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Galaxy Quest film review
GALAXY QUEST
Running time: 102 mins
Starring: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Daryl Mitchell, Sam Rockwell
Space - The Final Frontier. These are the voyages of the NSEA Protector and her crew. Their mission: to seek out new plywood and polystyrene worlds, to make contact with new civilisations who look suspiciously like extras in foam suits, to boldly go where no derivative 70s space opera has gone before.
At least, that was the idea. Sadly, Galaxy Quest only last four seasons from 1979-1982 before it was dragged kicking and screaming off the air, leaving behind legions of loyal fans and prematurely ending the careers of actors Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), Sir Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman), Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell). Every few months, the quintet reunites for yet another convention - to meet the Galaxy Quest faithful and eke out a meagre living signing autographs as their heroic alter-egos: Commander Peter Quincy Taggert (Allen), communications officer Lieutenant Tawny Madison (Weaver), science officer Dr. Lazarus (Rickman), chief engineer Tech Sergeant Chen (Shalhoub) and Lieutenant Laredo (Mitchell).
At one such convention, Nesmith and co are approached by a group of oddly dressed fans who claim to be visitors from the Klatu Nebula. The actors have heard many tall tales in their time from Galaxy Quest freaks and laughingly agree to visit the fans' 'ship', a perfect replica of the NSEA Protector set. Before you can say "Beam me up Scotty", the crew (along with hapless extra Guy Fleegman (Sam Rockwell)) are hurtling into space to engage in battle with sworn enemy Sarris (Robin Sachs). Only, this time there's no director to shout "Cut!" when things go wrong and the aliens and special effects are for real. It's life Jim, but not as they know it.
Spoofs are notoriously difficult to get just right but Galaxy Quest sets its comedy phasers to stun and delivers one belly laugh after the next, simultaneously celebrating and mocking the stereotypes of the Star Trek universe.
No moon rock is left unturned by screenwriters David Howard and Robert Gordon: Fleegman's burgeoning paranoia that, as the extra cast member, he'll be the first to bite the spacedust when the crew beams down to a hostile planet; Commander's Taggart's innate ability to lose his shirt.
Allen is his usual gregarious self, pitching Nesmith as an egotistical showman who, beneath the wisecracks, is really a decent guy, and Weaver has a ball as the sole female cast member who is forced to conceal her fierce intelligence behind Tawny Madison's gravity-defying frame.
Rickman scene-steals like a pro, evincing the RSC-trained Brit consumed with frustration that his screen career amounts to little more than an ill-fitting latex face-mask and regurgitating the same line over and over again: "By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Warvan, I shall be avenged!"
Direction is assured and the special effects are sensational (putting to shame a number of recent sci-fi epics) which all adds up to a ridiculously entertaining journey to infinity and beyond.
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