SYNOPSIS: In this riotous new road movie from producer Kevin Spacey, a group of friends who are avid Star Wars fans travel west to see the Holly Grail of all sci-fi movies, Star Wars: Episode I. The year is 1999 and for these death star dorks, the Star Wars films are more than just movies; they are a way of life. So, after one of the group takes sick it is nothing short of a moral imperative that the friends break into George Lucas’ Skywalker Ranchi to watch the seminal sci-fi picture together before its release. Enlisting the help of an estranged friend, who has traded in his Darth Vader mask for a proper day job, the adventure lays way to some extremely funny situations, including an outrageous brawl with some hard-core Trekkies

REVIEW: Linus: [Shatner has given them the access codes to Skywalker Ranch] How did you score all of this?
William Shatner: Are you kidding? I'm William Shatner; I can score anything.

Yes Mr. Shatner, you can even score one of the few bright spots of this movie. It’s not completely horrible. It does have its good moments where you will laugh out loud, but overall if you are debating to see this movie, choose wisely young padawan. First of all, it is a prerequisite that you be at minimum quite familiar with the Star Wars saga; if not, you are just not going to get it and you will have wasted your money. Personally, I grew up on the stuff and rekindled the flame when Episodes I, II, and III hit the big screen, so I actually got a kick out of seeing this movie. Granted, I was expecting it to be better. One look at the cast and you would expect something really good too. Chris Marquette was excellent in The Girl Next Door and Just Friends. Dan Fogler is becoming more popular on the big screen after his roles in Balls of Fury and Good Luck Chuck; quite a funny guy. Jay Baruchel was one of the crew in Knocked Up. Kristen Bell was right on target as the infamous Sarah Marshall. Add a dose of Seth Rogen, put it all together and you would expect a comedy classic. It fell short. This movie is corny and stupid with attempts at being raunchy, but it is also passionate, determined, and funny. It does have a great cast including some great cameos, but the story and the script diminish their performances and the overall effect of the film. The concept is cool, especially if you are a Star Wars fan, but they didn’t give it enough substance.

Hutch: Nobody calls Han Solo a bitch!
Some of the more entertaining parts of the movie are the encounters these Fanboys have with Trekkies. You can only imagine how that goes and you can’t imagine how weird Seth Rogen looks as the Trekkie gang leader. You might not even recognize him. It’s about time someone decided to tackle this real life family feud and incorporate it into a motion picture. Good stuff. The movie does do a good job with its references to Star Wars; comically, intellectually, and even dramatically. Take for example a particular coffee shop that is called Java the Hutt, or that in life we all need to face our Death Star . . . you get the picture. The movie is not a total waste of time, but I do put up the caution flag. You can be just as entertained and get as many laughs from watching Spaceballs. Director Kyle Newman hasn’t done a whole lot of major motion picture work and it kind of shows. 

Movie Review By Cine Marcos 
cinemarcos@smartcine.com

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