GALAXY QUEST

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: innuendo, language, violence

Rated:

A number of years ago, the Star Trek franchise literally took over the industry, spinning off cheap copycat movies and miniseries and creating a loyal following. Galaxy Quest is a quip-filled satire about just such an American preoccupation, a well-timed and deserved dig toward sci-fi. In short, it's comedy at its finest... meaningful and yet hilarious. If you can resist laughing over the out-of-this-world antics of this insane crew (made up of Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tim Allen, among others) you're made of tough stuff.

In the early seventies, the Galaxy Quest television show was at the top of the ratings. Now twenty years later, the cast and crew are making guest appearances for mall openings, photo ops, and late night programming... even though their show has been canceled. The crew, made up of beautiful Gwen (Weaver), the inner-space Fred (Tony Shalhoub), Guy the "expendable crewman" (Sam Rockwell), and Alexander (Rickman), who is on the brink of a nervous breakdown, are getting pretty fed up with their "commander," Jason Nesmith (Allen). Jason has been booking interviews and appearances to further only his own career, often leaving his fellow stars in the lurch. Arriving late and unaware of how his attitude is effecting everyone around him, Jason is blissfully ignorant of the storm about to erupt. When he overhears how laughable he is and that his "friends" are furious with him in the bathroom, he looses it in front of a fan and heads home to get drunk, completely forgetting the appointment he's made with some strange-looking television people.

The next morning they show up on his doorstep, asking him to be their commander in a battle against Zurg, an evil alien who has threatened their native planet and wiped out many of their people. Jason think it's all a game and agrees... but wakes up on board one of the most "extensive sets" he's ever seen. After firing missiles at Zurg, he asks to be sent home. It's only after he's gelled and blasted into space that he realizes that none of the past hour's events was a game... it was real. Naturally, his "space adventure" is met with skepticism by his friends and fellow costars. Alexander is convinced that his arch-rival has finally gone off the deep end. Gwen is concerned for his mental health. Fred and Guy? They couldn't care less. But when Jason's "aliens" show up again pleading for help, the entire Galaxy Quest team agrees to come on board, little realizing the potential threat. For you see, the aliens have mistaken the TV program for "historical documents" of actual flights and battles that they have won. Zurg doesn't play nice.

Galaxy Quest takes some time to sink in. If you can sit back and laugh at it you'll love it. If you find yourself analyzing it or trying to take it seriously you'll find yourself in alien goo. The first time I saw this film I wasn't too happy with it. It didn't appeal to me on any scale, yet made huge fans of many of my friends and family. It was only later I began to enjoy it for what it was -- sarcasm to the max. The characters themselves are part of what makes Galaxy Quest so much fun. The snotty self-obsessed Jason, the lovely if dumb blonde Gwen, the laid-back Fred, the hypochondriac Guy (who is convinced at every turn that he's going to be obliterated) and Alexander, who will kill someone if he has to repeat his infamous tagline "one more time." Then there are the aliens. And the spaceship. And the catty arguments between the crew. There's green goo, nasty-looking bad guys, and a few jokes on Star Wars.

There's also some content to be wary of. The language is usually mild except for one use of "God d--n" ("screwed" is also used several times: aka, "We are SO screwed, man!"). Sensuality consists of Jason walking around in just a shirt (part of his bare backside is seen, it's implied that the aliens see his rear end) and cleavage on the part of Gwen, whose blouse gets ripped fifteen minutes before the end. (Her bra is partially visible.) Violence is usual standard fare. Aliens are shot at, blown up, sucked inside out, and tortured. People are zapped with electrical stunners. An alien's head is briefly seen on a pike. Childlike beings turn on one another with evil intentions. A human-like alien is shot and killed. There's some fist fighting (as a diversion). Most of it's lightweight and played for laughs. I loved Alexander's constant berating of Jason and Guy's panic attacks. There are also great elements of truth vrs. deception, friendship, courage, and self-sacrifice. There are definite signs of intelligent life on this planet.