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 vs.
deception, friendship, courage, and self-sacrifice. There are
definite signs of intelligent life on this planet.
