Review of Galaxy Quest

Introduction

Most of you will have seen the trailers for Galaxy Quest on the TV lately.
This is one of those great opportunities that exist for importers of Region 1 DVDs, the chance to own a film on DVD that is still at the cinema here in the UK.

Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver and Alan Rickman star in a story about a group of actors who played the lead roles in the most successful sc-fi series ever shown, Galaxy Quest, until it got cancelled. Twenty years later they make their livings from guest appearances at fan conventions and store openings, all in all a rather sad existence. All this changes when a group of aliens mistake reruns of the show for historical documents and decide to enlist the cast to help them in their fight against an evil alien warlord.

Yes it’s a complete Star Trek p*** take and yes I am a Star Trek fan but there is allot here for everyone to like.

Video

The image quality of this anamorphic disc is very good. The picture is sharp without being over processed and the colours are rich. I didn’t notice any grain at all but let’s be honest, with such a recently made movie anything else would have been a real let down.

I enjoyed how the makers had got the look as close as possible to Star Trek without actually being Star Trek. The ship designs are certainly something you might have expected to see in the original series, as are the uniforms. The makers of this movie simply have to be Star Trek fans to get a look so close to that of the series.

Audio

There are 2 versions of this movie, Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS. I am a bit of a sucker for DTS soundtracks, most of my more memorable cinema experiences (not counting first dates etc) have been watching movies with a full blown DTS soundtrack. This movie is no exception to my “I love DTS” rule. The soundstage is very involving and extremely clear. The sound is also very dynamic so be careful that the explosions don’t disturb people in the neighbouring town.

As with the look of the movie the soundtrack is no different, i.e. it is very Star Trek without actually being Star Trek.

Features

More than most discs in the way of extras but I expected more. Along with the standard theatrical trailer and cast bios you also get a 10 minute behind the scenes featurette. I always enjoy watching the deleted scenes and the ones on this disc are great, most of them easily funny enough to have been included in the movie itself and I suspect they were cut due to running time. As a small amusement there is an alternative soundtrack to the movie, the Thermian language track. This is basically the entire movie as would be spoken by one of the aliens, little use but an amusing novelty.

What this disc was crying out for is a commentary track. Had they gone to the trouble of recording a track involving the main cast members (especially Tim Allen) this disc would have been gold dust. As it stands there is no commentary track at all so this holds the disc back in the extras department.

Conclusion

So the visuals are a hit, the sound is a bigger hit, the extras are a hit (although could have been better), but what about the actual movie? Well, no great surprise but I loved it. Yes it helped being a Trek fan but I watched it with a few other non-Trek fans and they enjoyed it just as much. It works so well because it doesn’t go too deep with it’s Trek references. Most people will get the Trek jokes regardless of their thoughts and feelings about the series, such is the high exposure Star Trek has enjoyed.

The cast do a simply superb job and make this movie. Tim Allen is Commander Peter Quincy Taggart (William Shatner/James T Kirk character), Sigourney Weaver is Lt. Tawny Madison (Nichelle Nicols/Lt. Uhura character) and Alan Rickman is Dr. Lazarus (probably best likened to Leonard Nimoy/Mr.Spock). Tim Allen is basically Buz Lightyear but in real life in this movie. He gets totally wrapped up in all the hero lark and many of his lines could easily have been muttered by Buz himself. Sigourney Weaver – where oh where did you get those breasts?? If I had to compile a list of buxom women she would not have appeared anywhere on the list, but in this movie she looks stunning. Blonde hair really suits her, almost as much a silky red underwear. On the character side she is firmly played out as the bimbo character who repeats everything the computer says, amusing but underused really. Alan Rickman is the really odd one out and as such fits in beautifully. Sound odd? Well let me explain. He plays the token English actor with a dramtical backdround who is now so totally fed up with his character and his trademark saying (“ By Grabthars Hammer!”) that he has had enough. He is the character that has the most trouble fitting in with the group which is simply spot on as he play an alien crew member.

There are also many other noteworthy parts but top of my list are the roles of Tech Sergeant Chen and Crewman #6. Tech Sergeant Chen (played by Fred Kwan) is hilarious. When all around is losing their head he is just totally calm, this was obviously a drug induced birth. The scene showing the arrival on the alien ship simply had me in stitches and makes me chuckle even as I type this now. Crewman #6 (played by Sam Rockwell) is the token red shirt crewman that always dies on an away mission, and he knows it this time. It’s really funny seeing him flap about trying to avoid death.

The story is kind of a Three Amigos (Steve Martin, Chevy Chase and Martin Short) shot in space and plays out in a similar style and, like the afore mentioned movie, is a delight to watch. I was in stitches at numerous points throughout the film and definitely plan to watch it again as soon as possible.

So, to sum up Galaxy Quest is a top class DVD only lacking slightly in the extras department. The movie is excellent and comes highly recommended whether you are a fan of Star Trek or not.