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FilmEdge.net reviews GALAXY QUEST 10th Anniversary Deluxe Edition DVD
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GALAXY QUEST ingeniously takes the pop culture phenomenon of Star Trek-like fandom to intergalactic heights, supposing what if an alien civilization got hooked on an Earthmade television series and copied it in their journey through the cosmos. The TV show geeky fans glorify and analyze as a hobby here on the Third Rock becomes surprisingly real to the typecast actors who are abducted to save the universe from an actual space villain. Novice screenwriter David Howard first devised the fantasy-within-reality concept of a Star Trek-like television actor breaking out of typecasting to actually explore the cosmos, but with a very different approach to the plot device. It took writer Robert Gordon to add the self-referential pop culture parody to the script which truly launched the NSEA Protector into deep space to battle with a lobster-styled alien villain. Dean Parisot's playful and witty direction to keep both the science fiction and fantasy sorted out to maximize the story's comic effect, and the new 10th Anniversary interviews with the cast rightfully sing his praises for GALAXY QUEST's success. Tim Allen portrays Jason Nesmith, a destable yet lovable Shatner-esque TV actor who lives off his cancelled series' royalty checks and reputation for being in a bygone franchise. The only thing more expansive than his ego is the galaxy he will soon explore when Thermian aliens show up at at fan convention to beg his Galaxy Quest character, Captain Peter Quincy Taggart, to save their wimpy race from extermination. Once enlisted, Nesmith enlists his fellow castmates to reunite the Protector's crew and join his mission in the cosmos. The reality of the actors' faltering careers and their reaction to the revelation seing their Quest become true is comically and convincingly played by Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman. Joined by the "supporting actors" of the show, Tony Shaloub, Daryl Mitchell and Sam Rockwell alternate attempts at stealing scenes with hilarious, neurotic traits from their subordination to the lead actors. What would a sci-fi franchise be without nerdy, detail-obsessed fans, and proliferating young actor Justin Long got an early jump in his career as the chief geek, whose faith in the escapism of this cancelled show becomes Earth's salvation. As the tentacled aliens maintaining human appearances and laughingly imitating our walks and laughter, Enrico Colantoni and Missy Pyle excel in playing the staccato-spoken ETs. Watch for early work from Rainn Wilson (Dwight Schrute in THE OFFICE) as a fellow Thermian, too. Speaking of these aliens, kudos to the late Stan Winston and his studio of artisans who created the delightful make-up and creature effects, which go lightyears in keeping the pseudo-reality of GALAXY QUEST flying along smoothly.
Historical Documents: The Story of GALAXY QUEST reunites all the major players for all-new insights about the creative inspiration and unfailing endurance of the film. Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shaloub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Justin Long, Missi Pyle, and Enrico Colantoni offer their personal insight and history with this quirky hit. Writers Gordon and Howard are joined by director Parisot to flesh out the development path of GALAXY QUEST, and writer/director Nicholas Meyer even chimes in with a perspective from the Star Trek universe which is ingeniously inseperable from this ficticious frontier. Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector salutes the film cast and their indelible work as their neurotic fictional counterparts, which gives viewers the enjoyable opportunity to watch actors discuss playing actors who must be kidnapped by aliens to make a real-life comeback in their Earthly careers. It's clear that Allen, Rickman, Weaver and the rest relish revisiting these characters as much ten years later as they did inventing the roles originally. Another rare opportunity to see all the main creative talent gather again a decade after working together to reflect on their lightning-in-a-bottle hit. By Grabthar's Hammer, What Amazing Effect is more of a tribute to the film's visual and creature effects by the cast and crew than an actual behind-the-scenes documentary on them, but still enjoyable. While this bonus feature is new to DVD, it does contain largely archival footage from ten years ago — though this includes a good length of discussion with the late Stan Winston, which makes this featurette worth its weight in beryllium spheres! Alien School — Creating the Thermian Race offers a fun look at the evolution of the alien mannerisms and human parody which Enrico Colantoni largely invented in his audition to play Mathesar, then adopted by, Pyle, Wilson and the rest of their race. Alien school retaught the actors how to walk as an imitation of human movement, which proved most difficult to 'rewire' adults to move their arms and legs the exact wrong way. It becomes hard to tell who had more fun: actors pretending to be actors, or actors pretending to be aliens pretending to be humans. Either way, many humorous moments ensue. Sigourney Weaver Raps is an unexpected video clip of the actress saluting her agent in hip hop-style rhyme, backed up by several of her co-stars. While the subject of this salute may be obscure to fans, watching Sigourney and friends break it down for her homie is a good laugh. The remaining bonus features were previously released on DVD, but are still enjoyable additions to this Anniverary Edition: Deleted Scenes expand your Galaxy Quest experience with extra scenes which didn't make the theatrical cut; the Dolby 2.0 surround Thermian Audio Track goes the added geeky mile to dub the entire film in the dolphin-sounding squeaks and chirps of the alien language; and the Theatrical Trailer is an interesting timewarp back to see how DreamWorks first marketed this hard to describe sci-fi/parody/action/comedy film to unsuspecting audiences. With audiences beaming into theaters this summer to boldly explore the final frontier of space, this is the perfect time to revisit the lighter side of galactic conflict and zero-g comedy with the Deluxe Edition of GALAXY QUEST. With tongue firmly planted in cheek while paying affectionate homage to such venerable sci-fi franchises and pop culture phenomena like Star Trek, this lighthearted adventure swoops into your home theaters for hilarious family fun. Transport it into your collection today! |
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