Spaceballs (1987)
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A mercenary and his alien companion must rescue a princess from a desperate, resource-depleted empire.
The story
In a galaxy far away, the ruthless Spaceballs, led by President Skroob, have exhausted their planet's atmosphere and seek to steal it from the neighboring planet Druidia. When Princess Vespa flees an arranged marriage, she and her droid servant, Dot Matrix, are rescued by the mercenary Lone Starr and his half-man, half-dog companion, Barf. The group is soon pursued by the Spaceballs, who are led by the incompetent but determined Dark Helmet. After a crash-landing on the desert moon of Vega, the heroes must navigate a scorching landscape and seek the guidance of a wise sage to reclaim their freedom and protect Druidia's atmosphere.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Spaceballs, led by President Skroob, plan to steal the atmosphere of Druidia to save their own dying planet. They target Princess Vespa, who has fled an arranged marriage. Mercenary Lone Starr and his companion Barf rescue Vespa and her droid, Dot Matrix, but their ship, Eagle 5, crashes on the desert moon of Vega. There, they meet the sage Yogurt, who teaches Starr to use the 'Schwartz'—a mystical power. Meanwhile, the villainous Dark Helmet and Colonel Sandurz hunt the group. Helmet uses the Schwartz to disguise himself as King Roland to trick Vespa into a trap. After a series of maneuvers, Starr and Barf infiltrate the Spaceball prison and rescue the princess. The Spaceballs use a giant robot, Mega-Maid, to vacuum Druidia's air. Starr uses the Schwartz to reverse the process and eventually defeats Helmet in a 'Schwartz duel.' The trio of villains are left behind on a planet of intelligent apes. Finally, Starr learns he is actually a prince and marries Vespa on Druidia.
- First release year
- 1987
- Runtime (minutes)
- 96
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Mel Brooks
- Writers
- Mel Brooks · writer; Thomas Meehan · writer; Ronny Graham · writer
- Cast and characters
- Mel Brooks · President Skroob, Yogurt; John Candy · Barf; Rick Moranis · Lord Dark Helmet; Daphne Zuniga · Princess Vespa; Dick Van Patten · King Roland; George Wyner · Colonel Sandurz; Joan Rivers · Dot Matrix (voice); Bill Pullman · Lone Starr
- Genres
- space opera comedy; parody; science fiction comedy
- Themes
- parody; heroism; fate
- Tone and mood
- comedic; satirical
- Setting
- A galaxy far away, including the planets Druidia and Spaceball, and the desert moon of Vega.
- Premise and plot tags
- space opera; buddy comedy; sci-fi parody
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews upon release but has since attained a cult following.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 46 · scale: 100 · review count: 14
- Awards and nominations
- Worst Picture · Stinkers Bad Movie Awards · 1987 · Win
- Production trivia
- Tesla used the film's speed names for its cars.; The film was based on a script by Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, and Ronny Graham.; A novelization was written by R. L. Stine.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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