Galaxy Quest (1999)

Directed by Dean Parisot. Starring Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Sam Rockwell, Tony Shalhoub, Enrico Colantoni, Daryl Mitchell, Robin Sachs, Justin Long, Jed Rees, Missi Pyle, Patrick Breen. [PG]

Affectionate sci-fi parody/homage with Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, et al playing the aging cast of “Galaxy Quest”, a long-defunct 1980s TV show modeled off the original “Star Trek” series. They attend conventions and do promotional gigs, but are otherwise unhappy with the state of their careers and are resentful of Allen’s Shatner-esque ego as their old starship commander. Mistaking the television program for the real deal (“historical documents”), a gentle race of alien beings implore the “Galaxy Quest” crew to help them fight back against a ruthless reptilian enemy; astonished, the actors play along for a while, but realize quickly they’re in way over their heads, and by then, it’s too late to sit out this intergalactic war. Unapologetic fans of sci-fi programs will appreciate the clever details and in-jokes (“Trekkers”, most notably), but it ought to win over just about any audience looking for laughs as the movie skewers numerous escapism tropes and clichés (“It serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway…we shouldn’t have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here? Forget it! I’m not doing it! This episode was badly written!”). It’s warm, well-cast, smartly-written…by Grabthar’s Hammer, you will be entertained! Features Justin Long’s first movie role as a teenage “Galaxy Quest” fanatic; look for Rainn Wilson as one of the good aliens, also his film debut.

77/100