By Duncan Sinclair
Spaceballs is more than just a means for Brooks (and co-writers Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham) to deploy a series of Jedi-related yuks. A master parodist, Brooks is out to play with as many established Sci-Fi tropes as he can manage.
Before Youtube, Tumblr, and the rest of the Internet there was Mel Brooks and Spaceballs, gently poking fun at the science fiction hits of the day. And since his inspirations, ranging from Star Wars to Star Trek to Planet of the Apes remain permanent fixtures on our DVD shelves, Spaceballs is the ultimate spoof of what are now cultural treasures. There are now many parodies and fan-films all trying to recreate the fun ofthis 1987 cult classic. But just like Star Wars’ many imitators, they prove that there is no topping the original in terms of sheer enjoyment.
Spaceballs is more than just a means for Brooks (and co-writers Thomas Meehan and Ronny Graham) to deploy a series of Jedi-related yuks. A master parodist, Brooks is out to play with as many established Sci-Fi tropes as he can manage. Transporters, laser-swords, robot servants, spaceships, radars, light speed travel, and planets full of strange creatures are all present, though all are treated as mundane parts of the characters’ lives. He brings the characters down to our level, exposing how our beloved pop-culture icons would really appear in normal context. For instance, The Millennium Falcon seems awesome to us, but Han really is basically pilot of a Space Winnebago.
Spaceballs lacks the massive budget needed to create the CGI effects we’re accustomed to. Fortunately, the movies it mocks also lacked modern computer imagery and relied mostly on practical effects to create their settings, so Spaceballs is able to create a parody setting using the same techniques. The robots and monsters are all humans in meticulously crafted costumes and makeup, and the loving attention to detail at times equals that of Star Wars (particularly the hilariously gross “Pizza the Hutt”). The sets are all conceived without the aide of green screens and while they are designed to be comical rather than fantastical, they are no less effective in what they set out to be.
What Spaceballs lacks however, is Star Wars’ influential, frantic sense of editing. Brooks allows his camera to linger on a scene long enough for you to really appreciate the humor in his mise-en-scene. You won’t be roused by intense action or mouth-agape at it’s scope, but you will be rolling in the aisles at how it stops to point out the inherent ludicrousness of it’s targets. Not just in the obvious mockeries (Darth Vader reimagined as a nerd in an oversized helmet; Chewbacca reimagined as more man than beast so he appears pathetic in his role as pet/sidekick), but in how he extends the opening shot of the Spaceball One (Imperial Star Destroyer) entering the frame, so that it’s size goes from impressive to comically oversized.
(This is one of many examples of Brooks mocking the way the male heroes and villains of the genre use weapons and technology as masculine compensation. The stand in for lightsabers are very phallic in nature, and the name Spaceballs even suggests the Sith army is basically Vader swinging his “balls” around the galaxy.)
Containing jokes about masculinity, Jewish stereotypes, merchandising, the need for psychedelic VFX, Spaceballs is actually one of Brooks’ most intricate and complex works. Come for the loving and hilarious references to your favorite childhood adventure films. Stay for the creative filmmaking and witty commentary.