Synopsis: The former cast of a space opera television series has to play their roles as the real thing when an alien race needs their help. However, they also have to defend both Earth and the alien race from a reptilian warlord.
Review: Releasing on the 22 October will be a special edition Blu Ray of Galaxy Quest, which will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the ultimate science-fiction spoof, which gave us the phrase, “Never give up, never surrender”.
The movie brought together an awesome cast, which was led by Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, and the late Alan Rickman. To this day this film continues to hold a fond place in the hearts of science fiction and fantasy fans everywhere. Especially Star Trek fans, who the film was was very much inspired by.
The Story
The story of Galaxy Quest operates as very much a story within a story. The film starts with the actors of an old science fiction series doing a convention. But when some real-life aliens abduct the star of the show Jason Naismith. The entire crew winds up going on an epic space adventure in which they fly around in a fully operational version of the space ship that they use in the TV show. Along the way, they meet cannibalistic babies, Rock Monsters and a lizard life warlord who is set on destroying the Thermian race.
The Packaging
This box set comes in a rather gorgeous metallic Blu Ray sleeve, which features an image of the main cast on the front and has ‘Never give up, never surrender’ printed on the back. It would not look out of place on the shelves of any fan.
The Extras
The extras were solid, but it was a bit disappointing that nothing new was recorded for this set given that a TV series based on the film is in development. As things stand most of the interviews and features seem to have been brought over from what was likely the 10th Aniversary released of the film.
A full list of the extras is below.
- Galactopedia – On-screen information about characters, ships, aliens and more
- Historical Documents: The Story of Galaxy Quest – Cast and filmmakers discuss how the film came together
- Never Give Up, Never Surrender: The intrepid crew of the NSEA Protector – Celebrates the incredibly talented cast
- By Grabthar’s Hammer, What Amazing Effects – Explores the special effects from ILM and the late Stan Winston
- Alien School – Creating The Thermian Race – Actor Enrico Colantoni’s process of developing the voice and manner of an Alien race
- Actors In Space – Delves into the psyche of the cast
- Sigourney Weaver Raps – Needs no further explanation
- Deleted Scenes – With a special introduction for two of the scenes
- Theatrical Trailer
Overall
This is a pretty comprehensive set for fans of the film, who have not already dipped for the 10th-anniversary version, which would likely have hit shelves 10 years ago. The HD transfer is pretty good and it’s always an entertaining film to watch. But I find it a bit hard to swallow that Paramount haven’t really made any special effort to commemorate the 20th Anniversary with some fresh interviews with cast and crew. Especially in light of the fact that actor Alan Rickman and Special Effects Wizard Stan Winston have both passed away in recent years. Som vox pop interviews of fellow cast members remembering those people and the contribution they made would have likely have made this a little more special.
I also think. It would have been a fun extra to have cast members of Star Trek give their thoughts on the film. Especially given that the film is very much a parody of the convention culture that has grown up around Star Trek.
Overall. The steelbook sleeve is really nice and looks great on the Blu Ray shelf, but I can’t help but feel that many fans who are dipping for this who already own the 10th Anniversary set are likely to feel a bit ripped off.
The Galaxy Quest 20th Anniversary Steelbook Blu Ray will be available to buy from all good stores on 22 October.
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- Packaging9.8
- Movie9.5
- Extras6.5
