Spaceballs

Because I never miss an opportunity to slag Star Wars, I will now say that since its mythology is like a parody of sci-fi and, and that half of the episodes are (unintentionally) funny, I think Spaceballs is an essentially pointless film. I’m writing this only because I don’t like Star Wars and I love making fun of it ;-). The fact is that I was able to overcome my prejudices towards film parodies and I had a lot of fun with Spaceballs. 7/10 (05/22/2011)

It may be a bit outdated now, but a good joke never stops being a good joke. In this case, there are some excellent gags, but unfortunately, they are accompanied by quite ordinary jokes that come off rather awkwardly. However, as a parody of Star Wars, the film works quite well. I genuinely laughed out loud at some scenes, so credit where it's due. Moreover, this isn't just a parody enjoyed by Star Wars fans; others will also find it amusing. (04/08/2014)

It's not Brooks' best film (that's clearly The Producers), but it's definitely his best parody. I dare say that in terms of the number of jokes, their escalation and the bursts of laughter they provoked in me, it is on a par with Hot Shots or The Naked Gun films. The best character is of course Lord Helm, followed by President of Spaceballs. There are a few films whose directors I envy for being able to invent and make them - Spaceballs is one of them. (10/05/2009)

I've only seen Dracula: Dead and Loving It by Mel Brooks, which despite it below-average reception and ratings, I enjoyed far more than this parody of one of the most famous movie sagas. On the one hand, I appreciate the imaginativeness of the screenwriters, but on the other hand, I found most of the jokes and gags rather stilted and unexploited. The film tries to parody other sci-fi classics of the 60s and 70s, like Planet of the Apes and Alien, but these attempts were blatantly predictable and lacked humour. Definitely heaven for fans of Brooks and SW, but ultimately quite a disappointment for me. (12/28/2018)

From my perspective, this is an overrated film, with its biggest problem being the inconsistency in the quality of its gags. Some very funny jokes are followed by basement-level attempts or mere tries at humor. The film benefits from parodying well-known pop culture references, but I'd say it more or less parasites off them. Overall impression (with a bit of squinting) 40%. It's one of those films that work if you're tired and want something undemanding to unwind with. Incidentally, it didn't make a significant impact commercially. (03/08/2008)