Galaxy Quest (25th Anniversary) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Media fandom is something sacred to the people who revel in it.  Trekkies, Star Wars Nerds, Twi-hards… There’s something about fandom that has spread much further than the niche conventions that once were. Way back in 1999, Galaxy Quest touched on the idea of fandom with an accurate portrayal that wasn’t all parody.  Its genuine representation of media fandom has made the film a bit of a cult hit. It would seem that many Trekkies saw themselves in the early and climactic convention-based scenes. So, after 25 years, how does Galaxy Quest hold up? Find out more while I figure out if there is such a fandom for Galaxy Quest now!

Galaxy Quest (25th Anniversary) (4K UHD Blu-ray Review)

Media fandom is something sacred to the people who revel in it. Trekkies, Star Wars Nerds, Twi-hards… There’s something about fandom that has spread much further than the niche conventions that once were. Way back in 1999, Galaxy Quest touched on the idea of fandom with an accurate portrayal that wasn’t all parody. Its genuine representation of media fandom has made the film a bit of a cult hit. It would seem that many Trekkies saw themselves in the early and climactic convention-based scenes. So, after 25 years, how does Galaxy Quest hold up? Find out more while I figure out if there is such a fandom for Galaxy Quest now!

Film:

Years after cancellation, the stars of the television series Galaxy Quest cling to their careers. When a distressed interstellar race mistakes the show for “historical documents,” lead actor Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen) and his crew of has-beens are unwittingly recruited to save the alien race from a genocidal warlord. Featuring an all-star ensemble, including Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, Daryl Mitchell, Justin Long and Rainn Wilson, Galaxy Quest is a hilarious adventure that boldly goes where no comedy has gone before.

As the film begins, we meet the cast of Galaxy Quest, a long cancelled sci-fi series not unlike Star Trek. At a convention, the cast grumbles through the motions as they prepare for a Q&A and some autographs. Alexander (Alan Ruck) complains that he threw away a career as a Shakespearian actor to wear heavy makeup and a headpiece. Gwen (Sigourney Weaver) remarks that she was once interviewed for TV Guide, and they used 6 paragraphs to explain how her boobs fit in her costume. Fred (Tony Shaloub) is mild mannered but out of acting gigs, and Tommy (Daryl Mitchell) is the token black cast member. As a child actor during the shows run, he was 2 tokens at once!

Rounding out the crew is Jason (Tim Allen) the lead of the series. He appears to have himself together, but upon hearing some convention attending trolls trashing the fans and the show, he disassociates and drinks away his disappointment. When he’s awakened by 3 people identifying as Thermians, visiting from another planet, Jason is hungover and displeased. He thinks this is an invitation to some other random appearance and he goes along with them in a limo to what he thinks is a gig. He puts himself into character and manages to defeat Sarris, the Thermian’s biggest nemesis and threat. Realizing that at some point the Thermians transported themselves, Jason and the limo to their home planet, Jason begins to believe there may be more to his role on Galaxy Quest than just acting. As he drops back down to earth, right in the middle of a middling ribbon cutting job the cast is appearing at, he is so excited to tell his castmates. They don’t believe him. Why would they?

When the Thermians end up appealing to the cast’s good nature, they all end up on a fully functional replica ship just like their show had and leave Earth once again to face Sarrin who survived his tangle with Jason. As the crew bands together with the fan-Thermians, they all begin to feel a sense of purpose helping these alien visitors and finding the Thermian’s use of American TV, especially their show, as historical documents empowering. As the crew battles intergalactic enemies, they each find their purpose again.

Galaxy Quest was an above average hit for Paramount in 1999. It was a film that had wide appeal for fans of sci-fi and comedy and banked on its stacked cast to deliver the goods. Tim Allen is quite good as the intrepid leader of the Galaxy Quest crew, offering some interesting dramatic shifts in quieter moments of the film. Sigourney Weaver is a bright light as she often is in films, with some quick wit to keep her going. Alan Ruck is delightful in full alien headgear for the duration of the film, while Tony Shaloub and Darryl Mitchell are minor characters with some majorly funny moments.

Director Dean Parisot moves the film along with a good pace and manages to keep the film on the rails by bringing in the aspects of media fandom, cheesy sci-fi tropes and knowing comedy and making them sing together. While the film may not be everyone’s cup of tea, Galaxy Quest stands as a sound reminder of great commercial 90’s filmmaking and is a lot of fun for fans of comedy, sci-fi or the very telling nature of fandom as it appears here.

Video:

Encoding: HEVC / H.265

Resolution: 4K (2160p)

Aspect Ratio: 2.39: