Sometimes, I just want to curl up with a favorite book and re-read it. The familiar passages, the tensions that build up as the plot advances, the satisfaction of the resolution are as welcome as old friends when I'm in that particular mood.
In the same way, sometimes I want to pop a tape into the VCR and lose myself for a couple of hours, elsewhere, like in Gene Kelly's Hollywood in Singing in the Rain, or Audrey Hepburn's London in My Fair Lady.
Watching Galaxy Quest is like finding a new movie that you've already seen and is already dear to your heart. Did that make any sense? I hope so. If you've seen any of the commercials you have a fair idea of the plot, and, given the circumstances, you know this film is going to have a happy ending. How could it not? A truly tragic ending would be a betrayal of the genre, and the fans would desert it in droves.
Galaxy Quest (such a delightful spin on Star Trek, could they make it more obvious?) gives us the actors who played the command crew on the Protector, a spaceship much like the beloved Enterprise, that had many great adventures during its four-year prime time run. The show became a cult hit, and now the actors are forever trapped in their roles, with varying degrees of comfort. Things take off when they are recruited by real aliens, the Thermians, who have been watching all of the "transmissions" of "historical documents", and have managed, through minute observation, to recreate all of the show's technology. For real.
Oh, did I forget to mention, you have to check your disbelief at the door? This film is a fantasy; if you want anything remotely resembling reality, look elsewhere.
So, the Tim Allen character, who played Commander Taggart, is first brought into space to negotiate with the very evil, very scary looking alien, General Sitor(sp?). Thinking it's some kind of publicity appearance, Allen orders them to fire all weapons and then returns to earth via a very interesting method of travel. Of course, things degenerate rapidly from there, and Allen ends up convincing his entire crew to return with him to help out the Thermians.
The special effects in this movie are cool, but they aren't knock-your-socks off cool. What makes this film truly outstanding is the writing and the performances. The script posits a group of actors who are familiar only with an imagined universe, but once they get out there, they find... surprise! It's just the way their writers imagined it. The essential orderliness of the universe demands that events unfold exactly as they did in Episode 51... or was it 81?
Time after time, the "crew" draws on its extensive knowledge of their own creation to solve problems and eventually save the day. But you knew they were going to do that, right? It's the little things that make this so much fun, things like the following dead-on, or just slightly-off, Star Trek references:
* Commander Taggart, sprawled in his captain's chair, head in hand, contemplating how to escape an apparently inescapable dilemma (Kirk, in any number of episodes)
* Taggart tugging his jacket into place with a quick, firm gesture (Picard's trademark)
* "I know... you're supposed to construct a primitive weapon..." as the invincible creature closes in on Taggart (the original series' episode "The Arena" [you know, the one with the Gorn])
* Taggart losing his shirt in a fight scene
* Gwen's uniform being ripped just enough to be provocatively revealing
* Crewman Number Six's probably justified fear that he's going to die on any mission, because he is the expendable crew member
* The ship being dead in the water with all power out, but a simple application of some technobabble (something to do with readjusting the solar arrays?) and they are able to limp to a convenient nearby planet, that just happens to have what they need.
There are some great, unexpected laughs, too -- my favorite being what happens to one of the enemy soldiers after he gets spaced. After seeing it, I will always wonder why we never saw it before. Another highlight (or lowlight, I guess, depending on your perspective) is when they take the real Protector out of space dock; I didn't know it was possible to wince and laugh at the same time, but it is.
True to its origins, though, Galaxy Quest also tugs at our heart strings, and appeals to our higher selves. The Thermians have no concept of "let's pretend"; they are only beginning to be acquainted with the idea of dishonesty. Their naivete is touching and their faith is simply astounding, given that it led to their incredible technological development. But the Thermians are a determined people, and inspired by the Galaxy Quest transmissions, they are able to accomplish amazing things. In the face of these accomplishments, Taggart et al can't just walk away, and of course the experience changes them forever.
The performances are top notch throughout, but special mention has to go to Alan Rickman as the only non-human in the crew, who, like Leonard Nimoy once did, regretted ever associating himself with the show. The required poignant moment sees him swearing, with complete sincerity, an oath that had been so over-used in the show that he flinched every time he was asked to say it again. The semi-comic follow-up to the oath is that he makes good on it.
Also deserving of note is Enrico Colantoni (Eliot on NBC's Just Shoot Me), who stars as the Thermian leader, Mathesar. His voice, body language, gestures -- indeed, the whole package, are just a joy to behold. The voice made the character, especially the laugh. Special mention has to go to all the Thermians, actually, who in reality look like giant squids and speak a shrieking, barking type of language. But for the sake of the crew they all employ "appearance generators" to make them look human, and "translator units" so they can be understood. They all wore eerie expressions of blank cheerfulness, and had such bizarre posture and gaits that they were hysterical to watch.
Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tony Shalhoub, and Daryl Mitchell round out the cast admirably. Like everyone else, I was happily surprised to see how well Weaver inhabited the role of Gwen DeMarco, airhead buxom blonde on the bridge. Mitchell, as the Wesley Crusher all grown up character, was most under-utilized, as all he ever got to do on the show was pilot. Of course he comes through when it's essential for him to do so. Tony Shalhoub's engineer was a complete howl; nothing fazed that man. Interstellar transport in a gelcap elicited little more than a smile out of him. The script worked in a cute love story between him and a Thermian female that advances the plot as required: he could not fail and disappoint her.
One of the nicest twists was the nod the film made to fandom, or in this case, obsessive fandom. Because even though Taggart and DeMarco were actually in the show, they never learned much more than their lines. When they're in the final crunch and need that real technical knowledge, they get it from a group of teenage boys who are so into Galaxy Quest that it doesn't surprise them one bit to find out it's all real.
The finale leaves you feeling all warm and toasty. All the right buttons have been pushed, you laughed, you choked up a bit, and had a generally splendid time. There is nothing new here, but that's not a bad thing. The material is treated with respect, not reverence; there is a terrific sense of humor working on several levels, and nothing is taken too seriously. But the ideals expressed in Galaxy Quest can still touch us. Just as the actors are transformed by truly inhabiting their old roles, so too can we be affected by the results that faith and determination can bring about.
I can find no faults with this movie, but then again, I'm a huge Star Trek fan. I am too fond of this genre to be able to rate this movie objectively. Anyone who has even casually watched an episode of Star Trek or any other sf series will catch references, and anyone who likes science fiction would enjoy this film. I'm fairly certain that non-fans would find this tedious and stupid, and that the predictability factor would annoy them. So watch this one without detractors present, otherwise you'll miss some of the visual in-jokes that continuously pop up.
Note: I saw this film on VHS on a big-screen TV. It made the transition rather well, but the special effects were probably better looking on a big screen. Generally, this type of movie should be enjoyed in a theater.
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