Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 1
Created by Joel Hodgson
Cast: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy
Reviewed by Brian M. Sammons
No, you read that right, this is a review for Volume 1. Yes, I did just review Mystery Science Theater 3000 (or MST3K) Volume 33. No, I didn’t jump into a time machine in order to do it. Shout! Factory has re-released it for those MSTies (fans of the awesome, cult favorite TV show) that missed it the first time and because it has been out of print for many years. So, here’s your second bite at the apple, but should you take it?
Well if you don’t already have it then hell yes. This is MST3K we’re talking about here. That’s the good stuff. What, you don’t know what Mystery Science Theater 3000 is? Well allow me to give you the nickel tour. MST3K was a TV show that ran from 1988 to 1999 about a guy marooned on the Satellite of Love way up in space who had to watch cheesy B-grade (or often Z-grade) movies as some sort of deranged experiment. In order to survive his mind-numbing ordeal, our hero made some robot friends and together they made fun of, or “riffed on,” all the bad movies. As simple as that sounds, something that fans of bad movies have done for just about forever, it was revolutionary to see it on television, not to mention hilarious. So much so, that even after all these years since its last episode aired, it still has a large cult following, is constantly name dropped by comedians, and lives on in two distinct incarnations today. Check out Rifftrax.com and Cinematictitanic.com for more info on both of those. As for the original show, the good people over at Shout! Factory have continued to put it on DVD for years, with this four pack being their first offering. Is this early effort worth a get? Well grab your favorite Smart Alec robot buddy and let’s find out.
This time out you get four groovy and far out flicks that run the gambit from monster movies to thrillers, and beach blanket fun to dull drama. Starting things off is Catalina Caper, a 1967 beach bunny/surfer crime caper mystery. Yeah, you read that right. While this “groovy” musical beach mystery can be a bit of a slog, Joel and the bots make entertaining, and it does have a high as a kite Little Richard showing up to do a musical number. Also, this is the only Joel episode in this four-pack, so Mike fans rejoice, and Joel, well stick around anyway. The Creeping Terror is a 1964 space invasion monster movie that couldn’t be more camp if it was filmed on Crystal Lake. Highlights for this stinker include a monster that looks like a loosely bound pile of carpets eating people. Yum. Bloodlust! (yes the exclamation point is part of its official title) from 1961 about some people on a boating trip who discover a mysterious island and decide to explore it. When has that ever been a good idea in movies? Anyway, before you can say “the most dangerous game” they run into an evil doctor who just loves to hunt things. Guess what he’s going to hunt next? While using an idea that was already old hat in the 60s, this might be the best movie in the bunch. Wrapping up this 60s-licious quartet of flawed yet funny flicks is The Skydivers from 1963. It is easily the most tedious and insipid of the movies, being a dull melodrama all about people that own a tiny airport that skydivers like to use. No, the actual skydivers themselves aren’t the focus here, oh no, that would be way too exciting. Instead you get marital drama and coffee. Way too much coffee. Maybe the makers of this turd knew the audience would need plenty of that go-juice to stay away while watching this turkey? I tell you, this is one of those episodes where I feel really bad for the MST3K crew having to sit through this stinker multiple times to do what they do.
As for extras, Shout! Factory has few worth Shouting! about. There is a featurette called “The Crown Jewels” and another one that is new to this rerelease called “The Creep Behind the Cameras Q&A from Screamfest 2014 with Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff.” There is even a trailer for “The Creep Behind the Cameras.” And speaking of trailers, all four of these movies have their own.
If you missed this MST3K set the first time around, now is your chance to get it. This show is too good to let fade into the annals of time, and I can never recommend these DVDs high enough. If you already have this volume, then there’s no real reason to get it again. So consider this a conditional recommendation for that one reason alone.
