| Spaceballs | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster byJohn Alvin | |
| Directed by | Mel Brooks |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Mel Brooks |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Nick McLean |
| Edited by | Conrad Buff IV |
| Music by | John Morris |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
|
Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25.5 million[2] |
| Box office | $ 40.3 million (US Collection)[3] |
Spaceballs is a 1987 Americanspace operaparody film co-written, produced and directed byMel Brooks. It primarily parodies theoriginalStar Wars trilogy, but also of other popular franchises such asStar Trek,Alien,The Wizard of Oz,2001: A Space Odyssey,Planet of the Apes, andTransformers. The film starsBill Pullman,John Candy, andRick Moranis, with the supporting cast includingDaphne Zuniga,Dick Van Patten,George Wyner,Lorene Yarnell, and the voice ofJoan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film also features Brooks regularsDom DeLuise andRudy De Luca incameo appearances.
InSpaceballs, heroic mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman) and his alien sidekick Barf (Candy) rescue Princess Vespa (Zuniga) of Druidia and her droid, Dot Matrix (Yarnell, voiced by Rivers), from being captured by the Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Brooks), who wants to use Vespa as ransom to obtain Druidia's air for their own planet. However, the heroes get stranded on a desert moon, where they encounter the wise Yogurt (also Brooks), who teaches Starr about themetaphysical power known as "the Schwartz". Meanwhile, Spaceball commanders Dark Helmet (Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (Wyner) lead the search for them, but are hindered by their own incompetence.
The film was released byMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) on June 24, 1987. A sequel is in the early stages of development as of June 2024.
Planet Spaceball, led by the incompetent President Skroob, has squandered all of its fresh air. Skroob plans to steal the atmosphere from the neighboring planet of Druidia by forcing its ruler King Roland to give him the code to the shield surrounding it. Meanwhile, Roland's daughter Princess Vespa flees Druidia in order to avoid anarranged marriage to thenarcoleptic Prince Valium. The shipSpaceball One, commanded by Colonel Sandurz and carrying Skroob's enforcer Dark Helmet, is dispatched to kidnap Vespa and her droid servant Dot Matrix.
Mercenary Lone Starr and his "Mawg" (half man, half dog) companion Barf, in theirWinnebago spaceshipEagle 5, are contacted by crime boss Pizza the Hutt and his robotic minion Vinny to retrieve the money they owe them "or else Pizza is gonna send out for [them]". Roland contacts Lone Starr and offers them a high reward if they bring Vespa and Dot back to Druidia. The pair retrieve Vespa and Dot and escape via light speed before they can be brought aboardSpaceball One. Dark Helmet and a reluctant Sandurz use "Ludicrous Speed", but heavily overshoot the group when they try to follow.Eagle 5 runs out of fuel and Lone Starr is forced to crash-land on a desert moon.
The four escapees travel on foot for a while, but ultimately pass out in the relentless heat. They are found by the Dink-Dinks, a group of diminutive aliens in sparkly robes, and taken to the hidden cave of the sage Yogurt. He advertises the film's fictitious tie-in merchandise, then begins to instruct Lone Starr in the ways of a mysterious power known as the Schwartz (which Helmet can also control). Lone Starr and Vespa develop romantic feelings for each other, despite Vespa's insistence that she can only marry a prince, and Lone Starr shows Yogurt a medallion bearing an indecipherable message that was found with him when he was abandoned as a baby.
The Spaceballsbreak the fourth wall by going through aVHS copy of the film to locate theEagle 5's whereabouts. Helmet disguises himself as Roland to lure Vespa and Dot out of the cave. As Lone Starr and Barf prepare to chase Helmet, Yogurt gives Lone Starr a ring that he can use to channel the Schwartz.
Helmet extorts the air shield code from Roland by threatening to have a plastic surgeon reverse Vespa's nose job, then imprisons her and Dot. Lone Starr and Barf infiltrate the prison and break them out, and all four escape inEagle 5 while leaving their stunt doubles to be captured.Spaceball One transforms itself into a giant maid (Mega-Maid), opens the shield, and uses a vacuum cleaner (vacuum of space) to suck the air from Druidia. Lone Starr taps into the Schwartz to reverse the flow and return the air (saving Roland and the Druidians), then pilotsEagle 5 into the head ofMega-Maid.
Lone Starr finds a self-destruct button, but Helmet interrupts and they engage in a duel usinglightsaber-like weapons that extend from their Schwartz rings. Helmet steals Lone Starr's ring and drops it through a floor grate, but Lone Starr gets a telepathic message from Yogurt telling him that the power lies within him instead of the ring. As Helmet prepares to attack, Lone Starr levitates a mirror and reflects Helmet's blast, knocking him into the self-destruct button. Lone Starr returns toEagle 5 and pilots it to safety; Skroob, Helmet and Sandurz fail to reach any escape pods in time and discover the "cancellation button" is out of order asMega-Maid explodes.
Lone Starr and Barf discover on the news that Pizza the Hutt had locked himself in a limousine and ate himself to death, absolving them of the debt. The duo return Vespa and Dot to Roland, but take only enough money to cover their expenses. The remnants of theMega-Maid crash-land on a nearby planetpopulated by intelligent apes, who express dismay at the stranded Spaceballs.
After being scared by a singingxenomorph at a diner, Lone Starr and Barf find a final message from Yogurt hidden in a fortune cookie, telling them that Lone Starr's medallion means he is a prince and can thus marry Vespa. The two return to Druidia just in time to stop her wedding to Valium, and Lone Starr announces his royal lineage and marries Vespa. The film ends with them riding off inEagle 5 and a message to the audience stating, "May the Schwartz Be With You".
John Hurt makes acameo appearance credited as himself, parodying his characterGilbert Kane's death in the filmAlien (1979).[5] Various actors and comedians appear in unnamed roles, withSal Viscuso, Michael Pniewski,Stephen Tobolowsky,Robert Prescott,Tom Dreesen,Rick Ducommun,Rob Paulsen (who was uncredited),Tommy Swerdlow, andTim Russ all appearing as soldiers of Dark Helmet. Additional unnamed appearances includeDey Young as a waitress,Jack Riley as a newsman covering the news about Pizza the Hutt's death,Ken Olfson as the head usher, andBryan O'Byrne as an organist.Brenda Strong appears as Gretchen, Dr. Schlotkin's nurse, alongsideJohnny Silver as Arnold, Dr. Schlotkin's caddy. Denise and Dian Gallup appear as Charlene and Marlene, two twin girls in Spaceball City who President Skroob keeps mixing up the names for.Ed Gale,Felix Silla,Tony Cox, Antonio Hoyos, Arturo Gil, and John Kennedy Hayden appear as the Dinks (based on theJawas) while their uncredited voices are provided byCorey Burton,Phil Hartman,Tress MacNeille,John Paragon, andRob Paulsen.[6]
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When Brooks developedSpaceballs, he wanted his parody to be as close to the original as possible. Even though the Yogurt character (Mel Brooks) mentions merchandising in the film, Brooks's deal withGeorge Lucas on parodyingStar Wars was that noSpaceballs action figures be made. According to Brooks, "[Lucas] said, 'Your [action figures] are going to look like mine.' I said OK."[7][8] However, this agreement inspired Brooks to write Yogurt's "Merchandising" scene and include multipleSpaceballs-branded products at other points in the film, such as placemats and toilet paper. While no mass producedSpaceballs merchandise was ever created,Max Brooks revealed in 2023 that he is in possession of the Yogurt doll used in the merchandise scene.[9]
Brooks also had Lucas' company handle some post-production, saying, "I was playing ball with the people who could have said no." Lucas later sent Brooks a note saying how much he loved the film, including its story structure,[10] and that he "was afraid [he] would bust something from laughing".[8] According to Rick Moranis, "In the original script, the description of [Dark Helmet] was that the whole costume was one gigantic helmet. Then it got scaled back to just an exaggerated version of the Darth Vader helmet."[11]
The bulk of the film's visual effects were executed by Apogee Inc., which was founded by formerIndustrial Light & Magic employeeJohn Dykstra.[12]
Pullman got the part of Lone Starr when Brooks and his wifeAnne Bancroft saw him in a play—he had never seenStar Wars prior to filming.[13] Brooks had been unsuccessfully trying to sign on big-name actors such asTom Cruise andTom Hanks for the film. Pullman said,
I think [Mel] was hurt that they didn't take him up on it ... but then it attract[ed] two of the big comics at that time: John Candy and Rick Moranis. Once that was secured, then he said, "Heck, I'll get somebody nobody knows!" And I got a chance to do it.[14]
Zuniga initially found Brooks' film parodies "too crass and not too funny", but after working with Brooks, she said, "I have this image of Mel as totally wacko and out to lunch. And he is. But he's also really perceptive, real sensitive in ways that make actors respond."[15]
An official soundtrack was released onAtlantic Records onLP,CD, andcassette, featuring many of the songs heard in the film, as well as three score cues by frequent Brooks collaboratorJohn Morris. The track list is as follows:
"Raise Your Hands" byBon Jovi is also used prominently in the film.
In the film the Dinks (based on Jawas) perform the 1914 marching song "Colonel Bogey March", though they sing "Dink dink, dink dink dink dink dink dink... Dink dink" rather thanwhistle, parodying the scene fromThe Bridge on the River Kwai.[17][18]
In 2006, La-La Land Records releasedSpaceballs – The 19th Anniversary Edition CD of the film's score, with bonus tracks of alternate takes and tracks not used in the film.[19]
The film had an estimated $25.5 million budget, and ultimately grossed $40,306,483 during its run in the United States, taking in $6,613,837 on its opening weekend, finishing behindDragnet.[20]
The film received mixed reviews from critics.[21][22]Rotten Tomatoes reports that 52% of 104 critics have given positive reviews and an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads; "There's fine spoofery and amusing characters inSpaceballs, though it's a far cry from Mel Brooks' peak era."[23] OnMetacritic, the film has aweighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 14 reviews.[24] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.[25]
At the time of the film's release,Roger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, and remarked "I enjoyed a lot of the movie, but I kept thinking I was at a revival ... it should have been made several years ago, before our appetite forStar Wars satires had been completely exhausted."[26]Gene Siskel of theChicago Tribune gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that there were "just enough funny visual gags to recommend this wildly uneven film".[27]Variety said that the film was a misguided parody and not very funny.[28]
The film won Worst Picture at the1987 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.[29]
The film gained acult following in the following years.[a]
Tesla Motors has used the film's starship speeds (Light Speed, Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed, Plaid Speed) as inspiration for naming their acceleration modes. In homage toSpaceballs, Tesla hasLudicrous Mode for acceleration beyond its Insane Mode, andPlaid Mode, overtop Ludicrous.[33][34]
A clip from the film, alongside clips of otherStar Wars parody works, was used in a "special look" internet video used to promoteStar Wars: The Rise of Skywalker in order to show thecultural impact of Star Wars.[35]
Spaceballs was first made available onVHS andLaserDisc in February 1988; they were re-released in the late 1990s. The VHS edition was issued twice; the latter edition was presented in widescreen. Meanwhile, the laserdisc also gained acommentary track with Brooks; this was transferred over to theDVD andBlu-ray releases. The film was first released on DVD on April 25, 2000. This version also contained "the making of..." documentary and a collectible "making-of" booklet. The film was then released in the "Collectors Edition" on May 3, 2005. This edition contained more extras including the documentary and the video conversation about the making of the film with Brooks and Thomas Meehan. On August 7, 2012, the "25th Anniversary Edition" was released on Blu-ray containing many of the same bonus features as the 2005 DVD release with the addition of a new featurette.[36] AnUltra HD Blu-ray edition of the film was released on April 12, 2021 byKino Lorber, with all of the special features from previous home video releases included.[37]
A1⁄12-scale model of theWinnebago,Eagle 5, was auctioned on December 11, 2018.[41] The model was created by film special effects designerGrant McCune, who also created models forStar Wars andStar Trek.[41] The model makes an appearance early in the film with the introduction of Barf and Lone Starr.[42] The model, along with other special effects artifacts from then-current films such asMasters of the Universe andJaws: The Revenge, was displayed at Chicago'sMuseum of Science and Industry in the summer of 1988.[43]
Moranis claimed in a 2013 interview that he and Brooks had discussed a potentialsequel, with Moranis pitching the titleSpaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II. However, he and Brooks were unable to structure a deal that would allow the project to move forward.[44] In February 2015, Brooks said that he would like to make a sequel to be released after thenextStar Wars film and hoped that Moranis would reprise his role. This proposed film, Brooks said, may be calledSpaceballs 2: The Search for More Money.[45] However, in February 2020, Bill Pullman said during an interview withDaily Blast Live, "It's up to Mel. Ask him if he has too much money and that's why he doesn't do it."[46]
In June 2024, it was announced that a sequel is in the early stages of development atAmazon MGM Studios withJosh Gad attached to star and co-produce the film alongside Brooks.Josh Greenbaum is attached to direct the film with a script fromBenji Samit,Dan Hernandez, and Gad.[30] On March 15, 2025, Gad appeared onThe Rich Eisen Show where he briefly discussed the film and what is has been like working with Mel Brooks as a partner on the film. Gad didnt give any other details on the film or if any of the original cast would be returning for the sequel.[47]
Critics were mixed about the movie at the time, but it has become a cult classic.
WhileSpaceballs was met with mixed reviews upon release, the years since have seen a deeper appreciation of the film, above and beyond its cult classic status.
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