Product Details

• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Closed-captioned, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby TrueHD), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
• DVD Release Date: August 7, 2012
• Run Time: 96 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (493 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0089Q1TPM
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,030 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
  • #63 in Movies & TV > Blu-ray > Comedy

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Mel Brooks's Spaceballs (1987), which took swipes at the Star Wars trilogy and virtually every other major science fiction/fantasy film of the late 20th century, has enjoyed a modest but loyal cult following in the quarter-century after its release, and this Blu-ray special edition presents an extensive look at the film's production history for die-hard fans. The premise itself, which pits Bill Pullman's ersatz Han Solo (complete with faux Chewbacca John Candy) against the villainous but height-challenged Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis), is really just a backdrop for Brooks and cowriters Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan to launch a relentless barrage of jokes at the Star Wars mythology. As with any gagfest, many of the bits fall flat, but the ones that do--which lampoon the Lucas series' runaway merchandising and the "magic" of special effects--can still generate a laugh, which has much to do with the film's enduring quality. Brooks's cast also helps to sell the material, with Candy and Moranis doing most of the heavy lifting and Brooks tackling his favorite subjects--the idle upper class and Judaism--in President Skroob and Yogurt. Though light years (far, far away) from the heights of Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs is amiable, amusing fun on a broad palette, which probably accounts for its cult status.

The 25th-anniversary edition ports over most of the supplemental features from the 2005 collector's edition and original DVD release in 2000, including Brooks's commentary, a 30-minute making-of featurette with cast and crew interviews, a chat with cowriter Meehan, and an array of trailers, promotional spots, and a gag reel. There's also a new retrospective interview with Brooks that underscores his affection for the picture, a feeling undoubtedly shared by its many fans. --Paul Gaita

Product Description

The farce is with you in this laugh-out-loud funny sci-fi send-up that scores "four stars" from USA Today...and "eight trillion on the laughmeter" (Gene Shalit, NBC-TV)! The fearless - and clueless - Lone Starr (Bill Pullman) and his half-man/half-dog sidekick (John Candy) race against time to free a princess (Daphne Zuniga) from the evil clutches of Dark Helmet (Rick Moranis). Along the way, they meet the wise Yogurt (Mel Brooks), who teaches them the mystical power of "the Schwartz" in order to bring peace - and merchandising rights - to the galaxy!

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything we already have but in Blu June 10, 2009

By Steve Kuehl VINE™ VOICE

Format:Blu-ray

I love the film so it was a no-brainer to get it for the store, and my slight disappointment is offset with showing what a high storage capacity can do for this product.

The package comes with both the BD and the standard def discs and included are all of the special features we know from the 2005 release. So what's changed? Nothing except for the languages: Dubbed in DTS for six languages (including Castilian, German, Italian and French) and Mono or Dolby for three others, and subtitled in nine languages (incl. Danish, Swedish and Norwegian). None of the supplements have been upgraded but that DTS always sounds awesome during the main feature. The picture has not been cleaned up from the transfer so there is plenty of artifact, hair and random film discolorations. I enjoyed watching some of the same special features again, including the John Candy memorial and the Mel Brooks conversation. The ludiricous speed is just as lame as before.

The menu is a killer if your player is not tuned up (or older). It becomes painful when trying to watch those flubs sequences as there is no play all option. It is Spaceballs, it is Mel Brooks - so it makes it a worthwhile purchase if you did not already upgrade a few years ago to that special edition DVD (especially with both included here). I would normally rate this lower but there is so much here I had to go up one.

55 of 61 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars All-Around Great Spoof March 9, 2001

By Adam Dukovich

Format:VHS Tape

Spaceballs is perhaps the best Sci-fi spoof of all time. It has already been mentioned that it spoofs Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, but it really spoofs nearly every big Sci-fi movie ever. Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Alien, 2001: A Space Odyssey ("...they've gone to plaid!") and many more. Some of the best sequences are the "ludicruous speed" scene, the "instant video" scene, and the whole Yogurt part. Mel Brooks plays the spoof of Star Wars' Yoda who is the guardian of the Schwartz and is also heavily into Spaceballs Merchandising, including the Spaceballs flamethrower. ("The kids love this one.") Rick Moranis, of course, is the Darth Vader spoof, and I have to congradulate the casting department, because Rick Moranis and Darth Vader have to be as close to being polar opposites as you can come. Although I have heard it called unfunny and lame by others, I think it is a very funny movie and deserves to be watched not only by Sci-fi fans, but by anybody looking for a good laugh.

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars SPACEBALLS THE BLURAY July 17, 2009

By J. Vincent

Format:Blu-ray|Amazon Verified Purchase

Spaceballs is one of my all time favorite films and I eagerly awaited it's bluray release and even put in my preorder months in advance. Now that the bluray is here it is still one of my all time favorite films but i must admit the transfer is not demo material.

The transfer itself is solid and without any unnecessary tampering (digital noise reduction, edge enhancement, etc) and it is the best this film will probably ever look on home video however the film itself will never wow anyone with detail.

On the audio side we get a 5.1ch track that does it's job as well as the source material allows... just like the video it's not demo material but it's still a solid track. Also included is the original dolby stereo track along with a rather large collection of languages (and subtitles as well)

The bonus features are the same as the previous DVD edition, I haven't really dug into all of them but in Fox bluray tradition features that need a play all option (in this case the film flubs) don't get that much needed option.

The included DVD is the older flipper disc with the 4:3 pan&scan on one side and the non-anamorphic 1.85:1 version on the other.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars We needed more Schwartz in the Collector's Edition! May 3, 2005

By Humble Pi

Format:DVD

The movie itself is pure Mel Brooks. I really enjoy how Mel brings hilarious havoc to the sci-fi genre, spoofing movies from Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers to Star Trek and Star Wars. I am surprised that MPAA had originally given this movie a PG rating instead of a PG-13 rating since the movie is heavy on adult humor, language, and sexual innuendos - not exactly what I would call a flick for the whole family. Enough about the movie; this review is about the newly released Collector's Edition (CE), especially the bonus material.

The Dolby 5.1 sound quality has been enhanced compared to the original 2000 DVD release, but I will need to confirm this. I'm glad MGM offers a DTS track on disc 1. I have not yet compared Mel's commentary on the CE to the original release. I did make some limited comparisons of the picture quality: The colors are more vibrant (perhaps too much on the red?) and the picture is clearer to my eyes; the skin tones look correct to me. Since the video presentation is not THX quality, you will see some specks and film blemishes. The aspect ratio on the CE (1.85:1 for 16x9) is the same as the original 2000 release, but on my Sony monitor (4:3) the CE widescreen version is "slightly" zoomed in more than the 2000 widescreen released version.

I am disappointed in the Special Features. Why? For one reason, it does not include Rick Moranis. He is mentioned but is not interviewed at all - how can Mel not include Dark Helmet! In addition, you will not find any behind-the-scenes coverage (other than still photos) such as those found on the 2000 DVD release. Mel did not include any deleted scenes or bloopers (no, the film flubs don't count). However, there is a well-produced 29 minute documentary that includes the other main actors and crew members.... You will learn that the actors and crew members had more laughs making this movie than the audience had watching it. If this is true, Mel should have included some of those comical moments in the Special Features. Also missing on this CE is a featurette about special-effects. The conversation between Mel and co-writer Thomas Meehan is rather boring, but the tribute to comical genius John Candy is commendable, touching, and about time.

The CE is a 2-disc DVD set. It is a shame that MGM and Mel could not/would not include more about this classic comedy. Overall I give the CE version a 3/5. The movie gets 4/5! Read more ›