After the success of Manitou’s Shoe, expectations of Michael Herbig’s next film were high. After a public vote, he decided against a sequel. Instead, Herbig just changed the genre and ventured into realms that are rarely visited by German filmmakers: outer space. Dream Ship Surprise – Period 1 was released in the summer of 2004 and attracted over 9 million people to the cinema. This made it the most successful German science fiction film of all time.
That’s what Michael “Bully” Herbig’s sci-fi comedy is about
In 2054, humanity successfully colonized Mars. After 250 years, the descendants of the original settlers return to Earth, but with a disturbing intent: They want to conquer the earth and destroy the people living there. The invasion has already begun and the situation seems hopeless. In this critical situation, Queen Metapha gives the order not to lose heart and keep fighting.
Constantine
Dreamship Surprise – Period 1
But there is one last hope: the crew of the spaceship Surprise (Michael Herbig, Rick Kavanian, Christian Tramitz) must travel back in time to undo the colonization of Mars. However, the crew has a much more pressing mission in mind: preparing for their Miss Waikiki dance number, they are reluctant to time travel to Earth when it is the only way to save humanity.
References to Star Trek, Star Wars and many more
Herbig co-wrote the screenplay with co-star Rick Kavanian and regular Bullyparade writer Alfons Biedermann. Her love of great sci-fi enters it with countless references to Star Trek, Star Wars, ET Total Recall and Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. From today’s perspective, some gags seem outdated and the freshness of Manitou’s Shoe rarely reaches Dream Ship Surprise. On the other hand, Herbig’s ambition to revive an effects-driven genre that is as good as dead in German cinema with his own Spaceballs is still impressive.
Anyone who is curious about more German-German science fiction entertainment should make a note of productions such as The Silent Star, Operation Ganymede, Wired World and It is not easy to be a god, beyond the usual suspects such as Metropolis and Raumpatrouille Orion.
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We have checked the long starting lists of the streaming services and present you the 20 big highlights of the month in the Moviepilot podcast stream trawl. Also included are Netflix’s highly anticipated One Piece series and Star Wars novelty Ahsoka. In addition to insider tips, there are also new seasons of Heartstopper, The Bear and Only Murders in the Building.
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