Galaxy Quest

Getting back to the films of 1999, how did it take me so long to see Galaxy Quest, which I thoroughly enjoyed? Maybe I was like the people that were mentioned in the "making of" featurette, who thought they wouldn't like it but then loved it. Maybe it was the presence of Tim Allen, who I can't stand (except when he's doing Buzz Lightyear). For whatever reason, I'm glad I saw it because it's a hoot.

The premise is great. Actors on a cult sci-fi show (very much like Star Trek) are humbled by doing the rounds of conventions and electronic store openings. Most of them are miserable, but Allen, who played the Commander, relishes it. Except when he overhears fan-boys saying how ridiculous and pathetic he is (this is one part of the movie I didn't buy--no one is that un-self aware,  not even William Shatner, and surely he would have heard this before). He goes home, gets drunk, and the next morning accompanies a group who he thinks are super-fans dressed like aliens, who say they need his help.

Well, turns out they are real aliens, who have received broadcasts of the show, and not understanding deception, think they are historical documents. They have recreated the ship down to the last nut and bolt, and need Allen to negotiate a treaty with a large, mean, lizard-like creature called Sarris (surely a poke at film critic Andrew Sarris). Things don't go well, so they need him back, and this time he brings along the entire crew.

What's special about Galaxy Quest is that the film is both the parody of a thing (sci-fi TV shows) and the thing itself, as it is a decent space adventure. It also both sends up fan culture and embraces it, as the nerds save the day (one of them is played by Justin Long, who would later gain fame as the "Mac guy.") It recalls the dichotomy experienced by Leonard Nimoy, who wrote a book called I Am Not Spock, but years later wrote another book called I Am Spock.

The cast is great. Allen is perfectly cast, but the others take turns stealing scenes. Alan Rickman is the former Shakespearean actor reduced to saying a catch phrase he hates (and he has to wear his creature makeup wherever he goes, unlike Nimoy); Sigourney Weaver is the aging sexpot who had only one thing to do on the show--talk to the computer; Darryl Mitchell is the former child star; Tony Shalhoub has some great moments as the guy who always says the ship can't take it (sort of like Scottie) and seems befuddled all of the time; and Sam Rockwell as a guy who played an expendable crew member (sometimes known as a "red shirt") who thinks he's going to die because of that. I should also add Enrico Colantoni is very funny as the head alien--I love that voice.

I had nothing but fun watching Galaxy Quest. I read that a sequel was in the works, or a TV show, but I'm glad it never happened, because it remains a nice, one-time thing that can entertain forever.