I can’t help it. I just typed the title “Galaxy Quest” and already I’m laughing. I really liked this movie; let me share why.
Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) is an over-the-hill actor whose glory days came while starring as the captain of a starship on an old TV show. Since then, his bread-and-butter has come from appearances at conventions, grand openings, and the like, but he’s never had another role. This has hurt his ego a bit and he longs for a return to the spotlight.
The other members of the crew are: Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver) Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub) and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell). They all feel that the show ruined their careers, typecasting them forever, and they just can’t get into the appearances like Jason does. They hate every minute of it.
One night, Jason comes home drunk as a skunk. When he wakes up the next morning with a hangover, he’s surprised to find several pale personages dressed entirely in black standing outside his door. He thinks they’re there to hire him for an appearance, and so he goes with them, acting the part of the Captain the whole time. What he does not realize is that that people in black are known as Thermians and are from another planet. They think Jason really is the captain of the ship, and that he can save them from their troubles.
Somehow the Thermians got ahold of reruns of the TV show and have patterned their own existence after them, believing them to be historical records and not merely entertainment. When Jason finally does realize that it’s for real, he is astounded. He has to tell the other actors about it.
But of course they don’t believe him, and he has to do some wheedling to get them to come and see. The entire crew is taken aboard the Thermian vessel, and there they encounter Sarris, a creepy alien general who wants to destroy the entire Thermian race. The Thermians are counting on the crew to save them.
This show is fantastic. The jokes fly like Frisbees and the satire is great. The whole thing is a take-off on Star Trek conventions, of course, and in the end, the day is saved by some teenage fanatics who have practically memorized every episode. There is a little language, and there is some violence. In fact, I would recommend that you watch it with your children who are aged twelve and up – battling aliens can be a little scary for a young viewer. There is also some sliding down of the zipper on Gwen’s jumpsuit. All in all, though, I didn’t find anything about it offensive and I laughed my head off through the whole thing.
This film is rated PG.
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