4K Blu-Ray Review: Galaxy Quest

The Film

Patrick Stewart, Captain Picard to some, famously avoided seeing Galaxy Quest when it first premiered. He was worried it was making fun of Star Trek, a franchise he first despised, then grew to love. He didn't want the fandom to think they were the joke.

So when he received calls from other Trek veterans, each gushing about the film, he couldn't help but check it out as well. As it turned out, Galaxy Quest wasn't an insult: it was the most lovingly crafted Star Trek movie that wasn't a Trek movie at all.

The setup is familiar from The Three Amigos. A group of washed up actors, all stars of an 80s sci-fi serial, make their living by doing conventions runs and mall openings. Each has made do with what they've got, though some, notably Alexander (Alan Rickman), are more bitter about it than others.

When their on-screen captain, Jason (Tim Allen), is kidnapped by aliens pleading for the help of the intrepid crew, the cast quickly realizes their adventures have been viewed as historical documents by a race unable to comprehend lies – or fiction.

What follows is a heartfelt, exciting, and often immensely funny sci-fi satire that never belittles that which it parodies. This is the rare case of a film where each laugh is accompanied by a deep abiding love for the material.

The cast: Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, Tony Shalhoub, Sam Rockwell, and Daryl Mitchell, are perfectly cast. You can tell who they're parodying, and you can feel how much they admire the roles they've come to inhabit. It would be so easy to just laugh at the idea of actors who never work on anything but a single iconic property, yet that's not the kind of movie this is. Instead, Galaxy Quest sings praises to anyone who feels passionately about something. It sincerely states that passion can save entire galaxies, and it feels earnest and true.

It's also packed with references to Trek movies, which fans will love to point out. In one of the funniest bits, Allen is attacked by aliens who tear at his clothes, to which Rickman bitterly shouts: "Oh, sure, you just couldn't wait to get your shirt off!" Anyone who lived through the Captain Kirk era of sweaty bodies will roll in the aisles.

At 25 years old, Galaxy Quest feels remarkably timeless. Fan conventions have only gotten bigger, as has love for the material. If anything, there's a deeply heartfelt belief that all fans, deep down, love the material even through the worst times. There's no ugly Gamergate nonsense here. No angry incels gatekeeping the lore. Instead, everyone joins together to make something good out of what they love.

It's that message which makes Galaxy Quest so special. The fact that it's also hysterically funny is a bonus.

Video

Now this is more like it! The upgrade from the old Blu-Ray is immensely noticeable, especially when it comes to color and detail. Close-ups look immaculate and sharp, the texture on clothing pops, and the big effects sequences have never looked better.

It's a wild experience, considering how part of the fun is the loving jabs at how cheap Star Trek can look, to see Galaxy Quest look this good and expensive. For all the gags about everyone saving a penny where they can, this is a gorgeous movie with lots to admire, and the pristine 4K edition makes the most out of it.

Audio

The Dolby Atmos track is an update from the Blu-Ray, and you can really tell where the team has had fun with it. Check out the first sequence where Tim Allen is transported across the galaxy, and especially when the score picks up for the huge galaxy reveal.

Elsewhere, there's a terrific use of ambient and immersive sound inside the ships, and especially in the big jaws of death sequence where Sigourney Weaver's infamous F-bomb is hilariously poorly edited out.

All around, this is a terrific update on an already good audio track, and it's something that fans of the film will surely appreciate even if they don't have a proper Atmos setup at home. This is clear, vibrant, and pleasant to listen to.

Extras

Apart from the new Filmmaker Focus addition, all the extras are legacy material from the old Blu-Ray without any upscaling or clean up. They're fine, but they were always superficial featurettes.

The new 20 minutes plus focus with director Dean Parisot is also just OK, but sadly nothing special. It's a shame the 25th anniversary edition hasn't warranted anything extra, especially considering how we got the Kickstarter-funded documentary just a year ago, which essentially proved there's still a demand for this type of feature.

Still, at least there's something here. That's worth a smattering of polite applause.

Overall

The extras aren't fantastic, but if you've already got the documentary released separately last year, you're all set.

As for the audiovisual presentation, Galaxy Quest has never looked or sounded better. This is the quintessential release for fans and newcomers alike, fit for another 25 years of celebration.