Having grown up with Star Wars as a child & being introduced to Mel Brooks films as a young teen, this movie seemed like a dream match when it was announced in my late teens. I mean, Mel Brooks was going to make a spoof of Star Wars !
It had been a while since the last Mel Brooks movie, and even though History of the world Part I was not even close to what I had come to regard as up to par for a Mel Brooks film, I was excited over all of the possibilities that Star Wars would provide for Mel Brooks' parody. But I soon realized in the theater that this is simply not a funny movie. The humor in this is so shallow & unimaginative that I still have trouble believing that this came from the same person who brought us Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Those films featured witty and clever type of slapstick comedy. It was the type of comedy that knows no time period. At times those films would incorporate risque humor that actually worked. Here, Mel Brooks' comedy seems so umimaginative. It's grammer school kid humor. He actually spoofed the Jabba the Hut character with a character named Pizza the Hut...and for as stupid as that sounds, it's even more idiotic & unfunny on the screen. It's just not funny. What was once Brooks' risque mind is now pre-puberty humor : "My schwartz is bigger than yours." I remember sitting in the theater just waiting - HOPING - for a scene that would even hint at the genius of Blazing Saddles & Young Frankenstein. There isn't one in this film.
Even the cast is hopelessly unhappy. Jim Candy, Rick Moranis, and Bill Pullman seem poised for humor - but everything that comes out of their mouths is just predictable & childish. Every character in this film seems like it was conceived within a 5 minute idea session where all the writers and Brooks got together & said things like "What's a good spoof for Darth Vader ? How about um....Lord Dark Helmet ! HAHAHA ! Yha we'll use that ! So, what's a good idea for Chewbacca ? How about a half dog/half man character ? YHA ! Let's use that ! What should we name him ? How about something stupid like Barf ? Yha ! Let's do that !"
There is such a wealth of material to spoof in Star wars that I still can't believe someone (especially Mel Brooks) could make such a shallow spoof such as this. What I had hoped would be a return to form for Brooks turned out to be confirmation that his comedic ability had indeed seen its best days. AFter this, Brooks only made more and more hopelessly tired spoofs such as Robin Hood : Men In Tights, and Dracula : Dead and Loving It. Mel Brooks' humor is indeed gone. Nowadays when I see him make guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm he seems like that old uncle who tries to make all the kids laugh at family get togethers. The uncle was probably a funny kid back in high school - but now the years have caught up with him & his humor is just tired, dated, and boring.
It had been a while since the last Mel Brooks movie, and even though History of the world Part I was not even close to what I had come to regard as up to par for a Mel Brooks film, I was excited over all of the possibilities that Star Wars would provide for Mel Brooks' parody. But I soon realized in the theater that this is simply not a funny movie. The humor in this is so shallow & unimaginative that I still have trouble believing that this came from the same person who brought us Young Frankenstein and Blazing Saddles. Those films featured witty and clever type of slapstick comedy. It was the type of comedy that knows no time period. At times those films would incorporate risque humor that actually worked. Here, Mel Brooks' comedy seems so umimaginative. It's grammer school kid humor. He actually spoofed the Jabba the Hut character with a character named Pizza the Hut...and for as stupid as that sounds, it's even more idiotic & unfunny on the screen. It's just not funny. What was once Brooks' risque mind is now pre-puberty humor : "My schwartz is bigger than yours." I remember sitting in the theater just waiting - HOPING - for a scene that would even hint at the genius of Blazing Saddles & Young Frankenstein. There isn't one in this film.
Even the cast is hopelessly unhappy. Jim Candy, Rick Moranis, and Bill Pullman seem poised for humor - but everything that comes out of their mouths is just predictable & childish. Every character in this film seems like it was conceived within a 5 minute idea session where all the writers and Brooks got together & said things like "What's a good spoof for Darth Vader ? How about um....Lord Dark Helmet ! HAHAHA ! Yha we'll use that ! So, what's a good idea for Chewbacca ? How about a half dog/half man character ? YHA ! Let's use that ! What should we name him ? How about something stupid like Barf ? Yha ! Let's do that !"
There is such a wealth of material to spoof in Star wars that I still can't believe someone (especially Mel Brooks) could make such a shallow spoof such as this. What I had hoped would be a return to form for Brooks turned out to be confirmation that his comedic ability had indeed seen its best days. AFter this, Brooks only made more and more hopelessly tired spoofs such as Robin Hood : Men In Tights, and Dracula : Dead and Loving It. Mel Brooks' humor is indeed gone. Nowadays when I see him make guest appearances on Curb Your Enthusiasm he seems like that old uncle who tries to make all the kids laugh at family get togethers. The uncle was probably a funny kid back in high school - but now the years have caught up with him & his humor is just tired, dated, and boring.