Spaceballs
Mel Brooks turns a princess-rescue space opera into a gleefully anarchic spoof of blockbuster science fiction.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Simple
- Violence
- Mild
- irreverent
- goofy
- sardonic
- comedy movie night
- sci fi marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the parody uneven and less consistently funny than Mel Brooks's strongest comedies, though they acknowledged memorable visual gags and comic performances.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film parodies Star Wars and references other science fiction and adventure films through exaggerated characters, set pieces, and dialogue.
President Skroob and the Spaceballs regime use planetary resources and royal coercion in deliberately foolish ways.
Space battles, laser weapons, temples, and mystical swordplay are staged as oversized comic set pieces.
The parody repeatedly treats familiar science fiction storytelling rules and blockbuster imagery as material for jokes.
Films like Spaceballs, and why
The Naked Gun
broad science fiction parody, rapid-fire visual gags, and affectionate genre spoofing
Robin Hood: Men in Tights
Mel Brooks comedy built around exaggerated genre conventions, slapstick, and irreverent pop-culture references
Galaxy Quest
science fiction comedy combining space adventure with absurdist humor and parody of blockbuster conventions
Movie Details
- Director
- Mel Brooks
- Release Date
- 1987-06-24
- Runtime
- 96 min
- Rating
- 6.9 / 10 (3567)
Cast
- Bill Pullman
- Rick Moranis
- Mel Brooks
- John Candy
- Daphne Zuniga
- Dick Van Patten
- George Wyner
- Michael Winslow
- Joan Rivers
- Lorene Yarnell Jansson
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, MGM Plus
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Spectrum On Demand, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Spaceballs about?
- Mel Brooks turns a princess-rescue space opera into a gleefully anarchic spoof of blockbuster science fiction.
- What is Spaceballs like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Spaceballs as brisk, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as simple.
- Is Spaceballs violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in Spaceballs as mild.
- What did critics think of Spaceballs?
- Critics broadly found the parody uneven and less consistently funny than Mel Brooks's strongest comedies, though they acknowledged memorable visual gags and comic performances.
- Which films are like Spaceballs?
- Films with a similar feel include The Naked Gun, Robin Hood: Men in Tights, and Galaxy Quest.
- How long is Spaceballs?
- Spaceballs runs 96 minutes.
- Where can I watch Spaceballs?
- In United States, Spaceballs streams on fuboTV, MGM+ Amazon Channel, Philo, AMC Plus Apple TV channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, AMC+, YouTube TV, MGM Plus.
In Ember's collections
Movies like Spaceballs
- The Last Starfighter1984
- Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone1983
- (T)Raumschiff Surprise - Periode 12004
- Galaxy Quest1999
- Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder2009
- History of the World: Part I1981
- The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension1984
- Dark Star1974
- The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear1991
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy2005
