Written by Linda
February 07, 2009
OK, I'll admit it. I've been to a Star Trek convention. Well, um, more than one actually. OK! OK! I've been to FIVE Star Trek conventions! There! Now I've said it! Now leave me alone! Gosh, I mean, what was I supposed to do when I went to see Troi, then they announced that Dr. Crusher will be at the next convention... then after that one, Data, then Worf, then, well, when both William Shatner and Patrick Stewart were announced for the last one... what was I supposed to do?
So a German spoof of Star Trek AND Star Wars with musical interludes? I was SO there!
Käpt'n Kork (Christian Tramitz) and Mr. Spuck (Michael Herbig—"Bully" to his fans) and their penis-shaped ship Dreamship Surprise are summoned from deep space to save the Earth from bad guys led by the hissingly evil Jens Maul (Rick Kavanian), who bears a striking resemblance to one Darth Vader. Now, wait... what? Once you suspend your Star Trek vs. Star Wars purity-of-source and roll with it, the blend works surprisingly well. Anyways, Kork and Spuck want nothing to do with saving the world, as they had just been practicing their song and dance routine to win a Miss Waikiki contest. But when they use a time machine to escape a tricky situation—along with taxi driver stud "Rock", played by stud action star Til Schweiger, and the queen, the pretty and game Anja Kling—they get sucked into history.
Dreamship Surprise is extremely silly. If you are easily offended, you may want to stay away. Kork and Spock are super-prissy, swishy, pouty, and total drama queens. The gay stereotype is so over-the-top that you either find it beyond-offensive, or you just take it as fun and roll with it. The humor is broad and physical and slapstick... and yes, there are MANY in-joke references to numerous sci-fi films and more. I chortled happily at several scenes, while my non-Trekkie friend sat perplexed and uncomprehending.
Apparently Michael "Bully" Herbig and pals are hugely popular TV comedians in Germany. Their fans voted on what kind of movie they wanted: Some wanted sci-fi, others wanted a Western, and still others wanted a Knight's tale. So they decided to just do all of the above in one movie, and thusly Dreamship Surprise was born and became a blockbuster smash. The special effects are surprisingly good, the cast is pretty darn funny, and the songs even got released on a soundtrack. Even if you get kind of tired by the end of the movie (it actually seems kind of long at 87 minutes), I guarantee that you'll be singing "Space Taxi" after the closing credits.
