Galaxy Quest
The scene when Tim Allen is in a men's room overhearing how the cast of Galaxy Quest are nobodies and all the co-stars can't stand him mirrors an actual event in William Shatner's life. He discovered the exact same things about himself when he attended a 1986 convention.,When Tim Allen is fighting the "Pig Lizard" on the rock planet, right before he jumps over the creature, you can see a crew member's hand maneuvering the puppet.,Sir Alexander Dane: By Grabthar's hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged.,At the end of the closing credits, Enrico Colantoni, as Mathesar, says "Never give up... Never surrender!".,Regrettably, the 20th anniversary restoration recently screened at Paramount used the DVD version, thus it goes from 1.37 to 2.35, including the 20 minutes or so that are supposed to be shown at 1.85.,Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Any Given Sunday/Fantasia 2000/Galaxy Quest/The Talented Mr. Ripley/The Hurricane (1999),A beautifully-crafted film, Galaxy Quest is a love letter to sf fans of all sorts everywhere. The characters are perfectly drawn, the story is well-written, and there's the right amount of goshwow to make the whole thing work perfectly. And it's funny as hell in all the right spots.

Tim Allen is amazing. He's got his Shatneroid character down perfectly. He's a vain, pompous clown who finds out what a laughingstock he's become, and when he gets a chance to redeem himself, he pounces on it.

Sigourney Weaver is a delight. Sexy without trying, her character Gwen DeMarco is as far from Ripley as you can get. Alan Rickman is flawless as Alexander Dane, massively talented Shakespearean actor who's been stuck in this Spockish role for years because he played it too well. Darryl Mitchell is great as Tommy "Laredo" Webber, and Sam Rockwell is hilarious as Guy, the hack actor stuck in the middle of something that scares him silly.

The two actors who really stand out are Tony Shalhoub and Enrico Colantoni. Tony plays Fred Kwan with understated glee, while Colantoni plays Commander Mathesar with a smiling earnestness that makes you firmly believe everything he's saying.

The supporting cast is incredibly talented. Robin Sachs is perfect as Sarris, Patrick Breen essays his role as Quellek beautifully, and Missy Pyle amazes as Laliari.

But it's still Tim Allen's movie above all else, and he makes the most of it.

A final note: this movie wouldn't have worked nearly as well if not for the production design work of four of the greatest artistic talents in science fiction: Simon Bisley, Brom, Wayne Barlowe and the lengendary Berni Wrightson. Barlowe is an expert in xenobiology, and designed the Thermian's native form. Wrightson's quite possibly the best horror illustrator of all time, and Sarris and his minions are his work.

My favorite moment in the film? the point where Alan Rickman gets his first look at the NSEA Protector II for the first time... his look of astonishment is a joy to behold.

Like The Last Starfighter, this is a popcorn movie with a message. See it with your kids.,