For the penultimate movie in my review of the Mel Brooks Collection, I selected the classic Spaceballs, Mr. Brooks’ send up of science fiction movies. Although I thought I had watched this movie previously, I was surprised to discover that I had only watched it in parts and not as a whole.
When viewing the film previously, I had been struck by its obvious wink to Star Wars, emphasized through characters such as Barf, Dot, Yogurt, Pizza the Hutt, and Dark Helmet. As a long-term lover of science fiction films, Spaceballs was treading dangerous ground. My question was, was this film sublime satire, or pure farce. Read the full story






