Galaxy Quest

There is more than one DVD issue of the 1999 "Galaxy Quest"; this is a review of the 2000 DVD issue: Galaxy Quest . The Special Features aren't huge, but they are fun. And, besides, the star is this high-quality film itself. This isn't low-budget - this is the real thing. Great actors and great acting. Special effects by Oscar-winning Stan Winston as well as ILM (Industrial Light & Magic). And a script to die for. There are so many good lines and good bits, and the take-offs on the original Star Trek are tone-perfect. I have so many favorite scenes, but every time I get the biggest kick out of the "chompers". Gwen (Sigourney Weaver) and Jason (Tim Allen) have to shut down the ship's neutron reactor and are moving through the "bowels of the ship". They're guided by Brandon, teenage mega-fan, with communicators. He tells them, "Take a left and then straight on through the chompers." CHOMPERS?! As Gwen squeals, "What is this thing? There's no useful purpose for a lot of chompy things!", I am rollicking with laughter. No, there is no useful purpose, they are a writer's invention to add to the chase scene and tension. And as I'm hugely enjoying it, I cannot agree with Gwen when she hollers, "Whoever wrote this episode should die!" Totally excellent family entertainment. Special Features: 1. "On Location in Space" This is an enjoyable "making of" short. It has lots of outtakes from the movie as well as rehearsal shots and some commentary by: Mark Johnson (producer), Alan Rickman (plays Alexander Dane), Sigourney Weaver, Charles Newrith (producer), Tim Allen, Tony Shalhoub (Fred Kwan), Enrico Colantoni (Mathesar), Stan Winston (alien make-up and creature effects), Daryl Mitchell (Tommy Webber), Robin Sachs (Sarris). Instead of just jiggling the camera when the crew is in the Protector's command center in a battle, the set is actually a big stage that is jiggled all at once. Certainly made it more real for the actors as well as the viewers. I would love to have one of the Thermian octopus-like masks that were used for the Thermians! Stan Winston's costume for lead bad buy, Sarris, is awesome, too. Robin Sachs, in his full get-up, explains his character: "He's like Attilla the Crab". 2. "From the Cutting Room Floor" Seven scenes filmed but cut from the movie. Usually I've found snippets of cut scenes blah, but this was fun. For example, there's one hilarious cut scene where Quellek (Thermian played by Patrick Green) shows Alexander Dane (the actor who plays half-human communications officer Dr. Lazarus) his living quarters. They were carefully reconstructed from what had been shown in the original "Galaxy Quest" TV series and included a retracting bed of sharpened 2-foot spikes. 3. Theatrical trailer 4. Sneak preview trailers of three other movies 5. Cast & Crew 6. Production Notes. This is a few screens of written information. Fun to read. It took Robin Sachs 3-4 hours to get into his 80-lb Sarris costume. The planet scenes with the little blue "miners, not MINORS!" and Gin-Jac (rock monster) were filmed in Utah's Goblin Valley State Park. Truly looks like an alien landscape. When ever I get a request to list my favorite movies, "Galaxy Quest" is always on the list! Happy Reader

I love this story. It is a great comedy that has a bit of everything and spoofs so many of the old sci fi shows but in a good way. Never surrender! Never forget! I think I have watched this movie a total of 30 times over the past years and love it each time. True classic.

Pro: Even if you've never been a Star Trek fan, you will find this film to be uniquely funny, moments of horror at the bad aliens that delights in conquest and mistreatment of the sweetest aliens since E.T. that I've ever seen. Plenty of comedy, satire, surprises and awesome special effects. It is truly a classic and with the star studded casting you will be impressed at how talented and versatile they all are. Best of all, it is a family film with an awesome finale that will leave you delighted with the outcome. It is an homage to Star Trek Fans, but also to all Science Fiction fans of stories like Firefly, Babylon 5, and Star Wars. It is truly one of my favorite movies and I watch it several times a year. Con: Seriously? haha!

A loving (and respectful) tribute to the Shatner/Nimoy Star Trek. Maybe Tim Allen's best screen work. Always funny even on many repeat viewings. "By Gathar's Hammer, they shall be avenged!

Disclosure: I am a Trekkie. Dyed-in-the-wool, through and through. So I approach this film from that perspective. The movie: "Galaxy Quest" does the impossible - it makes me enjoy something with Tim Allen in it. I place this movie in that rarefied category of "spoof movies that are equally entertaining as spoofs and as stand-alones." By this, I mean that you could never have watched an episode of Star Trek (shame on you!) and still enjoy this as a science fiction movie. Other films in this category include "Hot Fuzz" (Buddy Cop pics) and "Shaun of the Dead" (Zombie flicks). We are given a plot revolving around the cast of a Star Trek-like show, a few decades after their run on TV. They are stuck in a dreary cycle of conventions and appearances cashing in on their previous fame. Then, something strange happens: real aliens approach them, asking them for their help in an interstellar war. What is especially surprising is how emotional this movie made me. I think its loving depiction of fan devotion, mixed with the somewhat sad portrayal of middle-aged actors who are bitter over typecasting, really hit home for me. The happy ending was made all the more affecting. I was pretty much ready to check my brain and critical eye at the door by the time this movie was finished, however formulaic the resolution might be, objectively speaking. The cast is very good and the humor is dead-on target. Allen is perfectly cast as a self-important blowhard with an undercurrent of insecurity. Sigourney Weaver is also a standout, demonstrating fine comic timing. The alien characters are charming and quirky. The effects are also surprisingly good, equal to some of the later Star Trek films! The Blu-Ray: The 1080p image presented on this disc is a definite uprade from the SD DVD, but it isn't exactly a "beat you over the head" HD image. It shows a bit of softness and a bit of Digital Noise Reduction (DNR). The movie was filmed in 1999, and this does look better than some images of that vintage ("Dark City" springs to mind as a DNR'ed mess from about the same year). It's just not a spectacular transfer, at the quality level of, say, 1999's "Fight Club." That said, the faces do not have the waxy look of the worst DNR, and certain shots show nice detail, especially in cloth. The effects shots also look very nice. The print is pretty clean, too. It's just somewhat evident that there was no major restoration work. The soundtrack is a Dolby TrueHD 5.1 channel mix that does a fine job. Dialogue is never overpowered, and some of the battles and explosions contain booming bass and rear channel surround information. Most of the track is pretty front-loaded, however. Extras include about an hour and 15 minutes worth of documentary features. The most interesting are a feature on the ILM effects (which were pretty good), as well as features on casting, production, and the like. Unfortunately, all the features are in SD. Only the included movie trailer is in HD. 12 minutes of deleted scenes round out the extras. Bottom line: This is great family-friendly entertainment. At the inexpensive Blu-Ray price, if you don't own it, and you love either Star Trek or Sci-Fi in general, you really can't go wrong. It would have been nice to have had a fancier set and a slightly better transfer, but even with its SD features, this is better than most bare-bones releases of "less successful" movies. I see this as a "love letter" of sorts to both Trekkies and the Trek cast and crew. I enjoy watching this more than the new Trek movie, for what it's worth. If you haven't seen it, you really should!

This is one of the best sci-fi comedies ever made. If you haven't seen it do yourself a favor and watch this movie. Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell are genius in this movie.

As I watched the dvd for the movie "Galaxy Quest," I thought how surprised I was to have enjoyed what seemed as a cheesy family spoof. But the film turned to be an action adventure with some really hilarious moments. I loved the film. It has qualities of a successful science fiction drama, but also contains a variety of comical characters that had my whole family overwhelmed in laughter. "Galaxy Quest" is right up there with "Toy Story" in merit, it entertains adults and children alike, standing out as one of the year's best family films. The story details the adventures of a canceled television science fiction fantasy cast, similar in content to "Star Trek." "Galaxy Quest" is the name of the program. In their years, the stars, including Jason Nesmith, Gwen DeMarco, Fred Kwan, Alexander Dane, and Tommy Webber, were some of the biggest, most popular names in TV. Now, their means of making a living is signing fans' autographs for a price and being cast in amateur presentations. There is very detailed character development here. The characters are wonderfully cast and brilliantly portrayed. Unfortunately, most family films don't contain the patience for such necessary material. We bond with these characters; they are likable, funny, energetic and independent. These individuals are the key of success to this kind of movie. The real plot begins when strange people come to Jason beging for him to save their existence from a powerful evil force who wishes to wipe them out of the universe forever. Naturally, at first our television star is skeptical, but when the strange people turn out to be humble aliens and transport Jason to their spaceship, he realizes this is something serious. The aliens begin to explain that they think he and his "Galaxy Quest" team are the only people in the universe who can save their race. He rushes to the members of his old cast and tries to justify his experience. He says that there are extraterrestrial creatures who require the help of their "Galaxy Quest" characters. None of his friends believe him, but once again give in when they find themselves transported off earth, onto the creature's spaceship. Of course, the aliens don't realize that their hopeful heroes are simply out of work actors, but who needs to tell them? So it is up to Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, Lt. Tawny Madison, Tech Sergeant Chen, Dr. Lazarus of Tev'Meck, and Lt. Laredo to save the day for our innocent and haunted alien life forms. "Galaxy Quest" is a slapstick comedy that is smart, and does not go over the edge with its humorous material. It leaves room for several other essential elements such as happiness, romance, honesty, excitement, and contains a dramatic purpose. The story is very original, and contains a firm theme of action in its premise. It also has lots of outstanding visual effects and sight gags that are effective and interesting to watch. Although the film gets a little off-track near the end, "Galaxy Quest" is still high energy laughs audiences will come to the theater expecting. This is one of the most victorious movies of this year in its execution of the script because we anticipate what we are going to view is a silly comic spoof. Even though parts of the film fit that definition, in the end we end up with a lot more than that.

Great movie and good price