With beloved cult classic Galaxy Quest reaching its 20th Anniversary, this star-studded anniversary documentary unveils how the film turned fans into true heroes and predicted a future where geeks would rule the world! The cast and crew recall how a fire on set, the loss of a powerful director, and an unconvinced studio couldn’t stop the film that would never give up and never surrender!
For thoughts on Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:
[youtube https://youtu.be/FZa2peI-zyg?si=wLrSftmt1OxhXZWG&t=2157]
Video Quality
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary comes to Blu-Ray from ETR Media with a rock solid high definition master which presents this documentary as the ideal version of itself. This feature consists of a mixture of newer interviews along with archival clips, footage from conventions, and more to help round out the legacy of the film. Any older footage from the movie seems to be derived from the best source available at the time of this film’s completion, meaning most of it looks very good. The new talking head interview segments look crisp and clear with natural skin tones and some highly detailed facial features from the stable filming locations. The colors on display in the footage have a notable vibrancy to them. The encoding holds firm when it comes to compression artifacts or digital nuisances of the sort. It is great to have the film on Blu-Ray looking so good.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a great DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that captures the intentions of the feature without fail. This is primarily an interview showcase with a substantial amount of talking heads to go along with some footage from conventions and Galaxy Quest itself. Dialogue flows through in the center channel as you get anecdotes shared in a controlled environment. The score from the film comes through with a favorable fidelity that fills the room. The material is not exactly all-encompassing but sounds great within its ambitions. There are no unwanted digital anomalies, drop-outs, or other issues spotted. This track delivers on all fronts. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Extended Interviews: There are over five-and-a-half hours of additional footage provided here that was not used in the film.
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- Tim Allen (1:09:32)
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- Sigourney Weaver (44:07)
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- Dean Parisot (32:33)
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- Robert Gordon (24:21)
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- Dean & Robert (52:53)
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- Greg Berlanti (40:07)
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- Damon Lindelof (1:07:53)
- Trailer: The two-minute trailer is provided for the film.
- B-Roll: There is a two-minute selection of B-Roll footage provided here.
Final Thoughts
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary is a very pleasant look back at the unexpected impact of a great movie from a couple of decades ago. The presentation could not be more straightforward, but if you are a fan of the film, there is very little chance you will walk away disappointed. The mixture of talent from the film and those who are fans (famous and non-famous alike) is handled admirably as you come to understand the full spectrum of this particular fandom. While very specific to the film, it does have some engaging things to say about the nature of fandom and how these cultural touchstones can shape lives. ETR Media has released a Blu-Ray featuring an excellent A/V presentation and a staggering amount of additional footage. Recommended
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: ETR Media & OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
