Under-the-radar sci-fi farce
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
by Erik J. Martin
Enjoy a blend of comedy with your science-fiction? Before you think them odd bedfellows, check out "Galaxy Quest" from 1999.
Trekkies appear to be the easy target of this farcical futuristic comedy, which boldly goes where no sci-fi spoof has gone before. “Home Improvement’s” Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver (heroine of the “Alien” movie series, donned in a head-turning blonde ‘do for this flick), and Alan Rickman star as actors on a cheesy sci-fi space exploration TV show patterned after “Star Trek.”
Things get cosmically wacky, however, when a group of real aliens “beam up” the show’s cast, believing that they are actually the space crew they portray on TV who remain their only hope in defeating a rival race of evil aliens. Ironically, the actors are cast adrift in space in a real intergalactic vessel that the good aliens modeled exactly after the prop spaceship shown on the TV program.
“Galaxy Quest” is funnier than “Spaceballs,” and filled with special effects that are pretty spiffy for the nineties. Well worth a rental.