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Galaxy Quest (DTS Version)

List Price: Unknown [Buy now and save at Amazon]

Review by Aaron Beierle | posted May 16, 2000 | E-mail the Author
The Movie:

It's a fun concept and it's done, for the most part, very well. "Galaxy Quest" stars Tim Allen as the leader of a former sci-fi TV show quite similar to "Star Trek". The show has long since ended, and the group, which includes Gwen Demarco(Sigorney Weaver) and Alexander Dane(Alan Rickman) are doing sci-fi conventions where groups of rapid fans quiz them about the inaccuracies of the show's science.

Meanwhile, in outer space, a group of friendly aliens have looked at the show as reality, and think that the crew can save their race. The film is both a gentle goof on the fans of such sci-fi hits as Star Wars and Star Trek, as well as a really solid production all its own, with impressive sets and well-done special effects.

Once the film finally gets going, it becomes more of an adventure as the crew tries to save the alien race, with the occasional joke thrown in. I was never a big fan of the sort of "Star Trek" sci-fi series so, although I laughed a few times at the comedy, I appreciated the adventure more.

I was never a big fan of Tim Allen, and I especially disliked "Home Improvement" ( I still have no idea how that show became as popular as it did, or lasted as long as it did ), but he gets the sort of William Shatner parody that the role is supposed to be perfectly. Weaver, Rickman and Tony Shalhoub make for a solid supporting cast as well. I didn't always laugh at the comedy, but director Dean Parisot ("Home Fries") has stepped up from the little comedy of "Fries" into a major effects film well, and has constructed an entertaining adventure.


The DVD

VIDEO: Dreamworks has done an outstanding job with "Galaxy Quest"! The image is bright and beautiful, showing off all of the sets and special effects excellently, with an image that is clear and wonderfully sharp looking, with good detail. Colors are marvelous, looking vibrant and never showing any problems. Black level is excellent and flesh tones are natural, at least for the human characters.

As with any major new movie, there isn't a single mark on the print used, which is in crystal clear condition. There's not a bit of shimmering or pixelation at all, and overall, "Galaxy Quest" looks great, with an image that looks very "film-like". Dreamworks hasn't done that many films, but for their DVDs so far, they've done an excellent job, and "Galaxy Quest" is no different. The DTS version contains the exact same image quality as the Dolby Digital version, and both are excellent.

SOUND: Although the Dolby Digital version has plenty of positives, the DTS version presents a smoother, richer experience that provides a more seamless presentation. Although again, the film starts off fairly calmly, once the movie really gets going, the audio expands out to create a impressive, energetic experience, packing very solid, deep bass and effective (and occasionally agressive) use of the surrounds. The audio provides a fine sense of dimension during the busier scenes, and also cleanly presents the dialogue-based scenes with ease. The musical score by David Newman again sounds phenomenal on this release, enveloping the listener with the powerful, energizing score. Newman's music really gives the film a boost, giving the action scenes intensity and backing the emotional scenes. Dialogue is exceptionally clear and clean, sounding well integrated into the scenes. The DTS version is remarkable, a very entertaining and enjoyable action-movie soundtrack that many will likely enjoy.

MENUS:: The menus are excellent! The animated menus are very busy, and have plenty of action and animation when the viewer makes a choice.

EXTRAS: The DTS version has the same extras as the Dolby Digital version but the real suprise here is that all the extras, even the preview trailers, are presented in DTS.

Trailers: Trailers for "Road Trip", "Galaxy Quest", "Road To El Dorado" and "Chicken Run".

On Location In Space: This 10 minute featurette is pretty much promotional in nature, with some behind-the-scenes clips and interviews pretty much telling the story of the movie which, in this case, we've just seen. There are some interesting sequences that take a look at the production and effects work, but it's a little late - I would have liked to have learned more about how the effects were done.

Cast and Crew Bios: A very nicely done and informative set of cast and crew bios, and some even offer clips with the actor talking about their role and the film in general.

From The Cutting Room Floor: 7 Deleted Scenes, all of which are pretty entertaining, and definitely more interesting than some of the deleted scenes that are offered on DVDs, which usually, deserve to be cut. These were probably cut out because of time, but most of them are pretty funny, and make for a very nice addition. It would have been nice if there was commentary telling us more details about the origin of the scenes and why they were cut.

Also: Production notes and an audio track recorded in the language of the friendly Thermian alien race. The alien language track is kinda funny once, but I'd rather have a commentary in that space, to be honest.

Final Thoughts: The movie is basically a light, entertaining action/comedy, and I found it moderately enjoyable. I was happy to see that the DTS release contained all the extras of the Dolby Digital release (with the extras on this disc in DTS, even). With this edition providing the better presentation with the same features(and at the same price!), I'd have to recommend this one.

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Highly Recommended

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