Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary (2019) Poster

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7/10
Brilliant documentary bought down by a piss poor music track
crashman_12318 December 2019
10/10 for content, 5/10 for audio mixing.

The only thing that spoiled it was the sound mixing ... for about 40% of the interview and commentary scenes the music was about TWO OR THREE TIMES LOUDER than it should have been, and was so bad at times you could hardly hear what the person they were interviewing was saying. An excellent example of this was the interview with the female fan outside the cinema at ~1h20m mark where the music was so loud you almost need to lip read to figure out what she's saying. This is why it's a REALLY BAD IDEA to use the same person who composed the music as your sound editor!

They really need to re-edit this with the MUSIC SCORE reduced to about 40% of its current volume in EVERY scene where people are talking.
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9/10
By Grabthar's Hammer, what a Documentary!
deboir00-731-94926618 December 2019
I am in Canada, so seeing this in a theatre was not possible. So December 17th meant an iTunes purchase. Worth every cent! I saw Galaxy Quest opening weekend 20 years ago! It was instantly in my top 10 of films. This documentary is a beautiful love letter to the cast, fans and creators! If you love GQ, you will enjoy this! The passing of Alan Rickman was extremely sad, for his family/friends firstly - of course, but also for fans that the Amazon-planned revival series was gone along with him. No-one else could play Sir Alexander Dane, no-one. So we can just enjoy the movie, and now this documentary. Well done Screen Junkies! Just have to wait for the Honest Trailer for this documentary now
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7/10
Audio Ruins the Show
Tmcdon0519 January 2020
To be clear, this is NOT a "The Making Of:" documentary. It is about what the movie meant to the actors and crew. It is about how shows and movies, such as Star Trek, influenced the movie. The reviewer mentioning the audio is spot on. It appears like the documentary was released before anyone watched it; otherwise the audio would have been lowered. I found myself staining to hear the dialog. At one point, the audio suddenly increased to the point where I very literally could not hear the last few words being spoken. Love the movie but this was a waste of time and I didn't even watch it to the end.
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10/10
A love letter to the fans
ccdesan27 November 2019
This documentary by the producers of "Honest Trailers" is a heartfelt tribute to one of the most perfect films ever made. It was made by fans, for fans, and that's exactly what Galaxy Quest is all about. While I re-watch the original movie on a regular basis, this film made me want to watch it all over again. I did not mind at all paying a premium at the theater to see it, and I hope it wider exposure so that many other fans can enjoy it. My hat is off to the producers for a wonderful trip down memory lane.
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10/10
Same Warmth Found In the Original Film
artbreyfogle27 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
They charged top dollar to see this here in Sin City...$16 a seat and I was ticked off entering the theatre BUT it ended once the documentary was projected on the screen...

This is an in depth look at the making and the heart and soul of "Galaxy Quest"...

Immediately you learn it was a labor of love from all associated with the project... Not a comedy, GQ was first and foremost a drama...

Film participants talked...Critics talked...Plus there were the fans...GQ was the FIRST flick to embrace and be embraced by nerd fandom....Today it is a given, back in 1999 it wasn't that way...

Only thing that seemed a bit troubling was the lack of mention of the heavy in the film, the character Sarris...Even though the actor has passed (Robin Sachs) I wondered why no mention of that crucial role in the film...Some issues we don't know?

Regardless this will be a "MUST SEE" when it hits some streaming net soon... Worth the money? I'll say...MY Quest was fulfilled...
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6/10
Disappointed.
quark-1427 December 2019
When i first saw the reviews, I was eager to see this, what with myself being a HUGE Galaxy Quest fan.

My disappointment comes from the Audio track.

Seriously, I want to know what drugs the Audio editor was on, because there is music playing in the background, that washes out the interviews to the extent you have to increase the audio volume to hear what they are saying, only to have their voices drowned out by the backing music, so you end up the majority of the length of the video increasing and decreasing the volume.

It is like those 'Fan' videos on Youtube that replace the soundtrack with an overbearing music track that does not fit the context of the original video..

Rating breakdown, 6/10 for the attempt, but it lost points for the AWFUL backing music on the audio track.
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10/10
Now I am a fan!!
Smashingsteve18 December 2019
A beautifully crafted, honest and emotionally poignant feature length documentary about the making of the underrated sci-fi comedy "Galaxy Quest". I liked the movie when I saw it when it was being released, but I wasn't a fan persé. Now I am. A must-see!
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7/10
Great documentary, shame nobody in production watched it before releasing it.
Srwp26 December 2019
Made me watch the film again at it was really intersting. But the music track is not only crappy music, it is edited about 4 times as loud as it should be. Its so loud at times you wont hear the people speaking, and I think it actually gets quieter in scenes with no dialogue. At first I thought I had music coming from somewhere else as it was so loud dand unconnected to the what I was trying to watch. Ignoring that, turn on subtitles and get ready to rekindle your love of this movie.
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8/10
Down memory lane
benjamin-3073317 December 2019
For once the real participants of the movies are interviews not some obscure cinema critics. One thing a bit confusing though is the loudness of the background music covering what people are saying. It makes the documentary exhausting to watch.
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7/10
Good film despite its mishaps
justin-fencsak8 May 2020
From the company that brought you Honest Trailers and Screen Junkies comes a feature length documentary about the making of the cult classic Galaxy Quest, which I actually saw in a half full theater with people when it first came out. It was quite funny. This documentary tells about the making of the movie and its impact on fans. The only gripe with this is that some footage that was flat is cropped for scope for certain movies as to avoid copyright. It was shown in theatres for one day only as part of Fathom Events, and it's on Amazon Prime for free. Highly recommended if you like stuff like that.
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8/10
A good documentary, crap sound mixing
wildcard8788-48-27544010 January 2020
I did enjoy watching this documentary, I LOVE Galaxy Quest, and this was a good trip behind the scenes. But, as others have said, the sound mixing is abysmal. The background music is considerably louder than the interviews and it's very annoying. Someone needs to remix this. Otherwise, it's honestly very interesting and entertaining.
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7/10
Guardians of the galaxy quest
maxwellsnake2412 February 2021
You don't have to be a massive fan of the cult 1999 sci-fi satire galaxy quest to enjoy Jack Bennett's absorbing documentary, but it certainly helps. From the endless shots of fan conventions to pre production anecdotes - who knew that Bruce Willis was once considered for the main role - this really is a superfan's dream of a documentary. Luckily there's enough here to appeal to the casual admirer of the original movie as well with plenty of interesting trivia and spirited banter from the various talking heads involved in making of galaxy quest. Kudos also goes to the Bennett for managing to assemble nearly the entire cast for the documentary ( minus the late great Alan Rickman for obvious reasons). Not as compelling as 'heart of darkness' or as incident packed as 'lost in la mancha' , but as documentaries about specific movies go you'd be hard pressed to find one as warm and entertaining as this.
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10/10
A perfect documentary for a perfect film
wooingscotsman20 April 2020
First off.. Just watched this on amazon prime in April of 2020 and I did NOT hear any of the audio mixing issues other reviewers have repeatedly mentioned (I'm a professional editor by trade, so it's the kind of thing I would have picked up on for sure), so I'm thinking that the filmmakers have gone back and corrected those issues prior to the streaming release.

With that out of the way... This is really a fantastic documentary of a great film. Well-representative of everyone from the cast to the fans, cut in a way that both gives everyone a voice but also tells the story of how the film grew from a seed of an idea to a cult classic. Hilarious, heartwarming, wry and informative, absolutely worth 90 minutes of your time.
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8/10
Great, but shame about the audio!
steelgohst-565789 January 2020
Fantastic documentary, well produced and filmed, I'm guessing the sound mixing was done by the guy who made the music because it's stupidly loud, to the point where it's hard to hear the speech at times and is always distracting at the very least. A real shame because it's great otherwise!
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7/10
Ow! My poor ears!
harbhippo3 February 2020
I love the content, as will anybody who loves the film. But they really need to remix the audio, and dial the music back. Say, about 40%. Until then, be sure to turn on the closed captions.
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10/10
This was a wonderful experience
ashuston6 January 2020
But the story and the TRULY PROFOUND reminiscing of the cast ,,,,, was a moving experience. Yes It was a documentary but now I respect the original movie even more. Thank you for making this. 😇😇😇😇😇😇😇
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7/10
A harmless look at a beloved film
antony-116 April 2021
The documentary is a fun, harmless look at Galaxy Quest. It doesn't offer any huge revelations and there's not many truly memorable moments, but it's fun none the less.

It's certainly the little anecdotes that give the documentary its life, and most of those comments seem to relate to Alan Rickman and his sardonic humour.

There's also some interesting insight into the birth of the movie, change of directors and some mild disagreements with the studio.

For me the biggest opportunity lost was not having the cast together. Having seen other such documentaries - particularly when the original material succeeds so much from the cast chemistry - to not have any form of reunion is a shame. As it was it felt like lots of separate talking heads.

And while I appreciate you can't put everything into a documentary to completely ignore the late Robin Sachs (Sarris) just felt a glaring omission.

But back to the positives, the inclusion of fans really made the documentary and was a great nod to the movie. You end up with fans in a documentary about a show within a show's fans... it all gets very meta and is quite lovely.

Worth watching, it's warm and engaging - but sadly I fear largely forgettable too.
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8/10
Great for all fans of Galaxy Quest
blott2319-119 May 2020
Personally, I think Never Surrender is the ideal Making-Of documentary. There are countless movies nowadays that have this kind of material available as soon as the blu-ray is available to own, but that doesn't allow for the passage of time to see how the film will hold up and how it affects culture and fandom. Never Surrender takes a good deep dive into a film that was made 20 years ago, and is able to give perspective not only on how it was made, but more importantly how it has impacted the lives of those who love it. It is a true love-letter to Galaxy Quest, and it instantly made me want to watch the film again. What I think they nailed in this documentary is pinpointing the elements that made it resonate for many people. It includes interviews with all the key players who are still alive, and is overloaded with clips of fans at all different levels of obsession. As a documentary about a film that I love, it certainly was enjoyable to watch, but it's also hard to rate/rank because it is entirely reliant on love of Galaxy Quest to get that enjoyment. Needless to say, I recommend all Questarians watch Never Surrender soon because it is a delight. But if you're not a fan of Galaxy Quest, there's simply no reason to even think about watching this documentary.
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6/10
I wonder what people say in those interviews
Skreee5 January 2024
It would be a fantastic documentary with great interviews. Too bad that you won't be able to actually hear any of them, because the interviews are drowned out by - what in other documentaries would be - the background music. My "favourite" moments are when they play clips from Galaxy Quest and even then insist on adding music over the clip, so you have two different scores playing at the same time. I was saved by the subtitles, but it was honestly a struggle to finish, although I really really wanted to see a documentary on one of my favourite movies.

Just baffling why they decided to screw it up so badly in the mix.
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10/10
A documentary from fans for fans
rolandkoka27 November 2019
Greatest movie experience in my life... Only fans and great documentary. A definite watch. Please watch it until the end...
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7/10
Never Surrender: A Galaxy Quest Documentary
henry8-318 November 2020
Documentary about the making of the cult sci-fi comedy Galaxy Quest.

Impressive insight into the creation of the film. What separates this from other similar documentaries is threefold 1) the great love that comes across by the makers and fans - clearly it was a happy set, 2) the candour about the problems faced incl casting and studio interference and 3) the lack of the usual ghastly back slapping and Hollywood glitz.

Watch this and you will want to see Galaxy Quest again.
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10/10
The Sound and the Doc.
sjeunson5 April 2020
I have no idea why people are complaining about the music being too loud? The only thing I would say is that there's too much music. But that seems to be the style these days. My sound system is tuned and it sounds fine. Really well made documentary about a favorite film. Obviously made with love. If you like or love Galaxy Quest you will really enjoy this doc. The moment with Alan Rickman dying had me welling up in tears. A great loss. Just enjoy it.
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10/10
Brilliant Documentary
juliefrein24 September 2021
I love the film 'Galaxy Quest' and watch it whenever I have a chance. I understand the 'theme' behind it. However, this documentary brilliantly explains how the movie, the actors, the writers, the director and the fans made the movie what it is today. The movie brought tears to my eyes as I watched each of the actors remember Alan Rickman, a lovely man and great actor.

It is my hope that this film will be part of Science Fiction history in the way it explains the love of the fans for the creators.
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7/10
NEVER SURRENDER: A QUEST FOR REVIVING A REBOOT?
babyjaguar27 November 2019
This is a production by the people who are behind "Honest Trailers" which was just an average documentary centered on the 1999 film: "Galaxy Quest". This documentary was directed by Jack Bennett, to be honest this could have been perfect for a DVD extra. It stars Tim Allen, Greg Berlanti, Elizabeth Cantillon and others behind the film's production.

For a theatrical debut, it didn't really offer anything new, on what could be probably found on fan blogs, channels and websites. But if you want to see a big format screening of predictable actor/director interviews then this is for you. If you are a "Honest Trailers" groupie, a plus! There could of been a more interesting documentary with more behind the scenes and anecdotes Again, it more feels of a DVD extra, nothing really special as far as a just being a formulaic narrative.

Since there has been prior documentaries (pioneering ones at that) on the "comic con", "geek" and "Trek" communities like 1998's "Trekkies", even the recent documentary on "Deep Nine Space" was a bit more challenging. With these documentaries on Star trek-influenced shows, it's a shame, considering how pioneering "Galaxy Quest" (as a fictional film inspired by Trekkies) was deserves a more original production in documentary-making approaches. Maybe this was only made and released theatrically to see if the fans can generate a franchise reboot?
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9/10
a loving celebration of pure fandom
Much like Galaxy Quest itself, this is a loving celebration of pure fandom, and how the things we love become the things we love...and most of it is often an accident. Everyone is in it (except Rickman, sadly), all telling great behind-the-scenes stories. It's a wonderful companion piece for Galaxy Quest; I immediately wanted to re-watch GQ for the umpteenth time, but unlike lesser film-retrospectives, I didn't wish I was watching it INSTEAD of the doc.
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