Galaxy Quest

People have called that the best Star Trek movie that ever existed. I might not go that far. I'd call it the best Star Trek movie that NEVER existed.

I've reviewed this movie before, but it was time for a second look.

One of this interesting things to me about this being a box office disappointment is that I understand why it was. It was the damn trailers. They were awful. What kills me (and frankly confuses me) is that the trailers all used the coolest scenes, and got the tone of the movie down pat. And yet totally out of context it all looked awful anyways. I can't explain it. At all. Trailers have the ability to make bad movies look awesome. It doesn't make any sense to me why an accurate trailer about a great movie could possibly make it look bad. And I can't even fault the trailer makers for it, because it DID use the best and funniest scenes.

The upside to that is that while we got a taste of what the adventure plot was, the Star Trek homages and connections were wholly a splendid surprise. You could argue they should have played that aspect up in the trailers, but I think Star Trek was a very niche franchise in 1999. Hell, I think it's STILL a niche franchise in 2022. I'm not sure if that would have actually helped its box office.

What I love is that when Quellek dies, Alexander gives him the best "By Grabthor's Hammer" line reading of his entire career. It's like he hated every time he had to say it, until his life led him there, and he could mean it for the first time ever, to allow Quellek to die happy and fulfilled.

Enrico Colantoni broke my damn heart with his "Why?" when Jason tells him they were actors and they lied to him. Mathesar is SUCH a great character and a career highlight for an actor who has already been known to play memorable roles like Keith Mars. I'm not inclined to ever forget Mathesar.

I especially love Gwen complaining about the death trap on the ship, and that it makes no sense for the crusher to exist, and that's it's outright badly written. I agree with that complaint. I would also like to point out there has NEVER been a scene remotely like that on Star Trek. Whatever Star Trek is, good or bad, the interior of the Enterprise is a safe space. When Gwen says "Screw that!" upon initially refusing to go through the death trap Sigourney Weaver mouths an f-bomb that was clearly edited out to secure a PG rating. And of course the countdown stops at one. That IS a cliche Star Trek has been guilty of.

Fred Kwan was a great character in that Tony Shaloub plays it like he sort of goes along with the dire happenings in an easy-going manner until it gets TOO real. His romance with Laliari was kind of hot, gross, and hilarious at the same time.

This is one of those cult movies that lives up to the hype. It's a classic. *****.