Today, April 1, is the day when we play pranks on friends and acquaintances, and they, in turn, try to prank us. Commemorating this solemnity, The Universe Space Tech team has compiled a selection of five of the funniest space comedies to spend a carefree evening. After all, as you know, nothing prolongs life like laughter.
Spaceballs
What is the movie about?
The president of the planet Spaceballs sends Lord Dark Helmet to kidnap Princess Vespa. Instead, he wants to get all the air from planet Druidia. Only the brave Captain Lone Starr and his faithful companion can stop the evil president.
Why is it interesting?
Spaceballs has long and rightfully been included in the pantheon of the most significant fantasy comedies of all time. In his film, Mel Brooks heartily derides the “star” saga, mocking all its main clichés and characters (by the way, with the blessing of George Lucas himself).
But if Brooks’ film had been purely a Star Wars parody, it would never have achieved its iconic status. Fortunately, Spaceballs also makes fun of other famous representatives of the space genre: consider, for instance, the funny episode with the “re-birth” of the Alien. And many of the absurd sketches from Brooks’ film have long gone viral and now live an independent life in various YouTube videos.
All this is reinforced with brilliant acting of the best comedic actors of the time, including Rick Moranis and John Candy. All of this rightly makes Spaceballs one of the most significant fantasy comedies out there, just as entertaining as it was thirty years ago.
Mars Attacks!
What is the movie about?
Guests from the Red Planet arrive on Earth. But not in order to share their infinite wisdom, but to win us over. Ruthless invaders destroy cities, while earthly weapons are powerless against them. Is humanity doomed?
Why is it interesting?
Mars Attacks! is a very interesting homage to the numerous fantasy B-movies from the 1950s that dealt with evil aliens (most often referring to the red menace) and their attempts to take over Earth. Tim Burton’s cinema is based on the style of films of that era and is populated with all the usual patterns and stereotypical characters, which are then mercilessly ridiculed by bringing them to the maximum absurdity. Why did the Martians come to Earth? To cross a human with a dog and take pictures against the backdrop of the exploding Taj Mahal, because it is a lot of fun. Can the military stop them? Of course not, they are a collection of incompetent fools. Will humanity be saved? Of course, he will do it in the most ridiculous way possible.
In addition, Mars Attacks! has a truly incredible cast. Jack Nicholson, Pierce Brosnan, Glenn Close, Danny DeVito, Michael J. Fox, Jack Black are just some of the star names that can be seen in the film. Even in the most minor roles of Tim Burton’s films, you can see very, very famous actors.
Of course, Tim Burton’s specific black humor and his chosen style may not appeal to everyone. But if you like satire and old silly fantasy movies — Mars Attacks! provides a pretty good way to have fun spending two hours of screen time.
Men in black
What is the movie about?
“Men in Black” is a secret organization that monitors the activities of extraterrestrials on Earth. A new agent codenamed Jay joins its ranks. Together with his partner Kay, he has to save our planet from destruction.
Why is it interesting?
Men in Black is a model buddy movie presented in a science fiction wrapper. The heart of the film is the juxtaposition of two extremely dissimilar characters. On the one hand, we have Tommy Lee Jones’ tough and wordly-wise Agent Kay. On the other hand, Will Smith’s agent Jay is charming and ambitious, while he knows nothing about his new job. Their interaction creates a lot of funny situations, grabbing the audience.
All this is supplemented by many gags that skillfully shuffle various urban legends about aliens, secret government organizations and contactees with UFOs. And the movie can boast of a lot of colorful characters, excellent designs of aliens and very spectacular action episodes, thanks to which the movie literally flies by in one breath.
All this naturally brought Men in Black the status of one of the most iconic fantastic comedies of the 90s. Perhaps the subsequent sequels could not reach the same high bar. Still the original film well deserves to be called the best in the genre.
Galaxy Quest
What is the movie about?
The actors, who were once the stars of one of the most popular American fantasy series, are forced to travel across the country and perform in front of their fans, which are quite few now. During one of these meetings, they are unexpectedly approached by… aliens. Those took the series for “historical chronicles” and now ask the heroes to help them in the fight against ruthless reptilians.
Why is it interesting?
Funnily enough, a poll once conducted among Star Trek fans ranked Galaxy Quest one of the highest on the list of the best films in the series. And this despite the fact that neither the Enterprise ship nor Kirk and Spock are mentioned in it. The fact is that although Galaxy Quest is not part of the franchise, it is really a movie about Star Trek. More precisely, this is a film about the series itself and its stars.
Tim Allen perfectly embodied the image of William Shatner (who played the role of the original Captain Kirk) — a selfish actor who considers himself the heart of the universe and does not miss any opportunity to pose as a hero and take off his shirt. Alan Rickman is definitely Leonard Nimoy (Spock): a great actor who’s just damn unlucky to be stuck in one image. And also we have Sigourney Weaver in a very uncharacteristic role of a stupid blonde, and an extremely funny Sam Rockwell.
But the best thing about Galaxy Quest is that even if you haven’t watched any of the Star Trek episodes, it won’t stop you from watching it. The film has all the components of a great comedy: wonderful actors, an adventurous atmosphere and a very ironic playing of genre stereotypes, when the characters themselves perfectly understand the absurdity of the situations that arise and make appropriate comments about them.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
What is the movie about?
Our planet interferes with plans for the construction of a high-speed intergalactic highway, which causes it to be destroyed. Only Arthur Dent remains alive, because his alien friend manages to pull him out of the dying Earth. Now they have to go on an unforgettable journey hitchhiking across the Galaxy.
Why is it interesting?
In 1979, Douglas Adams’ humorous novel The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy appeared on bookstore shelves. The book became an instant bestseller and later acquired a series of sequels, which also became an international phenomenon and were translated into many languages.
And so, a quarter of a century later, the screen adaptation of the first novel of the series was released. It’s no secret that movies based on books, as usual, get mixed reviews. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy was no exception, which, however, is not at all surprising. By their very nature, books and movies speak to their audience in different languages, so when transferring the original text to the screen, there are inevitable changes that may not appeal to all fans of the original.
But if you take The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy as an independent work, then it is worth admitting that it is quite a good comedy, which conveyed a significant part of the absurd humor of Adams and his characters (at least for what the paranoid robot Marvin was worth). And if for some reason you did not know why the number 42 is the answer to the main question of life — the explanation is in the movie.
In addition, it should not be forgotten that the cycle of Adams consists of five novels. So if you like the movie, you can always read the book and find out how it was in the original and what adventures awaited the heroes next.
