12 Most Underrated 1980s Sci-Fi Movies
11. Spaceballs
This Mel Brooks Star Wars spoof received mixed responses upon its release, with moderate box office returns, despite being near perfect slapstick fun.
Some of the humour is admittedly silly, including a massive 'combing' of the desert, but the hit to miss ratio of the gags is extremely high. The top shelf cast are clearly having a whale of a time, Bill Pullman's Lone Starr perfecting the 'Star Lord' character decades in advance of the character existing. John Candy plays the Chewbacca parody Barf which his usual brilliant comic timing, while Rick Moranis and Mel Brooks are perfect as the not so scary Imperial threat.
While Star Wars is the obvious butt of much jokes, there are also parodies of other classic Sci-Fi adventures throughout. The highlight is a diner scene that parodies Alien, with John Hurt proving a great sport in a hilarious cameo in which the xenomorph bursts from his chest once more, which leads to the alien giving an impromptu cabaret routine! A brief Planet of the Apes skit is also a hoot, the pompous apes reaction to the arriving Spaceballs a comic delight.
The moments parodying Star Wars are great too, from Pizza the Hut eating himself to death to the maniacal departure of the Rebel base. The manner in which the epic fight scene between good and evil starts with their 'lightsabers' expanding to life is testament to the light hearted hilarity on offer.