In this spoof of STAR WARS and a handful of other sci-fi flicks from the 1970s and '80s, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-dog/half-man sidekick, Barf (John Candy), must rescue a spoiled Druish princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) in time to pay off Pizza the Hut. With SPACEBALLS, director Mel Brooks is at it again, this time with a science-fiction parody with all the blue-screen special effects and weird makeup (though in this film, things are always slightly off-kilter and unpolished). Here, maverick space travelers set out to save the planet Druidia, which is being harassed by the Spaceballs, a sinister group attempting to pilfer Druidia's air resources. Among the many gags and jokes is a hilarious parody of a classic scene from ALIEN. Mel Brooks himself makes one of his funniest acting appearances as Yogurt, a send-up of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK's Yoda.
Clyde Leiberman cowrote the SPACEBALLS theme with director Mel Brooks and Jeff Pascetto. (Brooks often cowrites the music for his films.)
Excerpt: "I'm my own best friend."--Barf (John Candy), half-man/half-dog
"May the schwartz be with you."--Yogurt (Mel Brooks)
Blu-ray Disc Features:
Region [unknown]
NTSC
Anamorphic Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - Spanish
DTS 5.1 - French
DTS HD Master Audio 5.1, Mono - English
Additional Release Material:
Outtakes
Bonus Feature:
1. JOHN CANDY: COMIC SPIRIT
Film-to-Storyboard Comparison
Audio Commentary: Mel Brooks - Director
Production Interview:
1. Mel Brooks - Director, Thomas Meehan - Writer
Featurette: SPACEBALLS: THE DOCUMENTARY
Trailers:
1. Original Theatrical Trailer
2. Exhibitor Trailer with Mel Brooks Introduction
Interactive Features:
BD-Live Bootstrap
Text/Photo Galleries:
Additional Text: Spacequotes
Stills/Photos:
1. SPACEBALLS: THE BEHIND-THE-MOVIE PHOTOS
2. SPACEBALLS: THE COSTUME GALLERY
3. SPACEBALLS: THE ART GALLERY
Disc 1: SPACEBALLS Blu-ray
Disc 2/Side A: SPACEBALLS DVD Widescreen
Disc 2/Side B: SPACEBALLS DVD Full Screen
Distributor Notes: The farce is with you in this "uproarious salute to science fiction" (The Hollywood Reporter) that teams comedy legend Mel Brooks with an all-star cast of cutups including John Candy (Splash), Rick Moranis (Ghostbusters) and Bill Pullman (Ruthless People)! When the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) attempts to steal all the air from planet Druidia, a determined Druish Princess (Daphne Zuniga), a clueless rogue (Pullman) and a half-man/half-dog creature who's his own best friend (Candy) set out to stop him! But with the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, they'll need the help of a wise imp named Yogurt (Brooks) and the mystical power of "The Schwartz" to bring peaceand merchandising rightsto the entire galaxy!
Voice
Joan Rivers: American Comedienne
Review 1:
"[T]he meta-merchandising send-ups are inspired chuckles that get funnier with age."
Source: Premiere
p.106 05/01/2005
Review 2:
"...An ambitious sendup....Gentle, harmless satire than occasionally has real bite..."
Source: New York Times
p.C23 06/24/1987
Review 3:
"...Often underrated is this comedy's dead-on production design..."
Source: USA Today
p.8D 04/30/1996
Review 4:
"...Amusing sight gags..."
Source: Variety
06/24/1987
Review 5:
"The spoofs on marketing tie-ins and insecure tyrants have grown even more relevant..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.70 05/13/2005