If Galaxy Quest had had a Ron Burgundy-esque character, you’d get Patrick Wilson’s mustachioed, Harvey Wallbanger-swilling captain of the 1970s-spoofing, dark interstellar comedy Space Station 76. This bleak movie, which debuted at South by Southwest earlier this year, follows the dramatic and profoundly unhappy inhabitants of the ship Omega 76.
But Wilson is not the only fun member of the crew: Liv Tyler plays the new assistant captain—you can guess how well his Burgundy-like character takes that appointment—while Matt Bomer looks to be a married cyborg with literal wandering hands. Because you can’t have a space opera without a bit of soapiness.
Sure, the humor’s a bit fratty in parts, but it’s balanced out by (seconding io9) some Mel Brooks-esque scenarios as we watch the characters’ petty melodramas acted out against the grandeur of space. Marriages fall apart, a robot psychiatrist doles out pills, and we don’t know if the Omega 76 ever actually goes anywhere.
Forget Gravity—this movie shows the real wear of traveling through space. No word yet on how we’ll get to see Space Station 76—whether in theaters or on demand—but we’re looking forward to more trailers (and maybe less juvenalia).
