet. When the helmet is down it's a James Earl Jones like voice that emerges, deep and sinister. When the helmet comes up all you see is Rick Moranis and it looks like it wasn't just the kids that got shrunk.

Spaceballs is a film that can be enjoyed by folks who love good comedy and for science fiction fans who don't take themselves too seriously. For someone like Mel Brooks to please both those crowds is really something.

Not Bad

[comedyfan71 · 6/10 · 24 November 2023]

This is one of the most iconic Mel Brooks films, and it's not bad.

It's a parody of the most famous sci-fi film franchise ever, Star Wars. It also parodies some other sci-fi films like Ailen.

It does have a fairly dated feel to it, although in fairness it is 36 years old. But I've never been keen on its effects or the general look of the film, even when it was freshly released. The production values of Young Frankenstein for instance, seem a fair bit higher to me despite the difference in release years. Quite a number of the jokes now fall flat and it has not aged the best. Obviously seeing the Star Wars films helps but you'll still find a few laughs without having seen any of them. The jokes involving fourth wall breaks such as when they watch the tape of Spaceballs are funny, but half of the gags just seem to fail. Very hit and miss for me.

The acting is generally alright if not exceptional, it's always nice to see the late John Candy, who plays 'Barf' here, half-man, half-dog...

Overall though I don't mind the film and there are various funny scenes, especially those involving Rick Moranis. I do prefer Galaxy Quest to this film as far as sci-fi comedies go though. If you see this being shown on TV then I would watch it but if not then I would recommend some of the other Mel Brooks films first: Blazing Saddles for example.

6.5\10.

Mel Brooks at His Shameless, Unrestrained Best

[drqshadow-reviews · 8/10 · 8 August 2011]

A classic remnant from the tail end of Mel Brooks's manic, pun-drenched peak. It may not be as smart as The Producers or as complete as Blazing Saddles, but it's every bit as funny as anything he's ever made and that's saying something. Its light-handed approach to storytelling, where the jokes come first and the plot developments are a distant second, is actually very similar to 1981's History of the World, Part I - which should be no surprise, as they're back-to-back in his sequential catalog. Rick Moranis, Bill Pullman and John Candy really come to life in their roles as not-so-subtle parodies of Darth Vader, Han Solo and Chewbacca, respectively, with Moranis in particular somehow getting deep laughs out of lines so cheesy a Taco Bell nacho would flinch. As dumb comedies go it's a heavyweight champion, so infinitely quotable that my buddies and I had to enforce a strict "one Spaceballs reference per day" policy back in school to keep things from getting out of hand. Absurdly stupid fun.

Spaceballs: The IMDB Review

[Ltufano23 · 7/10 · 20 November 2023]

Picking up on the phenomenon of Star Wars, Mel Brooks draws from a cleverly comical take on the starboard fantasy. Spaceballs goes above and beyond the lazy parody films of the 2000's and truly figures out where the deepest cuts and jokes could come from. Over 35 years since its release, although they don't all land, most of the jokes can still crack up a crowd and bury themselves deep in your brain to be endlessly quoted. With an incredibly endearing cast, it's hard to pin down a favorite character as they all wonderfully fill their roles. Delightfully charming, ridiculously quotable, and remarkably clever, Spaceballs delivers one of the most memorable parody films.

One of the best spoofs out there

[Leofwine_draca · 8/10 · 11 January 2016]

SPACEBALLS was a childhood favourite of mine and I'm pleased to see that it still holds up today for audiences. It's a loving spoof of the whole STAR WARS franchise with Mel Brooks on top form as he mercilessly ribs George Lucas for his addition to merchandising, ridiculous costumes, plot elements, and the like. That SPACEBALLS also tells its own entertaining story that holds up as a stand-alone adventure is testament to its effectiveness. Strong production values and fun effects only add to the experience.

The cast is a superior one with the highlights including Joan Rivers as 'Dot Matrix' and the lovably goofy John Candy playing a half-man, half-dog. Rick Moranis really shines though in his best role as 'Dark Helmet' and many of his scenes are the funniest the film has to offer; also watch out for Mel Brooks's scene-stealing 'Yogurt'. The laughs come thick and fast and not all of them are funny, but when the film hits it really hits; the scenes involving instant video cassettes and breaking the fourth wall are the funniest. My overall highlight though has to be John Hurt's cameo, which is the icing on an already splendid cake.

Brook's best work...

[brando647 · 7/10 · 11 December 2005]

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...

A Groovy Film

[Elgroovio · 10/10 · 19 May 2004]

This film is stupid, pointless and has got to be one of the best comedies in existence alongside "Monsters, inc.". If you're feeling low, this film will cheer you up unbelievably. "May the Schwartz be with you". It has an endless line of rib-cracking gags ("Let's jam the catapult" says a character at a certain stage in the film. they then toss a jar of jam at the catapult. Another great gag is when the bad guys are chasing after the good guys, instead of going at light speed they go at "ludicrous" speed. Every space film you could think of is spoofed in this film, from "Planet Of The Apes" to "Star Wars". There's even a spoof of "It Happened one Night" (the bride running away from the wedding). Whether the weather is cold or hot see this film, and remember, if the combination on your suitcase is 1,2,3,4 you had better change it. Enjoy!

Star Wars farce is so good-natured its hard not to like.

[Ben_Cheshire · 7/10 · 27 June 2004]

Spaceballs won me over in a succession of three scenes in chapter 10 of the DVD. Yoghurt (played by Brooks, sending up Yoda) has a line that everybody thinks, but it expresses it so eloquently its just perfect. The young hero (Bill Pullman) asks Yoghurt, as he's about to get on his spaceship, "will we meet again?"

Yoghurt says "Who knows. God willing, we'll all meet again in Spaceballs II: Da Search for More Money," (in a Jewish accent, like a Yiddish wiseman).

We cut straight to Rick Moranis, playing Lord Dark Helmet. Camera behind his huge helmet. We hear him talking to Princess Leia, i mean Vespa, telling her what he will do to her if she doesn't talk. The camera pans slowly around the reveal that he's not talking to the princess, but playing with some dolls/action figures of the characters of the film. Its a terrific, precious scene. Watch the light on the desk wobbling as Helmet gets so excited he's shaking the desk. The scene closes with the light wobbling for comic effect.

Cut to a closeup of a toilet role in President Scroob (great name, great character, played by Brooks)'s bathroom. On the toilet role is printed "Official Spaceballs Toilet Paper." Camera pans up to reveal Scroob pissing and a video monitor covering the wall in front of the toilet suddenly turns on, shocking the heck out of him.

"Ah!" Scroob says, "I told you not to call me on this wall. This is an unlisted wall."

*

As soon as I saw this toilet paper was merchandise for the movie, juxtaposed with the scene where Helmet was playing with action figures (ie, merchandise), i knew i'd fallen in love with this movie.

From this point on, Brooks can do no wrong: "Permit me to introduce the young plastic surgeon Dr Phillip Schlodkin - the greatest nosejob man in the entire universe... and Beverly Hills."

Brooks' performances are actually great in this. Better than Blazing Saddles and Silent Movie, in my opinion.

I'll warn you, the video cover makes it look shoddy - you get the feeling this will be the Mel Brooks movie people find it chic to say "what a misfire," and the first fifteen minutes of the movie, including John Candy's ridiculous costume which sends up Chewy in Star Wars, seem to confirm this suspicion. Like Silent Movie, its a send-up of a genre, but Brooks really just uses this as a sounding-off board for his own farcical comedy. I find these movies more Mel-Brooks comedies than spoofs. Although this one contains quite a bit of great satire of the money-grabbing nature of Star Wars and more.

John Candy fans will not be pleased - he's fairly annoying in this, and not the best part of the movie. For everyone else, this is great bedtime viewing fun. 7/10.

Mel Brooks' humor begins its downfall

[MyDarkStar · 3/10 · 14 April 2004]

Having grown up with Star Wars as a child & being introduced to Mel Brooks films as a young teen, this movie seemed like a dream match when it was announced in my late teens. I mean, Mel Brooks was going to make a spoof of Star Wars !

It had been a while since the last Mel Brooks movie, and even though History of the world Part I was not even close to what I had come to regard as up to par for a Mel Brooks film, I was excited over all of the possibilities that Star Wars would provide for Mel Brooks' parody. But I soon realized in the theater that this is simply not a funny movie. The humor in this is so shallow & unimaginative that I still have trouble believing that this came from the same person who brought us Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Those films featured witty and clever type of slapstick comedy. It was the type of comedy that knows no time period. At times those films would incorporate risque humor that actually worked. Here, Mel Brooks' comedy seems so umimaginative. It's grammer school kid humor. He actually spoofed the Jabba the Hut character with a character named Pizza the Hut...and for as stupid as that sounds, it's even more idiotic & unfunny on the screen. It's just not funny. What was once Brooks' risque mind is now pre-puberty humor : "My schwartz is bigger than yours." I remember sitting in the theater just waiting - HOPING - for a scene that would even hint at the genius of Blazing Saddles & Young Frankenstein. There isn't one in this film.

Even the cast is hopelessly unhappy. Jim Candy, Rick Moranis, and Bill Pullman seem poised for humor - but everything that comes out of their mouths is just predictable & childish. Every character in this film seems like it was conceived within a 5 minute idea session where all the writers and Brooks got together & said things like "What's a good spoof for Darth Vader ? How about um....Lord Dark Helmet ! HAHAHA ! Yha we'll use that ! So, what's a good idea for Chewbacca ? How about a half dog/half man character ? YHA ! Let's use that ! What should we name him ? How about something stupid like Barf ? Yha ! Let's do that !"

There is such a wealth of material to spoof in Star wars that I still can't believe someone (especially Mel Brooks) could make such a shallow spoof such as this. What I had hoped would be a return to form for Brooks turned out to be confirmation that his comedic ability had indeed seen its best days. AFter this, Brooks only made more and more hopelessly tired spoofs such as Robin Hood : Men In Tights, and Dracula : Dead and Loving It. Mel Brooks' humor is indeed gone. Nowadays when I see him make guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm he seems like that old uncle who tries to make all the kids laugh at family get togethers. The uncle was probably a funny kid back in high school - but now the years have caught up with him & his humor is just tired, dated, and boring.

They've gone to plaid!

[TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews · 7/10 · 2 May 2012]

The titular Spaceballs have destroyed the atmosphere of their own planet, so they're running out of air. They have set their sights on Druidia, which has plenty of it. There's a barrier protecting it, that they'll need the code to, from the King. They're going to take his daughter hostage and force him to reveal it. Fortunately, he asks Lone Starr(Bill Pullman, whose proper acting talent lends the dramatic scenes of this a little gravitas, so you get engaged... and he's a combination of Han and Luke... mainly the former) to rescue her(promising to pay them the money they need to settle their debt with Pizza The Hutt), and though he and the Druish princess(...yeah, you got it) start out resenting each other as opposites, they may just find themselves falling for each other. He brings along Barf(John Candy, who's like Chewie), the mog(one half man, the other one dog... he's his own best friend), and she, Dot, the female version of C3PO(yeah, it... doesn't change much about him), so a golden robot, a maid, voiced by Joan Rivers. Almost every major concept from Star Wars, and scenes straight from the first one, are spoofed(along with ST and various movies). Nearly every joke and gag is funny, and at its best, which is at least a third of this, it is impossibly hilarious. There is silliness, slapstick, wordplay, and breaking the fourth wall material(in fact, this has the best of such that I've seen committed to film). As the Darth Vader, we have Rick Moranis as the tiny, order-barking insecure dictator who overcompensates by having a huge helmet. The characters aren't bad, and there are sort of arcs to a couple of them. This having a proper, if simple and clichéd, plot, helps its rewatchability. Even if you stripped all the humor, stuff would be going on. The story is actually basically a fairie tale that is set in the SW universe. There is a bit of disturbing content and sexually suggestive stuff, as well as a moderate amount of strong language in this. The DVD comes with a theatrical trailer. I recommend this to every fan of parody. 7/10

Time for a nice, fun space-out!

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 8 May 2006]

It seemed obvious for a long time that someone would do a "Star Wars" spoof, and it seems that only Mel Brooks could do it. "Spaceballs" starts off by showing us a spaceship...for a very long time. Then, we learn that the planet Spaceballs has used up all its air. So, Pres. Skroob (Mel Brooks) has sent the ultra-evil, ultra-dork Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) to kidnap Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the planet Druidia to extort their air.

Fear not! There are two people who can save her: space-traveling everyman Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog, half-human friend Barf (John Candy, and the character is his own best friend!). And they do it by jamming Dark Helmet's radar...with real jam.

From there, the whole thing is typical Mel Brooks stuff, with a gag every minute and parts where they admit that they're in a movie. I think that my favorite part is when they watch "Spaceballs: The Movie" ("But we're barely halfway through making it!"). But the scene where John Hurt spoofs one of his most famous scenes is also something. A laugh riot from beginning to end. Also starring Dom DeLuise, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, and the voice of Joan Rivers.

May the Schwartz be with us all!