Spaceballs Blu-ray and DVD set

Spaceballs Blu-ray and DVD
Mel Brooks, Rick Moranis, John Candy
Daphne Zuniga, Joan Rivers
Written and Directed by Mel Brooks
Originally released 1987
Fox Home Entertainment 2009
96 minutes

Mel Brooks is an uneven filmmaker. The Producers, the brilliant Silent Movie, and History of the World Part 1 are his best comedies. Spaceballs is a notch below on that list with Robin Hood Men in Tights and Young Frankenstein. Now available on Blu-ray with a double-sided DVD copy, Spaceballs is fun to watch. It is also a very prescient comedy: the Joan Rivers robot has the same face Joan Rivers has now.

Being an intelligent person, I am a Star Trek fan so I am not familiar with the first Star Wars which turned out to be the fourth movie. This does not stop a comedy fan from getting and enjoying most of the jokes in Spaceballs. The comedy also pokes fun at other B-movie science fiction films like Star Wars as well as classics like Star Trek, Aliens (John Hurt has a cameo for that one), and the original Planet of the Apes.

The president of planet Spaceballs (Mel Brooks) wants the evil Dark Helmet (Moranis) to kidnap Vespa, a Druish princess. He is doing this to force Vespa’s father to give him the code to planet Druidia’s shield so Spaceballs can steal its air. Vespa is rescued by Lone Star (Bill Pullman of Independence Day) and his sidekick Barf (John Candy).

This Blu-ray comedy sags a bit once Lone Starr rescues Vespa but picks up with the Dinks and the Wizard of Oz reference.

Look for what may be a Harrison Ford cameo. He is one the soldier who turns around and notices the tail when Mog turns the corridor

Spaceballs Blu-ray + DVD Combo Specs:

SPACEBALLS is presented in widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) on a 50GB dual-layer disc with English 5.1 DTS HD and French 5.1 DTS and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, along with English, French and Spanish subtitles. BD special features include: Commentary by Mel Brooks (the usual boring stuff) Additional Commentary Tracks: Mawgese, Dinkese;

Spaceballs: The Documentary featurette; In Conversation: Mel Brooks & Thomas Meehan featurette; John Candy: Comic Spirit featurette; Watch the Movie in Ludicrous Speed featurette; Still Galleries: Spaceballs Trailers; Film Flubs; Storyboards-to-Film Comparison; and Spaceballs DVD Widescreen (Side A) Panscreen (Side B)

 

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