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The Orville

Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interperso... Read all Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. Set 400 years in the future, the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continue their mission of exploration, navigating both the mysteries of the universe, and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships.

• Seth MacFarlane
• Adrianne Palicki
• Penny Johnson Jerald
• 1.7K User reviews
• 52 Critic reviews
• 3 wins & 17 nominations total

Episodes 37

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Top cast 99+

• Capt. Ed Mercer

• Cmdr. Kelly Grayson

• Dr. Claire Finn

• Lt. Gordon Malloy

• Lt. Cmdr. Bortus

• Lt. Cmdr. John LaMarr …

• Lt. Talla Keyali …

• Lt. Alara Kitan …

• Admiral Halsey

• Marcus Finn

• Ensign Charly Burke

• Lieutenant Turco …

• Admiral Ozawa
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• Trivia Unlike the first two seasons, the whole third season was written in advance, and scenes from different episodes were shot in a row, based on the location and actors' availability. Jon Cassar and Seth MacFarlane split the direction duties for the 10 episodes so they could work like that.
• Goofs Characters use miles and meters inconsistently when measuring distance, whereas consistent use of meters makes more sense in a quasi-military organization. Star Trek was frequently guilty of this too.

[repeated line]

Captain Ed Mercer : Alara, you want to open this jar of pickles for me?

• Connections Featured in The IMDb Show: Take 5 With Jessica Szohr (2019)

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• Sep 9, 2017
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• September 10, 2017 (United States)
• United States
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• 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA (Studio)
• Fuzzy Door Productions
• 20th Century Fox Television
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

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• Runtime 44 minutes

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Despite it being created by  a handful of maniacs  back when Bubble Wrap was a hot new commodity, the  Star Trek  franchise is somehow still going strong. This week, we’re getting the third and final season of  Star Trek: Picard , which reunites the  Next Generation  crew for one more adventure that presumably doesn’t include staying up past 5 p.m. or driving at night.

But as good as  Star Trek  has been to its fans, it’s been even  better  to comedy writers. There have been countless  Trek  parodies over the years — from the time the  Frasier  gang piloted the USS Voyager …

…to the  myriad sketches on shows like  Saturday Night Live  and  In Living Color .

So join us on our  five year  several-hundred-word mission as we rank some of the most notable movie and TV  Trek spoofs...

Coincidentally sharing its name with  Deep Space Nine’ s resident bartender/holo-pornographer, 1977’s  Quark  was a sci-fi sitcom starring Richard Benjamin as the commander of a “United Galaxy Sanitation Patrol Cruiser” — so basically, a space garbage truck. Created by late  Get Smart  co-creator Buck Henry,  Quark  lasted for just eight episodes. Yeah, it’s not great and is wildly dated today, but  Quark  is still worth watching as a pop-culture curiosity.

5 ‘Ömer the Tourist in Star Trek’

Ömer the Tourist in Star Trek  randomly dropped Ömer, the popular  Turkish “hobo” character , into Captain Kirk’s Enterprise, thanks to some magic gizmo — and also a ton of stolen footage and unauthorized music cues. An admirably scrappy early  Trek  comedy that may actually be the first  Star Trek  feature film, pre-dating  Star Trek: The Motion Picture  by six years.

4 ‘Black Mirror’s ‘USS Callister’

The original  Star Trek  vibe was faithfully recreated for the  Black Mirror  episode “USS Callister,” in which a  Trek -like video game becomes an existential hell for the simulated characters who are stuck there for all eternity. Best of all, Jesse Plemons convincingly plays a menacing super-creep who also has the ability to bust out a killer William Shatner impression.

3 ‘The Orville’

Some might argue that  The Orville  is less of a parody and more of a personal  Star Trek: The Next Generation  fantasy camp for Seth MacFarlane that happens to be filmed and distributed to the public. But while it’s obviously more of a loving tribute than a cutting satire, we still get some comedic gems, such as the gelatinous alien blob voiced by Norm Macdonald.

2 ‘Futurama’

Futurama ’ s fourth season episode “Where No Fan Has Gone Before” reunited the original  Star Trek  cast (plus Welshy, of course) for a loving homage that isn’t afraid to poke fun at the show’s familiar conventions and its (often overly intense) fandom. They should just replace  Star Trek V  with this episode on every  Star Trek  DVD box set.

1 ‘Galaxy Quest’

Sure, it’s basically just  Three Amigos in Space , but  Galaxy Quest  is still a near-perfect comedy and arguably the best-ever  Star Trek  spoof, one that not only sends up the tropes of  Trek  movies and shows, but also the decades of stories of behind-the-scenes turmoil and  celebrity pettiness.

You (yes, you) should follow JM on Twitter (if it still exists by the time you’re reading this). 

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7 best Star Trek parodies, ranked

For more than 50 years, Star Trek   has been an institution, especially among the nerds of America. The original Star Trek series has spawned various movies and additional shows in the years since it aired, and those shows have been met with various levels of acclaim and criticism.

7. Star Trek: Lower Decks

• 6. The Muppet Show – Pigs in Space

5. Animaniacs: Star Truck

4. the orville, 3. futurama: where no fan has gone before, 2. black mirror: uss callister, 1. galaxy quest (1999).

Alongside all of these more faithful series, though, there have also been a number of parodies of  Star Trek , its tropes, and the world it’s set in. We’ve gathered seven of the very best of those parodies for this list, which range from TV episodes to entire movies.

Why not kick this list off with a show that allows  Star Trek  to make fun of itself? Lower Decks  follows the support crew on a fairly unimportant interspace vessel as they try to manage their personal lives, even as they deal with all sorts of sci-fi invaders.

As this list proves,  Star Trek  has become such an institution that it can be effectively parodied from dozens of different directions, but this show, which plays with the series’ tropes while offering a new perspective on the action, is a delight from minute one, and is still going strong after its fourth season.

6. The Muppet Show – Pigs in Space

The Muppets may not be as widely beloved today as they once were, but Pigs in Space was once a regular segment on The Muppet Show.  The segment was flexible enough that it could parody any beloved sci-fi property, but  Star Trek  was undoubtedly a mainstay.

This was underlined by the fact that Captain Link Hogthrob seemed to be a pretty overt Captain Kirk riff, and Miss Piggy’s ship was called Swinetrek. Still, Pigs in Space was not particularly biting. Instead, it was the kind of sweet, earnest parody that the Muppets were so often great at.

When the Animaniacs got a chance to invade their favorite TV show, they didn’t miss an opportunity to cause plenty of havoc. Star Truck follows the rascals at the show’s center as they meet characters like Dr. Squat and Captain Kork while also delivering the kind of jokes that only hardcore fans of both shows would fully understand.

If you’re a  Trek  fan, you probably loved this episode, which also gave Maurice Lamarche the chance to do pretty impeccable impressions of William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and DeForest Kelly.

When Seth MacFarlane set out to create his own version of Star Trek , many people were alarmed by how genuine and sincere it seemed. The Family Guy   creator has long been a megafan of the series, and while  The Orville  has elements of parody, it also seems to be a loving tribute to the show that spawned it.

The show featured notable guest stars from various  Star Trek  shows, and also captured the spirit of the planet-of-the-week adventures that made the original  Star Trek  so widely beloved. While it’s certainly jokier than the original series,  The Orville  is ultimately a loving tribute to what made  Trek  great.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about this Futurama  episode  is that the show manages to reunite almost every member of the original cast to deliver voice performances. The episode imagines that the crew of the Planet Express stumble upon a planet where the entire original cast of the series is alive and well, having been revived hundreds of years after the show’s original run.

The notion of giving these actors a chance to live in a far different future than the one their show imagined was brilliant enough, but all of the actors brought their A-game to these versions of their actual personalities.

Not every Black Mirror  episode  is as sharp and compelling as  USS Callister , which is both a parody and a critique of the entire  Star Trek  ethos. The episode follows the crew of a  Star Trek -esque ship as they’re tortured by their captain. Eventually, we begin to realize that this entire world is a virtual reality, and the entire crew are avatars for co-workers of a single isolated man.

USS Callister  is specific in its references to the original  Star Trek , but it’s also a pointed critique of the misogyny that could underlie much of what that original show tried to achieve, and more crucially, of the show’s many fans who totally misinterpret its message.

One of the great parody movies of any kind ever made,  Galaxy Quest  is set in a universe where a show like  Star Trek  was a phenomenon when it first aired. Now, the cast assembles for reunions, but have grown to hate one another. When real aliens recruit them based on the belief that they are actually the characters they played on the show, they’re forced to prove that they have what it takes to be real heroes.

Thanks to a great ensemble cast that includes Alan Rickman and Sam Rockwell in standout performances,  Galaxy Quest is genuinely funny. What has helped it endure, though, is that it’s also one of the more earnest movies on this list, and it manages to balance those tones beautifully.

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‘By Grabthar’s Hammer,’ ‘Galaxy Quest’ Shall Be Celebrated With These Quotes

With the rise of geek fandoms in mainstream popular culture, plenty of movies, books, and TV shows have tried (with varying levels of success) to capture what it means to be a super-fan. The Big Bang Theory rides the fine line between lovingly poking fun and blatant mocking while movies like Fanboys and Knights of Badassdom are content to just reference Star Wars and LARPing without any deeper examination of it.

Back in 1999, before San Diego Comic Con had become a destination event, Galaxy Quest smartly examined sci-fi convention culture and the people within it. The film follows Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), star of the short-lived sci-fi show Galaxy Quest . Even though the show has been off the air for years, Jason and his co-stars Gwen (Sigourney Weaver), Alexander (Alan Rickman), Fred (Tony Shalhoub), and Tommy (Daryl Mitchell) still travel the convention circuit, spouting their catchphrases and selling autographed headshots. Everything is a bit humdrum for this group of minor celebrities before an alien race who has intercepted broadcast signals beaming reruns of the show mistakes the episodes for “historical documents.” When the evil Sarris threatens to wipe them out, they recruit Jason and the rest of the cast to go on a real-life space adventure.

Read on for the funniest and most quotable lines from Galaxy Quest .

“Never give up, never surrender.” – Jason

Jason Nesmith’s most famous line from the show  Galaxy Quest comes up again and again throughout the movie, and to Tim Allen’s credit, the line feels unique and fresh each time we hear it. When he is at a convention in front of a crowd of screaming fans, the line is boisterous and ridiculously egotistical. When he is drinking at home alone and watching reruns of Galaxy Quest on basic cable, it is pathetic and sad. When he is stranded on an alien planet with his estranged co-stars, he is gloating that they were in peril while he gets to play the part of the brave leader again. The line is sweet, though, when it comes from Mathesar (Enrico Colatoni) in his moment of victory.

“I played Richard III. There were five curtain calls. I was an actor once, damn it. Now look at me. Look at me! I won’t go out there and say that stupid line one more time.” – Alexander

“…You had a part people loved. My TV Guide interview was six paragraphs about my BOOBS and how they fit into my suit. No one bothered to ask me what I do on the show.” – Gwen

This scene is a great introduction to the principle characters. Gwen is the consummate professional, but she is frustrated that people mostly want to talk about her body. Alexander is a classically trained actor, like Leonard Nimoy or Sir Alec Guinness, and he is terrified that his legacy will be a role that he didn’t care about. Tommy is the child actor, all grown up, and Fred is somehow both the most normal and oddball of the featured group. Alexander’s meltdown (and Fred’s faithful recitation of his meltdown) is hilarious and perfectly timed by Alan Rickman and Tony Shalhoub.

“By Grabthar’s Hammer, what a savings.” -Alexander

Alexander’s most famous line from the show Galaxy Quest is, “By Grabthar’s hammer, by the suns of Worvan, you shall be avenged,” and it gets repeated a lot, even though Rickman only says the line in its entirety once in the film when he does a version for a store grand opening.

“There’s a red thingy moving towards the green thingy… I think we’re the green thingy.” -Guy

Guy (Sam Rockwell) was on an episode of Galaxy Quest back in the day as an extra, though nobody really remembers because he was killed off before the first commercial break. He accidentally ends up with the rest of the cast on the spaceship, thinking it was a fan gig, and when he realizes that it is all real, he convinces himself that he is doomed because he died on the show. His observation that the “red thingy” is moving towards the “green thingy” is the moment where he starts to grasp their predicament, but he isn’t panicking, yet.

“Look, I have one job on this lousy ship. It’s stupid, but I’m going to do it, okay?” -Gwen

The frustrations continue for Gwen, whose only job on the ship is repeating everything said by the ship’s computer. Despite the limitations of her role, Gwen is still a professional, and as an actress, she is ready to play her part. It’s a stupid job, but somebody’s got to do it.

“Sure, they’re cute now. In a second, they’re going to get mean, and they’re going to get ugly somehow, and there’s going to be a million more of them.” -Guy

The crew has to take a detour to an alien planet to obtain a new energy source for the ship where they run into aliens that look like small, adorable alien children. Guy accurately predicts, though, that those cute little aliens will inevitably turn scary and come after them, and he starts to wonder if any of the other cast members ever watched the show. The whole thing is like “The Trouble with Tribbles,” if Tribbles had sharp, pointy teeth and ate everything, including each other.

“You’re just going to have to figure out what it wants. What is its motivation?” -Alexander

“It’s a rock monster. It doesn’t have motivation.” -Jason

“See, that’s your problem, Jason. You were never serious about the craft.” -Alexander

The main source of friction between Jason and Alexander is their attitude towards acting. Jason is a hammy, William Shatner-esque performer who lives for the spotlight, whereas Alexander craves respectability and critical acclaim as a real actor. Jason’s escape from the rock monster is a great scene with so many jokes and  Star Trek references packed in, but Alexander arguing with Jason about the rock monster’s “motivation” really sums up their relationship.

“Did I just hear that the animal turned inside out, and then it exploded?” -Jason

Everything from the show Galaxy Quest has been replicated in precise detail by this alien race, including a machine that can beam up crew members trapped on a planet’s surface. Unfortunately, if it isn’t executed perfectly, whatever person or creature gets beamed up might not reassemble properly, and that can lead to inside-out pig-lizards exploding their guts all over the ship.

“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?” -Gwen

“‘Cause it’s on the television show.” -Jason

“Well forget it! I’m not doing it! This episode was badly written!” -Gwen

Gwen and Jason have to get to the center of the ship to manually disable the self-destruct sequence. Along the way, they have to climb through air ducts, run through tunnels, and go through the “chompers,” which sound like the lazy creation of a bored writer brought to life by detail oriented intergalactic fans.

“Where are you going with all those fireworks?” -Brandon’s Mom

“Well, the Protector got super-accelerated coming out of the black hole, and it’s, like, nailed the atmosphere at Mach 15, which, you guys know, is pretty unstable, obviously, so we’re gonna help Laredo guide it on the vox ultra-frequency carrier and use Roman candles for visual confirmation.” -Brandon

“Uh, alright, dinner’s at seven.” -Brandon’s Mom

This exchange is familiar to anyone who has brainy or really geeky friends or family. Brandon talks about black holes, Mach 15, and vox ultra-frequency carriers as if everyone else knows exactly what he’s talking about. Fortunately, his mother has learned that he isn’t doing drugs or getting in trouble, so it is best to just smile, nod, and remind him to be home for dinner.

Bonus: Some of the cast, including Sam Rockwell and Daryl Mitchell performed this incredibly corny rap on-set to celebrate Sigourney Weaver’s agent’s birthday, and fortunately, the video made its way to the internet.

Den of Geek

Never Surrender: Celebrating 20 Years of Galaxy Quest

Director Dean Parisot explains why Galaxy Quest gets more “meta every year.”

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Imagine a world in which there’s a Guardians of the Galaxy without Galaxy Quest coming first. That’s right. You can’t. To say there isn’t another science fiction movie like Galaxy Quest is both completely true and slightly false. Prior to 1999, a metafictional take on something like Star Trek had never really been attempted with the same level of seriousness and care that Galaxy Quest delivered. But since then, the idea of tongue-in-cheek-not-quite-a-parody is widely prevalent. In some ways, by being both satire and serious science fiction, Galaxy Quest reshaped the mainstream space-action movie genre as we know it. And, with each passing year, Dean Parisot — the director of the film — says he’s tickled by how much the “ironies keep stacking up.” 

Den of Geek caught up with Parisot ahead of the launch of a new documentary called Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary . If Galaxy Quest was a love letter to Star Trek fans and fledging sci-fi fandoms of the late ‘90s, then Never Surrender is a love letter to Galaxy Quest . From little-known facts (Harold Ramis’ version would have cast Kevin Kline in the lead role) to insight about how Sigourney Weaver almost didn’t get in the movie, to the overall influence of the film on contemporary genre creators, Never Surrender is slightly more than just a documentary about one movie; it’s a documentary about Star Trek fandom, Galaxy Quest fandom, and why sometimes the discussion of a thing is even more compelling than the thing itself. 

Though we tend to think of Galaxy Quest as a comedic send-up of Star Trek and its actors and fans, Parisot says that he directed the film like a tragedy.

“At the heart of tragedy is great comedy, I think,” he explains. “We wanted to give Galaxy Quest serious characters arcs. And we wanted to create a movie that felt like at least a decent science fiction movie for that time.” 

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While this second detail might seem obvious to fans now, the fact that the special effects for Galaxy Quest  were created by Industrial Light and Magic is relevant. And, one battle at the heart of the making of Galaxy Quest was to make sure that aesthetic of the science fiction struck the right tone, which, it turns out was a difficult balance.

“We did not want the movie — the sets — to look cheesy,” says producer Mark Johnson in the documentary. “We had someone who kept using that word, and we all resented it.” 

The someone Johnson refers to is none other than award-winning set decorator Linda DeScenna, who, prior to working on Galaxy Quest did set decoration for both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Blade Runner . DeScenna’s vision for the sets of Galaxy Quest was to do “Cheesy, [1960s sets…based on Star Trek , the TV series.” In the documentary, in separate interviews, Johnson and DeScenna certainly give the impression that this difference of opinion was a fairly large conflict within the film. And yet, the end result seems to have erred on the side of making the sci-fi elements more realistic-ish in order to make the overall drama believable. 

“The filmmaking tools of that time were less sophisticated,” Parisot tells Den of Geek . “So I think now, we would create an even more grounded universe. At the time, we were just trying to make the best Star Trek movie we could; at least, as the background story.” Parisot also insists that despite the mild friction over set design presented in the documentary, that everyone on Galaxy Quest , more or less, got along.

“Making a movie has once been described as being pecked to death by chickens, but Galaxy Quest was the closest I got to just making a movie without those problems,” Parisot says. “It was very satisfying. Everyone was on the same page. We were all making the same movie.”

Back in 2013, at one Star Trek convention, Galaxy Quest was voted the 7th best Star Trek film of all time, despite not actually being part of the franchise. It’s easy to see why: the basic premise the film presents a kind of bizzaro-world Star Trek, one in which there was only one series, and that its actors struggled to find identities outside of their roles for years. But, as the documentary points out, the film doesn’t default to having the story focused on depressed sci-fi actors at conventions— like Bob Proehl’s brilliant novel A Hundred Thousand Worlds , nor is it a cautionary tale about fandom gone wrong, like the Black Mirror episode “USS Callister” ; a kind of evil take on Galaxy Quest (which Parisot says he has never seen). 

In some ways, since Galaxy Quest was released, versions of the concept have splintered into countless pieces. In the documentary, Daemon Lindelof acknowledges that he and J.J. Abrams were influenced by Galaxy Quest for the 2009 Star Trek reboot, while Parisot explains that he felt like Seth Macfarlane has “sweetly paid tribute to Galaxy Quest ,” with the basic existence of The Orville . Even Rainn Wilson, who had a small role in Galaxy Quest has now been on Star Trek proper; starring as Harry Mudd in Star Trek: Discovery .

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“It keeps duplicating itself. The meta of it keeps getting more and more ridiculous,” Parisot says. “It’s fun to see something last longer than the few moments you thought it would. It’s almost not mine. You don’t think it’s going to continue to have staying power. I mean we stole things for Galaxy Quest , people steal things from Galaxy Quest . It keeps going. Everything we do is the result of the other thing. And the thing before it.”

Part of what makes Galaxy Quest special probably wouldn’t have happened if the film had been helmed by its first director, Harold Ramis. Obviously, Ramis made some of the best comedies of the 20th century, and in writing Ghostbusters with Dan Aykroyd even based the character of Egon loosely on Spock from Star Trek. But would Ramis have made Galaxy Quest into the Trekkie-love letter that is is? In the documentary, former Star Trek: The Next Generation cast members Wil Wheaton and Brent Spiner make it clear that the success of Galaxy Quest lies in the concept that the fans are the people who save the day in the end. Spiner even points out that co-star Patrick Stewart was initially resistant to see the film, for fear that it would mock both Star Trek as a franchise, and the fans in particular.

“I grew up on the first series and watched it first as a kid, and then watched it in college over and over again. Because we loved it and mocked it at the same time,” Parisot says. “For me, the very first series, the entire series, was something I grew up with and love. But I loved all science fiction and all of it influenced me.”

In other words, Parisot was a real fan of not only Star Trek, but science fiction as a whole, and that loving touch is apparent both in his direction, and the script written by Bob Gordon. As someone who made Galaxy Quest , Parisot says he’s aware of the “tribal” disputes between fandoms, but won’t take a side relative to Star Trek or Star Wars . He’s also not sure that a Galaxy Quest -style send-up of Star Wars could happen. 

“You have to ask Bob Gordon!” he says with a laugh. “‘I’d I love to see what he’d do with Star Wars. But, it’s a sacred cow. I don’t think he’d go after it. I think there’s sort of a tone that sets the different movies and TV shows [franchises] apart. I’m not sure I could define it. But, it’s fun to see that everyone is so invested.”

Currently, Dean Parisot is directing another beloved comedy sci-fi franchise, the long-awaited third chapter in the Bill and Ted saga; Bill and Ted Face the Music , set to be released next year. After that, he says he’s working on a movie about an “obituary writer,” but makes it clear that one won’t be as tragic as it sounds. In other words, Parisot likes looking back fondly on Galaxy Quest , but it doesn’t seem like he would make a sequel. Never Surrender makes it obvious that the promise of the Amazon-backed TV series version of Galaxy Quest never came together not because Parisot, Gordon and the rest of the cast weren’t on board, but because the tragic death of Alan Rickman seemed to put the entire enterprise on hold. 

Still, as Never Surrender makes clear, the legacy of Galaxy Quest has just started to become apparent in the zeitgeist, and will likely continue to influence the science fiction and comedy genres for decades to come. “I’m completely surprised anyone is still watching it and absolutely surprised anyone would make a documentary about it,” Parisot admits. “If I made it again today, I’d just make it better.”

Never Surrender is out in limited theatrical release on November 26 via Fathom Events.

Ryan Britt is a longtime contributor to Den of Geek! He is also the author of three non-fiction books: the Star Trek pop history book PHASERS…

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All Star Trek Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Star Trek (2009) celebrates its 15th anniversary!

We’re boldly ranking the Star Trek movies by Tomatometer, from the original film series (1979’s The Motion Picture to The Undiscovered Country ), into the handoff to films featuring the Next Generation cast ( Generations to Nemesis ), and through to the reboot series (2009’s Trek to Beyond ).

Star Trek (2009) 94%

Star Trek: First Contact (1996) 93%

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) 87%

Star Trek Beyond (2016) 86%

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013) 84%

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) 83%

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986) 82%

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984) 79%

Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) 55%

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) 53%

Star Trek Generations (1994) 48%

Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) 38%

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) 23%

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The 30+ Best Sci-Fi Parody Movies, Ranked

Science fiction has long been a popular film genre, capturing the imagination with its exploration of futuristic technology, extraterrestrial life, and fantastical worlds. At the same time, humor and satire have found their place in science fiction, resulting in some of the best sci-fi parody movies. These films deconstruct and poke fun at common sci-fi tropes and themes while still delivering an enjoyable and humorous experience for viewers. 

The best sci-fi parody movies skillfully balance the elements of science fiction and comedy to create entertaining and memorable films. From satirizing famed franchises to lampooning the genre's conventions, these movies showcase their unique takes on sci-fi through well-crafted stories and characters. They bring a refreshing perspective to the genre, making them standout selections for fans of both sci-fi and comedy. 

Some noteworthy examples of the best sci-fi parody movies include Spaceballs, Galaxy Quest, and Mars Attacks! Spaceballs , a classic parody of the Star Wars franchise, masterfully turns the beloved series into a laugh-out-loud comedy with unforgettable characters and witty dialogue. Galaxy Quest, meanwhile, spoofs the world of Star Trek as it follows a group of washed-up actors who find themselves aboard a real alien spaceship. Lastly, Mars Attacks! presents a comedic take on classic alien invasion films , using its star-studded cast and campy, over-the-top storytelling to create a sci-fi spoof movie that's as absurd as it is hilarious. These films are great examples of the creative possibilities in the realm of sci-fi parody. 

The best sci-fi parody movies combine the fantastical elements of the sci-fi world with humor and satire. These films not only provide an entertaining escape for viewers but also deliver a clever commentary on the genre's conventions. Whether new to the genre or a longstanding fan, you'll find that sci-fi parody movies offer an amusing and intriguing journey into the world of science fiction and beyond. 

• Released : 1987
• Directed by : Mel Brooks

Galaxy Quest

• Released : 1999
• Directed by : Dean Parisot

• Released : 2006
• Directed by : Mike Judge

Mars Attacks!

• Released : 1996
• Directed by : Tim Burton

• Released : 1993
• Directed by : Steve Barron

• Released : 1988
• Directed by : John Carpenter

• Released : 2010
• Directed by : Tom McGrath

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension

• Released : 1984
• Directed by : W.D. Richter

The Ice Pirates

• Directed by : Stewart Raffill

Bill & Ted Face the Music

• Released : 2020

Airplane II: The Sequel

• Released : 1982
• Directed by : Ken Finkleman

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes

• Released : 1978
• Directed by : John De Bello

• Released : 2011
• Directed by : Greg Mottola

• Released : 1968
• Directed by : Roger Vadim

Hardware Wars

• Directed by : Ernie Fosselius

Earth Girls Are Easy

• Released : 1989
• Directed by : Julien Temple

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

• Directed by : Jim Mallon

Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2

• Released : 2018
• Directed by : Phil Johnston, Rich Moore

Cherry 2000

• Directed by : Steve De Jarnatt

The Incredible Shrinking Woman

• Released : 1981
• Directed by : Joel Schumacher

Amazon Women on the Moon

• Directed by : Joe Dante, Carl Gottlieb, Peter Horton, John Landis, Robert K. Weiss

• Released : 1974

Land of the Lost

• Released : 2009
• Directed by : Brad Silberling

The Adventures of Pluto Nash

• Released : 2002
• Directed by : Ron Underwood

Repo! The Genetic Opera

• Released : 2008
• Directed by : Darren Bousman

• Released : 1985
• Directed by : Larry Cohen

Space Truckers

• Directed by : Stuart Gordon

• Released : 1973
• Directed by : Woody Allen

The Naked Monster

• Directed by : Ted Newsom, Wayne Berwick

The Creature Wasn't Nice

• Directed by : Guy Haines

• Released : 1983
• Directed by : Juliusz Machulski

Megamind vs. the Doom Syndicate

• Released : 2024
• Directed by : Eric Fogel
• Entertainment
• Watchworthy
• Comedy Movies

Lists about the best (and worst) films, TV series, novels, characters, etc. in every sci-fi genre.

10 Greatest Satire Movies of All Time

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Satire has long been one of the best – and most respected – methods of comedic storytelling in cinema and across media. The ability of creators to craft skilled mockeries or jokes about everything from politics and society to pop culture often pleases audiences to feel relatable. In cinema, some of the most intelligent, well-acted films are those of the satire genre.

Satirical films are also one of the oldest sub-genres of Hollywood, and date back to the early days of Charlie Chaplin. Careers like those of Peter Sellers and the Monty Python crew were built through their uncanny ability to impersonate, satirize and mock the absurdities of life and the powerful. Often, these films hit very close to home for audiences, reminding them of real problems.

RELATED: 10 Popular Comedy Actors Who Nailed Serious Roles

10 Catch-22

Catch-22 has become synonymous with the no-win situation, something the original novel, film, and TV miniseries did a great job of satirizing. The story follows a pilot, Yossarian, as he attempts to escape the reality of a certain death mission as a pilot.

Catch-22 refers to the film's central paradox: if a pilot is deemed mentally unfit, he wouldn't know it and would fly, and if a pilot knows he's mentally incompetent, he's sane enough to fly. The no-win nature of Yossarian's quest to get out of his mission, coupled with the circular bureaucracy of the military, places viewers in the chaotic nature of his situation.

9 In the Loop

In the Loop was the movie spin-off of the brilliant satirical show, The Thick of It . Taking its characters away from the comfort of home, the movie followed Malcolm Tucker in the United States as he came to blows with American politics. It compared the more mundane nature of UK politics to the high-stakes Washington issues.

In the Loop didn't surpass The Thick of It , but it was definitely a worthy tie-in for it. The film used the culture clash between the foul-mouthed Scot and the grandiose nature of American politics as a focal point. It made for some rare moments of Tucker being out of his element, while still mocking British domestic politics.

RELATED: 10 Edgiest Sketch Comedy Series

8 The Mouse That Roared

The Mouse That Roared was set in the aftermath of World War II, and followed a harebrained scheme of a small nation to become wealthy. The nation of Grand Fenwick's government observes that the United States helps rebuild countries with whom it goes to war, serving as the basis for their plan.

The Mouse That Roared follows an expedition of soldiers from Grand Fenwick who try to acquire a weapon of mass destruction to use against the US. This causes things to go awry, and completely throws off their plan in a great comedy of foreign policy.

7 Don't Look Up

Don't Look Up is mainly a satire of the nature of humans to ignore crises, specifically climate change, which is substituted for an approaching comet. The central premise is that no matter how much scientists try to raise awareness, many people refuse to see the truth.

Don't Look Up made fun of both general society, the media industry, and politics, juxtaposing the general indifference of people against the apocalyptic situation. The movie is a biting commentary on people's tendency to ignore inconvenient truths and the habit of many to not act until things are already too bad.

6 Amos & Andrew

Amos & Andrew is an underrated and largely forgotten '90s comedy, despite combining the acting talents of Nicolas Cage and Samuel L. Jackson. It follows a misunderstanding wherein wealthy small-town residents mistake their black neighbor for a criminal, prompting a police response.

Amos & Andrew made a mockery of the sensitive nature of race relations, showing the tendency of both sides to escalate beyond the situation. At the heart of the story, a white and black man grew close despite stark differences; meanwhile, the whole world around them was at odds over a misunderstanding.

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5 The Life of Brian

The Life of Brian is arguably the greatest comedy produced by the Monty Python cast , and follows a misunderstanding of Biblical proportions. It follows the young Jewish man, Brian Cohen, as he joins the People's Front of Judea in a bid to battle the Roman occupiers.

The Life of Brian follows its titular hero as he is mistaken for the new Messiah, effectively taking the place of Jesus in the eyes of many. Try as he might to dissuade his followers, Brian follows the journey of Jesus, and the film pokes good fun at political movements, history, and misunderstandings.

4 The Death of Stalin

The Death of Stalin takes place in the Soviet Union in the aftermath of the eponymous dictator's demise. Based on the graphic novel La Mort de Staline by Thierry Robin and Fabien Nury, the film follows the power struggle among Soviet leadership in the wake of Stalin's death.

The Death of Stalin is a brilliant mockery of the intense paranoia that defined Stalin's reign, as well as the systemic failures of the Soviet government. As great as the plot is, the movie is tied together by the cast, headlined by Steve Buscemi, as well as the acclaimed writing of Armando Iannucci.

3 Tropic Thunder

One of the greatest comedies of all time, Tropic Thunder follows a band of actors starring in a war movie as they head out into a jungle to capture realism for their movie. While there, they encounter a very real drug organization, who capture the film's star – who believes it's all a scene.

Tropic Thunder makes fun of several Hollywood tropes, such as the absurdities of extreme method acting and the ruthlessness of the businessmen behind the industry. The mockery of the culture behind the film industry made for a brilliant, introspective satire from all involved.

RELATED: 15 Funniest Unintentional Comedies In Film History

2 Galaxy Quest

Galaxy Quest is a great combination of parody and satire. It follows the cast of an old Star Trek -inspired sci-fi show, Galaxy Quest , who have become has-been actors only remembered for their cult series. When aliens mistake them for the real deal, they take them aboard their starship for help.

Galaxy Quest's comedy was mostly a satire of fandoms, Hollywood culture, and the problem some have with letting go of the past. When put together, it made for a great comedy adventure of a band of has-been actors finding new purpose as the heroes they once portrayed.

1 Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb

Dr. Strangelove has earned a reputation as the definitive satirical film, especially on subjects like war. The film follows a nightmare scenario where an unstable military commander orders a squadron of bomber planes to carry out a nuclear strike, prompting swift action from the government.

Dr. Strangelove revolves around three sub-plots; the attempt to stop the commander, the government officials trying to prevent war, and the crew of the bomber plane. The movie showed audiences the dangers of nuclear war and the threat posed by gung-ho, warmongering leaders.

The 'Scream' of the Sci-Fi Genre Is This Unexpected Movie

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Galaxy Quest is a unique sci-fi movie and one of the most beloved ever made. It is in one sense a spoof sci-fi movie: meant to be a send-up of Star Trek and similar space franchises. Starring Tim Allen , Sigourney Weaver , and Alan Rickman , the '90s classic's plot follows an intrepid band of actors from a once-popular campy sci-fi series, now circling the drain in their acting careers. When aliens with no sense of fiction mistake their old show, titled Galaxy Quest like the film itself, for a historical documentary, the aliens enlist the aging actors to lead them in an interstellar war. A delightful “fish out of water” story follows with the Hollywood actors desperately trying to channel their fictional selves to solve their real-world crisis. Shenanigans, naturally, ensue.

RELATED: 'Galaxy Quest' Revival Still in the Works, Says Sigourney Weaver

What Makes 'Galaxy Quest' a Pitch-Perfect Sci-Fi Comedy?

Of course, part of what makes Galaxy Quest fun is the pitch-perfect accuracy of its genre send-ups: Tim Allen as the “captain,” whose insufferable self-centeredness rubs his crew the wrong way backstage; Alan Rickman as a type of Leonard Nimoy character fed up with the fact that he plays second fiddle to the captain and is an accomplished dramatic actor who is only known for a stupid role as a science officer in a sci-fi series; Sigourney Weaver being cast delightfully against type, not as the sci-fi action hero she was in the Alien franchise, but as a parody of another typical sci-fi role: the woman who is cast for her looks and whose only job in the series is to repeat what the computer says. There is even a delightful terrified monologue from Sam Rockwell , who is convinced that, as the redshirt character is known only as “Guy” on the TV show, he will be the first one to die to prove that the stakes are serious.

As on-point as the genre satire is, however, that is not what makes Galaxy Quest unique. There are plenty of fun satirical sci-fi movies , but Galaxy Quest is not simply a straight satire or comedy. It also has a very heartfelt ending about people setting aside their differences to work together to defeat an imposing enemy. There is a wish-fulfillment turn of the plot at the end that hinges upon all the abstract nerd knowledge of a group of superfans finally having a practical use. Alan Rickman’s character discovers the power and significance of the catchphrase he used to dismiss as campy and beneath him. Tim Allen channels the cheesy heroism of his character in a delightfully honest way. In short, while it pulls no punches in making fun of the genre, ultimately it is still somehow also an excellent genre movie, hitting all the notes that a good sci-fi story does along the way.

What Do 'Galaxy Quest' and 'Scream' Have in Common?

It is that last aspect that separates it from any other sci-fi movie that Galaxy Quest could be compared to. There are good sci-fi comedies, but precious few are also good sci-fi genre movies at the same time. The best analogy to the unique character of Galaxy Quest , then, is not another sci-fi movie, but another genre entirely. Galaxy Quest is to sci-fi what the original Scream is to horror movies.

The thing that sets Scream apart from its counterparts is almost exactly the same thing that Galaxy Quest does so well: it manages to work as a send-up of its genre simultaneously and as an excellent genre movie . The classic example of this is when Jamie Kennedy as Randy proclaims his monologue about the rules of surviving a horror movie (right in the middle of a horror movie), or when Kenny ( W. Earl Brown ) complains about the horror trope that the endangered person never looks behind them — in the very moment that the Ghostface killer is stalking up behind him.

But just as with Galaxy Quest , Scream does not ultimately come off as a comedy, either. There are plenty of tongue-in-cheek references in both, but perhaps the most significant thing that both movies do is that they do not allow the comedy to subvert the ending . While there are plenty of jokes about classic lazy horror tropes in Scream , the end is still terrifying and chilling. And while there are the same sorts of genre send-ups in Galaxy Quest , its ending is still just as heartwarming and inspiring as the best sci-fi movies can be. It is not the most obvious comparison to make, but each movie does to its genre the sort of things that best friends do: they can crack jokes at the other’s expense, but in the end, they still have an unshakable loyalty to that person. Just like the best of friends, these movies see their genre’s flaws — and love them the more for it.

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10 underrated war satire movies you need to watch.

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• Military movies often focus on the mundane and traumatic aspects of soldier life, portraying its crushing repetition and occasional violence.
• The best military movies strike a balance between satire and observation, criticizing the military-industrial complex while humanizing soldiers and civilians.
• Lesser-known military satires like Buffalo Soldiers and Jarhead offer realistic depictions of military life while providing social commentary on war and futility.

While there are a lot of war movies that highlight the horrors of armed conflict, some great military satires have managed to mine dark humor from the same subject. Military movies have to strike a difficult balance and can often become quite dour as a result. Unlike more gung-ho war movies, military movies are often more concerned with the day-to-day lives of soldiers than spectacular battles and bloody sieges. However, this means that many of them focus on the crushing repetition, grinding boredom, and occasional traumatic violence of life in the military. They can feel uncomfortable, grim, and even tedious as a result.

However, the best military movies can balance this cold, clinical observation of non-civilian life with satirical commentary, a la Stanley Kubrick's classic Dr. Strangelove . Also, while the ending of Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket is filled with gunplay and bloodshed, its quiet devastation feels more true to life than a lot of dramatic war movies, precisely because it doesn’t end its story with a tidy coda. Like many great satirical portraits of the military, Full Metal Jacket excoriates the inefficiencies, inhumanity, and incompetence of the military-industrial complex while still humanizing the soldiers serving the institution and the civilians they encounter. Other, underrated military satires manage to find this same delicate balance.

Related: Full Metal Jacket & 9 Other Darkly Comedic War Movies

10 Buffalo Soldiers (2001)

Director Gregor Jordan’s criminally under-seen black comedy Buffalo Soldiers deserves more recognition, but the movie had the misfortune to arrive in American cinemas shortly after 9/11. Few viewers wanted to see a cynical story of burnt-out soldiers manufacturing and selling drugs as the Berlin Wall fell at that time, but this hard-edged satire has aged beautifully in the decades since. Buffalo Soldiers is an unflattering portrait of military life that holds a surprising amount of truth.

Related: 10 Great War Movies That Bombed At The Box Office

9 Jarhead (2005)

The downbeat Iraq invasion drama Jarhead is one of the most realistic depictions of military life thanks to its unglamorous, tragicomic monotony. Jake Gyllenhall stars as Jarhead ’s leading man, a U.S. Marine who is heartbroken to discover that his dreams of war heroism are little more than delusions upon his arrival in the Persian Gulf. While Jarhead is based on the experiences of a real-life veteran from the conflict, the Persian Gulf War could be replaced by any number of failed invasions in this grim story of military futility.

8 Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993)

As surprising as it may seem, the parody sequel Hot Shots! Part Deux takes a lot of clever satirical potshots at the jingoism of the Rambo franchise and other war movies. While the original Hot Shots! spoofed Top Gun , Hot Shots! Part Deux takes aim at a number of Vietnam movies such as Platoon and Apocalypse Now . However, it is the Rambo franchise that bears the brunt of the sequel’s satirical barbs as Richard Crenna reprises his supporting role, and the hero’s brother-in-arms thanks him for reminding him just how much " fun " it is to kill people.

7 Three Kings (1999)

Three Kings is as famous for its messy production as the movie’s plot, but the starry cult comedy deserved better than this. Three Kings mashed up heist tropes, character comedy, and cynical satire to great effect in its story of a trio of amoral soldiers who attempt to unearth a cache of gold near their base during the Persian Gulf War. Like Buffalo Soldiers , Three Kings refuses to romanticize its flawed heroes, who turn away from the boredom of their thankless military jobs in favor of quick cash and cheap thrills.

6 War Dogs (2016)

The extraordinary true story of War Dogs is almost more outrageous than the satirical military movie’s plot. The story of two young gun runners who hit it big when they earned a government contract to supply weapons for the Iraq invasion, War Dogs is an unsettling look into the everyday machinations that keep the war machine running. The real-life dramedy exposed the corruption and incompetence behind the Iraq invasion by portraying the military’s top brass as clueless blowhards and heartless war hawks.

5 Southland Tales (2006)

Director Richard Kelly’s infamous sophomore effort, Southland Tales never got credit for its barbed takedown of the military-industrial complex. This might be because the military satire of Southland Tales is almost lost within the movie’s many intersecting subplots. However, for viewers who are willing to parse the labyrinthine plot of Kelly’s underrated offering, Southland Tales takes a pointed jab at the Iraq invasion and its disastrous consequences for democracy.

4 Catch-22 (1970)

Largely forgotten because it arrived in cinemas the same year as M*A*S*H , the 1970 adaptation of Catch-22 was still a brutal, brilliant classic of military satire. Like the bestselling novel of the same name, the movie tells the story of an amoral bombardier attempting to be grounded by any means possible during World War II and offers a harsh and unambiguously cynical portrayal of military life.

3 War Inc. (2008)

War Inc. is an Iraq invasion satire that critics dismissed as bitter and brutal. While this description was undeniably accurate, the movie is also a lot better than critics gave it credit for. Starring John Cusack as a disillusioned hitman, War Inc. portrays the minutiae of setting up war crimes as just another thankless job, painting a portrait of military mismanagement that is as chaotic as it is funny. Unsubtle as it might be, War Inc. ’s righteous anger still hits.

2 War Machine (2017)

While not as focused as Adam McKay and Craig Gillespie’s similar true story satires, 2017’s Netflix military satire War Machine is still well worth seeking out. Based on the nonfiction book The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America's War in Afghanistan , the film stars Brad Pitt as General Glen McMahon, a heavily fictionalized take on General Stanley McChrystal. McMahon’s attempts to lead a war effort in Afghanistan result in catastrophe at every turn in this ruthless satire.

1 The Guest (2014)

It is not until The Guest 's twist ending that viewers discover the movie is really a well-disguised military satire. This stellar horror thriller is a scathing condemnation of military overspending with its story of a lethally amoral super soldier’s small-town massacre. When the mysterious, charismatic stranger David arrives at the Peterson family home, he is initially welcomed after mentioning that he served with their son in the military. However, David turns out to be the human embodiment of military hubris when The Guest reveals that he is an experimental super-soldier who left behind international war zones to wreak bloody havoc on small-town America.

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Chris Pine Wonders How ‘Star Trek 4’ Will Deal With Kirk Now That He Is “A Lot Older”

| July 3, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 66 comments so far

We are just a few weeks away from the 8th anniversary of the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third entry in the Kelvin timeline Star Trek movies staring Chris Pine as James T. Kirk. Paramount continues to say they are committed to a follow up movie, and now the star is starting to wonder how it will deal with how he isn’t getting any younger.

Pine curious about Star Trek 4

For the last couple of years, since he has recommitted to return as James T. Kirk for a fourth Star Trek movie, actor Chris Pine has often expressed his enthusiasm for the return, but also some frustrations. His latest comments from from a recent appearance at ACE Superhero Comic in San Antonio, TX. Pine acknowledged the well-reported ups and downs the Beyond sequel has gone through over the past decade (via PopVerse ), saying “In terms of the next phase of [Star Trek], obviously you’re all fans, so I’m sure you’ve read it.”

Chris Pine as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek Beyond

The actor then talked about how he and his fellow cast are ready to get back to the Enterprise, but he wonders how the movie will deal with how he is getting older, saying:

“We all like one another a lot. I’m good friends with everybody I’ve worked with. We have a great time doing it. I’m a lot older now, so I would be curious where that next story lands us in terms of what it would be and what we’ve said in the press.”

Pine, now 43, was 29 when he first appeared as James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek movie. Last year the actor talked about how he was hoping to do “many more” movies as Kirk, saying it would be “super cool” to play the same character through the course of his career. Original Kirk actor William Shatner was 35 when the Star Trek television show premiered and 63 when he last appeared as the character in the 1994 film Star Trek: Generations . Pine is still younger than Shatner when he played Admiral Kirk in Star Trek: The Motion Picture  in 1979. In Star Trek Beyond , Kirk turned down a promotion to admiral and was set to head out on a new USS Enterprise (NCC 1701-A). If the next movie were set a decade later, Kirk and his crew could have already completed two 5-year missions.

Kirk (Chris Pine) and Spock (Zachary Quinto) looking up at new Enterprise in Star Trek Beyond

Various follow-ups to Beyond have been in the works over the last 8 years. In March of this year, it was reported that Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams had brought on yet another screenwriter to take a crack at what the studio is now calling the final movie for the Kelvin crew. Pine later expressed some frustration with this move, telling Business Insider “I thought there was already a script, but I guess I was wrong, or they decided to pivot. As it’s always been with ‘Trek,’ I just wait and see.”

Even now entering middle age, Pine is still keeping it sharp. He recently shaved off his beard (but kept the ‘stache) as can be seen from an appearance at a fashion event in Milan in mid-June…

Chris Pine turned Father’s Day into a weeklong holiday by repeatedly serving Daddy in Milan during Men’s fashion week (click for more): https://t.co/d4559OI35P — Tom and Lorenzo (@tomandlorenzo) June 19, 2024

The next Star Trek feature film expected to come out of Paramount is the “ Untitled Star Trek Origin Story ” which Paramount recently confirmed as part of its 2025/2026 slate. This movie would have a new cast. Earlier this year, Paramount and producer J.J. Abrams had tapped Andor ‘s Toby Haynes to direct, based on a script from Seth Grahame-Smith ( The Lego Batman Movie ). Paramount is also reportedly talking to producer Simon Kinberg about shepherding the film franchise , starting with that origin movie. This next Star Trek movie was mentioned during the Paramount Global shareholder meeting in June with co-CEO Brian Robbins saying it is “coming soon,” and touting Trek as one of the company’s “billion dollar brands.”

Find more news and analysis on  upcoming Star Trek feature films .

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This is the longest five-year mission in history…

Just because the TOS timeline had 5-yr.missions, there is no reason the Kelvin timeline would.

They mention it’s a five year mission in one of the movies.

But Into Darkness established that they did, and Beyond confirmed that they were halfway through one.

It certainly is. Eight years since Beyond, wow.

It’s been so long since the last Star Trek movie set in the Kelvin timeline, that by the time they finally make another one none of the crew of the Enterprise will still serve on that ship.

They’ll all have moved on to other assignments, pretty much like the original cast did in The Motion Picture.

I mean I don’t think they can just pick up where they left off in Beyond , so yeah the next one (if it happens) will hopefully skip ahead a decade or so.

At this point, what was it all for? The Kelvin movies did nothing for Star Trek. It was Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, SNW, etc that saved it. The Kelvin movies contributed nothing.

While certainly not my favorite Trek, I would like to see it get a final outing. Of course, as long as that final outing doesn’t come at the expense of other Trek.

Star Trek did not need saving and Discovery has done the franchise no favours.

‘Beyond’ flopped and stalled the movie series. Disc at least has led to multi spin off shows and ST first TVM.

During the moments that worked (not saying there were a ton of them), BEYOND felt a lot more like STAR TREK than anything else I’ve seen this whole century.

didn’t help the film series though.

That seemed to a big reason the movie underperformed!, JJs films seemed to hit that sweet spot of appealing to moviegoers who wouldn’t been seen dead watching ST and the hardcore trekkies (ok maybe not ID for some fans lol), but Beyond missed the target .. Ironically Orci’s ST3 was apparently canned for being ‘too star trek’ yet sounded much more appealing for movie audiences (dealing with time travel/timelines and Shatner) whereas what they eventually did in Beyond sounded/looked so ‘star trek’ it turned off the average Joe moviegoers! plus there was that Fast and Furious action teaser trailer turning off the fans, a double whammy!

That is a flaming photon torpedo of truth. Beyond is generally well liked and appreciated by Trek fans, but I was surprised to find most non-fans I’ve heard from found it, quote, “boring and dull”. I could quite believe that take, but it’s definitely better received by fans than the public. Into Darkness was the reverse.

The biggest mistake was the handling of the villain, hiding Mr Elba under make up but also another of J J style ‘mystery box’ about his identity and motive.

Yup, exactly. Totally agree. What a waste of Mr. Elba’s talent, imo.

Discovery also divided the fan base, destroyed cannon, has the lowest episode scores of any Trek show, and was Cancelled!

Not the same, Disc came to a natural end but didn’t inhibit more ST TV from being made.

I think it’s probably too late to make this movie starting where they left off on the Enterprise. They really would need to write a story where they have to reconnect for one final mission, which might be worth doing. That being said, an aging crew is nothing new for Star Trek.

Bust him back to cadet.

Hey MIchael, I was just googling “Harlan Ellison Nicholas Meyer” and it actually took me to a trekmovie thread from 2017 which we participated in. You mention that you are going to have to buy RETURN TO TOMORROW book at some point. Did you?

I bought the digital edition. Roddenberry says in it that TMP cost 45 million due to them adding on all the costs of the previous scripts, sets etc. For 1979 that was super expensive.

Dee Kelley’s poem was interesting I never knew he was a writer. Also interesting was hearing from George Takei about the making of the movie. Some stuff I already knew like the studio not wanting Shatner back if it was going to be a series, and the difficulty in getting Leonard to sign on when it became a movie.

The stuff about who got to be credited in the movie I never once heard about the disputes with the effects people. A lot of the guy who wrote it hating the movie and being negative Harold I think. You could tell he thought it was a turkey. Also, the director had such a bad experience, and the movie was rushed I never knew that.

Or was it Jon Povill my memory these days is crap. I know whoever the person was hated the finished movie.

i imagine the writers/abrams etc are trying to figure out to do a standalone thing with the cast like Beyond (i.e. their TMP and TUC in one movie) or buy into the multiverse stuff going around and have them interact with their primeverse counterparts (via CG/AI ) or the TNG cast etc for a big anniversary movie ..

maybe they’ll go with the 1st option (Kelvin standalone/finale) and do a primeverse only ST Legacy movie for Paramount+ (various actors from TNG/DS9/VOY maybe ENT and SNW) – both aimimg for 2026

I mean you have a 40 something year old playing a 25 year old Kirk on Strange New Worlds and he looks older than Pine!

The casting decision there continues to baffle me. And yeah I agree, Pine does look younger than Wesley.

Now, Wesley has grown on me a bit, but it does still baffle me as well. He reminds me more of Crawley’s Kirk (fan film) than Shatner’s Kirk, and that’s not a good thing.

Yikes, you just hit the nail on the head there.

Ummm…..

Admiral deciding he’s sick of being in a desk job…kinda like last time?

In ’09, the snark was to call this Trek/Muppet Babies in Space. The then producers wanted a cast that could last for several movies without getting too old. AND… that might have worked if the studio(S!) hadn’t delayed so many of these films. Frankly, we should have five or six, not three. Thank god, the suits all got their bonuses and golden parachutes (several deployed btw) and important stuff like that.

We’ve seen how the Prime Kirk ages from young captain to admiral to old captain. It would be interesting to see Kelvin Kirk take a different pathway. Maybe he has a family. Maybe he is stuck in a Klingon prison. Maybe he is riding through the desert with a picnic lunch.

If JJ was available and Skydance ends up buying Paramount, they should get him to direct part 4. Make it an event movie, no more nonsense about spinoffs or low budget this or that. Disney Star Wars is dead. Capitalize on that.

Should have gone all in after Into Darkness, instead they played it safe with Beyond a tired old formula. Should have been new worlds, new twists if we had to have characters from Prime, do something different with them in Kelvin now that they were done with Khan, but no they had to make insipid Beyond. Guardians of the Furious.

I think you’re right. Go all out and make a final, great film for the Kelvinverse characters.

As to where they go with it, I don’t know. The simplest thing is to just have them on the ship, maybe coming home from their mission and then they get a call about an emergency. One last adventure. Maybe someone has to die, for drama. Maybe somehow, someway, via the Nexus or Q or the Guardian of Forever, Pine meets Shatner’s Kirk. Yeah, that probably will not happen but that would certainly help the film if they could find some way to make it an important part of the film.

Anyway, I’m all in for another Kelvin film. I loved all three of them, even though I had quibbles with some of JJ’s choices in Star Trek and Star Trek Into Darkness and thought making Sulu gay in Beyond was a complete and embarrassing fail.

Sulu being gay in ‘beyond’ a minor issue compared to the film’s real faults

Good point about SW its cooked atm, no movies being made anytime soon , that Rey movie not even the hard core wants and the Dawn of the Force movie from Mangold (whose Indiana Jones movie tanked to tune of a 100m loss), and the other film based on the Zahn novels like an Episode 6.5 (probably with not quite there CGI deaged Han Luke Leia) , any of those probably as likely to happen anytime soon as the Beyond sequel after 2016, (a loong wait with lots of faux announcements). so really you got similar scenario as that late 00s/early 10s era with ST09/ID filling in for SW for space action.

And yeah they messed up on Beyond , letting Orci go when he had the obvious way to go for the 3rd film/anniversary – Shatner returning, battle for the timelines stuff.

The last SW film to feature rey made a billion so there is still an audience waiting for a new one. But I bet rey will not be the central character this time.

Reading between the lines here……”a lot older” suggests he knows another movie is still years, maybe even decades away.

I think Pine’s just resigned to whatever happens will happen. He’s not getting his hopes up.

I think the 4th film should be titled, Star Trek: Kirk.

I wish they can adapt William Shatner’s first Star Trek story, Ashes of Eden.

Kelvin cast sequel is the ONLY viable movie worth making at this stage. Anything else will bomb hard.

I remember watching “Beyond” in the theater. No way that was 8 years ago already… wow.

Time flies. I also watched Beyond in the theater, and out of the three Kelvin-verse films it felt the most Trekkian to me. I can remember the smell of the popcorn and the twizzlers from that day.

The age of the crew or the actors is not the biggest problem with previous or upcoming films.

If it another ‘mad man with a grudge and a galactic WMD….’

If it is that, then I’m out. I blame TNG movies for first getting stuck on that, but it seems to be the only thing Hollywood screenwriters think a Star Trek film could ever possibly be about.

We need another ‘voyage home’, classic ST problem solving and not ‘pew pew boom’ again

They should adapt the Prime Directive novel for the next film. I would go see it. I doubt any of these writers know the book exists.

Would be wasted on the Kelvin cast. Great book, but it’s absolutely Shatner’s Kirk here, not anybody else’s. A book that makes so much out of ‘let me help’ doesn’t have the right callback, since Pine doesn’t have an Edith Keeler … it would be like the bizarre consideration Eon had for LIVE & LET DIE, when they considered bringing Ursula Andress back, even though it was featuring a new (utterly lame) guy playing Bond, so, you know, the face is not familiar.

Thats the first I’ve heard of bringing back Ursula Andress for LALD,(not impossible as the son of Quarrel from Dr No was in it) i had heard that producers wanted Barbara Bach to come back for A View to A Kill in a cameo as the Russian agent but obviously didn’t happen

And Roger Moore was the best Bond btw (imo :)

Meh. Some of the original cast members of Star Trek found about a hundred ways to keep on showing up despite being decades older. It’s sci-fi! All ya gotta do to explain stuff away is wave your hands around in the air and say stuff like, “quantum singularity!” or “it’s The Borg! The Borg did a thing!”. Inexplicable aging and time-space continuum inconsistancies are basically all one 8-second mumbo-jumbo explanation away with that franchise. It’ah be fiiiiiiine. lol

In general, I prefer a story with more “seasoned” characters, so it’s not a bad place to pick up for me. Showing the characters more matured is one of the major draws of a sequel.

It’s simple Chris – it’s time to put on the Monster Maroons! He’ll look as old as Shat from TWOK, TSFS, TVH

Also dark rinse with perm

Star trek 4 need a title like New horizon coming summer 2026 and the New starship enterprise a on a mission to explore strange New worlds and New villian of This epic final chapter of the kelvin timeline im a Star trek fan long live trekkies live long and prosper

Star Trek Wayyyy Beyond

Pull the plug on the Kelvin timeline and crew.

At some point Vger should be showing up to destroy Earth in the alternate universe that diverged with the Kelvin incident. I don’t want to see The Motion Picture remade but there might be a story there to tell somewhere …..

Use elements from Ellison’s intro to his movie pitch (which also had a huge threat to earth, but from time travelling lizards), with a cloaked figure going round kidnapping members of the old crew from wherever they are now and you finally realize it is Kirk who is doing it. Then do a variation on TMP, maybe with less of a police-procedural feel, one where we get to see how tough it is to match speeds and fly alongside something at warp 7+ from 1500 away .

Willl never happen

Whatever the next movie is, Giacchino’s going to have to write a new score, this time called “Enterprising Old Men “.

It will be a hit, and there will be a sequel.

It worked in Star Trek II…

I’d like to see throwback to Star Trek IV, where the Kelvin crew visit the world(s) that sent the alien probe to locate humpback whales.

They can maybe use stock footage from Lynch’s DUNE, since, like TVH, it also featured giant Tootsie-roll lookin’ space vessels.

A while ago I posted the idea of ST4 having the whale probe attacking kelvin earth a’la TVH and the JJ crew go back to San Fran 1986 for some whales but have to avoid running into their primeverse counterparts (TOS cast via cgi deaging and footage from TVH like Trials&Tribulations, BTTF2, Avengers Endgame etc), along the way they encounter/team up with Eddie Murphy’s UFO believing college professor called ‘Gene’ and kirk meets/romances an 80s aerobics instructor (Gal Gadot , but now maybe Dua Lipa whod also do the 80s inspired official song a’la Rhianna/Beyond ) who helps them out, plus thered be Lt Saavik (some new hot young actress) along for the ride replacing Chekov

I just get the feeling something fun and trippy and nostalgic like that would probably hit big at the box office (and avoid the usual super angry madman villain with space WMD who wants revenge on the Federation trope thats been done for the past 5? movies)

Why Haven't New Star Trek Movies Been Made By Paramount+? Here's What Jonathan Frakes Says

The director and actor shared his understanding of the situation.

Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is connecting with a lot of fans of The Next Generation and has folks talking about future adventures with past beloved characters . With Kate Mulgrew talking about her wish to return to live-action and fans still talking about a Voyager movie being made , it seems like an obvious idea to make a Trek movie that's exclusive to Paramount+. So, why hasn't it happened yet? CinemaBlend might have some insight, thanks to our recent interview with actor and director Jonathan Frakes . 

I spoke to Jonathan Frakes about Star Trek: Picard and his recent wonderful episodes as Will Riker, and we also discussed the future of the franchise, with Discovery and Picard ending. The door is open for Paramount+ to bring in more Trek shows, and maybe even make a straight-to-streaming feature of some kind. When I asked Frakes about the odds of that happening, and why we haven't heard about something similar being utilized, he said the following: 

My understanding is that Paramount+ has the television franchise and Paramount has the movie franchise. I could be wrong, but that’s what I gather is the separation between the movie and television divisions.

Jonathan Frakes, who directed Star Trek: First Contact and Insurrection in the past, implied it's unlikely that any Star Trek movies will be made specifically for Paramount+. The parent studio is seemingly intent on sticking Star Trek movies to the big screen, even though the franchise hasn't released anything since Beyond arrived in 2016. 

Paramount and various creatives have been working on a fourth Star Trek movie set in the Kelvin universe, but hit numerous roadblocks trying to make it happen. When I asked if it seemed like the only types of Trek movies we're going to see will be set in the Kelvin universe, Jonathan Frakes said this: 

That’s my understanding.

Jonathan Frakes can only present the info that he's currently aware of, so there's no telling that this is the actual stance of how things are in Star Trek . With that said, it would be pretty disappointing to hear for sure that there's no chance of movies being made for Paramount+ in light of the news of Discovery ending , as that would be a great way to keep giving fans more adventures in the future. 

Paramount+ movies for Star Trek would also present an opportunity for movies that are very much in demand amongst fans, but perhaps might lack the mega-mainstream appeal to justify a big-screen feature. However, if Jonathan Frakes is correct that Paramount+ isn't going to make any movies at all, the odds of any standalone features being made feel slim to none. 

Of course, there's no telling how quickly conversations may change behind the scenes, and if Paramount still is no closer to making Star Trek 4 by the end of 2023, maybe we'll get a Trek movie another way. I know that I still have my heart set on Quentin Tarantino 's movie one day getting made, as bonkers as it sounded . 

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Pick up a Paramount+ subscription to see Jonathan Frakes in new episodes of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 on Thursdays. The actor is delivering a performance I feel is worthy of awards recognition , but viewers can tune into Paramount+ and judge for themselves. 

Mick Joest is a Content Producer for CinemaBlend with his hand in an eclectic mix of television goodness. Star Trek is his main jam, but he also regularly reports on happenings in the world of Star Trek, WWE, Doctor Who, 90 Day Fiancé, Quantum Leap, and Big Brother. He graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Radio and Television. He's great at hosting panels and appearing on podcasts if given the chance as well.

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The 50 Most Anticipated New Movies of Fall 2024

By David Fear

Movies used to be seasonal — the summer months meant a steady diet of extra-buttered popcorn blockbusters, which gave way to autumn’s somber dramas and early winter’s awards hopefuls, then spring filled the gap with everything else until Memorial Day weekend restarted the cycle. Now, of course, you get I.P. tentpoles and stark-to-uplifting biopics and horror and comedy and horror-comedy all year round, and you occasionally find yourself sitting in a theater — no, really, they still exist! — wondering, wait, what month is it again? (Or, in the case of a modern crime-comedy starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, what year is it again?)

Still, there are elements that remain eternal, like death, taxes, and the Oscars. Which means you still get something close to a traditional fall movie season, filled with literary adaptations, performance-driven chamber pieces, and history lessons filled with important reminders of Where We’ve Been and thus, Where We Might Be Going. It’s just now, you also get popular comic-book movies along with your big studio prestige projects, sometimes in the same film . It’s a gift for cinematic omnivores, so long as you can keep from getting acid reflux.

The 50 movies below are a great example of the sheer variety that awaits you, the discerning moviegoing public, from Labor Day to New Year’s Day. Biopics, bestsellers turned star vehicles, new works from brand-name auteurs and big-screen epics? Yup, you got ’em. Superhero (or rather, supervillain) adventures, sequels, and high-concept sci-fi? They’re coming your way as well. Documentaries, animated movies, revenge thrillers, and scary, Halloween-appropriate chillers? Of course! Some of them we’re salivating over seeing ASAP, others are films we’ve already caught on the festival circuit that we’re anxious to see again — seriously, wait until you get a look at The Substance, and His Three Daughters, and A Real Pain, and Anora ! The one thing they have in common is that you’ll get to check them out over the next few months. Dates are, like everything else in the modern world, subject to change.

‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ (September 6)

The Juice, as they say, is once again loose! Michael Keaton and director Tim Burton reunite for this belated sequel to the duo’s 1988 classic, in which the ghost with the most returns to haunt the Deetzs — Catherine O’Hara and Winona Ryder are back, too! — and cause havoc for a next-gen Burton MVP Jenna “ Wednesday ” Ortega. Just say his name three times (or in this case, repeat his name twice in lieu of adding a “2” on to the Beetle-end of this next Beetle-chapter …).

‘The Front Room’ (September 6)

What better way to kick off the fall moviegoing season than with a little dollop of A24 horror? A mother-to-be (Brandy Norwood) is forced to take in her elderly mother-in-law ( The Tragedy of Macbeth ‘s Kathryn Hunter) after the woman’s husband dies. Once the older woman moves in, however, she begins to take the house over and pit her son (Andrew Burnap) against his wife. She also has a love of that ol’ time religion, which seems to extend to thinking that the holy spirit moves directly through her — and that the baby her daughter-in-law is carrying might be even more special than anyone knows. Speaking of family: This creepfest is written and directed by Sam and Max Eggers, the latter of whom helped their brother Robert Eggers cowrite The Lighthouse. We’re digging the pedigree.

‘His Three Daughters’ (September 6)

Writer-director Azazel Jacobs ( The Lovers, French Exit ) delivers an old-school family drama, in which three sisters — Type-A control freak Katie (Carrie Coon), numbed-out stoner Rachel (Natasha Lyonne), and resident peacekeeper Christina (Elizabeth Olsen) — as they reluctantly gather to say goodbye to their father during his final days. Trapped together in Dad’s tiny Upper West Side apartment, they begin rehashing old arguments, reopening old wounds, and revisiting lifelong grudges. This was the best thing we saw at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, and it’s already staked a claim in our Top 10 list for 2024. See it ASAP.

‘Look Into My Eyes’ (September 6)

You’ll likely go into this documentary by Lana Wilson ( After Tiller, Miss Americana ) about NYC psychics with the idea that mockery and/or gotcha journalism is right around the corner. Guess again. Embedding herself with a half-dozen or so different psychics and recording a number of their sessions, the filmmaker neither exposes these people who claim to talk to long-gone loved ones (and in one case, pets) as exploitative con artists, nor does she proclaim them to be the real deal. Instead, she takes a compassionate look at those who seek answers from such folks, and you quickly realize that this is less about catching charlatans than looking at people who have a desire to heal by any means necessary.

‘Rebel Ridge’ (September 6)

A former Marine ( The Underground Railroad ‘s Aaron Pierre) runs afoul of some corrupt cops while biking into a small town to pay his cousin’s bail. The officers “confiscate” the cash, and when the ex-soldier files a complaint, they attempt to make his life hell. Spoiler: They have no idea who they’re fucking with. Don Johnson, AnnaSophia Robb, Emory Cohen, and The Office ‘s David Denman costar. The fact that Jeremy Saulnier — the gent behind Blue Ruin, Green Room , and Hold the Dark — is calling the shots should tell you that this is indeed one hell of a tense, nerve-shredding revenge thriller.

‘My Old Ass’ (September 13)

An 18-year-old woman named Elliott (Maisy Stella) goes on a magic-mushroom trip and soon finds herself hanging out with an unlikely companion: her future self (Aubrey Plaza). Filmmaker Megan Park ( The Fallout ) has found a premise that seems destined to not only take advantage of Plaza’s slightly jaded screen persona, but also spark a conversation about what happens when youthful idealism butts up against the slings and arrows that life throws your way as you edge into your 40s. Personally, if we were to meet up with our 18-year-old self, we’d tell that ridiculous, overly righteous kid to drink more water, don’t forget the importance of moisturizing, and to seriously consider buying Apple and Oracle stocks.

‘Speak No Evil’ (September 13)

A warning to families vacationing abroad: Beware of those super-friendly fellow tourists who, after waltzing around Italy with you for a blissful week of fun, invite you to one day come stay at their country home. Should you take these seemingly lovely strangers up on their offer, you may find that they … have a secondary agenda in mind. Folks who were lucky enough to have caught the Danish horror film of the same name by director Christian Tafdrup know what happens next. And if this American remake starring James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, and The Nightingale ‘s Aisling Franciosi is even 1/16th as intense and disturbing as the original, you are in for one very unnerving, unsettling evening at the moving pictures.

‘A Different Man’ (September 20)

The latest from Aaron Schimberg ( Chained for Life ) follows Edward (Sebastian Stan), an actor with neurofibromatosis who’s shy, socially awkward, and self-conscious about his condition. An experimental surgery essentially puts his facial disfigurement into remission and causes him to look like, well, Sebastian Stan. He changes his identity. Then his former crush ( The Worst Person in the World ‘s Reinate Reinsve) writes a play about the old Edward, which sparks an unhealthy obsession in the new Edward. We sense a “beauty is skin deep, true ugliness is bone deep” metaphor in here somewhere.

‘Omni Loop’ (September 20)

Have you ever wondered if you’ve just been living the same horrible week over and over week again? Zoya Lowe (Mary Louise Parker) understands what you’re going through. This quantum physicist has been stuck in a perpetual loop of the last seven days of her life for what seems to have been ages, and it’s driving her crazy. When she meets a young, up-and-coming scientist ( The Bear ‘s Ayo Edebiri) who’s studying the ins and out of time, however, Zoya thinks the two of them can come up with a solution to this endless rinse-repeat cycle. Writer-director Bernardo Britto’s existentialist dramedy reads like fine addition to the make-it- Groundhog’s-Day -but-different genre, and the pairing of Parker and Edebiri feels like an oddly perfect screen duo.

‘The Substance’ (September 20)

A TV star (Demi Moore, delivering what may be the performance of her career) deals with being pitilessly aged out of the industry. She then finds out that a secret subscription service would allow her to foster a younger version of herself, although the plan requires both her and her dewy twentysomething “twin” (Margaret Qualley) to abide by a strict set of rules. Let’s just say that things go awry and get very gory in Coralie Fargeta’s body-horror flick, and what starts as a satire of Hollywood hypocrisy turns into a take-no-prisoners indictment of youth fixations and impossible beauty standards.

‘Wolfs’ (September 20)

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are two professional “fixers” who find that they’ve both been hired to do the same job, leading many moviegoers to wonder: Are we still living in the 1990s? Thank god these two stars remain dedicated to still making these kinds of movies. And as much as we do love writer-director Jon Watts’ recent Spider-Man trilogy, we’re pretty sure a filmmaker can’t keep creatively sustaining themselves on superhero blockbusters alone. Plus the always remarkable Amy Ryan is in this too. We’re honestly psyched about this.

‘Lee’ (September 27)

Living in Paris in the 1930s, Lee Miller worked as a model — until war comes once again to Europe, at which point she decides she wants to be the one behind the camera. By the time she entered the concentrated camps after the Nazis are defeated, she will have changed the way we view warfare. Kate Winslet steps into the photographer’s battered, scuffed boots to portray someone determined to capture truth one frame at a time. Andy Samberg — not a typo! — plays her longtime collaborator David Scherman. Alexander Skarsgard, Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, and Noémie Merlant round out the cast, while Ellen Kuras — no stranger to the power of imagery, given her status as one of the greatest working cinematographers today — calls the shots from the director’s seat.

‘Megalopolis’ (September 27)

Francis Ford Coppola returns with another huge swing for the fences, detailing a crumbling fictional empire that looks a lot like contemporary America. A visionary named Caesar (Adam Driver) dreams of a utopian city for all; his rival, Mayor Cicero (Giancarlo Esposito), is determined to keep the powerful in power by any means necessary. Naturally, his party-girl daughter Julia (Nathalie Emmanuel) falls in love with Caesar. And we haven’t even got to Shia LeBeouf in drag, Jon Voight’s conspicuously Trump-like billionaire or the fact that Aubrey Plaza plays a character named Wow Platinum. Coppola has embedded a lifetime’s worth of literature, philosophy, cinephilia, and fretting for the human race into this massive epic, and having chased this white-whale project in one form or another for decades, he’s finally caught it.

‘Will & Harper’ (September 27)

Will Ferrell first met Harper Steele when the two of them were hired for Saturday Night Live within the same week, and they have been close friends and creative collaborators for almost three decades. When the latter came out as a trans woman in 2022, the two decided to go on a cross-country road trip — something Steele had done many times over the years. It would be the first she’d encounter the nooks and crannies of Middle America as a woman, however, and the result ended up being a barometer of the country’s attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community, human rights, celebrity, tolerance, and a lot more. Josh Greenbaum ( Barb and Start Go to Del Mar ) tags along and documents their coast-to-coast trek.

‘It’s What’s Inside’ (October 4)

Beware the uninvited guest who shows up at your unisex bachelor party, bearing a mysterious game that he claims will change everyone’s lives. (Notice how we didn’t add “for the better” to the end of that sentence.) Having bought writer-director Greg Jardin’s debut feature out of Sundance for a hefty price, Netflix has high hopes for this twisty, turn-y tale of old college friends suddenly dropped into a wedding-slash-reunion weekend from hell. So while we won’t reveal the many, many secrets in this gonzo-millennials mystery, we will say that it is indeed a wild ride.

‘Joker: Folie a Deux’ (October 4)

Yes, director Todd Phillips and Joaquin Phoenix return for another round of D.C. I.P.-tweaking featuring God’s lonely clown — but what has us jazzed is Lady Gaga (!) joining these gents to play the Joker’s girlfriend, fellow sociopath and literal partner in crime, Harley Quinn (!!!). Also, apparently it’s a musical. Rejoice, Batfans and Little Monsters. You now have at least on thing in common.

‘The Outrun’ (October 4)

Writer Amy Liptrot’s memoir about being an addict and hitting rock bottom benefits from having the great Saoirse Ronan going through the stations of the self-destructive character-study cross here: drinking and drugging, bottoming out, leaving London for her hometown in the Scottish Isles, enduring rehab, putting her life back together one shattered piece at a time. German filmmaker Nora Fingscheidt ( The Unforgivable ) directs.

‘Piece by Piece’ (October 11)

A documentary on Pharrell Williams? Cool. A documentary on Pharrell Williams but his life story is re-created with Legos ? Now you have our undivided attention! Filmmaker Morgan Neville ( 20 Feet From Stardom, Roadrunner, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? ) pieces together a portrait — literally — of the super-producer, singer, and songwriter behind “Happy,” “Get Lucky,” and a million other hits, with a little help from everyone’s favorite free-play building blocks. Williams has never done anything by the book, so why should a music doc about his rise to stardom be any different?

‘Rumours’ (October 11)

From the moment that the first still from Guy Maddin’s new movie hit the internet — featuring two folks crouching next to a giant brain in some hallucinogenic forest — you could tell that this was going to be severely cracked even by the Canadian cult filmmaker’s standards. The logline of this dreamlike fable (co-directed by Maddin’s longtime collaborators Evan and Galen Johnson, and produced by Ari Aster) is that a group of world leaders has gathered for the annual G7 summit. Then the night before a presentation, they all get lost in the woods and before you can Lord of the Flies, things take an absurd survivalist turn. Cate Blanchett, Alicia Vikander, Denis Ménochet, Nikki Amuka-Bird, and Charles Dance are among those stuck in this waking nightmare; if it’s even half as wonderful as My Winnipeg, we’re in for a treat.

‘Saturday Night’ (October 11)

So in the mid-1970s, this TV producer from Canada had a wild and crazy idea, which involved mounting a live, late-night sketch show to fill a gap in NBC’s weekend programming, he gathered together a bunch of veterans of improv groups and the National Lampoon, and, well, the rest is history. Director Jason Reitman ( Up in the Air, Juno , those recent Ghostbusters movies) revisits the origin story of Saturday Night Live as Lorne Michaels (Gabrielle LaBelle) tries to wrangle a bunch of countercultural misfits-slash-comic geniuses into shape to mount the series’ first episode. Willem Dafoe, Dylan O’Brien, Cooper Hoffman, Finn Wolfhard, Lamorne Morris, J.K. Simmons (as Milton Berle!), and Succession ‘s Nicholas Braun (as both Jim Henson and Andy Kaufman!!!) costar.

‘We Live in Time’ (October 11)

Oh, you know: Boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, they become parents, one of them gets sick, they stay together through thick and thin, time marches on. Why should you care, you ask? Because Andrew Garfield is the boy, Florence Pugh is the girl, director John Crowley did the amazing drama Brooklyn a number of years ago — so you know he’s good with actors — and you probably need a good emotional cry over watching a couple experiencing the highs and the lows of a live lived together over decades, yet conveniently compacted down to two hours.

‘Anora’ (October 18)

Just your typical boy-meets-girl romp, if the boy was a Russian oligarch’s filthy rich son and the girl was an exotic dancer/escort from Brooklyn who accepts his impromptu marriage proposal. The latest from Sean Baker ( The Florida Project ) plays like a mashup of Pretty Woman and Uncut Gems, with Mikey Madison’s working-class sex worker getting swept off her feet by Mark Edelshteyn hedonistic rich kid and settling in to a life of mansions and Vegas getaways. Then a trio of guys who work for the young man’s parents shows up to inform them the party is over, and the film slams its foot down on the gas pedal.

‘A Real Pain’ (October 18)

Actor-writer-director Jesse Eisenberg’s buddy dramedy follows two cousins — one a gregarious and boundary-ignoring hippie type (Kieran Culkin) and the other an uptight neurotic (Eisenberg) — who travel to Poland to pay tribute to their late grandmother. Hooking up with a tour group led by The White Lotus’ Will Sharpe, the two formerly close relatives try to reconnect and reconcile with both their personal history and their heritage. The closest thing to a consensus hit at this year’s Sundance, Eisenberg’s sophomore turn behind the camera proves that he’s just as talented a filmmaker as he is an actor, and knows exactly where the middle ground between hilarious and poignant lies.

‘Smile 2’ (October 18)

The surprise 2022 horror hit — about a supernatural entity that feeds on trauma and causes people to maniacally grin — gets a sequel, and this time the “final girl” isn’t a therapist but a Gaga-like pop star (Naomi Scott). She’s about to embark on a massive tour when she happens to witness a suicide, and wouldn’t you know it, the guy (Lukas Gage) was inexplicably smiling before he shuffled off this mortal coil. Which means she’s now been targeted as the vengeful spirit’s next victim, and suddenly she’s seeing grotesquely smiling people everywhere, and … you get the picture. Paramount clearly hopes they’ve got a new scary-movie franchise on their hands, and if director Parker Finn’s follow-up to his first film is even half as scary as the original, they should be able to start counting those stacks of money ASAP.

‘Woman of the Hour’ (October 18)

Say hello to Anna Kendrick, genre auteur! The Pitch Perfect actor makes her directorial debut with the stranger-than-fiction story of Rodney Alcala, a prolific serial killer who’d been targeting young women for almost a decade before he was finally apprehended in 1979. The year before that, however, Alcala was one of three bachelors vying for the hand of contestant Cheryl Bradshaw on The Dating Game (!), and had ended up winning the grand prize on the game show. In the hands of most filmmakers, this would either be a nail-biting thriller or a comedy filled with Me Decade kitsch. Kendrick decides to roll the dice by trying to do both at once while adding in a lot of social commentary on a culture of rampant sexism, then and now — and her gamble pays off.

‘Memoir of a Snail’ (October 25)

Australia, the early 1970s: Two thick-as-thieves twins (voiced by Succession ‘s Sarah Snook and Power of the Dog ‘s Kodi Smit-McPhee) are separated after their father passes away. Given respective foster families, they each grow up wondering what happened to the other. Did we mention that all of this plays out in stop-motion animation? The new film from Adam Elliot ( Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet ) looks exactly like the kind of funny, melancholic, moving story he specializes in. Plus the supporting voice cast is nothing to sneeze at: Eric Bana, Nick Cave, Jacki Weaver, Delicastessen ‘s Dominique Pinon.

‘Dahomey’ (October 25)

The big winner at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, this new doc from Mati Diop ( Atlantics ) centers on roughly two dozen artifacts that were taken from what’s now the Republic of Benin by French colonialists. For decades, these items sat in a French museum. Now, they’ve been returned to the West African country, and Diop gathers testimonials from students, curators, and even the objects themselves (!) about what it means for a nation’s cultural heritage when its treasures are plundered and passed off as the spoils of occupation.

‘The Nickel Boys’ (October 25)

Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel — about a fictional 1960s reform school known as the Nickel Academy, which bears more than a passing resemblance to the notorious, real-life institution the Dozier School — gets the prestigious awards-season treatment, thanks to writer-director RaMell Ross. If you were lucky enough to catch his incredible 2018 documentary Hale County This Morning, This Evening, then you know he’s the perfect person to adapt Whitehead’s story of a young man named Elwood Curtis (Ethan Harisse) who tries to navigate the brutal world of the school along with a fellow classmate (Brandon Wilson). Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Daveed Diggs, Hamish Linklater, and Fred Hechinger costar.

‘The Remarkable Life of Ibelin’ (October 25)

To his parents, Mats Steen was just a young man who bravely endured life with Duchenne muscular dystrophy and loved playing video games. To his fellow World of Warcraft players, however, Mats was better known as Ibelin Redmoore, a hero who was dashing, funny, and always ready to lend an ear when others were troubled. After he passed away at the age of 25, his parents received a massive data dump of their son’s interactions within WoW — and it’s these dialogues, commands, and re-created gameplay that form the backbone of The Painter and the Thief director Benjamin Ree’s documentary about the power of community, online or otherwise. Have tissues handy.

‘Venom: The Last Dance’ (October 25)

Tom Hardy’s Spider-Man antihero returns for his third (and, if the title is to be believed, final) round, still biting heads and taking names. Which he’ll need to do, since a bunch of nasty creatures from Venom’s home planet have somehow made their way to Earth. So long as there’s more of the wonderful growling banter between hapless man and malicious symbiote that characterized the first two movies, we’re all good. Plus Juno Temple shows up as a scientist who wants to keep information on all these alien life forms runnin’ amuck a secret, and Chiwetel Ejiofor is a military man who aims to help her achieve that goal by any means necessary.

‘Blitz’ (November 1)

Director Steve McQueen ( 12 Years a Slave ) takes viewers into the streets of a metropolis under siege, as Nazi bombs pummel London and WWII rages throughout Europe. In the middle of this is Rita (Saoirse Ronan), a single mother who’s trying to protect her young son George (Elliott Heffernan) by sending him away to the countryside. Then the boy decides to return home, at the very moment that a particularly hairy attack threatens to leave the city in rubble — and the family members must find each other amidst the blitzkrieg. Stephen Graham, Harris Dickinson, Hayley Squires, Kathy Burke, and The Jam/Style Council icon Paul Weller costar.

‘Conclave’ (November 1)

The Pope is dead — long live whoever the new Pope will be! Part of that monumental decision will be determined by Cardinal Lawrence (Ralph Fiennes), who will aid in assembling a conclave, i.e. the group of his fellow cardinals tasked with voting for the next pontiff. While a number of different candidates jockey for a shot at the Vatican’s top spot, Lawrence comes across a big secret that the powers that be want to stay hidden, lest it tear the foundation of the Catholic church asunder. Woo boy. Edward Berger, the man behind the recent All Quiet on the Western Front remake, directs a starry ensemble cast: John Lithgow, Isabella Rosselini, Stanley Tucci, Sergio Castellitto and Brian F. O’Byrne.

‘Here’ (November 1)

Yes, Robert Zemeckis does love a good high-concept idea filled with technical challenges — and this new film, which reunites him with his Forrest Gump leads Tom Hanks and Robin Wright, is a doozy. The Back to the Future goes back to the past and focuses his camera on one patch of prehistoric terra firma. He then traces that same bit of square footage, keeping the same single camera shot, over thousand and thousands of years, as ancient civilizations fall and rise, and it eventually becomes a plot of land where a suburban house is built. We then watch as the young Hanks and Wright — oh, there will be digital de-aging! — buy the place, raise a family, and grow old together. It’s a full-frontal assault on your tear ducts, in other words.

‘Bird’ (November 8)

If you’ve seen British filmmaker Andrea Arnold’s work, then you know she has a knack for finding poignancy in hardscrabble lives, and moments of tenderness within the toughest of coming-of-age circumstances. Her latest sounds falls within her Fish Tank -type sweet spot: A 12-year-old girl (Nykia Adams) lives in Kent with her ne’er-do-well father (Barry Keoghan), and pines to be part of a group of local teen criminals-in-training. A mysterious stranger ( Passages ‘ Franz Rogowski) soon enters the picture, in search of his own father. There’s something… different about him that fascinates this youngster, and it turns out he might be the one protector she has in what can be a very cold, cruel world.

‘Emilia Pérez’ (November 13)

Have you heard the one about the musical featuring a morally conflicted lawyer (Zoe Saldana), a cartel drug lord (Karla Sofía Gascón) who fakes their own death in order to transition to becoming a woman, and Selena Gomez? A big hit out of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, director Jacques Audiard ( A Prophet, Rust and Bone ) pulls out all of the stops for this mash-up of old MGM-style song-and-dance numbers, telenovela drama and crime thriller. It’s a trip.

‘All We Imagine as Light’ (November 15)

Part ode to female friendships and part city symphony — Mumbai after hours has rarely looked so enticing onscreen — Payal Kapadia’s tale of two nurses struggling to reconcile respective romantic issues and feeling of loneliness was the first Indian film to play in competition at Cannes in 30 years. But it would be a landmark work even if it had not broken that particular M.I.A. streak, with Kapadia building off the docu-hybrid style of her previous movie A Night of Knowing Nothing (2021) and imbuing her portrait of life in the big city with a genuine sense of lived-in lyricism.

‘Heretic’ (November 15)

Sister Barnes (Sophie Thatcher) and Sister Paxton (Chloe East) are two Mormon missionaries on a two-year proselytizing trip, who just happen to cross the path of a nice older man (Hugh Grant). He invites them into his household — don’t worry, he says, my wife is in the other room — and settles in to hear why he should consider Jesus Christ as his lord and savior. It soon becomes apparent that he may actually want to test their faith as opposed to developing his own — and that these two pious young woman have knocked on the wrong door. Uh-oh. Scott Beck and Bryan Woods are the writer-directors behind this A24 horror movie, so you can thank them for your nightmares.

‘Gladiator 2’ (November 22)

Paul Mescal straps on the leather tunic and sandals for Ridley Scott’s long-in-the-works sequel to his 2000 Oscar-winner, playing the now-grown Lucius Verus. (You remember the kid from the first movie, right? The nephew of Joaquin Phoenix’s Commodus? Who Russell Crowe’s warrior saves?) Connie Nielsen is his mom, Lucilla. Plus Denzel Washington and Pedro Pascal are in this, swinging swords and taking names as well. And should you want some lovely sense of genre continuity: No less than the star of I, Claudius himself, Sir Derek Jacobi, portrays a Roman senator. Are we not be entertained?! Chances are the answer will be a resounding yes.

‘The Piano Lesson’ (November 22)

Denzel Washington’s ongoing project to adapt all 10 of August Wilson’s “Century Cycle” plays for the screen continues, with this take on the playwright’s 1987 drama — about a feud over a piano that’s played an important part in one family’s history — being the latest. The Fences director-star is merely executive-producing this entry, however, with sons Malcolm Washington stepping behind the camera and John David Washington taking on the role of Willie, the young man who wants to sell the heirloom so they can claim their land. His sister, Berniece ( Till ‘s Danielle Deadwyler), feels like it’s too precious to let go of. Samuel L. Jackson, Ray Fisher, Corey Hawkins, Stephan James and Erykah Badu round out one hell of a cast.

‘Wicked’ (November 22)

Broadway’s record-breaking, Wizard-of-Oz -revising musical comes to the big screen, with Cynthia Erivo as the woman destined be the Wicked Witch of the West, Ariana Grande as the future Glinda the Good and Jeff Goldblum as the man behind the curtain; Bowen Yang, Michelle Yeoh and Jonathan Bailey follow them down the yellow brick road. (And yes, it’s still being broken up into two separate films: Part 2 drops in late 2025.) Start revving up your broomsticks!

‘Moana 2’ (November 27)

She’s back! The hero of Disney’s 2016 animated hit and her mystical deity friend Maui (voiced by Auli’i Cravalho and Dwayne Johnson, respectively) return for another adventure in the South Seas — this time, it involves another curse, a mysterious island and Moana taking up the challenge of uniting “all the people of the entire ocean.” Bring the kids! Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Alan Tudyk and Nicole Scherzinger lend their talents as well.

‘Babygirl’ (December 6)

Remember how everyone’s been saying that there’s no sex in movies any more? It sounds as if this drama from Halina Reijn ( Bodies Bodies Bodies ) is about to singlehandedly reverse that trend. A sexually frustrated CEO (Nicole Kidman) begins a torrid affair with a young intern (Harris Dickinson) at her company. To say that it upends her life — and taps into a whole other side of this woman in terms of power dynamics, desire and the middle ground between the two — would probably be putting it lightly. Kidman herself has said that “I’ve made some pretty exposing films, but not like this,” and given that the statement is coming from the person who made Eyes Wide Shut with her husband, we’re curious to see how far this May-December romance goes. Antonio Banderas and Talk to Me ‘s Sophie Wilde costar.

‘Nightbitch’ (December 6)

A writer (Amy Adams) decides to put her professional ambitions on hold to focus on parenting — and the fact that the character is literally listed simply as “Mother” in the credits hints that this adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s novel is telling the story from her rather frustrated perspective. Her one outlet is a nightly run around the neighborhood to blow off steam, which is soon accompanied by a rather majorly transformative change. IFYKYK, and if you don’t know, let’s just say the title contains a major hint. The always great writer-director Marielle Heller ( The Diary of a Teenage Girl ) has the sort of sensibility that suggests she’ll lean in to both the satirical and more personal aspects of this story with gusto. Scoot McNairy, Zoe Chao, Mary Holland, and Suspiria ‘s Jessica Harper join in on the fun.

‘Mufasa: The Lion King’ (December 6)

No less than Barry Jenkins is calling the shots on this prequel to 2019’s remake of The Lion King, which puts the focus on Simba’s dad and how he become the true king of the jungle. The Moonlight filmmaker has namechecked Hamlet when talking about the movie; he’s also promised laughs, tears and some wonderful music numbers. Hakuna matata indeed.

‘Kraven the Hunter’ (December 13)

Each Spider-Man fan has their own personal favorite archvillain in the Webhead’s universe, and we’ve always been partial to Kraven, one of the original bad guys in Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s early run. Now, we finally get a (much-delayed) screen version of the big-game hunter, with Aaron Taylor-Johnson donning the character’s dope animal-print outfit and getting his own solo outing before his inevitable meet-up with Spidey. Ariana DeBose, Russell Crowe, Alessandro Nivola, Christopher Abbott and The White Lotus ’ Fred Hechinger have supporting roles. The good news: there’s no way in hell that this is worse than Madame Web.

‘On Becoming a Guinea Fowl’ (December 13)

Director Rungano Nyoni’s follow-up to 2017’s I Am Not a Witch starts with a woman named Shula (Susan Chardy) coming across a dead body in the road. The fact that she’s dressed exactly like Missy Elliott from “The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)” video, down to the silver helmet and puffy black jumpsuit, shows you that Nyoni has a wicked sense of humor; the revelation that the corpse is “Uncle Fred,” a well-known pedophile who chronically abused the village’s young women for years without consequences, demonstrates that the movie is also not fucking around. A pointed take on the social protections afforded to predators to avoid “awkwardness,” the unnecessary shame shared by survivors and the need to call out complicity and speak out regardless of such stigmas.

‘The Six Triple Eight’ (December 20)

“No mail, low morale” — that was the motto of the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion, an all-female army unit (and the only one completely made up of women of color) stationed overseas during World War II, and colloquially known as the “Six Triple Eight.” Their mission: sort through 17 million pieces of mail and deliver it to the Allied troops in desperate need of good news from back home. Tyler Perry gives this somewhat forgotten chapter of WWII history the big-screen treatment, with Kerry Washington as the unit’s commanding officer, Major Charity Adams; Oprah Winfrey, Susan Sarandon, Sam Waterston, Ebony Obsidian and Dean Norris costar.

‘A Complete Unknown’ (December 25)

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: Young man with great hair comes to New York, writes a song or three, becomes hailed as the Next Big Thing. He completely upends his reputation as Folkie Messiah by plugging in his guitar into an amp and “play[ing] it fucking loud!” Then he does nothing but revolutionize pop music and reinvent himself another eight or nine times over the decades. Forget about interstellar messiahs and iconic chocolate-makers — Timothée Chalamet takes on the biggest, ballsiest role of his career by playing the young Bob Dylan in this do-look-back portrait of the artist from Walk the Line ‘s James Mangold. ( Judging from the trailer , his Dylanesque singing voice is not bad at all.) Dig this casting: Edward Norton as Pete Seeger, Elle Fanning as a character not-so-loosely based on Suze Rotolo, Boyd Holbrook as Johnny Cash, Monica Barbaro as Joan Baez, Scoot McNairy as Woody Guthrie, and Broadway great Norbert Leo Butz as Alan Lomax.

‘The Fire Inside’ (December 25)

Cinematographer Rachel Morrison ( Mudbound, Black Panther ) makes her feature directorial debut with this based-on-a-true-story drama about Clarissa “T-Rex” Shields, the American boxer who won her first of two gold medals for the sport at the 2012 Olympics. This biopic follows the athlete as she trains for the international competition, hitting the heavy bag and battling more than her share of personal demons — as well as the fights she fought after her victory in London, in terms of getting equal pay and proper recognition for professional female pugilists. Ryan Destiny (TV’s Star ) plays Shields; Brian Tyree Henry is on board as her coach Jason Crutchfield. Barry Jenkins ( Moonlight ) wrote the screenplay.

‘Nosferatu’ (December 25)

Before he was a well-respected director of horror movies like The Witch and The Lighthouse, Robert Eggers directed a stage production of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 silent about a vampire wreaking havoc in London. (Any similarities between this German film and a Universal monster movie involving an Eastern European bloodsucking his way through Old Blighty was not, shall we say, coincidental.) Now Eggers comes full circle with his own screen remake of the landmark film, with Bill Skarsgard as the plasma-craving Count Orlok and Lily-Rose Depp as the object of his “affection” Ellen Hutter. Nicolas Hoult, Emma Corrin, Willem Dafoe, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Simon McBurney costar.

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