Galaxy Quest (25th Anniversary): 4K UHD Review
Celebrating its’ 25th anniversary is Dean Parisot’s sci-fi/comedy cult classic, Galaxy Quest. While the film was a minor success at the box office back in 1999, it has gone on to build a much-deserved larger following. Sporting an incredible cast that includes Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Enrico Colantoni, Missi Pyle and Justin Long, Galaxy Quest pokes some fun at fandom culture during a time when the only kind of conventions around were for comic books and Star Trek. What makes the film work so well (aside from the casting), is the sharp writing by David Howard and Robert Gordon, who inject quite a bit of truth in some of the sharp humor.
More than a decade after the 80’s space-adventure series, Galaxy Quest was cancelled, the cast of the show have had a hard time finding steady acting jobs. To make ends meet, they do public appearances, like convention signings and Q&As. While Gwen DeMarco (Weaver), Alexander Dane (Rickman), Fred Kwan (Shalhoub) and Tommy Webber (Mitchell) find very little pleasure with being stuck in these characters, Jason Nesmith (Allen) loves the attention he receives from the fans. That is until he overhears a couple of convention attendees making fun of him in the restroom.
Thinking they are about to take part in another appearance gig, the Galaxy Quest cast find themselves taking on the role of a lifetime, when an alien race called the Thermians beam the actors up to their starship. You see, the Thermians have been receiving transmissions of the old television show on their planet, thinking they were historical documents. They believe the actors are actually the characters on the show and hope that they can help save their race from the reptilian humanoid general Roth’h’ar Sarris.
Even 25 years later, Galaxy Quest is a great deal of fun. Sure, many of the jokes are aimed towards Trekkers, but even those who never watched those shows or films, should be able to pick up on them. I love how Gwen’s one job is just to repeat what the ship’s computer says. It’s stupid, but dammit, she is gonna do it. Sam Rockwell is also a stand out as the character that doesn’t even have a name because he was only in one scene in one episode and was killed.
Paramount’s new 2160p presentation was remastered under the supervision of director Dean Parisot. While we are treated to a great-looking presentation, I should mention that the 4K presentation of Galaxy Quest is in three different aspect ratios, which may confuse some viewers at first. The opening, which features an intro for the old television series is in 1.37:1 and then soon goes to 1.85:1 before shifting to 2.39:1 about 20 minutes in. This was how the film was originally presented upon the theatrical release and I completely forgot about it. At first, I thought there was an issue with the disk itself, but that wasn’t the case. The CGI elements have held up quite well over the past 25 years, which isn’t always the case. Movies released just five years ago can look somewhat dated at times and Galaxy Quest wasn’t even an expensive film. The Dolby Atmos Track is a welcome addition, and the film definitely takes full advantage. From the Galaxy Quest score to the space battles and roaring engines of The Protector starship, the movie has never sounded better. With the holidays upon us, this release will make a perfect stocking stuffer for the sci-fi/comedy fan in your life.
Bonus Features:
- Filmmaker Focus with director Dean Parisot—NEW!
- Historical Documents: The Story of Galaxy Quest
- Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The Intrepid Crew of the NSEA Protector
- By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects
- Alien School: Creating the Thermian Race
- Actors in Space
- Sigourney Weaver Raps
- Deleted Scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
By: Marc Ferman