SPACEBALLS on Disc
By: Glenn SandersDate: Tuesday, June 06, 2000
When it comes to Mel Brooks, there's two kinds of people: those who love him, and those who don't. So before you read this review, you should be well aware that the only Mel Brooks film I really like is Young Frankenstein. As much as I can appreciate his legions of fans, his patented brand of vaudeville schtick pretty much leaves me with a blank 'I don't get it' stare. That said, I was looking forward to re-watching Spaceballs, and hearing what promised to be an interesting and funny commentary from the writer/director himself. Unfortunately, regardless of whether or not you like the movie, the bonus materials - including commentary, theatrical trailer, and a 'behind the scenes' featurette - are completely useless, offering little substance.
Spaceballs, released in 1987, is a by-the-book spoof of the original Star Wars - which at the time was an odd choice considering it had been four years since Return of the Jedi and the last of the original action figures were selling for about $1 at Toys-R-Us (if I only had a time machine...). Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) and her maidservant robot Dot Matrix (voice of Joan Rivers) runs from the altar to escape marriage to the sleepy Prince Valium (the brilliant Jim J. Bullock), and into the clutches of the evil Spaceballs. Ruled by bumbling President Skroob (Mel Brooks), Planet Spaceball is fast running out of air and plans to suck out the atmosphere of the Princess' home planet Druidia. Leading the evil mission on a giant spaceship is Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), whose trademark giant black helmet and booming voice masks a clumsy dweeb. But just when you think the Spaceballs have captured the Princess, in swoops Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) with his trusty Chewbacca-ish sidekick Barf (John Candy) to save the day. Throw in a wizard named Yogurt (also Mel Brooks), a pepperoni-dripping Pizza the Hut (voice of Dom DeLouise), cameos by Michael Winslow (the sound effects guy from Police Academy) and Eight is Enough's Dick Van Patten, plus some cheesy sci-fi effects, and there you have it.
I'm probably going to ruffle some feathers by saying I didn't really like Spaceballs when I saw it in the theater, and I like it even less on DVD. It's hard enough to spoof a great movie, harder still when the jokes are so lame. A perfect example is when Dot Matrix, as voiced by Joan Rivers, sits down with Princess Vespa and says, 'Can we talk?' Even by crappy late-80's standards, that's just not funny. But there are a few funny moments, the best of which is an Alien gag near the end. And the cast gives it their all, especially Bill Pullman, who perfectly embodies a low-rent comic version of Han Solo. Too bad his leading lady is Daphne Zuniga, who yells all her lines and can't seem to catch her breath. And any scene with Brooks is, in my opinion, painful to watch. But comedy is subjective, and you probably already have your opinion, so on to the technical mumbo-jumbo.
The film-to-DVD transfer looks crisp and clean, and is sharp enough so you can see the obvious matte lines in the cheesy effects (I only wish they'd been more intentionally cheesy). The audio is fine as far as I can tell, but the levels seemed to rise dramatically in bigger scenes then drop again, forcing me to lower and raise the volume so it wouldn't blow out my cheap speakers.
The semi-animated DVD menus are amusing, replicating a silly-looking sci-fi control panel complete with pointless blinking switches and little readouts that say, 'More lights that don't do crap.' The options are selected by pointing Dark Helmet's glove at your choice, automatically scrolling down to a second screen for the DVD extras.
You'll wish they spent less effort on the menus and more on the extras themselves. For instance, the theatrical trailer looks and sounds awful, just a muddy mess. And unlike most current DVDs, this one doesn't even have the requisite 'talent files' with cast and crew info.
The 'behind-the-scenes' featurette is mostly a waste of five minutes - clearly an old promo reel with more time spent on clips than actual behind-the-scenes footage. The highlights include brief interviews with cast members talking about how much they love Mel Brooks, the best of which is John Candy who seems like an incredibly nice guy. And you get Mel mugging for the camera. Not a terrible extra, just not that interesting.
Which brings us to the commentary. Imagine sitting in a theater with your old Uncle Mel while he babbles incoherently through the whole movie, only you can't interrupt him to ask for money. That's pretty much what the audio commentary feels like. Probably 95% of the commentary consists of Mel laughing at a gag then repeating it back to you, as if you hadn't heard it the first time. During the other 5% he talks about how 'wonderful' the various castmates and crew members were, or throws in a pointless comment like how nice it was when they redecorated the Sony backlot.
Based on his lack of information - with no insight into the writing, filmmaking, and effects - it seems as if Brooks was somewhere else when they were making Spaceballs (worse yet, you get the sense he never actually saw Star Wars). I actually laughed more during the commentary for its sheer uselessness than during the movie itself. Because it's not an awful listen - in fact, in a sneaky way it's probably better than a standard techno-detailed commentary, since as a non-fan it's fun to watch the movie with someone who clearly thinks it's hysterical. The problem is, it does get tedious listening to Brooks' nonsensical babblings, and even he suggests that you turn off his audio track and just watch the movie. Not exactly a ringing endorsement.
So if you really love Spaceballs, or if you like spending an afternoon with Grandpa without the benefit of free food and cash, this DVD is definitely for you. But if you're looking for a great comedy presented in a first-class special edition DVD, pick up Ghostbusters instead.
