Galaxy Quest

	Review by Howard Anderson © 2000 Howard Anderson

Synopsis

For four seasons the crew of the NSEA Protector donned their uniforms and set out on thrilling and often dangerous missions in space - then their series was canceled. Nearly twenty years later, the five stars of the classic sci-fi series "Galaxy Quest" are still in costume, making appearances at science fiction conventions for legions of faithful fans ... but some of those fans have a little too much faith.

The Thermians, a race of aliens from the Klatu Nebula, have mistaken intercepted television transmissions of the show for "historical documents." Arriving on earth at a convention, they whisk "Commander Peter Quincy Taggart" and his crew into space to help them defeat an all-too-real and very deadly adversary.

With no script, no director, and no clue about real space travel, the actors have to turn in the performances of their lives to become the heroes the Thermians believe them to be.

Review

Some films, when everything clicks, have an ability to simply whisk the viewer away completely, and for me "Galaxy Quest" did just that. One thing that I found very commendable about this film is that at no point during its 1 hour and 42 minutes running time, does it become a parody. It's funny as hell, yes, but it's also every bit as thrilling and exciting as it is humorous. Not to mention that there is also a lot of heart to be found in this story of five has-been actors thrust into the adventure of a lifetime. "Galaxy Quest" never sets out to directly lampoon its sci-fi setting, but chooses instead to treat the genre, with all its beloved and well-used clichés, with a touch of respect. Sure, it does have a lot of fun with it, but in a great way that works exceedingly well without creating a mockery of the interstellar heroes of yesteryear.

The cast all deliver solid performances, but I feel that the one who clearly stands out is Tim Allen as Jason Nesmith, aka Commander Peter Quincy Taggart. On the more technical side of things, the visual fx by Industrial Light and Magic amazed me, and so did the creature creations and make-up fx by Stan Winston and his extraordinary team. Director Dean Parisot deserves a lot of praise in making all of these different elements come together so seamlessly, and I will certainly keep an eye out for whatever he has lined up for us next.

Image

Coming from DreamWorks, this 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer looks just as great as the best of their stuff, and from the cool metallic interiors of the NSEA Protector II, to the sweltering hot and warm colored surface of an alien planet, the image holds up perfectly. Even the tiniest of details in Stan Winston's make-up fx work appear crystal clear in this transfer, and still it comes out looking great.

Sound

For the first fifteen minutes this soundtrack is very laid back, but then, as our would-be heroes get beamed up into space and the action ensues, the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix also livens up considerably. The space battles are especially impressive, and so is Tim Allen's encounter with the rock creature. This mix is fully directional throughout, and the bass and 1. LFE channel also get a lot to do, especially during the aforementioned sequences.

Features

Although not released as one of DreamWorks' Signature Selection, this baby comes with some really great and fun extra features. There's the 10-minute " On Location in Space" Featurette, seven deleted scenes in 2.35:1 non-anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 2.0, some absolutely outstanding cast and filmmakers' bios, which also comes with short interviews with key cast and crew members, a theatrical trailer for "Galaxy Quest" as well as preview trailers for three other up-coming DreamWorks films, a mystery feature called Omega 13 that should not, under any circumstances, be checked out until after having viewed the film, and last but not least an alternate Thermian Language track in Dolby Digital 2.0

Overall Opinion

This film may be especially pleasurable for sci-fi fans, but there is no problem for someone who has never seen a single episode of "Star Trek" to get into the fun and excitement of this film. As far as the DVD in concerned, the only downside is the lack of an audio commentary, but other than that I've got no gripes with it.