DVD Release Date: May 3, 2005

Cast: Bill Pullman, Mel Brooks, John Candy, Rick Moranis, Daphne Zuniga

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By Ken Shallcross

Longtime fans of Mel Brooks’ classic science-fiction spoof, Spaceballs, will have mixed feelings about the film’s most recent DVD incarnation, a 2-disc Collector’s Edition. While the long-anticipated release does include a new DTS 5.1 sound mix and a bevy of new extras, there are things missing that would have made for a more complete collection. However, with the cost-effective price tag of $20, the Spaceballs Collector’s Edition gets labeled as a must buy for fans or anyone who enjoys a good comedy.

[Recap] Once upon a time warp… King Roland of the planet Druidia was trying to marry off his daughter Princess Vespa to Prince Valium. Vespa ran from the altar and, in flight, was kidnapped by the evil Dark Helmet and the Spaceballs, who in turn demanded an outrageous ransom for Vespa’s safe return: all the air of Druidia (apparently, the air of Spaceball had serious pollution problems...). The King offered a generous reward to a space rogue, Lone Star, and his half-man/half-dog sidekick, Barf (who's his own best friend), to save Vespa and the planet. This was fortunate because Lone Star happened to owe the villainous gangster, Pizza the Hut, about a million spacebucks at the time. With the forces of darkness closing in on them at ludicrous speed, the duo sought the help of a wise imp named Yogurt and the mystical power of "The Schwartz" to rescue the princess somewhat-in distress and bring peace and merchandising rights to the entire galaxy…

Spaceballs is perfect for so many reasons, first and foremost – the writing. Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham did an impeccable job creating this spoof that tackles a wide range of films in the space/Sci-Fi genre. The cast is another large contribution to the film’s greatness, with stars including Brooks himself, the legendary John Candy, the young up-and-coming Bill Pullman and Daphne Zuniga, one hilarious Rick Moranis, veterans actors Joan Rivers and Dick Van Patten, and of course many more hilarious supporting characters that make the movie the classic it is. There are too many great things about this film to list them all here. If you’ve seen the film, you know exactly what I am talking about. If you have never watched Spaceballs, what’s wrong with you? Are you an “asshole”?

Spaceballs the movie is presented here in its original 16x9 Widescreen format (1.85:1). New to the film for this edition is the inclusion of English DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround sound tracks. Also included are French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround, Spanish Dolby Digital Mono and brief Mawgese and Dinkese recorded tracks (unfortunately, neither of the latter two tracks lasted more than a few seconds, for various problems occurred during recording); English, French and Spanish language subtitles are also available. Basically, the movie has never looked and sounded so sweet. As I’ve said before, and will say again, this film is pure gold – a real classic. It’s just one of those truly funny films that has something for everyone. Brooks is a comedic genius and a master at the art of spoof. I fully recommend the film for absolutely everyone… “asshole” or not.

The special features on the Spaceballs Collector’s Edition DVD are certainly worthy of praise, but may leave some fans a bit bummed. Included are the previously recorded Mel Brooks audio commentary, documentaries, photo galleries, storyboard comparisons, trailers and a neat “Fun & Games” section. However, missing from this “collector’s edition” are the numerous deleted scenes (I read somewhere there are about 45 of them), as well as a bloopers reel and other production-specific featurettes (i.e. special effects, casting, costumes and make-up, etc.) that could have nicely rounded out the collection. Still, what is offered here is a very nice package of extra features that will enhance your overall Spaceballs experience. Here’s a look at what is included:

• Audio Commentary – Mel Brooks performed the audio commentary around 1996 for the laserdisc release. He reveals some insightful information, but is at times quiet… according to him, that’s when he has nothing to say. It’s certainly worth watching once.
• Watch the Movie in Ludicrous Speed – Yup. Ludicrous.
• Spaceballs: The Documentary – This 30-minute documentary was created in 2003 and includes newly shot interviews with cast and crewmembers including Mel Brooks, Bill Pullman, Joan Rivers, Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Ben Nye Jr. (make-up), Peter Donen (visual effects supervisor) and more. It’s very entertaining and quite thorough, as it follows the film from conception sometime in 1984 to writing to shooting in early ’86 on through release in the summer of ’87 and beyond. This well-done documentary is definitely a good watch.
• In Conversation: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan – This is a 20-minute interview with the two surviving writers of Spaceballs (the third, Ronny Graham, passed away in 1999). This extra is pretty cool to watch and a nice supplement to the documentary – a good insight into the way Brooks and Meehan wrote and worked together.
• John Candy: Comic Spirit – This is a very nice 10-minute tribute to the late, great John Candy. Colleagues and friends reminisce about the comedian and there is some nice archival footage used throughout.
• Trailers – There are two trailers for Spaceballs in this section. The first is an exhibitor trailer with an intro by Brooks; the second is the official theatrical trailer. Both run about 2½ minutes are worthy components of the collection.
• Galleries – This extra portion is divided into three sections: “The Behind-the-Movie Photos,” “The Costume Gallery” and “The Art Gallery.” Sections are set up manual slideshow-style (press < and > to scroll through) and contain over 60 photos between all three. All are worth flipping through. Most interesting is the “dim the lights” feature for some of the art gallery shots.
• Film Flubs – This is the first extra in the “Fun & Games” section. Here you can see six “goofs” that made it into the film – a very original and fun idea for a DVD. They are not bloopers, but actual mistakes and incontinuities that will haunt Brooks forever… well, actually, probably not.
• Space Quotes – This second part of “Fun & Games” is set up like a child’s See ‘n Say toy. Chose a character and pick one of their famous quotes for a quick laugh.
• Trivia Game – The last “Fun & Games” extra is just as it says, a trivia game. The questions are easy enough for any fan to answer, but it’s still fun to play and worth your time.
• Storyboard-to-Film Comparisons – This last extra is just as the title dictates. It runs less than 7 minutes, which makes it cool enough to watch, and not long enough to bore (as some comparison-type extra features do) – certainly a plus to the overall collection of bonus material.

If you can read this, you don’t need glasses: Spaceballs is Mel Brook’s 1987 spoof of the space and science-fiction genre that has entertained all ages for nearly two-decades. Taking a stab at Star Wars, Star Trek and many other films of the genre, Brooks and crew made the perfect spoof – as if “the Schwartz” was in their back pocket. They created a masterpiece that is rightfully hailed as a classic, not only within Brooks’s body of work, but within the entire film industry. With a disc full of bonus features and a new DTS 5.1 soundtrack, this new 2-disc Spaceballs Collector’s Edition DVD is absolutely the version to buy if, like me, you passed on the weak 2001 low-frills edition. If you already own the movie, but are a big fan, it’s probably worth the $20 (from Amazon.com) for the better version. However, fans, be forewarned, while the extras are pleasing and worthy of mostly praising remarks, there are certainly some things omitted.

DVD Film/Edition Presentation Score: A
DVD Special Features Score: B+
DVD Overall Score: A-

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