Quartile rating: 6/10 · 1 rating
Hundreds of years after humans have settled on Mars, Regulator Rogul and Lord Jens Maul, lead a force of Martians to Earth in order to conquer the planet. Queen Metaphor looks to the gay heroes aboard the spaceship Surprise -- Captain Kork, Mr. Spuck, and first engineer Schrotty -- for help.
(T)Raumschiff Surprise is a German parody blending Star Trek, Star Wars, and time travel comedy with an overtly campy gay humor angle. The plot is deliberately absurd and thin, functioning as a vehicle for gags rather than genuine storytelling. Acting is broad and pantomime-style, fitting the spoof genre but not technically impressive. Cinematography is surprisingly competent for a German comedy production of its era, with decent production values and colorful set design. Novelty gets a bump for the distinctly German cultural humor and the irreverent LGBTQ+ campy angle on classic sci-fi franchises, which gives it a somewhat unique flavor even within the spoof genre. The ending wraps up predictably without much payoff beyond the running gags.