Lasting ten seasons since it was picked up by the Comedy Channel in 1989, Mystery Science Theater 3000 became lauded as one of the great cult shows in TV history. As Rhino continues to release DVD packages of the series, there is always an opportunity to catch up with Joel Robinson, Mike Nelson, Tom Servo, Crow T. Robot, Gypsy and co. I feel as though I wouldn't immediately recommend MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE as the launching point for those new or vaguely familiar with the show or its concept. I'd recommend going straight for http://wwww.epinions.com/content_431528840836>The Essentials package with the immortal Manos, the Hands of Fate episode, or, unless you have a black hole in your pocket, go straight to http://wwww.epinions.com/content_432188460676 of the Rhino boxed sets, which contains the short subject Mr. B Natural, a non-stop laugh riot that makes you wish the feature was longer (or maybe not...that Mr. B sure was disturbing).

Although amusing, I didn't laugh as hard and heartily during the whole MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000 as I did during any handful of scenes from the Escape 2000 episode ("Leave Bronx, baby, leave Bronx...") or The Day the Earth Froze ("Look, they're roasting Bullwinkle!"). Not to take away from the movie, as I will hand it a recommendation in time, but this movie isn't five-star material now matter how hard I try to defend it. At the most, MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE is worth four stars. Now that it's back on DVD after going out of print for a spell (no more heinous $100 auctions), I have the heart to give it a four-star estimate, but the reissue has several problems that knock my overall rating down to three stars.

The movie follows the same basic template as the TV series, with quack scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu), decked in his lime-colored Deep 13 lab coat (and matching glasses), making life miserable for mild-mannered lab rat Mike Nelson (Michael J. Nelson). Dr. Forrester has exiled Mike Nelson in space in a bone-shaped ship called the Satellite of Love, and the doctor gets his kicks beaming up loads of cheesy old movies to subject Mike to. But with the help of his robot friends, the gold-beaked Crow (voice of Beaulieu) and gumball machine-headed Tom Servo (voice of Kevin Murphy), they use their collective wits to preserve their sanity by mocking and critiquing the movie as they go along.

This is a fantasy movie in the purest sense. The idea of audience participation in watching bad movies is not for everyone but only the most sophisticated of nerds. This is where our beloved heroes step in. The "stinky cinematic suppository" Dr. Forrester screens for the trio in this feature-length adaptation, the 1955 cult classic This Island Earth, is chock full of really bad creature effects and some clunky visuals. When the trio are really on target, they notice that the mutant slaves working for our alien antagonists are wearing slacks, an observation many a clown would overlook, myself included. And the writing is what matters: there is care taken in a line as oddly humorous as when, during a dinner at what turns out to be a mansion full of aliens, the ambiguous courtesy of the host prompts Servo to quip "then I ram my overpositor down your throat and lay eggs in your chest, but I'm not an alien."

The plot of This Island Earth concerns nuclear physicist Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason), who, through a series of odd circumstances, aligns himself with a race of aliens via a video communication device called interocitor. Led by Exeter (Jeff Morrow), a Buddy Ebsen lookalike with a protruding forehead and blindingly white hair, Meacham is taken to a secret location where a group of scientists have been gathered in order to keep the alien race from extinction. Mixing elements of potboiler fiction, including Cal's pursuit of an old flame, Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue), and interstellar sci-fi action, This Island Earth is certainly a more respectable and ambitious film than traditional MST3k fodder. It actually moves at a brisker pace than Pod People, and is less corny than even Revenge of the Creature. But nothing is sacred, and let's be honest: if it's not one of the worst movies ever made, it's still rather mediocre, lacking convincing drama and a bit too stiff in terms of performance.

Naturally, almost the first full hour of the movie fires off a succession of pretty funny bits, beginning with the opening Universal-International logo, followed by Mike's observation "Doesn't the fact that it's Universal make it international?" The best jabs come early and are mainly directed at the reluctant sidekick of Joe "Weenie Man" Wilson (Robert Nichols) as well as Cal's klutzy nature of breaking scientific equipment ("Oh my God, my waffle! Oh, the humanity!"). The interstitial segments, although infamously edited by the orders of Gramercy Pictures, the film's distributor, are amusing, especially when Mike and the bots use their own interocitor to find help. Even the opening introduction to Mike and the bots, complete with hamster wheel and a pickaxe-toting bout with cabin fever, is a riot (you can also hear the TV show's theme). Fans ought to recognize a well-placed copy of the "Satellite News" as well as the inevitable reference to Manos. And despite an overabundance on bathroom humor over free association riffs based on pop culture, there's still highlights that allude to Pete Townshend, Roger Dean album covers and breakfast items during the watching of the film. And the words "Eat my photons, small heads" have been lodged in my collective memory for days.

MST3k is a lot of good-natured fun, first and foremost. Still, the end result doesn't do complete justice to why the TV show is beloved. Maybe it's the overtly broad level of the humor (seems like there's a joke about toilets and bodily functions every 5-10 minutes, plus tired gay panic quips), maybe it's an issue of the studio's fingers being in the cake (which seems like the #1 reason if you read the reflections by Mike Nelson* and writer/actor Mary Jo Pehl**), maybe it's the rather benign film chosen to be sent up ("that movie was a breeze," one of the robots concludes), or maybe it's a matter of the show working better on the small screen as opposed to the big, where the production values may have been upped but the show's parameters have been kept within the comfort zone. Still, there are single episodes of the actual show that would've likely played better as a movie than this.

At least they didn't screw with the end credits, though. That Rando stuff, it kills me every time.

Here's the trouble with me giving this an overall rating above three stars. Like I said, the movie itself is worth four stars. Since it's at long last been given a proper reissue, I want to recommend it BADLY. The Focus Features DVD re-release, whilst commendable, is a kind of a bust.

I wouldn't stick my neck out for a special edition or even a Blu-ray edition in the future, but the remastered 1.85:1 anamorphic widescreen video is sharp as a razor on the scenes outside of the torture chamb...er, movie theater. The colors are very vibrant in regards to the look of the robots and the Beaulieu's lime-colored outfit, and I appreciated the finer detail in the spiffily-upgraded multiple-room countdown sequence. Of course, the film stock for This Island Earth looks considerably poorer, but it's still very pristine and you're eyes will be locked on the action as your ears are immune to the verbal jabs. The Dolby Digital 5.1 upgrade (a French 2.0 dub is included, as are optional English subtitles) is also a treat for the rear surround echoes and the channel separation that isolates the three principal's voices. It bests the old release on the a/v front without dispute.

If you want bonus features, skip directly to YouTube and search for "deleted scenes" and "trailer." We don't even get the uncut version of This Island Earth for goodness sake. Even the folks at Rhino offered the chance to watch the featured movie outside of the confines of the episode on at least one occasion in the boxed sets. And since Universal owns the rights to both This Island Earth and MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE, that's a shame. The film is divided into 18 unnamed chapters, which also means that there is no "scene selections" menu.

Movie grade: Four stars.
Video grade: Four stars
Audio grade: Four stars.
Extras grade: One star.
Final average grade: Three stars

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE is a Gramercy Pictures release, rated PG-13 for some sexual humor. It runs 73 minutes and was released theatrically on April 19, 1996.

* - http://www.mst3kinfo.com/guide/ep701.html
** - http://www.mst3kinfo.com/guide/ep704.html

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8