Leonard Maltin Looks Back at 25 Years of Spaceballs
Posted 08.10.12 by Ryan
For those that grew up during the 1980s, it may be hard to believe that Spaceballs is now 25 years old, but it's true. Back in 1987, director Mel Brooks was coming off of 1983's To Be or Not to Be, a remake that was not a box office success, and decided to go back to the kind of genre parody that had made him successful in the 70s with Frankenstein riff Young Frankenstein and Western spoof Blazing Saddles.
Almost directly parodying Star Wars, or, more specifically, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (with a little Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi jokes thrown in for good measure), Spaceballs took shots at the entire sci-fi genre as it followed Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man half-dog partner Barf (the late John Candy) on their attempt to save Princess Vespa (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil Lord Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). With a new, 25th anniversary edition arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray this week, Leonard Maltin discusses why the Schwartz is still strong in Spaceballs and why the comedy is as timely as ever.
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For those wanting to relive some nostalgia right away, check out the DVD trailer and theatrical trailers for Spaceballs below.
For those wondering what extras come with the Spaceballs Blu-Ray, check out the list below.
**Force Yourself! Spaceballs and the Skroobing of Sci-Fi
** Watch the Movie at Ludicrous Speed
** Audio Commentary by Mel Brooks
** Additional Commentary Tracks in Mawgese and Dinkese
** Spaceballs: The Documentary
** In Conversation: Mel Brooks and Thomas Meehan
** John Candy: Comic Spirit
** Storyboard-to-Film Comparison
** Film Flubs
** 3 Spaceballs Galleries: Behind the Movie, The Costumes, The Art
** Exhibitor Trailer with Mel Brooks Introduction
**Original Theatrical Trailer