Why I’m rewatching this I can’t recall, but it’s probably not important anyway. This isn’t a film to think too hard about. I’m not a Star Wars fan, but I always loved Spaceballs. That said I’ve not seen it in over 30+ years, is it still funny? The bad guys lead by Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis) and President Skroob (Mel Brooks, also directing) have a problem, their planet is running out of air. They look to their neighbour Druidia to steal theirs. Plotting to kidnap the Kings daughter Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) and forcing him to hand over the air, or give her back her old pre-cosmetic surgery nose. Daft. Brilliantly daft. We need a hero, two heroes. Enter Lonestar (Bill Pullman) and his dogman, Barf (John Candy). They’ve got an issue too, they owe a million space bucks to Pizza-the-Hut. Bonkers. Brilliantly bonkers. They take their space Winnebago and rescue the princess and her C3PO ripoff friend Dot (voice by Joan Rivers), after jamming the Spaceballs radar… with, raspberry jam. Ridiculous. Brilliant ridiculous. Flying at ludicrous speed, combing the desert with giant combs, the awesome power of… The Schwartz! It’s a crazy parody adventure that’s much better than it has any right to be. Sure there’s a few 80s gags that haven’t aged brilliantly. Is it still funny? A resounding yes from me, but I’ve no idea what someone coming fresh to it would make of it. Aliens, Planet of the Apes, the VHS rental market, the silly jokes come thick and fast. Nothing is safe. Where can I get a tshirt!
7/10
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