Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker

Synopsis
When Emperor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), long thought dead, calls out to the galaxy, Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) each go on a quest to find him. Meanwhile, the surviving Resistance forces get ready for a final confrontation against the First Order.

Review
I want to start this review by saying that I am not one of those Star Wars fans who rants and rages because things are not how I expect them to be. However, I am also used to going against the majority when it comes to this franchise. I am not blind to the problems of the Prequel Trilogy but I will defend them on what they did right and the potential they had that could have been mined better if George Lucas wasn’t left to write and direct them on his own. Also, I wasn’t impressed with the first two entries of the Sequel Trilogy, feeling that Star Wars: The Force Awakens was too derivative but still contained a lot of positives and Star Wars: The Last Jedi made some missteps with major characters and did not moving the overall plot along very far, but I appreciate it for the story and the risks it took. Going into Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, I wasn’t sure what to expect, especially with JJ Abrams back at the helm to conclude the story he started with The Force Awakens. Coming out of The Rise of Skywalker, I’m left with very mixed feelings.

One thing any Star Wars movie hasn’t been short of is action and excitement. The Rise of Skywalker is no exception. In fact, it might have some of the best action pieces of the franchise. One scene sees Rey (Daisy Ridley) and Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) battling it out aboard wreckage out in a raging ocean. Another scene has the Resistance fleet going up against the First Order fleet that makes any aerial fight sequence from the rest of the saga pale in comparison. Additionally, there are no shortage of lightsaber duels or chases sequences. There is always something commanding your attention. For the final entry of a nine-part saga, The Rise of Skywalker has all the spectacle it deserves.

Throughout The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi, the new main trio of Rey, Finn (John Boyega), and Poe (Oscar Isaac) were never all together despite proving they had fantastic chemistry together. They spend much more time together in this film. This made me extremely happy because seriously, these three are fantastic together and play together so well. They truly bring back the chemistry of Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford from the Original Trilogy. It’s only too bad it took us three movies to finally get them all together.

Despite being mainstays of the Original Trilogy, or the entire Skywalker Saga in the case of C-3PO, Chewbacca and C-3PO have never had their stand out moments, always being relegated to support characters. Well their due has finally come as both of these characters are given important things to do for the story. Discussing what those things are is going into spoilers so I won’t go into them here but longtime fans should be happy that these characters who have been around for so long are finally getting their chances to make a significant impact on this movies story.

Shortly after The Last Jedi was released, Carrie Fisher passed away. This left the fate of her character, General Leia, up in the air. Abrams and company were able to find archive footage of Fisher from The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi to have her be a part of the movie. These scenes can seem a bit awkward at times, given the script had to be worked around what footage already existed, but I think for the most part they were integrated well and eventually give Fisher a proper send off our princess deserved.

Much like Abram’s The Force Awakens felt like it was played safe to appease the fan backlash of the prequels, his The Rise of Skywalker felt like he played it safe to appease the fans who outraged over The Last Jedi. Except for it feels too safe. It seemingly ignored most of what happened in Rian Johnson’s film. Many revelations, or revelations to be made in The Rise of Skywalker, were flipped or brushed away just as Johnson had done to The Force Awakens. Perhaps this was meant a course-correct from fan outrage or maybe it was because The Last Jedi veered too far from Abrams’ Star Wars plans. In either case, it makes the entire Sequel Trilogy feel more disjointed than ever.

The opening crawl immediately sets up that Emperor Palpatine has returned and that both the Resistance and Kylo Ren is searching for him. Because of this set up, the film starts at break-neck speeds. Kylo races from planet to planet in search of a McGuffin. Then Rey, Finn, and Poe are racing from planet to planet looking for a McGuffin. From there the pace rarely ever lets up. Despite the long run time, it still feels rushed because of all the threads it is trying to resolve in that time. Part of this might be because this film is trying to tie up two films of set up. Abrams had his vision of the trilogy and planted seeds in The Force Awakens then Johnson came in with The Last Jedi and was like “nah,” and set up new threads to be resolved in the final installment of the Sequel Trilogy. As a result, it throws a lot of stuff at you throughout its two and a half hour run time as Abrams does to The Last Jedi what The Last Jedi did to The Force Awakens.

This is particularly frustrating because it leaves many threads either still hanging or barely explored. Most notably, the relationship between Rey and Kylo gets an intriguing development that I would have enjoyed seeing developed more. Instead, it is mentioned just enough for the story to move forward but ends up leaving so much more unfulfilled. That is just one example and there are more that I will not go into for wanting to avoid spoiler territory. It makes me wonder why they didn’t create a vision for this new trilogy from the beginning, whether that is one person leading the creative side akin to Kevin Fiege driving the Marvel Cinematic Universe, or one director for every installment.

As I said before, and as you might have seen in the trailer, Emperor Palpatine has returned from his descent into the depths of the second Death Star by Darth Vader’s hands. For me, his return is not unwelcomed. Just like the Skywalkers have been a pillar of the Star Wars Saga, so has Palpatine. However, it does feel… unearned. There was no lead up, no foreshadowing; he just shows up. As it stands, it appears he was thrown in for nostalgia’s sake, because they needed a villain since Snoke of offed in The Last Jedi.

I thought Star Wars: Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker was GOOD 🙂 After my first viewing I would have called this simply “OK” but after another viewing, some of the problems that I thought were major problems became minor problems, or at least not as major as I initially thought. Maybe “Not Bad” or “Decent” would be a better way to rate this film. There are still plenty of issues, most of which stem from poor planning from Lucasfilm on the offset of planning the Sequel Trilogy, but there is also plenty to enjoy. Where you fall on the spectrum will probably depend on where you stand on the other two Sequel Trilogy films. Now that the “Skywalker Saga” is finished, maybe Disney will have a moment, take a step back, and approach the Star Wars universe more prepared the next time they dive into the galaxy far, far away.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
JJ Abrams – Director / Screenplay / Story
Chris Terrio – Screenplay / Story
Derek Connolly – Story
Colin Trevorrow – Story
John Williams – Composer

Daisy Ridley – Rey
Oscar Isaac – Poe Dameron
John Boyega – Fin
Adam Driver – Kylo Ren
Joonas Suotamo – Chewbacca
Anthony Daniels – C-3PO
Carrie Fisher – Leia Organa
Billy Dee Williams – Lando Calrissian
Greg Grunberg – Snap Wexley
Kelly Marie Tran – Rose Tico
Billie Lourd – Lieutenant Connix
Lupita Nyong’o – Maz Kanata
Keri Russell – Zorii Bliss
Shirley Henderson – Babu Frik
Naomi Ackie – Jannah
Domhnall Gleeson – General Hux
Richard E. Grant – General Pryde
Ian McDiarmid – Emperor Palpatine

Alien: Covenant Review

Synopsis
The Covenant is on its way to the remote planet of Origae-6 to start a new human colony. Along the way, the ship is hit by a neutrino burst from a nearby star, forcing the crew to wake up early from stasis to make repairs. After repairs are made, the crew receives a distress signal from a nearby planet and travel to the planet’s surface in search of the signal’s origins.

Review
The Alien movie franchise is an interesting one. It spans nearly four decades, while consisting of only 6 films. The first two are two of science-fiction’s best films, which are then followed by three mediocre films. In Prometheus, Ridley Scott returned to the franchise to begin delving into the origins of his mysterious Xenomorphs, but ended that film with more questions than answers. Scott returns yet again to direct Alien: Covenant, which is inching closer to where we first met them at the beginning of Alien.

With the exception of Aliens, each film in the franchise after Alien has attempted to recreate the horror aspect of the original 1979 film. This film has so far been the closest to recreate the horror that made the first film so engrossing. Although this shouldn’t be much of a surprise given both are directed by Scott, the visionary behind the franchise. He understands that it is the fear of the unknown and mystery surrounding it that makes Alien great. Having several decades to become familiar with it, that atmosphere cannot be replicated, which is why the sequels have failed. However, that style can be honored. This movie still draws on the fear of the unknown for its tension but rather than the Xenomorph, it looks towards a fairly unexpected place.

What did surprise me, and what I really enjoyed, was that the horror didn’t always come from the alien but rather David. David is a truly twisted being and that is where a lot of the tension come from. He is an android who has no emotion and is only seeking perfection on life. And to him that requires sacrifice, sometimes at the cost of others if need be. His distorted view on life and the pursuit of perfection is sure to keep your attention. It’s a different kind of villain but one that works amazingly well.

Of course, a lot of David’s memorability is due to Michael Fassbender’s excellent portrayal of the character. It was an excellent idea to keep him in the franchise after Prometheus because he was the highlight of that film as well. He also plays another android, Walter, an updated model of David. At first I wasn’t sold on the accent he gave the character but after a while it grew on me, especially after a few scenes of the two androids together. Fassbender portrays the two characters in two very distinct ways that really highlights his acting ability.

Although it may be difficult to remember, there are other cast members besides Fassbender. Katherine Waterston as Daniels gets the most development and keeps the Alien franchise’s bad-ass heroine streak going. Danny McBride’s Tennessee also gets quite a bit of screen time but not as much development. Everyone else pretty much exists as Xenomorph fodder, just like in all the previous movies. However, with this kind of a movie, and what has become expected of the franchise, that’s alright. Not every character needs a deep rich background, especially if they aren’t going to last long anyway. Scott understands that we are there to see one thing: the titular Alien. And if we get a great character like David along the way, then that’s just icing on the cake.

I thought Alien: Covenant was GOOD 🙂 The Alien franchise has had its ups and downs over the years but it seems to be finding a groove. The “alien” is slowly becoming less and less the alien Xenomorphs and more of an android alienated from humanity. If Michael Fassbender keeps up the great work as the android David, then that is completely fine with me.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Ridley Scott – Director
Jack Paglen – Story
Michael Green – Story
John Logan – Screenplay
Dante Harper – Screenplay
Jed Kurzel – Music

Michael Fassbender – David / Walter
Katherine Waterston – Daniels
Billy Crudup – Oram
Danny McBride – Tennessee
Demian Bichir – Lope
Carmen Ejogo – Karine
Jussie Smollett – Ricks
Callie Hernandez – Upworth
Amy Seimetz – Faris
Nathaniel Dean – Hallett
Alexander England – Ankor
Benjamin Rigby – Ledward
Uli Latukefu – Cole
Tess Haubrich – Rosenthal
Lorelei King – Mother (voice)
Goran D. Kleut – Xenomorph / Neomorph
Andrew Crawford – Neomorph

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Review

Synopsis
After a botched job, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and the rest of the Guardians are being chased by the Sovereign. They are found by a man named Ego (Kurt Russell), who claims to be Peter’s long-lost father. They go to Ego’s planet to search for the truth behind Peter’s mysterious heritage.

Review
In 2014, Marvel put their blockbuster powers to the test, releasing Guardians of the Galaxy. It was filled with lesser known characters, even to some regular comic readers, who are unique unto themselves. It turned out to be one of Marvel’s best films and now comes the inevitable sequel. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has all of the qualities that made the first so much fun and enjoyable, albeit without the surprise of what to expect.

As I said, everything that made the first film so fun and enjoyable has returned. Everything and everyone are just as quirky and zany as you have come to expect. Chris Pratt as Peter Quill is the main funny man, but Dave Bautista’s Drax get his fair share of comedic moments. Zoe Saldana is the green-skinned bad-ass Gamora. Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, is more adorable than ever and Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, wants to get a hold of everyone’s prosthetics simply to see their reaction. All the while, it has a rocking soundtrack in the background.

Doctor Strange is probably Marvel’s most visually vibrant films to date, but this movie give that one a run for its money. The most notable is Ego’s planet. The moment the team sets foot on it, it just pops. The fauna are colorful, the buildings are shiny and bright, even the soil is a vibrant color unlike what you would expect. However, it’s not just Ego’s planet. The opening battle between the guardians and an interdimensional creature (a big part of the trailers) and scenes where Yondu’s ship is jumping through several wormholes are also vivid scenes worth mentioning. At the very least, your eyes won’t be disappointed.

One of this films best characteristics is its character development. Most of the second act is spent really diving into the characters and their relations with other members of the team. Some you would expect, like Peter and Gamora, but there are some that you wouldn’t, like Rocket and Yondu or Drax and newcomer Mantis (Pom Klementieff). These interactions do a great job of building the characters and lead to some strong, emotional moments.

Much to my surprise, Yondu (Michael Rooker) has one of the greatest arcs of the film. His moments with Rocket and their similar histories really tug at the heartstrings. As Peter’s adopted father, he had to deal with Peter finally meeting his real father, Ego (Kurt Russell). In the previous movie, he felt like a throwaway character; someone who was there when the plot needed it but didn’t feel like he had much importance. This time, he is front and center and gives the film’s most emotional scene. Speaking of Russell, he was a great as the living planet Ego. Like most villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he isn’t going to have any lasting presence, but Russell gave one of the more memorable villainous performances is the MCU. The relationship between Peter, Yondu, and Ego would make a great conversation starter between step-children and step-parents.

I wasn’t as in love with the soundtrack as I was with the first Guardians movie. It was still bouncy and fun and integrated into the movie well but it wasn’t as entrancing as before. Maybe it’s because I was unfamiliar with more of the songs this time around or maybe it was that I expected a rocking retro soundtrack and it wasn’t as much of a surprise. Whatever the reason, I wasn’t blown away but I still was rocking out nevertheless.

This might sound contradictory, but despite all the great character development throughout the second act, it also felt like the weakest part of the move. Weakest isn’t the right word but I’m not sure exactly what word I’m looking for. During this time, the team is split into two groups. The bouncing back and forth between the groups, as well as the balancing of those serious moments with the humorous ones gave it a really weird pacing. Whenever the movie slowed down to give the great character moments, it immediately went into a joke / gag or changed scenes. I liked that they managed to get as much development in as they did but the jumping around made my head spin after a while.

I thought Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 was GOOD 🙂 This movie is a good example of a movie studio giving a director the freedom to do their movie their way. James Gunn brought as much heart and soul into Volume 2 as he did in Volume 1. A slow and somewhat oddly paced middle act does not deter from what this movie does well: great characterization, a fun soundtrack, and plenty of humor to rival any comedy film. It can feel like much of the same but if you liked it the first time, you’re going to like it here as well. Once again, I left the theater excited to see where these characters go next.

Favorite Quote
Yondu: He might be your father, but he ain’t your daddy.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
James Gunn – Director / Writer
Tyler Bates – Composer

Chris Pratt – Peter Quill / Star-Lord
Zoe Saldana – Gamora
Dave Bautista – Drax
Vin Diesel – Baby Groot (voice)
Bradley Cooper – Rocket (voice)
Michael Rooker – Yondu
Karen Gillan – Nebula
Pom Klementieff – Mantis
Kurt Russell – Ego
Sean Gunn – Kraglin
Elizabeth Debicki – Ayesha
Chris Sullivan – Taserface

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Review

Synopsis
Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is recruited by the Rebel Alliance to steal the plans for the Empire’s super weapon, the Death Star.

Review
As much as I enjoy the Star Wars films, I love delving into the Expanded Universe, exploring characters and stories that take place outside of the films. These stories help enrich the Star Wars universe, making an already great story even greater. Rogue One is unique as it is the first Star Wars live-action movie that is not an “episode,” a spin-off meant to expand on events of the main Star Wars story line. With the pre-Disney Expanded Universe out the window, Kyle Katarn is gone and in his place is Jyn Erso and her band of Rebel misfits to steal the Death Star plans for the Alliance.

One thing that the original trilogy never showed was what it meant for the galaxy to be under Imperial rule. We see their villainy through Darth Vader, Tarkin, and the Emperor but don’t actually feel their grip besides what is told to us by the characters. Rogue One shows what life for ordinary citizens in the Empire was like, having a Star Destroyer loom ahead and stormtroopers walking around city streets. The original trilogy also shows the Rebellion after its success and as the Empire begins to fall apart. This movie takes place during the height of the Empire, when the Rebellion is at their most desperate. It’s a tonal shift from the other films but works so well because it makes their accomplishments during the original trilogy mean so much more.

As I said, during Rogue One, the Rebels’ backs are against the wall, leading to a feeling of desperation. This creates a darker, grittier tone for the film. One of my favorite Star Wars video games is Republic Commando. In that game, the player is taken to the darker side of the Clone Wars, fighting battles away from the flash of Jedi lightsabers. This reminded me a lot of that. It looked at the Star Wars universe where blasters are the norm and laser swords are nowhere to be found. Although the tone was darker than your standard Star Wars fare, it never became dispiriting. Whenever things began to go bleak, there was a quip or a funny action to lighten the mood, mainly from everyone’s sure-to-be-new-favorite droid, K-2SO.

K-2SO is only one of the several new characters introduced into the Star Wars universe. Besides K-2SO, there is Jyn Erso, an Imperial prisoner and daughter of the engineer overseeing the Death Star’s construction, Cassian Andor, a Rebel intelligence officer, Chirrut Imwe, a blind warrior, Baze Malbus, a mercenary and friend of Chirrut’s, Bodhi Rook, an Imperial defector, Orson Krennic, the director of Imperial weapons research, and many others. Already, you can see that it has become cumbersome. This doesn’t change in the film either. Jyn gets the most development, with most of the other characters just kind of being there. This makes them feel underdeveloped, especially since this is the first time we are meeting these characters. However, I like to think that this movie isn’t really about these characters but about the Rebellion itself and, like I mentioned before, showing where the Rebellion was before the original trilogy. Yes, it would have been nice to learn more about these new characters but I don’t think the purpose of this film is to care about the characters, it’s purpose was to care about the Rebellion. By following this line of thinking, the minimal backstories given for the characters is enough for me.

Throughout the original trilogy, every action is seen as black and white; The Empire is bad, the Rebellion is good. This film mixes that up a little bit and trots into the moral gray area of war. There is still the feeling of Empire equals bad, Rebellion equals good, but throughout the movie, there is a subtle blanket over the film that removes that cheery atmosphere from the original trilogy. This helps create the grittiness to Rogue One. Although these are Rebels, it wouldn’t be difficult to picture a few of them fighting for the Empire based on their actions and our views on Imperials developed in the original trilogy.

It is clear from A New Hope that Grand Moff Tarkin was integral in the Death Star’s history. It is also clear that the villain of this film is supposed to be Orson Krennic (Ben Mendelsohn), so the film had the difficult task of needing to have Tarkin in the story but not too much that he overshadowed Krennic. I think they used just the right amount of Tarkin to make it clear his importance to the Death Star but still allow Krennic to remain front and center as the main baddie.

Peter Cushing, the original actor to play Tarkin, passed away in 1994 so he obviously wasn’t available to reprise the role. Rather than recasting the role or using Wayne Pygram, they used a body double and CGI’d Cushing’s face onto the actor. The effect looks amazing and if you just look at him, it would be hard to tell it wasn’t actually Cushing… until he talked. I don’t know what happened, but when Tarkin talks, his mouth doesn’t move quite right and is very distracting. Not many things have pulled me out of a film but that was one of them.

Star Wars wouldn’t be Star Wars without Darth Vader having some sort of presence. Like Tarkin, the film had to balance how much Vader was in the film to not take way from Krennic or the other characters introduced in the film. Again, he has the perfect amount of screen time. His first scene with Krennic showed us this was a return to the Vader of old, not the Vader seen at the end of Revenge of the Sith. That he was a force to be feared, even by his own men. Then his final appearance in the hallway of a rebel ship, mowing down Rebel troops was something out of a Star Wars horror movie. This is a return to form for the character, showing how badass and powerful he is.

The announcement that Rogue One would not contain an opening crawl created contention among fans. How can a Star Wars film not have an opening crawl? Everyone knows that’s how they begin. Although it is a controversial decision, I do think it worked well. The plot is pretty straightforward and first few scenes did a fairly decent job setting up the film that I don’t think not having the crawl negatively impacted the film.

Now, I will admit the film did start off rather slow. Since the movie was dealing with all new characters and they bypassed the opening crawl, it had to take the time to establish them. The second act was not much better. It still moved slowly but not as slowly as the first act. However, it did a great job of building off of what was established in the first several scenes. I think one of this film’s strong points was that it got exponentially better as the film went on, each scene improving on the last. As I said earlier, there wasn’t a whole lot of development for the new characters but this movie slowly established a connection with them and the Rebellion. So by the time the movie hits the explosive final act, I cared enough about the characters to feel some emotion towards them.

Speaking of the final act, what an action scene! Say what you will about Gareth Edwards, but he has a knack for setting up action sequences. The fight scene at the end of Godzilla was pretty epic and that pales in comparison to this one. One of my favorite thing about The Force Awakens was its use of practical effects as much as possible and that praise applies to Rogue One as well. Return of the Jedi is my favorite film of the original trilogy mostly because of the final battle on and above the forest moon of Endor and the duel on the Death Star II. There was something very similar in this movie, with Jyn and her squad battling stormtroopers on Scarif’s surface while the Rebel fleet battled Star Destroyers in space above the planet. The scale is amazing, the action is well shot, and it is easy to follow despite jumping between several places. Not only is this my new favorite action sequence from the Star Wars saga, but it is one of my favorite action sequences of any movie.

I thought Rogue One: A Star Wars Story was GREAT :-D. I’m a bit of an oddity when is comes to being a Star Wars fan. I like the prequels more than most and The Force Awakes less than most. It may then come as no surprise that I really enjoyed Rogue One. The disappointing amount of character development can be overlooked if you focus on what the movie was trying to focus on, which is the Rebellion as a whole, not the individual people within the Rebellion. When Lucasfilm announced they were doing one Star Wars film a year until 2020, I was a little skeptical. After seeing how the first two films have turned out, I’m getting more optimistic towards the future of the franchise.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Gareth Edwards – Director
Chris Weitz – Screenplay
Tony Gilroy – Screenplay
John Knoll – Story
Gary Whitta – Story
Michael Giacchino – Composer

Felicity Jones – Jyn Erso
Diego Luna – Cassian Andor
Alan Tudyk – K-2SO
Donnie Yen – Chirrut Imwe
Wen Jiang – Baze Malbus
Ben Mendelsohn – Orson Krennic
Forest Whitaker – Saw Gerrera
Riz Ahmed – Bodhi Rook
Mads Mikkelsen – Galen Erso
Jimmy Smits – Bail Organa
Alistair Petrie – General Draven
Genevieve O’Reilly – Mon Mothma
Ben Daniels – General Merrick
Ian McElhinney – General Dodonna
Paul Kasey – Admiral Raddus
Stephen Stanton – Admiral Raddus (voice)
James Earl Jones – Darth Vader (voice)
Guy Henry – Grand Moff Tarkin

Lightning Review: Airplane II: The Sequel

Synopsis
During the maiden voyage of the first commercial flight to the moon, a faulty computer sends the shuttle hurtling towards the sun. Ted Striker (Robert Hays), who is aboard the shuttle to win back Elaine (Julie Hagerty), must once again assume control after the captain become incapacitated.

Review
Airplane! is one of my favorite comedies of all time. I think I have been staying away from Airplane II: The Sequel because I have heard it pales in comparison to its predecessor. After finally seeing it for myself, I would have to agree. Honestly, how could it not be? When Jim Abrahams and David and Jerry Zucker created Airplane!, they caught lightning in a bottle and that type of film is really hard to reproduce. Airplane II reuses many of the same jokes as Airplane!, which is not unusual for a comedy sequel. Many of the new jokes were either hit or miss. I did found myself laughing out loud regularly but not as many jokes hit this time. One of the best aspects about Airplane! was the rate at which the jokes flew at you. Even if one missed, they were already at the next joke and you didn’t have time to dwell on it. The jokes per second didn’t seem as high this time so if one missed, it lingered around longer. It was very self aware, making fun of itself and that it was a sequel. Plus William Shatner has a great cameo that pokes fun at science-fiction, which is priceless given his history with the genre.

I thought Airplane II: The Sequel was OK :-|. Airplane II: The Sequel has its moments but it can’t escape the big shadow of Airplane! and ends up feeling it is trying to ride a wave it can’t stay on.

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Ken Finkleman – Director / Writer
Elmer Bernstein – Composer

Robert Hays – Ted Striker
Julie Hagerty – Elaine
Lloyd Bridges – McCroskey
Chuck Connors – The Sarge
Rip Torn – Kruger
Chad Everett – Simon
John Dehner – The Commisioner
Peter Graves – Captain Oveu
Kend McCord – Unger
James A. Watson, Jr. – Dunn
William Shatner – Murdock

Galaxy Quest Review

Synopsis
The cast of the hit 80s show Galaxy Quest don’t have much of a career anymore. Going to conventions and doing promotions in character is the only way they can make money. When an alien race called the Thermians mistake the show as “historical documents” and seeks the crew’s help to save their people, the cast of Galaxy Quest must pretend to be the heroes the aliens believe them to be.

Review
Whenever I think about my favorite parodies, one of the first ones that come to mind is Galaxy Quest. This is one of those comedies were everything just seems to pull together perfectly. All the jokes are funny without being forced, every character gets their chance to have their laugh, even the serious ones you don’t expect, and the cast just works.

It is very obvious that the cast of Galaxy Quest was having a good time. Even with such a large, eclectic group of actors, the chemistry between them is great. I don’t know how they did it but Dreamworks managed to assemble one of the best casts in any film ever. Each character has their own unique personality. They all resemble the different types of actors that are no longer in their prime. From the attention seeker to the drama queen, they are all here.

Tim Allen has no problem portraying the self-centered “leader” of the group who feeds off of the audience’s fondness for him. He brings his signature wit and comedic timing. I’m a big fan of Allen and although this may not be my favorite role of his, he is still very enjoyable to watch.

Sigourney Weaver could not be any more perfect for her role. In the film’s TV show, she is a stereotypical science-fiction female character, not really providing much value except for eye-candy and but dammit will she do her best. This is perfect for her given one of her earliest and best roles was one of the most badass females in science-fiction, or even cinema for that matter.

Alan Rickman plays a British actor who longs to be back on the stage but instead is stuck in this role repeating a catch phrase he is getting tired of repeating. He plays the down-on-his-luck Shakespearean actor part so believably. Some of my favorite moments are in the beginning when he is at conventions and this fans say his catch phrase to him. I laugh every time he begrudgingly signs his autograph. However, this moment is probably my favorite for the character (it’s a little hard to set up with words so you’ll just have to watch it yourself).

Tony Shalhoub is the most deadpan of everyone in the group. He doesn’t seem phased when the crew first gets teleported to the Thermian ship, he’s in no rush when delivering vital news about damaged systems and he doesn’t think twice about opening the hatch when landing on an alien planet. Shalhoub delivers every line with the perfect tone and attitude.

Sam Rockwell is the biggest surprise of the bunch. He plays an extra who appeared for a few minutes on one episode before being killed off and is starstruck being around the show’s other actors. It’s hard to say he is the comedic relief with every character offering so many comedic moments but he made me laugh the hardest.

There are so many more excellent characters but I don’t want to get into everybody because then we would be here for a while. I have talked a lot about the cast because they are really why this film works so well. However, what helped them is the fantastic script. Even with a cast so large, no one feels like they are getting shafted on time. They each have their shining moments. It is very difficult to pick a favorite moment for each character because they all have so many. Best of all, every character has a completed arc by the end of the film. That’s quite a feat given a) it’s an ensemble and b) that doesn’t happen in comedies very often.

This film is often viewed as a parody about science-fiction shows, such as Star Trek, but it parodies more than that: it parodies the fandom. Conventions are a huge part of the film, it is where we meet the characters after all. There is this subtle show of affection towards fans. People who, like myself, get completely engrossed in a show or movie, whether they are called Trekkies, Brown Coats, Potterheads or what have you. It’s not poking fun at them as much as it is celebrating the idea of being part of a fandom.

I thought Galaxy Quest was GREAT :-D. It is often an overlooked gem of a movie. The casting is spot on and the script is brilliantly written. This film both pokes fun and pays homage to the classic science-fiction shows and, more than that, their fans. Few parodies can deliver such reverence and humor at the same time that Galaxy Quest manages to.

Favorite Quote
Guy: I changed my mind. I want to go back.
Alexander: After the fuss you made about getting left behind?
Guy: Yeah, but that’s when I thought I was the crewman that stays on the ship and something is up there and it kills me. But now I’m thinking I’m the guy who gets killed by some monster five minutes after we land on the planet.
Jason: You’re not gonna die on the planet, Guy.
Guy: I’m not? Then what’s my last name?
Jason: It’s, uh, um, uh… I don’t know.
Guy: Nobody knows. You know why? Because my character isn’t important enough for a last name because I’m gonna die five minutes in!
Gwen: Guy, you have a last name.
Guy: Do I!? Do I!? For all you know I’m just Crewman #6!

Trailer

Cast & Crew
Dean Parisot – Director
David Howard – Story / Screenplay
Robert Gordon – Screenplay
David Newman – Composer
Tim Allen – Jason Nesmith
Sigourney Weaver – Gwen DeMarco
Alan Rickman – Alexander Dane
Tony Shalhoub – Fred Kwan
Sam Rockwell – Guy Fleegman
Daryl Mitchell – Tommy Webber
Enrico Colantoni – Mathesar
Robin Sachs – Sarris
Patrick Breen – Quellek
Missi Pyle – Laliari
Jed Rees – Teb
Justin Long – Brandon
Jeremy Howard – Kyle
Johnathan Feyer – Hollister