Spaceballs (1987)
Average Rating: 6.2/10
Reviews Counted: 35
Fresh: 19 | Rotten: 16
No consensus yet.
Average Rating: 6.1/10
Critic Reviews: 7
Fresh: 2 | Rotten: 5
No consensus yet.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 405,540
My Rating
Movie Info
A space bum helps rescue a princess from an evil overlord with the help of a benevolent elder in this Star Wars send-up written and directed by Mel Brooks. Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man, half-dog co-pilot, Barf the Mawg (John Candy), are content to scour the galaxy living the easy life. But they reluctantly come to the rescue when Druish Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) is threatened by the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), who wants to steal all of the air from her planet,
Jan 1, 1987 Wide
May 2, 2000
MGM
Watch It Now
Cast
-
Mel Brooks
President Skroob, Yogur... -
John Candy
Barf the Mawg Co-Pilot -
Rick Moranis
Lord Dark Helmet -
Bill Pullman
Lone Starr Space Bum -
Daphne Zuniga
Princess Vespa -
John Hurt
Himself -
Dick Van Patten
King Roland Ruler of Dr... -
George Wyner
Col. Sandurz -
Michael Winslow
Radar Technician -
Joan Rivers
Dot Matrix -
Lorene Yarnell
Dot Matrix Droid Maid -
Sal Viscuso
Radio Operator -
RONNY GRAHAM
Minister -
Jim J. Bullock
Prince Valium -
Leslie Bevis
Commanderette Zircon -
Jim Jackman
Maj. Asshole -
Denise Gallup
Charlene -
Sandy Helberg
Dr. Schlotkin -
Jack Riley
TV Newsman -
Tom Dreeson
Megamaid Guard -
Rudy De Luca
Vinnie -
Deanna Booher
Bearded Lady -
Dom DeLuise
Pizza the Hutt -
Tony Cox
The Dinks -
Rick Ducommun
Prison Guard -
Earl Finn
Guard with Captain -
Ed Gale
Dink #1 -
Arturo Gil
The Dinks -
Tony Griffin
Prison Guard -
Henry Kaiser
Magnetic Beam Operator -
Jeff MacGregor
Snotty -
Bryan O'Byrne
Organist -
Ken Olfson
Head Usher -
Michael Pniewski
Laser Gunner -
Robert Prescott
Sand Cruiser Driver -
Tim Russ
Trooper -
Rhonda Shear
Woman in Diner -
Felix Silla
The Dinks -
Johnny Silver
Caddy -
Tommy Swerdlow
Troop Leader -
Dey Young
Waitress -
Ira Miller
Short Order Cook -
Stephen Tobolowsky
Captain of the Guard -
Gail Barle
Waitress -
Mitchell Bock
Video Operator -
Brenda Strong
Nurse -
Jonathan Wayne Wilson
Trucker in Cap
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All Critics (35) | Top Critics (7) | Fresh (21) | Rotten (19) | DVD (28)
The crew flings itself energetically through space in search of laughs, but it will never penetrate the galaxy where Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein traced their giddy orbits.
The film's low-tech styling is roughly the cardboard inversion of the cinematic machines it parodies, and Brooks seems less inclined than usual to push the overkill urges too far.
Mel Brooks will do anything for a laugh. Unfortunately, what he does in Spaceballs, a misguided parody of the Star Wars adventures, isn't very funny.
Typically, the best conceits end in pratfalls, and non-Brooks fans may find that the gravitational pull towards the thumpingly obvious outweighs the wit.
Top CriticIf it isn't likely to generate what Mr. Brooks himself refers to as 'Spaceballs II: The Search for More Money, neither is it anything less than gentle, harmless satire that occasionally has real bite.
How do you review a movie like this, anyway? I guess by saying whether you laughed or not. I did laugh, but not enough to recommend the film.
The jokes about the more calculating aspects of George Lucas's franchise are particularly telling. Remember, the Schwartz will be with you always.
Unforgiveable then, unforgiveable now.
It's mostly forced humor all the way, a movie that rarely measures up to adequate kitsch.
Goofy parody mocks the Star Wars series.
Ainda que não consiga recapturar a acidez e a inteligência de seus esforços da primeira fase da carreira, Brooks consegue divertir graças a algumas belas sacadas e ao simples conceito de Moranis como Dark Helmet.
This is possibly the last great film that Mel Brooks directed
Despite the dirty jokes hidden in plain sight ('Never underestimate the power of the Schwartz!'), Spaceballs is a PG-rated comedy that makes silliness sublime. [Blu-ray]
Mel Brooks trashes Star Wars; very funny
One of the few screwball comedies that everyone must experience at least once.
Most jokes have a forced quality, but there's something gleefully self-aware about them, like the vaudeville comedian whose act consists of telling bad jokes and laughing at them, but doing it all with exquisite timing.
A satiric and proudly low-brow salute to science fiction...
Because the Star Wars and Star Trek mythologies are such potent forces in our pop culture, Brooks' scattershot spoof has endeared itself to a whole generation.
Audience Reviews for Spaceballs
Super Reviewer
Spaceballs is downright bad filmmaking, but it's OK because it's a parody, right? Well, it's certainly not as funny as the Mel Brooks classic range which includes films as witty and downright hilarious as "Blazing Saddles". Therefore, I sadly noticed the flaws with the direction, writing, acting and production values of this nostalgic parody following the eye rolling mishaps going on in a galaxy far far away. What really depresses me about Spaceballs is how desperate it is, there are many jokes in the film that are repeated supposedly because Brooks ran out of ideas. The talented comedian Rick Moranis plays a knock off of Darth Vader with an unnaturally enormous helmet, named Dark Helmet. The central gag with the parody of Vader is that he struggles to maneuver with the helmet on. Funny the first time, yes, funny any other time, not really. Also if this is parodying "Star Wars", why wasn't their much parody? I think it's down to the fact it just wishes to be a delightfully goofy slapstick comedy and nothing more, that just happens to have an all star cast and a massive budget. Which brings me to the most mind boggling aspect of watching this film, all the way through I thought to myself why the film looked so cheap. After all, it was made 10 years after the original "Star Wars" film, and also had 3 times the budget. Why the special effects were worse and the set designs more cardboard, i'll never know. Perhaps because the money went into the writing and convincing John Candy to get in a fur-suit. I personally find that hilarious, and especially the opening, but as a whole it could have been funnier, and should have been another Mel Brooks classic. I am sad to report that it isn't, but it's undeniably fun, if quite tiresome. Only by the inch of it's life does it carry just about enough material for a generic parody. However a cast this talented should have been able to pull off something a little better than this.
Super Reviewer
-
- Col. Sandurz: Lord Helmet!
- Lord Dark Helmet: What?
- Col. Sandurz: We need you sir!
- Lord Dark Helmet: Knock on my door next time!
- Col. Sandurz: Yes sir!
- Lord Dark Helmet: Did you see anything?
- Col. Sandurz: No sir, I didn't see you playing with your dolls again!
- Lord Dark Helmet: Good!
-
- Lord Dark Helmet: Keep firing, assholes!
-
- Lord Dark Helmet: [just as Spaceball One goes into Ludicrous Speed mode] WHAT HAVE I DONE? MY BRAINS... ARE GOING INTO MY FEET!
-
- Col. Sandurz: Are you playing with your dolls again?
-
- Lone Starr Space Bum: But Yogurt, what if I never see you again?
- Yogurt: Don't worry about it! We'll meet again in Spaceballs 2: The Quest for More Money.
-
- Lord Dark Helmet: I can't breathe in this thing!
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Foreign Titles
- La Folle Histoire de l'espace (FR)
