Galaxy Quest (1999) - Conventions restrain Parisot's SF convention satire

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A space exploration shoots out of a giant TV set in space on this poster for Dean Parisot's Galaxy Quest

The stars of Star Trek-reminiscent sci-fi TV-series Galaxy Quest are worn down, when they get abducted by actual aliens, who wrongfully assess them to be actual space heroes.

 

Galaxy Quest is written by David Howard (Trek: The Movie (2018)) and Robert Gordon (Men in Black II (2002)) and directed by Dean Parisot (Home Fries (1998)).

The very funny premise is not translated into enough laughs in this witty space outing. Instead of leading the characters into some really grotesque scenes and some madness, Galaxy Quest sticks to corny, personal developments and its sci-fi plot, which runs out of motivation, when the space-locked stars get detailed survival advice from their cute teenage fanboy on earth (debuting Justin Long (Comet (2014))). Galaxy Quest is also visibly impressed with its own CGI effects, which feels dated.

Sigourney Weaver (You Again (2010)) is wasted in a bra. But there is some fun to be had in Galaxy Quest.

 

Related post:

 

Dean Parisot: Fun with Dick and Jane (2005) - Powerhouses Carrey and Leoni buoy Parisot's uneven farce

 

 

Watch  a trailer for the film here

 

Cost: 45 mil. $

Box office: 90.6 mil. $

= Flop (returned 2.01 times its cost)

[Galaxy Quest was released 23 December (Canada) and runs 102 minutes. Harold Ramis was initially slated to direct but left due to lack of belief in Tim Allen (Toy Story 2 (1999)) as a lead. Allen was paid 2 mil. $ for his performance in the film. Shooting took place from April - August 1999 in Utah and California, including Los Angeles. The film opened #7 to a 7 mil. $ first weekend in North America, where it spent a weekend at #5 two weeks later and grossed 71.5 mil. $ (78.9 % of the total gross). DreamWorks' CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg reportedly apologized personally to Parisot for failing to market the film properly. Roger Ebert gave it a 3/4 star review, translating to two notches over this one. Sequel talks have been persistent but have not resulted in anything. Parisot returned with 4 TV credits prior to his theatrical return, Fun with Dick and Jane (2005). Allen returned in Who Is Cletis Tout? (2001); Weaver in Company Man (2000); and Alan Rickman (Love Actually (2003)) with a voice performance in A Fish Tale (2000), then in Texas: In Demand (2000, video short) and with a physical theatrical performance in Blow Dry (2001). Galaxy Quest is certified fresh at 90 % with a 7.30/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Galaxy Quest?

The Gatling Gun (1971) - The Indian Wars of the West revisited in deficient flick

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Grim sexual brutalization and violent meanness is promised on this sparse poster for Robert Gordon's The Gatling Gun

During the Indian Wars of the 19th century, cowboys and Indians combat each other, until the American whites invent the Gatling Gun, a rolling machine gun that they use to mow down the natives.

The Gatling Gun is written by Joseph Van Winkle (Dark Places (1974)) and Mark Hanna (Raymie (1960)) and directed by Robert Gordon (Blind Spot (1947)).
There isn't much story to this war western, which also technically and in other ways lacks fundamental qualities, (the Apache Indians for some reason speak Spanish in it, for instance.) Interminable war scenes only slightly remedy these deficiencies. For anyone not prone to westerns, The Gatling Gun is likely to be intolerable to watch.

Listen to a grand piece of the film's score here

Cost: Unknown
Box office: Unknown
= Uncertain
[The Gatling Gun was released in May (USA) and runs 93 minutes. Shooting took place in New Mexico and California from April - May 1969. Little is known of the film's production and limited release. It was Gordon's last feature; he returned only with The American People in World War II (1973, documentary short). 292 IMDb users have given The Gatling Gun a 5.0/10 average rating.]

What do you think of The Gatling Gun?