Galaxy Quest

Year: 1999
Genre: Sci-Fi Comedy
Directed: Dean Parisot
Stars: Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Enrico Colantoni, Robin Sachs, Missi Pyle, Justin Long
Production: Dreamworks

Sitting back and watching Galaxy Quest for the umpteenth time since its release in 1999, I’ve come to find something quite remarkable about the sleeper hit that made the masses fall in love with boldy going where no man has gone before, again. The movie, for all its quirks and sharp sci-fi fandom satire, just may be the dawn of post-modernism in science fiction movies. Allow me to explain.

Galaxy Quest follows the former stars of a popular space adventure series which was abruptly cancelled in the 80’s. The crew of the NSEA Protector still have clout inside of the obsessive pop culture echo chamber that is the sci-fi convention, yet outside of that none of them have achieved the success they truly feel they deserve. That is until they are shuttled off into space and are recruited by a race of aliens to play their roles for real and save their species from the nefarious Sarris (Sachs).

The film was advertised as a family-oriented comedy instead of an ironic satire/emulation of Star Trek (1966-1969). During development however, original producer Harold Ramis wanted the story to be much darker and raunchier. After Ramis left however, the squeaky-clean machine that is Dreamworks Studios cleaned it up and dubbed all the four letter words to avoid a PG-13 rating. Luckily none of the humor is lost largely thanks to the cast's excellent character work. Every character from the original TV show's crew to the Thermians (the race who beg for help) blend perfectly to create this quirky little masterpiece.

Tim Allen gives the best performance of his career as Jason Nesmith, the de facto leader of the cast with the ego to prove it. His mannerisms and base character channels William Shatner to a T, yet Allen brings an added layer of self-deception and mirth that goes beyond mere mimicry. Throughout the years many claim his character in Galaxy Quest feels like a meta-commentary on his career trajectory after his Home Improvement (1991-1999) days. There's even an extra-bonus feature on the DVD where Allen, Weaver and Rickman portray their characters in a faux Behind the Music (1997-Present) documentary. In it Allen lampoons his goofball dad persona on Home Improvement by stating he thought a similarly themed show would "go somewhere".

The layers upon layers of meta-humor becomes so labyrinthine that if everyone played it up for laughs, it would implode in a supernova of silliness. Luckily the cast plays it more ambitiously and for that we have Alan Rickman as our anchor. Playing Alexander Dane a Shakespearean trained actor frustrated by the trite trappings of playing a humanoid sidekick, Rickman is an absolute stitch in this movie. His constant look of contempt when faced with adoring fans and his clear distaste with the plot's proceedings not only gets the biggest laughs but also the biggest amount of pathos. He's the Captain Picard to Allen's Kirk and writers David Howard and Robert Gordon know it.

Special mention must also be given to Sam Rockwell's Guy, a crew member who was killed off on the show and becomes an unwilling participant in the zaniness. While Guy may be overly broad at times, his outbursts are utilized at just the right moment. Another standout is Enrico Colantoni as the Thermian leader Mathesar. His expressive face and monotone tenor provide just the right amount of off-kilter geekiness to give the talented ensemble cast a run for their money.

More than a decade has past since Galaxy Quest was released in theaters and since then science fiction now plays faster and looser with its world building, meta-commentary and post-modernist embrace of the cliche. In spite of this many movies have fallen out of favor despite initial release largely due to them being unable to strike a balance between good-natured ribbing and actually telling a story we as the audience care about. Galaxy Quest remains an enterprise of brilliant comedic storytelling with deft ensemble acting. It's the first of its kind and movies like Guardians of the Galaxy (2014), Ant-Man (2015) or (gulp) Jupiter Ascending (2015) owe a lot to this minor masterpiece.

Final Grade: A-