Few sci-fi movies are as funny and timeless as 1987’s Spaceballs. A hilarious space adventure comedy from Mel Brooks, largely inspired by George Lucas’ Star Wars franchise, Spaceballs is easily one of the greatest parody movies of all time. Nearly four decades later, the movie remains a beloved cult classic, and it’s well worth the rewatch ahead of its long-awaited sequel next year.
Now that Spaceballs is available to stream for free on platforms like Tubi and PlutoTV, there’s never been a better opportunity to revisit the cult classic or perhaps even watch it for the first time ahead of the sequel before it releases in theaters next year. After all, Spaceballs: The New One is set to bring back all kinds of familiar faces from the original film while also introducing brand-new characters too.
Ultimately, what makes Spaceballs such a great sci-fi comedy is that it goes beyond spoofing moments from Star Wars alone. It also parodies other sci-fi movies, blockbusters, and classic cinema tropes, while having its own unique humor throughout. Let’s break down why the original Spaceballs still has plenty to offer, especially ahead of The New One.
Spaceballs Is A Pitch Perfect Star Wars Parody
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It’s impossible to discuss 1987’s Spaceballs without acknowledging Star Wars, which is by far the biggest butt of the movie’s jokes.
In essence, Spaceballs is largely a parody of the original Star Wars trilogy, featuring lead characters like Bill Pullman’s Lone Starr, a clear cross between Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Starr is joined by his half-man, half-dog partner named Barf (John Candy), who is a clear stand-in for Chewbacca. Daphne Zuniga’s Princess Vespa is naturally the movie’s Princess Leia, while her droid Dot Matrix (Joan Rivers) fills the role of C-3PO. The parody only continues with villains like Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet, George Wynder as Col. Sandurz, and of course Brooks himself playing President Skroob (Emperor Palpatine) and Yogurt (Yoda).
Using these clear caricatures of classic Star Wars characters, Brooks’ Spaceballs does far more than just recreate familiar scenes from Lucas’ first trilogy with some basic jokes. The entire mythology and imagery of the galaxy far, far away is emulated as well, showing a clear love for the franchise it’s mocking, even while poking fun at every element that can be seen from the Star Wars franchise, including its extensive real-life merchandise, “where the REAL money is made!” That’s a big part of why the comedy holds up even today, and one can only hope The New One will follow suit.
There’s More To Spaceballs Than Just Star Wars
Although Star Wars is the primary inspiration, Spaceballs doesn’t limit its jokes to just the galaxy far, far away. Some of its funniest moments poke fun at the Alien franchise (including an appearance from John Hurt) and even Star Trek, spoofing the sci-fi genre as a whole, as well as blockbusters in general, with Brooks’ humor extending to the film-making process itself.
Case in point, one of the movie’s most famous sequences sees Dark Helmet and Col. Sandurz viewing a copy of the Spaceballs movie to figure out where their enemies have gone, breaking the fourth wall to make the movie itself the punchline, not to mention the moment when Helmet’s soldiers accidentally capture the heroes’ stunt doubles, or Yogurt showing off all the products he plans to sell like Spaceballs: The Doll, Spaceballs: The Breakfast Cereal, and even Spaceballs: The Flamethrower.
However, you can’t go wrong with all the running Star Wars gags like “The Schwartz”, the movie’s obvious replacement for the Force, making fun of jumping to lightspeed with “ludicrous speed”, or Dark Helmet revealing himself to Lone Starr as his father’s brother’s nephew’s cousin’s former roommate. There’s also great humor in Spaceballs’ more original plot points, like the villains of Planet Spaceball attempting to steal the fresh air supply of the planet Druidia for themselves.
Spaceballs Remains An Endlessly Quotable Sci-Fi Movie
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Another key reason the 1987 movie has endured over the last 40 years is just how memorable and iconic some of Spaceballs’ best quotes are. Some personal favorites include:
- “The ship is too big. If I walk, the movie will be over” (President Skroob)
- “I Knew It! I’m Surrounded By A**holes” (Dark Helmet)
- “I’m a Mawg, half man, half dog. I’m my own best friend” (Barf)
- “Now You See That Evil Will Always Triumph Because Good Is Dumb” (Dark Helmet)
- “So. At Last, We Meet For The First Time, For The Last Time” (Lone Starr)
- “God Willing, We’ll All Meet Again In Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money.” (Yogurt)
Even people who haven’t watched Spaceballs in years can likely recall some of its most recognizable dialogue, like “May the Schwartz be with you” or “I see your Schwartz is as big as mine!” With hilarious lines, memorable characters, and non-stop spoofs of sci-fi movies in general, Spaceballs is without a doubt a rare adventure comedy that’s well worth watching multiple times over.
Spaceballs 2 Is One Of The Most Exciting Upcoming Sequels
Rather than Spaceballs 2: The Search For More Money (Mel Brooks claims in the first teaser he found Spaceballs: The Money in his basement), the upcoming sequel will officially be titled Spaceballs: The New One.
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Releasing next year, The New One is set to bring back Pullman, Zuniga, Moranis, Brooks, and Wyner, meaning audiences will once again get to see Lone Starr, Vespa, Dark Helmet, Yogurt, and Colonel Sandurz. Rick Moranis coming out of retirement to play Dark Helmet is particularly notable. The sequel is also set to debut new characters played by Josh Gad, Keke Palmer, Anthony Carrigan, and Lewis Pullman. As Bill Pullman’s real-life son, Lewis naturally plays Lone Starr and Vespa’s son, hilariously named Prince Starburst.
Additionally, the teasers have already promised to largely build its comedy around Hollywood’s excess of sequels, and Disney’s sequel trilogy in particular. Likewise, spoofing other major sci-fi franchises like Avatar has been teased as well via exclusive convention footage. Until we get an official trailer and the movie itself next year, it’s pretty great that fans can revisit the original 1987 classic for free on streaming right now.
Spaceballs: The New One is set to release in theaters on April 23rd, 2027 from Amazon MGM Studios.
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Followed
PG
Comedy
Science Fiction
8/10
178.9/10
Release Date
June 24, 1987
Runtime
96 minutes
Cast
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Mel Brooks
President Skroob / Yogurt
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John Candy
Barf
Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody of the Star Wars films directed by Mel Brooks. It follows Lone Starr and his sidekick Barf as they confront the villainous Dark Helmet, who schemes to kidnap Princess Vespa and steal her planet’s air. They encounter Yogurt, who introduces them to the mystical power known as “The Schwartz.”Enjoying this article? Support our work with a small crypto donation.Expand
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Follow
Followed
Comedy
Sci-Fi
Release Date
April 23, 2027
Director
Josh Greenbaum
Cast
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Lewis Pullman
Starburst
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Destiny
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Dark Helmet
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Mel Brooks
Yogurt
Spaceballs: The New One is a sequel to Mel Brooks’ screwball sci-fi comedy Spaceballs.Expand
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Your Rating
Spaceballs is a 1987 science fiction parody of the Star Wars films directed by Mel Brooks. It follows Lone Starr and his sidekick Barf as they confront the villainous Dark Helmet, who schemes to kidnap Princess Vespa and steal her planet’s air. They encounter Yogurt, who introduces them to the mystical power known as “The Schwartz.”
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Lewis Pullman
Starburst
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Destiny
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Dark Helmet
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Mel Brooks
Yogurt
Spaceballs: The New One is a sequel to Mel Brooks’ screwball sci-fi comedy Spaceballs.
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