Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

The cult television series Mystery Science Theatre 3000 transfers its brand of science-fiction wisecracking to the big screen with relatively few changes. The concept is the same in series and film: an innocent man (Michael J. Nelson, playing Mike Nelson) is stranded in outer space by a mad scientist, who subjects the poor slob to "experiments" that involve watching the worst movies ever made. In order to survive this cinematic torture, Mike and his two companions, sarcastic robots Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, mercilessly heckle the film in self-defense. In this case, the target is This Island Earth, a 1950s sci-fi opus that, despite its silly makeup effects and stilted dialogue, actually stands slightly above the usual Mystery Science Theatre fare. Otherwise, despite the larger budget, the film plays as a shorter version of the television show, with the robots and sets purposefully maintaining their ingenious, homemade look. Despite its loyalty to the original concept, many long-time fans found the film less sharp than the series, and the cinematic version failed to attract many viewers beyond the original audience. Nevertheless, it serves as a good introduction for the uninitiated, demonstrating the show's combination of pop culture deconstruction and intelligent, playful humor. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Michael J. Nelson - Mike Nelson
       Trace Beaulieu - Dr. Clayton Forrester + Crow.T. Robot
       Kevin Murphy - Tom Servo
       Jim Mallon - Gypsy
       John Brady - Benkitnorf

• Director:

  Jim Mallon

• Producer:

  Jim Mallon

• Screenwriter:

  Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu, Paul Chaplin, Bridget Jones, Jim Mallon, Michael J. Nelson, Mary Jo Pehl

• Cinematographer:

  Jeff Stonehouse

• Composer (Music Score):

  Billy Barber

• Songwriter:

  Billy Barber

• Composer (Music Score):

  Joel Hodgson

• Editor:

  Bill Johnson

• Production Designer:

  Jef Maynard

• Associate Producer:

  Kevin Murphy, Trace Beaulieu

• Set Designer:

  Blakesley Clapp

• Costume Designer:

  Linda Froiland

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Thomas A. Naunas

• Special Effects:

  Paul Murphy

• First Assistant Director:

  Marie Domingo

• Production Manager:

  Julie Hartley

REVIEW:

• As Mike and the 'bots watch the opening credits of the Universal-International production This Island Earth, someone has the foresight to ask, "Doesn't the fact that it's universal make it international?" The pleasure of watching Mystery Science Theater 3000 on television was much the same as watching Dennis Miller -- the attitude was hip, the references were obscure, and the jokes were intelligent. The film succeeds in duplicating the charm of the series. The humor flies fast and furious from the three heroes throughout the film's 73 minutes. Crow's rendition of "It's a Long Way to Tipperary," a sly reference to the walking around the spaceship in a circle scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and the appearance of Dr. Clayton Forrester explaining the "experiment" are just a couple of highlights. The fact that they both appear within the first five minutes is not a case of a movie using up its best material right in the beginning; there is a consistently high level of comedy maintained throughout. "Misties" will enjoy the references to the classic episodes, and people new to this world will get a generous helping of what made Mystery Science Theater 3000 a television cult classic. The only thing missing is the theme song.
  ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi