Tweet
Loved this movie since I was a little kid. Rewatched it today. On an unrelated note, remind me to change the combination on my luggage.
They don't make spoofs like they used to. Like, seriously, they don't. This film was written on two levels. One was a pure satire of space movie clichés. The other was to provide young people with a pure fantasy adventure. If you take out all of the jokes, you're left with a space adventure story. Mel Brooks took a genre and turned it on its head, like in a lot of his movies. Like with Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Take the jokes out of those two movies, and you've got a straightforward Frankenstein movie and a western movie.
The core for the parody is, of course, Star Wars (hence, why I'm posting this here). At the same time, Brooks (and co-writers Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan) has been creative about it. Instead of one Luke Skywalker parody and/or one Han Solo parody, they've combined those two character into one. They've also given him a secret origin (that he's actually a prince), different from what either Luke or Han had. Setting him apart from the two characters that he's a parody of/inspired by.
The plot of the episode doesn't involve Death Star pastiche plans. Instead, Brooks and co-writers have devised their own plot, where the villains are out to steal 10,000 years of fresh air from another planet. While the villains have their super weapon, in the form of the Mega Maid, it's distinct from the Death Star. It doesn't blow up planets... like the two Death Stars, Starkiller Base and all of those star destroyers in Rise of Skywalker. It's interesting when a Star Wars parody is more creative than a Star Wars sequel trilogy.
There is a C-3PO parody with Dot Matrix, but no R2 parody. Yogurt lives on a desert planet, not a swamp planet (like Yoda). The leader of the villains is a President, not an Emperor. Eagle 5 is visibly distinct from the Millenium Falcon (which actually cameos in the movie).
Dark Helmet and Lone Star refers to Vespa as a "Druish princess". I know that it wasn't their intention, but Vespa is a parody of Princess Leia, who was played by a half-Jewish actress (with another Jewish actress later playing her mother, in the prequels). I connected that in my head. Like I said, I know that it wasn't their intention. I just found the unintended connection amusing. It's like in the 1992 film Chaplin, where Robert Downey, Jr. goes to the wardrobe department to create Chaplin's famous Tramp character. Mack Sennett (Dan Aykroyd) gets annoyed, with how long Chaplin's taking, and asks: "What he putting on in there? A suit of armor?" (it's funny now).
I like Lone Star's line "When did we get to Disneyland?". Naturally, Star Tours had just started in January of 1987. Though, in retrospect, linking Disney and Star Wars becomes funny. Like Mel Brooks predicted the future.
On a minor note, one of the Dinks (Jawas parody) is played by Tony Cox. Who played in Ewok in Return of the Jedi, Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor. So they did get an actual Star Wars actor in this.
John Hurt reprises his iconic role. No, not Quentin Crisp, Kane from Alien. With obvious parodies of some other Nostromo crew members present. Love Hurt's line: "Oh, no, not again". Naturally, this film came out the year after the second Alien movie... the second of many. Subtle jab at the repetition of sequels. Of course, there was also a newscaster talking about "Rocky 5,000". Oh, and Yogurt's line that he might meet Lone Star again in "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money". A more direct jab at sequels.
They poke fun at merchandising throughout the film, with Spaceballs merchandise present in many scenes. Then one scene, where they do a bit more focused on merchandising. A matter that's only become more topical with time. A lot of stuff is done by companies, to sell toys. Batman & Robin is one of the most noteworthy examples, where the studio brought in toy companies during the design stage. So that they could fill the film with stuff, that they could make toys out of. Chris O'Donnell's even descriped making the film as it feeling like he was shooting a toy commercial. I remember when trailers for Iron Man 3 came out, with clips where all of those 40+ Iron Man suits shows up. I wasn't amazed. Instead, my first thought was "and there is an action figure for each of them" and I rolled my eyes. Of course, these days, a lot of toys aren't even made with kids in mind, but adult collectors.
While a Spaceballs 2 was never made, they did do a short lived animated series in 2008.
They don't make spoofs like they used to. Like, seriously, they don't. This film was written on two levels. One was a pure satire of space movie clichés. The other was to provide young people with a pure fantasy adventure. If you take out all of the jokes, you're left with a space adventure story. Mel Brooks took a genre and turned it on its head, like in a lot of his movies. Like with Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Take the jokes out of those two movies, and you've got a straightforward Frankenstein movie and a western movie.
The core for the parody is, of course, Star Wars (hence, why I'm posting this here). At the same time, Brooks (and co-writers Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan) has been creative about it. Instead of one Luke Skywalker parody and/or one Han Solo parody, they've combined those two character into one. They've also given him a secret origin (that he's actually a prince), different from what either Luke or Han had. Setting him apart from the two characters that he's a parody of/inspired by.
The plot of the episode doesn't involve Death Star pastiche plans. Instead, Brooks and co-writers have devised their own plot, where the villains are out to steal 10,000 years of fresh air from another planet. While the villains have their super weapon, in the form of the Mega Maid, it's distinct from the Death Star. It doesn't blow up planets... like the two Death Stars, Starkiller Base and all of those star destroyers in Rise of Skywalker. It's interesting when a Star Wars parody is more creative than a Star Wars sequel trilogy.
There is a C-3PO parody with Dot Matrix, but no R2 parody. Yogurt lives on a desert planet, not a swamp planet (like Yoda). The leader of the villains is a President, not an Emperor. Eagle 5 is visibly distinct from the Millenium Falcon (which actually cameos in the movie).
Dark Helmet and Lone Star refers to Vespa as a "Druish princess". I know that it wasn't their intention, but Vespa is a parody of Princess Leia, who was played by a half-Jewish actress (with another Jewish actress later playing her mother, in the prequels). I connected that in my head. Like I said, I know that it wasn't their intention. I just found the unintended connection amusing. It's like in the 1992 film Chaplin, where Robert Downey, Jr. goes to the wardrobe department to create Chaplin's famous Tramp character. Mack Sennett (Dan Aykroyd) gets annoyed, with how long Chaplin's taking, and asks: "What he putting on in there? A suit of armor?" (it's funny now).
I like Lone Star's line "When did we get to Disneyland?". Naturally, Star Tours had just started in January of 1987. Though, in retrospect, linking Disney and Star Wars becomes funny. Like Mel Brooks predicted the future.
On a minor note, one of the Dinks (Jawas parody) is played by Tony Cox. Who played in Ewok in Return of the Jedi, Caravan of Courage and Battle for Endor. So they did get an actual Star Wars actor in this.
John Hurt reprises his iconic role. No, not Quentin Crisp, Kane from Alien. With obvious parodies of some other Nostromo crew members present. Love Hurt's line: "Oh, no, not again". Naturally, this film came out the year after the second Alien movie... the second of many. Subtle jab at the repetition of sequels. Of course, there was also a newscaster talking about "Rocky 5,000". Oh, and Yogurt's line that he might meet Lone Star again in "Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money". A more direct jab at sequels.
They poke fun at merchandising throughout the film, with Spaceballs merchandise present in many scenes. Then one scene, where they do a bit more focused on merchandising. A matter that's only become more topical with time. A lot of stuff is done by companies, to sell toys. Batman & Robin is one of the most noteworthy examples, where the studio brought in toy companies during the design stage. So that they could fill the film with stuff, that they could make toys out of. Chris O'Donnell's even descriped making the film as it feeling like he was shooting a toy commercial. I remember when trailers for Iron Man 3 came out, with clips where all of those 40+ Iron Man suits shows up. I wasn't amazed. Instead, my first thought was "and there is an action figure for each of them" and I rolled my eyes. Of course, these days, a lot of toys aren't even made with kids in mind, but adult collectors.
While a Spaceballs 2 was never made, they did do a short lived animated series in 2008.