I've talked a little lately about remaking my top 100 movies list. One movie that was on it before -- and sure to be on it still -- is Galaxy Quest, the genius send-up of TV sci-fi in general and Star Trek in particular. I really didn't need to watch it again to know that. But I recently found myself watching it all the same, and since I haven't commented on it here on the blog before, I figured it was worth a post.Galaxy Quest is a triumph on many levels. First and foremost, it handles the people and subject it's parodying with love and affection. I've been turned off of many "comedies about geeks" (including The Big Bang Theory, acclaimed by critics and friends) because I sense a dark and unpleasant undertone to the comedy. I hate it when such comedies come off not as stories for us geeks to laugh with, but as stories for people to laugh at the geeks. The one character who's the butt of such jokes in Galaxy Quest (a fan played by Justin Long) comes back around to save the day in the end. Basically, geeks are treated with respect here.
You can also see the affection for geekdom in how the writers of this film lampoon so many perfectly selected details of Star Trek with razor clarity. "What's my last name?!" "I see you managed to get your shirt off." "I have one job on this ship. It's stupid, but I'm gonna do it." Because Star Trek itself has episodes where it doesn't take itself so seriously, you might not think it possible to pull off a parody of it, but this movie brilliantly shows otherwise.
What lifts it up even higher is a tremendous cast, made up of both actors who were well known at the time, and actors who went on to be very well known later. I've never much liked Tim Allen (outside of voicing Buzz Lightyear) in anything -- and hated Home Improvement. But he makes the best "William Shatner" (without doing an actual impersonation) I could imagine for this film. Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni -- all outstanding. Missi Pyle, Justin Long, and Rainn Wilson make the most of smaller roles.
And then there's Alan Rickman, an absolute genius in this film. He nails the frustrated actor to perfection. He also has the impossible task of taking a super-cheesy line of dialogue -- which his character speaks of repeatedly with disdain throughout the entire film -- and then saying it with conviction and authenticity at a key moment late in the film. Not only does he do it, but it ends of being the most poignant moment in the movie.
Watching Galaxy Quest makes me smile knowingly, laugh out loud, appreciate the acting, appreciate the writing, and more. I just plain have a good time from beginning to end. It's an unqualified A.
1 comment:
I agree completely about this film, I have yet to come across it on TV and not watch it.
Big Bang on the other hand I do disagree about. The series did start with a undertone of "let's laugh at the geeks". Not too surprising since it is by the same team that does Two and a Half Men. However it has grown into a show that, IMHO, is obviously written by geeks, for geeks.
That being said, I am getting a bit tired of Sheldon's shtick. There I see exactly what you mean, his character is the over the top, no social graces kind of geek that mainstream media loves.
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