My kids have seen all the Star Wars movies multiple times, but I’d held off showing them Mel Brooks’ 1987 comedy spoof Spaceballs for reasons I try to explain in this week’s Film After 11 podcast episode. I still have a little regret about spoiling an important scene from Alien before either of my boys is old enough to watch that film, but I’m sure Thomas will probably forget about it by that time anyway. Joseph missed out on this one, because I’ve given up trying to watch movies with the both of them together. That’s gotten to the point of being nearly impossible.
Spaceballs isn’t one of Mel Brooks’ best comedies. Like many of his movies, the jokes are hit-or-miss. Fortunately, more hit than miss in this outing, especially when compared to, say, his later Robin Hood: Men in Tights, which if not for the title I’m not even sure classifies as a comedy at all.
Despite its flaws, I have an abiding affection for Spaceballs from countless viewings on VHS and cable in my youth. By now, I know every joke before it comes and can recite most of the dialogue from memory. Even if I don’t laugh out loud at the movie much anymore, it still brings a smile to my face. Thomas enjoyed it too.
| Title: | Spaceballs |
| Year of Release: | 1987 |
| Director: | Mel Brooks |
| Watched On: | 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray |
| Also Available On: | Blu-ray Various VOD rental and purchase platforms |
The 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
MGM released Spaceballs on Blu-ray in 2009 via a distribution deal with 20th Century Fox. In 2021, Kino Lorber licensed the title for a 4K Ultra HD release accompanied by a remastered Blu-ray.
I’ve never understood Mel Brooks’ rationale for shooting Spaceballs in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio when just about all the movies it spoofs were originally 2.35:1. Perhaps he was more comfortable with the narrower ratio, but he’d shot Blazing Saddles in scope widescreen a decade earlier.
Scanned from the camera negative, the 4K disc is pleasingly sharp and detailed, but also very grainy, as if every particle of grain were exposed a little too clearly. In its best scenes, it looks great. In its not-so-best scenes, it still looks pretty decent but the grain is a bit much.
The HDR grade is mostly subtle, but has some nice highlights and crisp whites (important for all those Spaceball trooper costumes).
Even comparing the older Blu-ray to the newer Blu-ray (I’m not equipped to take 4K HDR screenshots), the improvement in visible detail is easily apparent. The film frame is also a tiny bit less zoomed-in. Click the links in the captions to view in full size.
The soundtrack is offered in a choice of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or the original 2.0 stereo-surround. I expect that the 5.1 track was ported directly from the older Blu-ray. Much like that disc, it’s set for a very low default volume and will need a good bit of amplification over normal settings. The movie’s opening theme music is disappointingly flat with no bass, but the score sounds better in later scenes. Although this isn’t a particularly aggressive or inventive sound design, the pew-pew blaster effects are clean and sharp, and the surround channels are put to effective use from time to time.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to compare the 5.1 with the 2.0 option when watching with my son.
The 4K disc has no extra content on it. All supplements are found on the Blu-ray in the case. The audio commentary by Mel Brooks dates back to a Special Edition Laserdisc from 1996, while most of the other features originated on a Collector’s Edition DVD in 2005. Among these are a making-of documentary, an interview with Mel Brooks and writer Thomas Meehan, a featurette about John Candy, some flubs, storyboard comparisons, trailers and image galleries, and an option to watch the movie in Ludicrous Speed. As far as I can tell, the only item new to the Kino release is a featurette called FORCE YOURSELF!
Related
- Mel Brooks
- John Candy
- Uncle Buck (1989) – Film at 11 podcast
- Rick Moranis
- Ghostbusters (1984) – Film at 11 podcast
- Ghostbusters II (1989)
- Streets of Fire (1984)
Note: Screenshots on this page were taken from the Blu-ray edition of the film and are used for illustration purposes only.
The Video File Blog 
Ha, funny, I really like Men In Tights, but I have never seen Spaceballs. I should be ashamed of myself.
LikeLike
To me, it felt like Brooks played Men in Tights too much as a straight Robin Hood story. I honestly don’t even remember there being any jokes in it.
LikeLike
Paraphrasing here, it’s not a movie I know by heart like BTTF or Goonies, but I remember laughing at the word ‘ENGLAND’ like the Hollywoodland sign, the villagers protesting ‘every time there’s a Mel Brooks movie, our village burns’, the Playboy for blind people in braille, etc.
LikeLike