With Galaxy Quest streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime Nick Clement went to revisit this 1999 classic.
The stars of a 1970s sci-fi show – now scraping a living through re-runs and sci-fi conventions – are beamed aboard an alien spacecraft.
Believing the cast’s heroic on-screen dramas are historical documents of real-life adventures, the band of aliens turn to the ailing celebrities for help in their quest to overcome the oppressive regime in their solar system.
This all-time comedy classic is currently streaming on Amazon Prime at no additional rental cost fee!
Another superb film to find release during the legendary year of 1999, Galaxy Quest should have done twice the box-office, but over the years, it’s become a major cult favourite.
Interesting to note that the film had a $7 million opening weekend, before legging it out to $72 million domestic.
I never knew that Harold Ramis was originally meant to direct (makes sense, though!), nor that the film originally received an R-rating (where the hell is THAT cut?!) before it was trimmed down to a PG!
Also, while playing in theatres, the first 20 minutes of the film were presented in a 1.85:1 aspect ratio, before changing to a wider 2.35:1 ratio when Nesmith looks out upon space as the Protector arrives at Thermia, to maximize the effect on viewers.
However, this caused some problems with projectionists at movie theatres when showing the film, as they had not opened up the screen curtains far enough for the wider aspect ratio.
Projectionists had to be told at later showings to prepare for this transition.
Galaxy Quest is also available on Blu-ray and DVD.
Review by Nick Clement
