Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection Volume 9
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C+ Film: A
Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K)
enjoyed a long run in the late 1980s through the 1990s, serving up its campy
brand of bad-movie humor on two networks (Comedy Central, then Sci-Fi Channel),
and delighting fans (known as “Mysties”) the world over. The fact that Rhino has now released nine
boxed sets worth of shows is further testament to the show’s continued popularity
with its fans. Volume 9 of this
series serves up some interesting fare for “old-school” fans of the show. The first disc features Women of the
Prehistoric Planet, presenting one of the earliest episodes in the
series, including a very primitive opening sequence, early stage sets, and a
different and significantly less talented actor playing Dr. Clayton Forester’s
assistant. This assistant, Larry, is no
TV’s Frank! More important, the voice
of Tom Servo is not done by ace talent Kevin Murphy; instead, J. Elvis
Weinstein does double duty as Servo’s voice and Forester’s ill-fated
assistant. Still, the rawness of this
episode provides an excellent bookend for some of the later episodes in this
and other collections.
Wild Rebels is the film tackled on the
second disc, and it is one of the single best episodes in the history of the
series. Bad biker stereotypes from the
1960s are eviscerated in this tour de force of bad filmmaking, but more
important, this disc shows the MST3K crew at the height of its zany
powers. Disc 3 features the Ed Wood
masterpiece of bad filmmaking The Sinister Urge. This episode once again showcases the
talents of Joel Hodgson, the first of two unfortunates trapped on the satellite
and forced by the mad scientists to watch truly terrible movies.
The fourth disc on this box features a film regarded by
many as the worst ever made, The Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped
Living and Became Mixed-Up Zombies.
This disc is a nice counter to the others on this box, as it features
the final iteration of the cast and characters, including Mike Nelson (as
himself), Mary Jo Pehl (as the mad scientist Pearl), Kevin Murphy (as Bobo the
Chimp), and Bill Corbett (as the Observer).
The movie is horrid, but the MST3K send-up and skits surrounding it are
brilliant.
The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound on all of these discs is
adequate, but suffers from the same problems that all boxes in this series
have. Barely stereo with the comments,
the audio on the actual movies, blended with the cast’s scathing commentaries,
sometimes sounds washed out, making it difficult to understand what Mike and
the bots are cracking funny about. The
1.33 X 1 picture image on the films is predictably bad, but the video quality
of the satellite sequences does the job, and actually enhances the camp quality
of the entire presentation. No one who
watches these shows expects high picture fidelity, but the DVDs are nicer than
the broadcast or VHS versions.
The extras on this box are lacking compared to previous
offerings. The only two bonus features
include commentaries from actors Irene Tsu (Women of the Prehistoric
Planet) and Conrad Brooks (The Sinister Urge). The actual presentation of the discs and box
is up to Rhino’s usual high standards, with each disc decorated with a fun (but
disturbing) image. Overall, Rhino
continues its great work with this latest offering in the MST3K series.
- Scott Pyle
