Rating: Summary: Excellent ! Review: The basic plot - Five actors from the science fiction TV show "Galaxy Quest" are mistaken by some outer space fans as being heroes. Their television captain (Tim Allen) is captured and placed to negotiate with a megalomaniac terrorist bent on destroying the universe. The negotiation is a huge success and the captain is sent back to earth thinking it's merely a hangover. Until he finds out that it was real and they need him again. He decides to take his fellow cast members on the adventure of their lives and prove that he truly is a great leader and not a drunk. Galaxy Quest is one those complicated premise comedies that delivers on so many levels and makes you howl with laughter. Not for one minute of this film do the stars think they should leave their television personality and become an independent thinking person. That's what makes this so funny and original. With the huge success of "Star Trek", why not have the actual actors take the adventure instead of their fictional counterparts. Tim Allen breaks out of the mold as "Disney/sitcom father" and takes a chance here. What we get is a little mix of "Buzz Light-year" and William Shatner. He is great as the leader of this fake interstellar crew. Alan Rickman also stars as a fake alien who doesn't want to play his part anymore but instead the Shakespearean actor he once was. Another scene stealer is Tony Shalhoub as the ship's engineer. He isn't positive or assure of himself as other ship engineers which bring wonderful parody to the role. Sigourney Weaver in her blonde persona is almost wasted but still it was nice to see her acting not so serious or tough. Galaxy Quest is a laugh out riot that keeps you entertained. It's been a long time since we had a comedy this smartly written. The last one I can recall is last summer's "American Pie". I look forward to seeing Tim Allen in other breakout roles. As Tim Allen says in the movie, "There are no vulnerable spots! ".
Rating: Summary: A Must See! Review: Star Trek fans will recognize a world of scenarios from Galaxy Quest and will envoke memories of ST, STNG, and even Babylon 5. Tim Allen IS Captian Kirk in a world gone commercial. The supporting cast is a perfect complement to Allen's "Commander". Subtle dialog and gestures, special effects, a well chosen cast make this movie an entertainment delight.
Rating: Summary: Fun, fun, fun Review: This movie was wonderful. A great cast and with lots of comedy and special effects. I would love to see a sequel. The absolute "goof" on trekkers (of which I am one) is perfect. A must see.
Rating: Summary: Galaxy Quest Review: Extremely Funny! If you are even vaguely familiar with the Star Trek universe or worse yet - been to a science fiction convention - you know that Galaxy Quest is bang on. Tim Allen, Siguorney Weaver and Allan Rickman deliver the goods as the down and out cast of the defunct, campy sci-fi show, Galaxy Quest. This is one the kids will like too but will wonder why their parents are laughing so hard.
Rating: Summary: Fun, Funny, Well-Written, and Well-Acted! Review: I really enjoyed Galaxy Quest! I've seen it twice now. If you are a Sci-Fi fan you will especially appreciate the parody of the original Star Trek cast. If you're not into Sci-Fi, you'll still like this movie because it's a great concept, it's really well written and the actors bring a lot of creativity to their roles. I particularly enjoyed Alan Rickman's performance as Alexander Dane, a washed-up British stage actor who shows that he has a heart. And you'll never recognize Enrico Colantoni from TV's "Just Shoot Me" because he is so masterful at creating the unique alien leader named Mathesar. Galaxy Quest is fun, funny, well-written and well-acted. Enjoy!
Rating: Summary: An good fun entertainment film. Review: This was one of the few good surprises that came out in December, last year. The film has good story which is clever and well written. Nice visual effects done by Industial Light & Magic(They also did all of the Star Trek films). Good Cast:Tim Allen(Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story Films), Sigourney Weaver(The Alien Series), Alan Rickman(Die Hard, Dogma), Tony Shalhoub(The Siege), Sam Rockwell(The Green Mile) and another cast in the supporting roles are engaging. Directed with a nice sense of humour by Dean Parisot(Home Fries) makes the film works with a lot of characters are fun to look at and some hilarous moments. Stan Winston(Aliens, The Terminator) did once again an incredible make-up and good looking alien designs. DVD has good anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1)picture quality and excellent dolby digital 5.1 sound also got the alien dubbed track for dolby surround track! is quite funny to listen. Seven deleted scenes. A small behind the scenes featurette and Omega 13, you have to watch the movie first to make it worth. Travia:In one of those deleted scenes has Dian Bachar(Baseketball, Orgamzo) has a comic scene with Tony Shalhoub. Bachar is credited as Nervous Tech Alien. Is also in the film, cast like as a extra. You can spot the actor in a couple of scenes only. Grade:B+. Panavision.
Rating: Summary: It Must Be Guys' Things Review: I have been a Star Trek fan for the longest time & for that simple reason, my girl friend never bothered watching the series with me. But then again, unknowingly, Star Trek's culture has imbedded into our day to day living. If you say phrases like "Beam Me Up, Scottie"; "Live Long & Prosper" whilst displaying the V sign, your friends just understand immediately what you're implying. Anyway, my girl friend came with me to the cinema reluctantly & she couldn't help shaking her head noticing that the cinema was filled with males especially the geeky type, something like me! Anyway, when the movie started, she couldn't help laughing her heads off with the goofy storyline. On top of the mockery of the Star Trek series, what I'm finding this movie endearing is seeing all those familiar actors from TV series such as Elliott in Just Shoot Me, Mitchell from Veronica's Closet, Tim Allen in Home Improvement, the taxi guy from Wings strutting their stuff. What's even amusing is seeing Sigourney Weaver playing a busty bimbo (a far cry from her Ripley role in Alien & sequels), & Alan Rickman virtually playing himself as an actor with English theatre background forcing himself re-enacting the role of this Spock character again & again & still, the spotlight is always taken by Tim Allen who's potraying the role of William Shatner. What's even more delightful about the movie is that in the end, good prevails over evil. The underlying themes of the movies would be the significance of teamwork, & self belief. A wonderful film to be shared with family members & friends. What's even more unbelievable is that my girl friend can't wait for the sequel, if there's any! On the sideline, Stan Winston, the special effect guy who had brought us the Alien creature is in his usual best. By the way, the space ship is as corny as ever.
Rating: Summary: MISCHIEVOUSLY CLEVER AND SLICK SCI-FI SATIRE Review: If you have seen the earlier episodes of "Futurama", you'll know how effective a cleverly done sci-fi satire can be. Galaxy Quest mines a shuttle-full of sci-fi cliches for its banter, and while I don't remember anything laugh-out-loud rip-roarious, there is a good deal of congenial charm that permeates throughout. Which makes it a perfect family flick to watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Apart from the spoof gags, what took me by surprise were the superb special effects, as octopodal aliens morph effortlessly into humans and back again in articulately designed space (the interior of the spaceship itself borrowed its staid cardboard looks from Star Trek of yore, perhaps as an intentional sardonic effect) Overall, the film's affection for its audience (especially those weaned on Lost in Space, or The Next Generation, etc) and for the characters it parodies covers up for the gaping blackholes in its highly implausible and goofy plotline. Great rental, and even a good buy because it lends itself easily to repeat viewing.
Rating: Summary: Stunning parody. Review: Those are the best two words to describe Galaxy Quest. Another good phrase would be "one of the best movies Dreamworks has produced so far". It's been a long time since I've seen a parody film hit its intended targets with such accuracy and finesse. The movie deals with the crew of the Protector, a spaceship that exists only in reruns of the strangely familiar early 80's ensemble SF TV show Galaxy Quest. Exiled to mall shows and science-fiction fan conventions, they live out their days signing autographs for fanatical, show-quoting groupies until they're propositioned by some rather distinctive "fans" for a very special mission... What ensues is an incredibly fun skewering of the whole Star Trek experience, effortlessly bouncing from knowing parody to rollicking action to heartfelt emotion. And it's all headed by a top-flight cast led by Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith/Commander Peter Quincy Taggart. Aiding and abeting him is his flouncy blonde side-kick, played by...Sigourney Weaver! This brilliant casting coup alone should tip you off to the film-makers' attitude towards the subject matter. Also present is Alan Rickman in an incredible turn as the token alien cast member who longs to return to Shakespeare, Tony Shalhoub as the boggled engineer, and Daryl Mitchell as the cute kid who is now all grown up. But as good as the human cast is, they fade into the background whenever they interact with the true aliens of the picture, the Thermanians. Masking their true squidlike form in a human disquise, they lurch across the screen speaking in stretched and strangled accents with ever-present goofy grins on their faces. It matters not if you're a bred-in-the-bone Trekkie or wouldn't know a Mark I phaser if it jumped up and stunned you...there is just so much to enjoy here. It probably does help if you're at least familiar with the source of the various in-jokes contained within, but Galaxy Quest is careful to surround its Trekian pokes with a surprisingly touching story of personal redemption. Sure there are plot holes the size of black holes, and the motivations for the aliens' actions are as vaporous as a plasma cloud. But this is one of those movies that revels in its own wonderous creations so much that you really just don't give a damn about blasted logic. Hurry to the video store today, a video gem like this comes around about as often as Halley's Comet.
Rating: Summary: Wonderful Spoof Of Both Trek AND Trekkies! Review: Dean Parisot's GALAXY QUEST (1999) was released at around the same time as some very big, high-profile, Oscar-nominated films during the Holiday season, advertising itself as the light in the midst of all the dark. Starring Tin Allen, who at that time had starred in films ranging only from cute (THE SANTA CLAUSE--1994, TOY STORY--1995) to lame (JUNGLE 2 JUNGLE, FOR RICHER OR POORER, both 1997), I had the sickening feeling from the trailer that this would prove to be the latter. I was encouraged by the presence of Sigourney Weaver, although unsure of her blond-bimbo role, Tony Shalhoub and Alan Rickman. But still, I wasn't sure... That is, until I began reading the reviews, and then saw the film as soon as it came out on DVD. This is one of those movies that I can't believe has taken me this long to write about on these pages. Make that rave about: GALAXY QUEST is one of the funniest films I have ever seen, and would be in my Top 30 Listmania List if I were allowed to go to 30. It does help that I'm a STAR TREK fan (although not quite a Trekkie; please read my review of the documentary TREKKIES for more exposition on this point), but I honestly think that anyone with a good sense of humor will like this movie. It is written with a knowing wink to the Trekkie phenomenon as well as to Star Trek, and has smart dialogue courtesy of David Howard; unbelievably enough, this was his first---and still his only---film for which he has written. The film opens with a convention for the immensely popular "Galaxy Quest" series, which starred full-of-himself screen hog Jason Nesmith (Allen) as Cmdr. Peter Quincy Taggart (not dissimilar to James Tiberius Kirk), Gwen DeMarco (Weaver) as Lt. Tawny Madison, former Shakesperean actor Alexander Dane (Rickman) and former child actor Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) as Lt. Laredo, the ship's (very) young Navigational Officer. Nesmith secretly hates the Conventions, but plays up to the shows' fans, whose attention he monopolizes at every turn. Naturally, this long-established practice has alienated him from his co-stars, who hate his guts but like participating in the Conventions (except for Alexander Dane, who rues the day he became more famous for his character, and his character's famous rallying cry, than for being a 30+ year veteran of the Shakespeare stage). Nesmith finally loses his cool when being overly nagged by a teenaged nerdy fan (Justin Long), and yells at him in a manner that instantly recalls the "Get a life!" mock admonition that William Shatner gave in a 1986 Saturday Night Live skit. However, on the next drunken-hangover morning, Nesmith is visited by a strange-looking and talking man (Enrico Colantoni) who introduces himself as Thermian Cmdr. Mathesar, whose people are under attack by an evil alien leader named General Sarris (Robin Sachs). He pleads for Taggart's assistance, having seen the "historical documents" of his crew's many victories over greater enemies. Nesmith hazily just assumes that this is another nerdy fan with no life and goes along with him just to appease, and perhaps he has nothing better to do at this point. But then he finds out... Of course, Mathesar and the Thermians are real aliens who had picked up the TV-wave transmission of the "Galaxy Quest" show and, in their childish impressionability, have assumed that the crew, the ship, everything was real. They have replicated the ship in full, both inside & out (since you know, for example, that Star Trek has always been so detailed that exact replicas of the Enterprise have numbered in the thousands) and have modeled their society from their example. Nesmith exitedly gets back to his fellow cynical and unbelieving actors, who go along only because they think it may be a well-paying job. Then they find out... GALAXY QUEST is smart, funny and has a lot of fun with the TREK phenomenon, as portrayed through this fictional TV show and its characters. It also has fun with all the conventions (that is, *customs*) of Sci-Fi TV shows, such as gigantic, death-defying devices being present in a starship's engine room, or that the fate of our heroes comes down to one final second. It nudges & prods at all of these (plus more) with a complete love for the Sci-Fi genre. It also manages to convey a *sense of wonder* through visual effects that are really excellent. As for the acting, everybody---yes, including Tim Allen---gives a terrific performance, including Sam Rockwell as a minor "Galaxy Quest" character who constantly fears for his life during the actors' real mission, because nobody knows his last name, which, of course, is a sure sign that he is going to die, just like his character did on the one episode of the TV show! Enrico Colantoni's performance as Mathesar is infectious, and is perhaps the biggest revelation in the entire film; it can be argued that he may have deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Robin Sachs creates an evil presence as the murderous, slimy alien General Sarris. Best of all, everybody's in on the joke. GALAXY QUEST is a great buy on DVD. The "On Location In Space" feature is entertaining and informative. The deleted scenes are a hoot! All in all, this film is a great way to entertain the entire family, as it is among the few comedies that are intelligent yet can be viewed by children. I wholeheartedly give it a "thumbs-up"---wait, no, that's the other guy! In other words, I deem this movie to be HIGHLY RECOMMENDED; AGES 8 & UP
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