11:19 AM
E
“Keep firing, assholes!” could be one of the greatest lines written in film, especially for a gamer. How many times have you played Call of Duty or Halo or whatever and been on a team with that guy with the LMG who shoots at EVERYTHING? When that happens, I almost always shout this line over the mic at them. Thanks to Mel Brooks and his brilliant 1987 comedy, Spaceballs, I can keep this line in my online gaming verbal abuse arsenal.
Brooks, known for his over-the-top comedy spoofs, is a god in my eyes for creating this film. As a nerd, film lover, and comedy enthusiast, this could be one of the most perfect movies in creation for me. He hilariously pokes fun at some of the greatest sci-fi films, such as the Star Trek, Star Wars, and Aliens movies, while creating a genuinely humorous film. Unlike the Seltzer and Friedberg shitstorm “Movie” movies (Epic Movie, Superhero Movie, etc), he’s not just making fun of these movies for the sake of making fun of them -- he’s actually taking something that they have done well and building off of it. Spaceballs is its own film, even if it appears to be ripping others off.
One of my biggest pet peeves in movies and TV is when the fourth wall is broken. I don’t even know why, but I hate it. Comedies are the only films that can get away with it (see: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Spaceballs is no exception. The fourth wall is practically nonexistent with the amount of times it is broken. Within the first five minutes of the film, Dark Helmet has looked directly into the camera and spoken to the audience. Later on, the camera is slowly dollying in on his helmet, only to get too close and crash into him. It’s all just so stupid that you can’t help but laugh and I can’t help but love it. One of the best scenes in the film is one that DESTROYS the fourth wall. While the bad guys are trying to find our heroes, one suggests that they watch the Spaceballs video tape. They grab a copy of the film and fast forward until they are watching themselves in that scene. It’s hilarious trying to watch them figure out what’s happening while making it more confusing than it should be. The film knows that there is an audience watching it and it uses that knowledge to poke fun and make it enjoyable.
I think the best thing that this film has going for it is its quotability. While you won’t hear people quoting it the way they do with films like Anchorman or Superbad, it still has tons of classic lines. In fact, I quote the scene mentioned above whenever I fast forward through something. I’ll be with friends and if someone suggests we skip a scene I will almost always end up saying, “Prepare to fast forward!” In fact, while I was watching the film to make a list of why it’s so good, three-fourth of it consisted of classic quotes. One of my favorites comes from people literally combing a desert. Everyone has a regular comb, but the only two black guys are combing with an afro pick. When asked if they’ve found anything, one of them yells back, “We ain’t found shit!” To this day, that is still one of my favorite movie moments.
Spaceballs isn’t a film you’ll most likely see on many (if any) best or favorite movie lists, but it still deserves acknowledgment. Brooks did an incredible job at parodying some hugely popular films while still creating something legitimately entertaining and thoroughly humorous. I know many won’t agree with me but Spaceballs is easily one of his, if not his all time, best films and a staple in the parody genre.
Brooks, known for his over-the-top comedy spoofs, is a god in my eyes for creating this film. As a nerd, film lover, and comedy enthusiast, this could be one of the most perfect movies in creation for me. He hilariously pokes fun at some of the greatest sci-fi films, such as the Star Trek, Star Wars, and Aliens movies, while creating a genuinely humorous film. Unlike the Seltzer and Friedberg shitstorm “Movie” movies (Epic Movie, Superhero Movie, etc), he’s not just making fun of these movies for the sake of making fun of them -- he’s actually taking something that they have done well and building off of it. Spaceballs is its own film, even if it appears to be ripping others off.
One of my biggest pet peeves in movies and TV is when the fourth wall is broken. I don’t even know why, but I hate it. Comedies are the only films that can get away with it (see: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off) and Spaceballs is no exception. The fourth wall is practically nonexistent with the amount of times it is broken. Within the first five minutes of the film, Dark Helmet has looked directly into the camera and spoken to the audience. Later on, the camera is slowly dollying in on his helmet, only to get too close and crash into him. It’s all just so stupid that you can’t help but laugh and I can’t help but love it. One of the best scenes in the film is one that DESTROYS the fourth wall. While the bad guys are trying to find our heroes, one suggests that they watch the Spaceballs video tape. They grab a copy of the film and fast forward until they are watching themselves in that scene. It’s hilarious trying to watch them figure out what’s happening while making it more confusing than it should be. The film knows that there is an audience watching it and it uses that knowledge to poke fun and make it enjoyable.
I think the best thing that this film has going for it is its quotability. While you won’t hear people quoting it the way they do with films like Anchorman or Superbad, it still has tons of classic lines. In fact, I quote the scene mentioned above whenever I fast forward through something. I’ll be with friends and if someone suggests we skip a scene I will almost always end up saying, “Prepare to fast forward!” In fact, while I was watching the film to make a list of why it’s so good, three-fourth of it consisted of classic quotes. One of my favorites comes from people literally combing a desert. Everyone has a regular comb, but the only two black guys are combing with an afro pick. When asked if they’ve found anything, one of them yells back, “We ain’t found shit!” To this day, that is still one of my favorite movie moments.
Spaceballs isn’t a film you’ll most likely see on many (if any) best or favorite movie lists, but it still deserves acknowledgment. Brooks did an incredible job at parodying some hugely popular films while still creating something legitimately entertaining and thoroughly humorous. I know many won’t agree with me but Spaceballs is easily one of his, if not his all time, best films and a staple in the parody genre.
-Nick Yovino
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