As meta-films go, Galaxy Quest might well be the most brilliantly executed at the same time as being ridiculously underrated. Yes, it was a critical success, but the very idea that its status has to be diluted somewhat by the "cult" label is unforgivable. At times a loving homage (Tim Allen's Shatner is so brilliant that it feels in retrospect like Scott Bakula's Archer in Star Trek Enterprise is based on him), it's a love letter to a certain type of sci-fi nostalgia. And while Rickman's Alexander Dane is so cliched that he feels like an archetype, his is the definitive performance of a classically trained actor trapped by typecasting. Given his link to the small pack of English Bad Guy actors, Dane's annoyance also felt like it channelled something personal (as well as riffing on stage veterans Leonard Nimoy and Brent Spiner) and his arc from disaffection to acceptance is one of the film's most enjoyable elements.
