Skip to content
Spaceballs

File:Spaceballs.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

EntityQ498442· pop 46· linked from 492 articles

Spaceballs

Sign in to save

Also known as Mel Brooks' Spaceballs

Spaceballs is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It primarily parodies the original Star Wars trilogy, but also other popular franchises such as Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga, with the supporting cast including Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appe

OverviewAI-generated

Spaceballs is a 1987 American science fiction comedy and parody film directed, produced, and co-written by Mel Brooks. The screenwriters also include Ronny Graham and Thomas Meehan. The cast features Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis, and Daphne Zuniga. The film was distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and produced by Brooksfilms. Its music was composed by Mel Brooks and John Morris.

The movie has a runtime of 96 minutes and is rated PG. It was filmed in California, Arizona, and at Neuschwanstein Castle. The narrative is set on a fictional planet and deals with extraterrestrial life. The work references Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Planet of the Apes, Jaws, and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Spaceballs received a Metascore of 46 and a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 52%. On IMDb, it holds a rating of 7.1 based on 226,632 votes. The film had a budget of 22,700,000 and generated revenue of 38,120,460. It won one award.

Synthesized by Vinony from 47 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, TMDb, OMDb, IMDb, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Film · TMDB

6.9

When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless sidekick fly to the rescue. Along the way, they meet Yogurt, who puts Lone Starr wise to the power of "The Schwartz." Can he master it in time to save the day?

Released: 1987-06-2496 minDir: Mel BrooksComedy, Science FictionBudget: $22.7MBox office: $38.1MPart of: Spaceballs Collection

Cast

  • Mel Brooks as President Skroob / Yogurt
  • John Candy as Barf
  • Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet
  • Bill Pullman as Lone Starr
  • Daphne Zuniga as Princess Vespa
  • Dick Van Patten as King Roland

Themes

  • galaxy
  • android
  • space marine
  • laser gun
  • temple
  • swordplay
  • space battle
  • space travel
  • space mission
  • satire

This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

Ratings

IMDb

7.1/10

222,250 votes

Rotten Tomatoes

53%

Metacritic

46/100

Year
1987
Runtime
96 min
Genres
Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Rated
PG
Awards
1 win total

via OMDb · IMDb

Key facts

Film.name
Spaceballs
Film.image
Spaceballs.jpg
Film.caption
Theatrical release poster by John Alvin
Film.director
Mel Brooks
Film.music
John Morris
Film.cinematography
Nick McLean
Film.editing
Conrad Buff IV
Film.distributor
MGM/UA Communications Co.
Film.runtime
96 minutes
Film.country
United States
Film.language
English
Film.budget
$22.7 million
Film.gross
$40.3 million
Album.name
Spaceballs: The Soundtrack
Album.type
soundtrack
Album.artist
Various artists
Album.length
31:08
Album.label
Atlantic

via Wikipedia infobox

~19 min read

Encyclopedic overview

14 sections
Contents
  • Plot
  • Cast
  • Production
  • Music
  • Reception and legacy
  • Box office
  • Critical reception
  • Impact
  • Home media
  • In other media
  • Props
  • Sequel
  • References
  • External links

Spaceballs is a 1987 American space opera parody film co-written, produced and directed by Mel Brooks. It primarily parodies the original Star Wars trilogy, but also other popular franchises such as Star Trek, Alien, The Wizard of Oz, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Planet of the Apes, and Transformers. The film stars Bill Pullman, John Candy, Rick Moranis and Daphne Zuniga, with the supporting cast including Dick Van Patten, George Wyner, Lorene Yarnell, and the voice of Joan Rivers. In addition to Brooks playing a dual role, the film features Brooks regulars Dom DeLuise and Rudy De Luca in cameo appearances.

In Spaceballs, heroic mercenary Lone Starr (Pullman) and his alien sidekick Barf (Candy) rescue Princess Vespa (Zuniga) of the planet Druidia and her droid, Dot Matrix (Yarnell, voiced by Rivers), from being captured by the Spaceballs, led by President Skroob (Brooks), who wants to use Vespa as ransom to obtain Druidia's air for their own planet. However, the heroes get stranded on a desert moon, where they encounter the wise Yogurt (also Brooks), who teaches Starr about the metaphysical power known as "the Schwartz". Meanwhile, Spaceball commanders Dark Helmet (Moranis) and Colonel Sandurz (Wyner) lead the search for them, but are hindered by their own incompetence.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Spaceballs” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (10)