Spaceballs

''Spaceballs'' is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It primarily parodies the original ''Star Wars'' trilogy, but also other popular franchises such as ''Star Trek'', '' Alien'', '' The Wizard of Oz'', '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'', ''Planet of the Apes'', and ''Transformers''. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, and Rick Moranis, with the supporting cast including Daphne Zuniga, Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appearances.

In ''Spaceballs'', heroic mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman) and his alien sidekick Barf (Candy) rescue Princess Vespa (Zuniga) of Druidia and her droid, Dot Matrix (Yarnell, voiced by Rivers), from being captured by the Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Brooks), who wants to use Vespa as ransom to obtain Druidia's air for their own planet. However, the heroes get stranded on a desert moon, where they encounter the wise Yogurt (also Brooks), who teaches Starr about the metaphysical power known as "the Schwartz". Meanwhile, Spaceball commanders Dark Helmet (Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (Wyner) lead the search for them, but are hindered by their own incompetence.

The film was released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) on June 24, 1987. A sequel is in the early stages of development as of June 2025. Directed by Josh Greenbaum and co-written by Josh Gad and Brooks, the sequel will star Lewis Pullman, Keke Palmer, and Gad, with Brooks, Bill Pullman, Moranis, and Zuniga reprising their roles. The sequel has an anticipated theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios in 2027.

Plot

In a galaxy very, very, very, very far away, the ruthless Spaceballs, led by President Skroob, have squandered their planet's atmosphere. Desperate for oxygen, Skroob hatches a plan to steal it from the neighboring planet Druidia by obtaining the code to its air shield, destroying Druidia in the process.

On Druidia, the spoiled Princess Vespa flees an arranged marriage to the narcoleptic Prince Valium, having already rejected all other suitors in her search for true love. Meanwhile, mercenary Lone Starr and his "mawg sic''">Talk:Spaceballs#'Mawg' and 'Mog'">sic'' (half-man, half-dog) companion Barf are contacted by crime boss Pizza the Hutt, who demands repayment of a one-million space buck debt. King Roland of Druidia offers Starr the same amount to rescue Vespa and her droid servant, Dot Matrix.

Aboard their Winnebago spaceship ''Eagle 5'', Starr and Barf rescue the pair just before they are captured by the Spaceball ship ''Spaceball One'', commanded by Colonel Sandurz and Skroob's enforcer, Dark Helmet, who wields the mystical power of the Schwartz. However, ''Eagle 5'' runs out of fuel, forcing Starr to crash-land on the desert moon of Vega.

The four wander through the scorching landscape, with Starr and Vespa exchanging barbed remarks and mutual attraction. They cannot act on their feelings, however, as Vespa is bound by duty to marry a prince. They collapse from heat exhaustion but are rescued by the Dink-Dinks, a group of robed, diminutive aliens, and taken to the hidden temple of Yogurt, a wise sage who breaks the fourth wall to shamelessly advertise ''Spaceballs'' merchandise. Yogurt guides Starr in using the Schwartz, and gifts him a ring to channel its power. He also deciphers Starr's medallion—found with him as an abandoned baby—but withholds its meaning.

Unable to locate Vespa, Helmet and Sandurz watch a VHS copy of ''Spaceballs'' and skip ahead to discover her location. There, Helmet uses the Schwartz to impersonate King Roland, tricking Vespa into revealing herself. She and Dot are captured and taken to ''Spaceball One''; Starr and Barf give chase.

Helmet extorts the shield code from Roland by threatening to reverse Vespa's plastic surgery and restore her large nose. Starr and Barf infiltrate ''Spaceball One'', rescue the captives (leaving stunt doubles behind as a distraction), and escape in ''Eagle 5''. With the shield code in hand, ''Spaceball One'' transforms into "Mega-Maid", a giant robot maid, and begins vacuuming Druidia's atmosphere.

Using the Schwartz, Starr reverses the vacuum from "suck" to "blow", saving the planet. He pilots ''Eagle 5'' into Mega-Maid's head, finds the self-destruct button, and battles Helmet in a Schwartz duel using ring-projected lightsaber-like beams. Helmet steals Starr's ring and drops it down a grate, but he hears a telepathic message from Yogurt telling him: "The Schwartz is in you." Starr wields the Schwartz to reflect Helmet's blast with a mirror, sending him flying into the self-destruct button.

As ''Eagle 5'' escapes, Mega-Maid explodes. Skroob, Helmet, and Sandurz are left behind when all the escape pods are taken. They crash-land in the remains of Mega-Maid on a nearby planet populated by intelligent apes, who are horrified to witness their arrival.

On Druidia, Starr and Barf learn that Pizza the Hutt locked himself in a limo and ate himself to death, clearing their debt. They return Vespa to her father but decline payment for rescuing her. Starr leaves, reluctantly accepting that Vespa must marry a prince.

In space, Starr and Barf discover a final message from Yogurt hidden in a fortune cookie: the medallion proves Starr is a prince. They return to Druidia just in time to stop Vespa's wedding to Valium. Starr reveals his royal lineage and he and Vespa are joyously married.

Cast

*Bill Pullman as Lone Starr, a mercenary who travels the galaxy in his flying 1986 Winnebago Chieftain 33, ''Eagle 5''. He is a parody of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo.
*John Candy as Barf, a parody of Chewbacca.
* Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa, the spoiled princess of Planet Druidia. She is a parody of Princess Leia.
*Joan Rivers as the voice of Dot Matrix, Princess Vespa's droid of honor and guardian. She is a parody of C-3PO.
** Lorene Yarnell provided Dot Matrix's on-screen physical performance.
* Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, the Spaceballs' short-statured, bratty, and childish chief enforcer, who can wield the "down-side" of the Schwartz. He is a parody of Darth Vader.
*Mel Brooks as:
**President Skroob, the incompetent leader of Planet Spaceball. His name "Skroob" is an anagram of "Brooks".
**Yogurt, the wise and powerful keeper of the "up-side" of the Schwartz. He is a parody of Yoda.
* George Wyner as Colonel Sandurz, the commander of ''Spaceball One''. His name is a reference to Colonel Sanders.
* Dick Van Patten as King Roland, the ruler of Planet Druidia and Princess Vespa's father.
* Michael Winslow as a radar technician on ''Spaceball One'' who can re-enact the radar's sounds.
* Ronny Graham as the minister.
* Jim J. Bullock as Prince Valium, a narcoleptic prince.
* Leslie Bevis as Commanderette Zircon, a minion of President Skroob on Planet Spaceball.
* Sandy Helberg as Dr. Irving Schlotkin, a plastic surgeon.
* Dom DeLuise as the voice of Pizza the Hutt, a crime boss described as being half-man and half-pizza. He is a parody of Jabba the Hutt and his name is a reference to Pizza Hut.
** Richard Karron (original takes) and Rick Lazzarini (reshoots and final takes) portrayed Pizza's on-screen presence. Lazzarini spoke Pizza's lines for the character's on-camera scenes with DeLuise's voice dubbed in later.
* Rudy De Luca as Vinnie, Pizza's robotic subordinate. He is a parody of the 1980s TV personality Max Headroom.
* Rhonda Shear as a woman in the diner.
*Jeff MacGregor as Snotty, a minion of President Skroob on Planet Spaceball based on Scotty from ''Star Trek''.

John Hurt makes a cameo appearance credited as himself, parodying his character Gilbert Kane's death in the film '' Alien'' (1979). Various actors and comedians appear in unnamed roles, with Sal Viscuso, Michael Pniewski, Stephen Tobolowsky, Robert Prescott, Tom Dreesen, Rick Ducommun, Rob Paulsen (who was uncredited), Tommy Swerdlow, and Tim Russ all appearing as soldiers of Dark Helmet. Additional unnamed appearances include Dey Young as a waitress, Jack Riley as a newsman covering the news about Pizza the Hutt's death, Ken Olfson as the head usher, and Bryan O'Byrne as an organist. Brenda Strong appears as Gretchen, Dr. Schlotkin's nurse, alongside Johnny Silver as Arnold, Dr. Schlotkin's caddy. Denise and Dian Gallup appear as Charlene and Marlene, two twin girls in Spaceball City who President Skroob keeps mixing up the names for. Ed Gale, Felix Silla, Tony Cox, Antonio Hoyos, Arturo Gil, and John Kennedy Hayden appear as the Dinks (based on the Jawas) while their uncredited voices are provided by Corey Burton, Phil Hartman, Tress MacNeille, John Paragon, and Rob Paulsen.

Production

When Brooks developed ''Spaceballs'', he wanted his parody to be as close to the original as possible. Even though the Yogurt character (Mel Brooks) mentions merchandising in the film, Brooks's deal with George Lucas on parodying ''Star Wars'' was that no ''Spaceballs'' action figures be made. According to Brooks, "ucassaid, 'Your ction figuresare going to look like mine.' I said okay." However, this agreement inspired Brooks to write Yogurt's "Merchandising" scene and include multiple ''Spaceballs''-branded products at other points in the film, such as placemats and toilet paper. While no mass produced ''Spaceballs'' merchandise was ever created, Max Brooks revealed in 2023 that he is in possession of the Yogurt doll used in the merchandise scene.

Brooks also had Lucas' company handle some post-production, saying, "I was playing ball with the people who could have said no." Lucas later sent Brooks a note saying how much he loved the film, including its story structure, and that he "was afraid ewould bust something from laughing". According to Rick Moranis, "In the original script, the description of ark Helmetwas that the whole costume was one gigantic helmet. Then it got scaled back to just an exaggerated version of the Darth Vader helmet."

The bulk of the film's visual effects were executed by Apogee Inc., which was founded by former Industrial Light & Magic employee John Dykstra.

Pullman got the part of Lone Starr when Brooks and his wife Anne Bancroft saw him in a play. Brooks had been unsuccessfully trying to sign on big-name actors such as Tom Cruise and Tom Hanks for the film. Pullman said,

I think elwas hurt that they didn't take him up on it... but then it attract dtwo of the big comics at that time: John Candy and Rick Moranis. Once that was secured, then he said, "Heck, I'll get somebody nobody knows!" And I got a chance to do it.

Zuniga initially found Brooks' film parodies "too crass and not too funny" but, after working with Brooks, she said: "I have this image of Mel as totally wacko and out to lunch. And he is. But he's also really perceptive, real sensitive in ways that make actors respond."

Music

An official soundtrack was released on Atlantic Records on LP, CD, and cassette, featuring many of the songs heard in the film, as well as three score cues by frequent Brooks collaborator John Morris.

Track listing

"Raise Your Hands" by Bon Jovi is also used prominently in the film.

"My Heart Has a Mind of Its Own" was made into a hit in 1990 by Sally Moore (U.S. AC #42).

In the film, the Dinks (based on Jawas) perform the 1914 marching song " Colonel Bogey March", though they only sing the word "Dink" repeatedly in rhythm to the song rather than whistle, parodying the scene from '' The Bridge on the River Kwai''.

In 2006, La-La Land Records released ''Spaceballs – The 19th Anniversary Edition'' CD of the film's score, with bonus tracks of alternate takes and tracks not used in the film.

Reception and legacy

Box office

The film had an estimated $25.5 million budget, and ultimately grossed $40,306,483 during its run in the United States, taking in $6,613,837 on its opening weekend, finishing behind '' Dragnet''.

Critical reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes reports that 52% of 104 critics have given positive reviews and an average rating of 5.9/10. The site's consensus reads; "There's fine spoofery and amusing characters in ''Spaceballs'', though it's a far cry from Mel Brooks' peak era." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 46 out of 100, based on 14 reviews. Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B−" on an A+ to F scale.

At the time of the film's release, Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4, and remarked "I enjoyed a lot of the movie, but I kept thinking I was at a revival... it should have been made several years ago, before our appetite for ''Star Wars'' satires had been completely exhausted." Gene Siskel of the ''Chicago Tribune'' gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, saying that there were "just enough funny visual gags to recommend this wildly uneven film". '' Variety'' said that the film was a misguided parody and not very funny.

The film won Worst Picture at the 1987 Stinkers Bad Movie Awards.

Impact

The film gained a cult following in the following years.

Tesla Motors has used the film's starship speeds (Light Speed, Ridiculous Speed, Ludicrous Speed, Plaid Speed) as inspiration for naming their acceleration modes. In homage to ''Spaceballs'', Tesla has ''Ludicrous Mode'' for acceleration beyond its Insane Mode, and ''Plaid Mode'', overtop Ludicrous.

A clip from the film, alongside clips of other ''Star Wars'' parody works, was used in a "special look" internet video used to promote '' Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker'' in order to show the cultural impact of Star Wars.

Home media

''Spaceballs'' was first made available on VHS and LaserDisc in February 1988; they were re-released in the late 1990s. The VHS edition was issued twice; the latter edition was presented in widescreen. Meanwhile, the laserdisc also gained a commentary track with Brooks; this was transferred over to the DVD and Blu-ray releases. The film was first released on DVD on April 25, 2000. This version also contained "the makingof..." documentary and a collectible "makingof" booklet. The film was then released in the "Collectors Edition" on May 3, 2005. This edition contained more extras including the documentary and the video conversation about the making of the film with Brooks and Thomas Meehan. On August 7, 2012, the "25th Anniversary Edition" was released on Blu-ray containing many of the same bonus features as the 2005 DVD release with the addition of a new featurette. An Ultra HD Blu-ray edition of the film was released on April 12, 2021 by Kino Lorber, with all of the special features from previous home video releases included.

In other media

*A novelization for the film was released on June 1, 1987, written by R. L. Stine under the pen name Jovial Bob Stine, along with Mel Brooks, Thomas Meehan, and Ronny Graham.
*''Spaceballs'' was developed into an animated television show which debuted in September 2008 as '' Spaceballs: The Animated Series'' on G4 (US) and Super Channel (Canada).
*In the episode '' Robot Chicken: Star Wars'' of the American adult sketch comedy television series ''Robot Chicken'' the segment ''George Lucas At The Convention'' features a ''Star Wars'' fan wearing a Barf costume from ''Spaceballs''.
*Moranis vocally reprised his role as Dark Helmet in the episode "Spaceballs" of the American sitcom '' The Goldbergs''.

Props

A -scale model of the Winnebago, ''Eagle 5'', was auctioned on December 11, 2018. The model was created by film special effects designer Grant McCune, who also created models for ''Star Wars'' and ''Star Trek''. The model makes an appearance early in the film with the introduction of Barf and Lone Starr. The model, along with other special effects artifacts from then-current films such as ''Masters of the Universe'' and '' Jaws: The Revenge'', was displayed at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry in the summer of 1988.

Sequel

Moranis claimed in a 2013 interview that he and Brooks had discussed a potential sequel, with Moranis pitching the title ''Spaceballs III: The Search for Spaceballs II''. However, he and Brooks were unable to structure a deal that would allow the project to move forward. In February 2015, Brooks said that he would like to make a sequel to be released after the next ''Star Wars'' film and hoped that Moranis would reprise his role. This proposed film, Brooks said, may be called ''Spaceballs 2: The Search for More Money''. However, in February 2020, Bill Pullman said during an interview with ''Daily Blast Live'', "It's up to Mel. Ask him if he has too much money and that's why he doesn't do it." In June 2024, a sequel was announced with Brooks serving as producer alongside Josh Gad, and that Josh Greenbaum would serve as director.

Amazon MGM Studios announced in June 2025 they will distribute the film with a planned theatrical release in 2027. Imagine Entertainment will produce the sequel, with Ron Howard, Brian Grazer and Jeb Brody as co-producers. Alongside this announcement, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said that the film will star Lewis Pullman (Bill Pullman's real-life son) as Starburst, the son of Lone Starr and Vespa; and Keke Palmer as a character named Destiny, as well as Gad. Brooks will be reprising the role of Yogurt. According to ''Deadline Hollywood'', both Bill Pullman and Rick Moranis are returning, reprising Lone Starr and Dark Helmet, respectively, while ''The Wrap'' confirmed that Daphne Zuniga will reprise her role as Princess Vespa. According to the press release, the film has been described by those who have not yet read the script as "A Non-Prequel Non-Reboot Sequel Part Two but with Reboot Elements Franchise Expansion Film".

References

External links

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1987 films
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Films about extraterrestrial life
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