Celebrate the 20th anniversary of the uproarious classic GALAXY QUEST, arriving in our solar system in a Limited Collector’s Edition Blu-ray Steelbook exclusively at Best Buy from Paramount Home Entertainment on October 22, 2019. Here is my review:
The stars of a 1970s sci-fi show – now scraping a living through re-runs and sci-fi conventions – are beamed aboard an alien spacecraft. Believing the cast’s heroic on-screen dramas are historical documents of real-life adventures, the band of aliens turn to the ailing celebrities for help in their quest to overcome the oppressive regime in their solar system.
Featuring an out-of-this-world all-star cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, Daryl Mitchell and Justin Long, this rollicking send-up of sci-fi fanaticism is as funny today as it was when it premiered in theaters 20 years ago.
Review:
I haven’t watched GALAXY QUEST since I was a kid. Well…. Let’s do the math, when this film came out 20 years ago, I would have been 14 years old. I remember watching it and I recall having a good time but I never thought of it all that much afterwards. People love this film so much that they like to consider it as part of the STAR TREK franchise. To say that GALAXY QUEST is a beloved sci-fi comedy would be a major understatement and after watching it for the second time and first time since the movie came out 20 years ago, I will proclaim them correct. This movie was wonderful and it looked fantastic on Blu-ray, which is something I was worried about because I remember the CGI and how the big rock monster thing looked pretty bad…. I don’t know if they remastered it, but I didn’t have issues with the special effects this time around – everything was fine.
Seeing Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman and more play these washed up comic con autograph regulars having to answer ridiculous fan questions and dress up like their TV show characters from the past were my favorite segments of the film. GALAXY QUEST really captures that sad aspect of comic conventions in spectacular fashion, making for some great content that I’m more interested in now as an adult rather than when I watched this thing as a kid and forgot ALL OF THAT stuff. I only remembered the tiny little savage alien creatures, and although they’re still wonderful, I found myself appreciating the quiet moments on Earth more this time around. GALAXY QUEST isn’t just a goofy sci-fi comedic romp — there’s actually a lot to be said here about aging performers and embracing their past work/fandom.
GALAXY QUEST still holds up too which I certainly didn’t anticipate. There are some wonderful practical effects on the alien baddies and although some of the CGI is a little sketchy, the Blu-ray looks and sounds incredible so none of that stuff looked as bad as I remembered it being. Sam Rockwell is also astounding in this too, so if you’re a fan of the guy (and why wouldn’t you be?) then you should definitely head to Best Buy and pick this sucker up just to see his supporting performance in this. GALAXY QUEST has aged far better than it had any right to do making this Blu-ray a must-have for not only the diehard fans, but even just the curious ones who forgot about this great little film. Hearing the aliens speak is worth the price of admission alone.
Special Features:
- Galactopedia—On-screen information about characters, ships, aliens and more
- Historical Documents: The Story of Galaxy Quest—Cast and filmmakers discuss how the film came together
- Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector—Celebrates the incredibly talented cast
- By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects—Explores the effects by ILM and Stan Winston
- Alien School—Creating the Thermian Race—Actor Enrico Colantoni’s process of developing the voice and manner of an alien race
- Actors in Space—Delves into the psyche of the cast
- Sigourney Weaver Raps— Needs no further explanation
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
I wanted to shoot myself watching the Sigourney Weaver rap video thing that they did for someone’s birthday on set. But the features overall are wonderful (even though they aren’t shown in high-def… shame). The Never Give Up, Never Surrender featurette is a great little making-of feature that I enjoyed checking out and seeing ILM and Stan Winston’s special effects segment only validates why the special effects still hold up 20 years later.
Rating: 4/5