"It speaks to some basic human needs: that there is a tomorrow--that it's not all going to be over in a big flash and a bomb; that the human race is improving, and that we have things to be proud of as humans. No, ancient astronauts did not build the pyramids. Human beings built them because they're clever and they work hard. And 'Star Trek' is about those things." - Gene Roddenberry, the creator of 'Star Trek'.
If 'Star Trek' is about pointing out the potential that is the clever, hard-working ingenuity of man and a hopeful tomorrow, than Galaxy Quest is about what happens when that idea is applied quite literally. Except, y'know, without all the idealized characters running the show, but actual, flawed individuals with lives that are falling to pieces.
Galaxy Quest is a film that came out at the end of the century and on the cusp of the New Millennium. The year was 1999 and it was a good year to be a Science-Fiction nerd. Why? Because Galaxy Quest, with its star-studded cast and intelligent writing,was meant to be the mocking parody of 'Star Trek' on the grand stage: the silver screen. The film takes place eighteen years after their sci-fi adventure show "Galaxy Quest" is canceled. That means that actors Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman), Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell), Fred Kwan (Tony Shaloub) and Crewman #6 (Sam Rockwell) are making appearances at sci-fi conventions and store openings in costume and character. They're wallowing in despair and are constantly at each other's throats--that is until alien visitors known as Thermians arrive and, having mistaken the show for "historical documents" and consequently modeling their entire culture around it, take them into space to save them from the genocidal General Sarris and his armada.
"Never give up! Never surrender!"
What does this mean for the fictional crew of the fictional ship, the NSEA Protector? Well, it means they're in over they're heads--that's for sure. But they're actors. And if there's anything that actors do well, it's selling themselves as something they're not. So the cast of Galaxy Quest embarks on a journey through the stars to defeat the evil Sarris, and along the way, grow and develop into three-dimensional characters out of the two-dimensional stereotypes we first see them as. All the while maintaining a hilarious tongue in cheek assessment of the situation that takes sly, underhanded jabs at both Star Trek and the characters themselves while also managing to make the characters look sympathetic. A difficult task that the writers and actors actually manage to pull off, and pull off well. Who does it the best, you ask? Why, Guy Fleegman, of course. Better known as Crewman #6 to loyal Questarians. Okay, perhaps he's not the most sympathetic of characters. But he's certainly the most amusing.
And now...
The Breakdown
Ridiculousness: So. This film is a little ridiculous. Aliens come to Earth under the assumption that it, and the fictional crew of the NSEA Protector, are their only hope for salvation against an intergalactic warlord bent on the destruction of...well, just about everything. The great thing about this movie is it never loses its ability to poke fun at it self while still maintaining the gravity of the character's predicament. And that's a whole batch of ridiculousness that's too awesome for words. 4.5/5 Stars
Classiness: This film is very classy. Not in the traditional sense of classy, cool, suave characters who know what they're doing, but in the sense of consistency. The consistency of character throughout the film is superb. How do I know this? Because you can see a marked and natural change from every character in the film. And that's classy as fuck. 5/5 Stars
Cheesiness: This is a cheesy movie in every best possible sense of the word. Every character has a single thing they do or come back to. For Commander Taggert it's his inability to see how his vanity affects the others around him. For Gwen DeMarco it's creating an identity for herself beyond sex symbol and her job on the ship of "repeating what the computer says." For Guy/Crewman #6 it's his fear of death. And for actor Alexander Dane, it's this. Watch this and see the evolution from cheesy catchphrase to poignant pact made on a friend's deathbed. It's the sort've cheesy evolution that's the staple of good films everywhere. 3.5/5 Stars
Hilariousness: This film is fuckin' comedy gold. I laugh. Every. Single. Time. I'll repeat phrases from this film all the time, and it will STILL leave me cracking up. I can't even tell you how many times I'll turn to my roommate and say, "Look around you! Can you construct a rudimentary lathe?" to which he'll promptly respond, "A LATHE?! GET OFF THE LINE GUY!" Instantaneous recognition of a joke from a film? That's pretty much the definition of hilariousness. 4.5/5 Stars
Awesomeness: This...is a Totally Awesome film. With an average rating of 4.375 Stars, it's quite clear that Galaxy Quest is one of the greatest Science-Fiction Action-Comedies of the last couple decades. Or at least for the 80's and 90's. Clearly.
There you are Questarians. An intimate critique of the universe of Galaxy Quest as picked apart by yours truly. What's your favorite Sci-Fi action-comedy? Is it Galaxy Quest? Is it something else? Lemme know in the comments! And I leave you with this.
Ahhh, the 90's and Will Smith. Few things go together as well as Will Smith and the 90's do. How do I know this? I mean, just look at the 90's. Will Smith was everywhere.
First, in his breakout television role on the TV Sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Smith played essentially himself as a young, hip, and cool BAMF drippin' with swag straight from Philly. These words, "In West Philadelphia, born and raised..." are hallmarks of the early 90's and a signature tune to anyone from those times. Begin this song anywhere in America and I swear on everything holy and unholy in this world that any person over the age of 18 will hum or sing along with you. Guaranteed.
His role on Fresh Prince was followed up with a role in the film Independence Day, a precursor to the film I'm going to discuss in just a second. Just in case you happened to miss out on any or all of the glory the 90's had to offer, here's a clip from Smith in his role as Captain Steven Hiller in Independence Day.
Yes. As Captain Hiller, Smith would first be introduced to alien life-forms. But it would be Agent J of the MIB that would put Smith on the path to the stars.
"You get a Series Four Deatomizer and I get a little - little midgy cricket? ...Feel like I'ma break this damn thing!"
The year was 1997 and Will Smith was on the up 'n up in Hollywood. A rising star with wit, passion, charisma, and intelligence, Will Smith was like a volcano erupting all over the 90's. Then Men In Black came out. The film did $84,133,900 in the opening weekend and did a total gross of $326,600,000 worldwide. This movie was a hit. Not just for Will Smith, but for Action-Comedy films everywhere. This film proved that with the right writers, the right director, and the right stars for a film, Action-Comedies were just as viable an option as either their straight Action or straight Comedy cousins. It was the dawn of a new age my friends. The Dawn of the Action-Comedy Blockbuster. And who was riding this typhoon of Awesomeness? Will. Fuckin'. Smith.
The plot is as follows: Men in Black follows the exploits of agents K (Tommy Lee Jones) and J (Will Smith), two members of a top-secret organization established to monitor and police alien activity on Earth. Agents K and J find themselves in the middle of a deadly plot by an intergalactic terrorist (Vincent D'Onofrio) who has arrived on Earth to assassinate two ambassadors from an opposing galaxy. In order to prevent worlds from almost literally colliding, the MiB must track down the terrorist, a giant cockroach running around in the skin of a dead human farmer, and prevent the destruction of Earth. If you couldn't already tell, it's just another typical day for the Men in Black.
And now for the breakdown.
The Breakdown
Ridiculousness: This film pretty much speaks for itself in terms of ridiculousness. It's a movie. About aliens. On Earth. Living amongst us. As immigrants. Umm...Yeah. To quote Zed, played by the incredibly awesome Rip Torn, "We're not hosting an intergalactic keggar down here, y'know." I know, Zed. I know. 4/5 Stars
Classiness: This movie is classy from start to finish. It's the late 90's and thus the crazy that was the 80's and early 90's has been refined and diluted to more consistently stable levels of Awesome. All black suit and tie with matching sunglasses? Check. Believable, down-to-Earth characters in a not-so-believable or down-to-earth plot? Check. Great depiction of the time period within which it takes place? Check. There are references to the 90's in this, that at the time, you'd never realize were total anachronisms of the day. But now? Here's an example: "Roaches check in...but they don't check out." 3.5/5 Stars
Cheesiness: Alright. This film is sort of loaded with cheese, but only in the very stereotypical 90's cliche action-y kind of cheese. Otherwise known as the Cheesy Supreme Awesomesauce. Smith does a great job handling the bulk of the comedy in this flick, and Tommy Lee Jones as his straight-man mentor? Yeah. The man's a boss. Total boss. The only difference between him an Will Smith in the film? J makes "this" look good. Whatever "this" is. 3/5 Stars
Hilariousness: How funny is this film? Well, when I first saw it, (and I was about 7 years old mind you), I couldn't stop quoting it. "Aw, hell naw!" was a popular phrase at the time, as was the aforementioned, "I make this look GOOD!" But now...well, now it falls kind of flat. It leaves something to be desired. It's humorous, make no mistake, but laugh out loud funny? Eh. It has it's moments. 2/5 Stars
Awesomeness: This...is an Awesome film. Coming in with an average of 3.125 Stars, Men In Black is a film that while dated still has some funky freshness clinging to its timeless 90's attitude. And you know that's just awesome.
And there you have it my fellow Extra-Terrestrials. Men In Black. Dissected and discussed as only an Aquillian's fake body can be. I leave you with this.
