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The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
The Unholy Love Match Between Scifi And Romantic Comedy

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ThirzaIshamael
09/14/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
I also nominate "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" -- and it was made into a theatrical movie a few years ago (with Zoe Deschanel as "Trillian" and Mos Def as "Ford Prefect"). I personally loved it, but it was one of those "open & close on the same weekend" films. I don't think hardcore SF fans ever liked the Douglas Adams books that much because a big source of the humor was the lampooning and making fun of SF conventions and cliches.
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Grey_Area
09/16/09

@ThirzaIshamael: Actually the Hitchhiker books are adored by most of SF fandom. The film adaptation was okay in my opinion, but many fans were let down by it.
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SumanaNavroz
06/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
A Boy and his Dog with Don Johnson... a classic.

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b0tterman
06/05/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
what about Carpenter's first film "Dark Star". Manic Depressives in space.
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fraying
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Bonus points for Mystery Men: Tom Waits as the genius nonlethal weapons designer.

"The Herkimer Battle Jitney is the finest nonlethal military assault vehicle ever made!"
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bluehinter
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
I know you mentioned Buckaroo Banzai briefly, but that was waaaaay more sci-fi and comedic that most of the other entries.

Also, if you're going to include Shaun of the Dead and mention Simon Pegg's vaguely sci-fi related side projects, you should also give fair dues to Nick Frost's brilliant Star Trek send-up Hyperdrive

+ Watch video

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NotChoinski
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Nimoy took LDS in the Sixties? Do you mean LSD? Or maybe he's a mormon.
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MinervaAlpaca
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Nice article, but somebody needs to proof it for typos.

"plays the past"

"it's low-budget equivalent"

"ultimately despair"

Just saying . . .
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Alasdair Wilkins
06/04/09

@MinervaAlpaca: Yuck, those were some bad ones too. I really thought I was better than an it's/its error. Ah well...fixed them now.
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BullfightsOnAcid
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
One of my all time favorite movie quotes is from Mystery Men. I try to use it in real life situations as much as I can.

"I must have ripped the Q section out of my dictionary, 'cause I don't know the meaning of the word 'quit'!"
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marlowespade
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Good God, someone please explain to me the appeal of Galaxy Quest. Yes, it's a parody of sci-fi shows, Star Trek most notably, but I can't ever get more than one or two chuckles out of it. Maybe it's me, but it seems to take forever to get going, gets way too serious, and there just aren't that many jokes.

Also, big ups for including Tremors, one of the greatest B-movies ever made (and it still holds up well today).
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Sproing
06/04/09

@marlowespade: For me, the appeal of Galaxy Quest was encapsulated by Gwen and Jason trying to get to the engine room:

Gwen DeMarco: What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here?

Jason Nesmith: 'Cause it's on the television show.

Gwen DeMarco: Well forget it! I'm not doing it! This episode was badly written!
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Plague
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Get rid of Spaceballs and Mystery Men, as neither as funny as people seem to think they are, then separate Shaun and AoD, add Dark Star and you got it.
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Gearhead_42 - Nibbles ate my garage!
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Err. Perfection, NV actually, but not a bad list.
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Alasdair Wilkins
06/04/09

@Gearhead_42: I actually knew that as I wrote it, and then somehow my fingers forgot to type the "ion" in Perfection. Yes, I'm going to go with blaming my fingers.
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Dayburner
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Where the hell is Real Genius.!?
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Sproing
06/04/09

@Dayburner: They hit the William Atherton Limit with Ghostbusters.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
Spaceballs is far from perfect

Uh. I beg to differ. It's pretty goddamn perfect. How on earth did you rate it lower than Mystery Men?

"What kind of a radar screen is this?"

"It's not a radar, sir."

"Well then what do you call it?"

"We call it.... MISTER COFFEE."
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ManchuCandidate
06/04/09

@Pope John Peeps II:

Mystery men had potential, but then it also had Ben Stiller.

Funny, at times, but not top 10.
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Alasdair Wilkins
06/04/09

@Pope John Peeps II: It's got some great individual lines and scenes, no question about it, but I think it's lack that little bit of connective tissue that distinguishes Brooks's best work. I'm also more of a superhero guy than a space opera guy, so maybe that's part of it.
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Alasdair Wilkins
06/04/09

@ManchuCandidate: Ben Stiller can be brilliant in the right role. Admittedly, he hasn't been cast in the right role since, well...Mystery Men, I'd argue. Tropic Thunder was particularly disappointing on that front. I still think that movie would have worked better with someone like the Rock or Vin Diesel in Stiller's role.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/04/09

@Alasdair Wilkins: Haha. Brooks' work never really had any tissue between it. That's what he always did, silly disconnected scenes held together by the loosest of plots. All his movies were terrible and pointless but that was a lot of the fun. It's like watching Airplane! What do you expect from that?

Although honestly, even when I watched Spaceballs in the early 90s for the first time, I could tell that some of the humour was already dated.
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NerD: Blattella
06/04/09

@Pope John Peeps II: I take issue with this as well. Bill Pullman is working with a poorly written part. He does very well with it, pulling off a couple of great lines.

Much better than Mystery Men.
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Pope John Peeps II
06/04/09

@NerD!!! - R.O.A.C.H.: Bill Pullman and Bill Paxton should be in a movie together called.... DOUBLE BILL.
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Globe*99
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
"....all the LDS he took during the sixties." Wow, Leonard Nimoy's a relapsed Mormon? You heard it here first!
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Sproing
06/04/09

@Globe*99: Worse, he was eating Mormons.
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Ed Grabianowski
06/04/09

@Sproing: No, that's much better.
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Grey_Area
06/04/09

In reply to The 10 Greatest Science Fiction Comedies
I would have added Dark Star and ignored Spaceballs altogether.
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somnambulance
06/04/09

@Grey_Area: Hahaha, I LOVED Dark Star. "You're all set! Good luck, bomb!" I also liked how the space suits were made of furnace filters and cupcake tins.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
06/04/09

@AtomikB: I still say "When I brought you onboard, I thought you were CUTE" to my cats when they're acting like Pinback's alien. A beach ball with hands and an attitude.
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