In honor of finally completing my MST3K dvd collection (at least until volume XVI comes out in December), I thought I would share with you my five favorite movies that Joel, Mike, and the bots have given the once over to. Appropriately, let's start with one of my very favorites and newly announced boxed set movies:
1. Warrior of the Lost World - The general awfulness of a movie being riffed on is often not enough to sustain an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. There has to be something compelling enough in the film to keep you watching while the jokes cascade over your lowered expectations. Warrior of the Lost World is just such a movie: it's a Spaghetti Post-Apocalyptic film starring Robert Ginty (The Exterminator), Fred "The Hammer" Williamson, Donald Pleasance, and Persis "Star Trek: The Boring Picture" Khambata.
The movie itself has something to do with Ginty tooling around on a talking motorcycle and getting his ass kicked by people. Then, for reasons I can't remember, he's recruited into helping take down the evil government run by Pleasance, and there's some huge truck thing called Megaweapon. Megaweapon was kinda-sorta ripped off in Paul W.S. Anderson's Death Race sequelmake last year, but the original is once again much cooler. Or stupider looking.
Warrior of the Lost World features Joel, Servo, and Crow in rare form. Jokes range from a running gag about no one being able to remember Robert Ginty's name (including a host segment where Megaweapon calls in and say "Ah geez guys. I mean, we always just called him 'The Paper Chase' guy." The episode also features this classic line: "This fall on NBC - Black Nazi, White Ninja, and the Beige Brigade."
2. Pod People - This Spanish ripoff of E.T. has all of the inane things that Steven Spielberg's adorable alien does with none of the budget or effects work. Instead, Pod People has Trumpy, a doofy looking alien with the body of a gorilla and the face of an anteater with human eyes. Trumpy mostly sucks up peanuts and does dumb tricks for the kid who finds him, causing variations of the phrase "Trumpy, you are magic!" Meanwhile, Trumpy's brother is killing poachers in the woods. This is a kids movie, I think.
My favorite moment from MST3K's Pod People treatment is a running gag early in the film that takes the goo Trump hatches from and turns it into Smuckers commercials. Pod People is currently available in Volume 2 of the dvds.
3. Laserblast - This is actually the last episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000 to air on Comedy Central, as well as the last time Dr. Forrester or original Crow appeared on the show. The movie itself is about this slacker who has a girlfriend that he doesn't seem to interested in. Instead, he tools around in his van and feels unappreciated, at least until this green alien is killed by two E.T. looking-bastards. Loser guy finds the green dude's laser arm piece, turns green himself, and starts killing just about everybody he comes into contact with, even if it's just Roddy McDowall.
While the host segments are more consistent (in part because of the uncertainty that the show was moving to Sci-Fi or coming back at all), Laserblast has a lot going for it in the post-Joel era. Mike gets ribbed a lot by the bots for tooling around and taking bong hits (Crow and Servo frequently ask if Loser guy's tooling around "brings back any memories?" for Mike), and much ado is made about the fact that Leonard Maltin gave Laserblast three and a half stars. During the credits, Mike and the bots read a list of movies that Laserblast is "better than", according to Maltin.
Also, the two aliens that hunt down and *spoiler* abruptly kill Loser guy get me every time. They have this ridiculous, high pitched yap that just makes me laugh when I hear it. The film / episode is available on the 20th Anniversary Edition boxed set.
4. Santa Claus - Not to be mistaken with Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, which is also excellent, Santa Claus is a Mexican production about Old Saint Nicholas facing off against the Devil to win the affection of children. No, seriously. Satan is frequently being thwarted by Santa Claus, according to this movie. It's nearly incomprehensible thanks to the dubbing, but is surreal in a way that keeps you watching.
To be honest, it's been such a long time since I've seen it (my VHS copy is pretty worn out) that I can't point to specific riffing, but MST3K does just a good job (maybe better) with Santa Claus as it does the Martian variation. This should be available on Volume XVI.
5. Werewolf - I started watching the show on the Sci-Fi Channel when it moved, but as the air time kept jumping, I found myself drifting away from MST3K during those last three years or so. It may have also been that I never warmed to the dynamic of Mike, New Crow, and Normal Servo, nor was I immensely fond of Pearl Forrester, Bobo, and Brain Guy, but I've always regarded the Sci-Fi era of Mystery Science Theater as "less than."
Boy howdy, did Werewolf correct that judgment. For a late-era episode, Werewolf is firing on all cylinders. As they moved to Sci-Fi, the movies available to them became increasingly more recent and much, much shittier. Werewolf doesn't make much sense to begin with, but after the film starts introducing bizarre characters that have little-to-nothing to do with the plot (and who disappear for long stretches of time), the end result is a film ripe for riffing. The transformations are laughable at best, and I'm still not sure I can explain the plot development about two thirds of the way in, or what it has to do with the end of the movie.
Mike, Servo, and New Crow (look, he says "I'm different!" in the opening credits. I can call him what I want!) really let Werewolf have it. I guess late in the show's run they became obsessed with Martin Sheen's brother, Joe Estevez, and ran several movies featuring the Roger Clinton of the Sheen/Estevez family. He's not in Werewolf to the degree he appears in, say, Soultaker, but he overacts just as hard. Also, I have to point out the host segment song "Where, oh Werewolf", which reminded me of the olden days and songs like "A Patrick Swayze Christmas."
Werewolf is also on the 20th Anniversary Edition.
I hope no one took great offense that I left off Manos, The Hands of Fate, Mitchell, or Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. I love them too, but everybody knows about those episodes. I thought it would be better to share some old favorites and newer discoveries here. While it's not on dvd (and may never be), I'm also fond of Attack of the Eye Creatures, as well as Ed Wood's Bride of the Monster. The Beginning of the End, which is unfortunately out of print, is another fine episode, as are The Killer Shrews, Tormented, and the likely to never materialize Gamera run of episodes.
Also of note, with varying degrees of find-ability are I Was a Teenage Werewolf (with Michael Landon), Eegah!, Teenagers from Outer Space, Terror from the Year 5000, Prince of Space, Cave Dwellers, Parts: The Clonus Horror, The Amazing Colossal Man, Revenge of the Creature (sequel to Creature from the Black Lagoon), and Last of the Wild Horses, which features TV's Frank and Dr. Forrester from a mirror universe watching the "experiment." Speaking of which, Gypsy appears in theatre during Viking Women vs the Sea Serpent, which is also a very good one.
For a pretty good list of episodes, click here.
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