Fans furious after Mel Brooks unveils CGI-enhanced “Spaceballs” for Blu-ray

By The Wacky Deli on September 22, 2011

John Candy's "Barf" has been replaced by Bink Bink Jankins, a wacky alien sidekick

BY DEREMY UNDERHILL
Senior Hollywood Correspondent

Fans of the 1987 sci-fi comedy Spaceballs say director Mel Brooks has fallen to the dark side of the Schwartz after the announcement he is re-releasing the movie with controversial new updates and CGI special effects.

The upcoming edition, available only on Blu-ray devices, features dozens of changes from the original film, including new computer-generated characters, digitally-enhanced scenes and other additions aimed at updating it for the 21^st century.

“When Spaceballs first came out in 1987, special effects technology was still fairly primitive,” Brooksfilm said in a press release announcing the re-release. “Thanks to cutting-edge video and digital innovations, Spaceballs: The Complete Edition will help complete Mr. Brooks’ true vision for the movie, and make it come to life for a new generation of comedy fans.”

Rick Moranis is out as Dark Helmet; Ashton Kutcher is in

Fueling fan anger the most is word all of the film’s characters not played by Mel Brooks have been changed or replaced with CGI special effects. Late comedian John Candy’s character, the half man/half dog Barf, has been digitally removed and replaced by Bink Bink Jankins, a wacky computer-generated alien sidekick who means well but is always getting the other characters into trouble.

Also gone from the movie is Rick Moranis in the role of the villainous Dark Helmet. In a move sure to rile Spaceballs junkies, actor Ashton Kutcher’s face has been superimposed onto Moranis’, and the Two and a Half Men star re-dubbed all the dialogue.

Reaction to the changes has been fast and furious across the Internet, especially on Amazon.com where reviewers of the re-imagined Spaceballs have been merciless in their criticisms of Brooks.

“I’d expect this type of CGI revisionist (expletive) from George (expletive) Lucas, but Mel Brooks?” wrote Tulsa commenter Gerald O’Connell. “Spaceballs is a comedy classic, right up there with Airplane and the one movie where that dude humped the pie! I’m very disappointed in you, Mel.”

“Ashton Kutcher as Dark Helmet is worse than Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader,” echoed Phoenix reviewer John Creese. “He isn’t even all that funny. He’s going to do to Spaceballs what he does to Demi Moore every night.”

Pizza the Hut has been replaced by the healthier Qdoba Fett

“John Candy must be rolling in his grave at this outrage…assuming he wasn’t cremated,” mused Alan Stanwyk of Los Angeles.

According to Brooksfilm, eliminating the live actors from the movie wasn’t personal, just business.

“We at Brooksfilm have the utmost respect for John Candy and Rick Moranis – two comedic legends who brought laughter to countless millions around the world,” said Brooksfilm Promotional Director Hedley Lamarr. “But Mr. Candy’s been dead for 15 years, and no one’s heard from the reclusive Mr. Moranis in more than a decade. As talented as they were, their appeal has faded and Mr. Brooks feels it’s necessary to get newer, more refreshing faces at the forefront of the Spaceballs franchise who today’s audiences can better relate to.”

While the absence of Moranis and Candy were the main focus of the fans’ ire, numerous other changes in the movie are likely to create a disturbance in their Schwartz, including:

Galactic gangster Pizza the Hut is replaced with Qdoba Fett, who Brooksfilm says will appeal to a more diverse and health-conscious demographic.
The dancing, singing alien who bursts out of John Hurt’s stomach at the end of the movie is swapped with the dancing, singing frog from the Looney Tunes cartoons.
Lone Starr is replaced by a pink CGI teddy bear.
Droid Dot Matrix is now voiced by Melissa Rivers instead of her mother Joan.
Deleted scene: Shortly before Dark Helmet and Lone Starr’s light beam duel, the entire cast of the spaceship lapses into a calypso version of “Springtime for Hitler” for no apparent reason.
President Skroob’s real toupee was replaced by a CGI toupee.
Lone Starr screams “NOOOO!” as he bursts in on Princess Vespa’s wedding to Prince Valium.

As of Thursday, more than 10,000 Amazon.com reviewers have weighed in on the updated Spaceballs, with 9,993 of them giving it a single star out of five.

The dancing alien is gone, replaced by the dancing frog

“Tampering with Spaceballs is the equivalent of cinematic terrorism,” wrote commenter Emmett Fitzhume of Seattle. “I’m done with Mel Brooks – I’d rather read a stupid book than watch another one of his movies.”

“Brooks is a monster for doing this – God knows what he’ll do next!” said Salmon Chase of Des Moines. “I say we round up a posse of villagers armed with pitchforks and torches and march on his mansion before he colorizes Young Frankenshteen!!!”

Mel Brooks himself has been laying low in the wake of the controversy, though TMZ did manage to ambush him in the parking lot of his local Malibu Starbucks. When asked why he tampered with Spaceballs, his response was short but to the point:

“Merchandising, merchandising!” Brooks said as he hopped into his red Porsche convertible and drove away.

**Wacky Deli correspondent Kevin Evin contributed to this report.**

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One response to “Fans furious after Mel Brooks unveils CGI-enhanced “Spaceballs” for Blu-ray”

alan
November 2, 2011 at 3:05 am | Permalink

As long as the original is still available I am okay with his doing a different version but won’t watch it. In the DVD commentary Mel mentioned an earlier movie “The Twelve Chairs” and sounded a bit apologetic. I think he should be proud of that beautiful movie. I loved the mix of comedy and other emotions. Maybe I am the only viewer who thinks so. Most of his other films are funny as well, though.

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Fans furious after Mel Brooks unveils CGI-enhanced “Spaceballs” for Blu-ray

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