MST3k Reborn

Hard core fans of MST3k can stop reading now because you know all about this. This is my appeal to the casual fan and people that have never experienced the majesty of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3k for short). MST3k is that TV show where a you watch a guy and two robots silhouetted over a bad movie as they make fun of it. The movies they riff are diverse so it’s hard to find someone that finds at least one episode appealing. The show went on for ten years from 1990 to 2000 spanning local television, to Comedy Central, to the SciFi channel. Still, their success was largely limited to cult status.

The bots, Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot are dead, really dead (probably owned by some company that won’t do anything with them). Their personalities live on however as the SciFi Channel era crew, Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett play themselves in two new properties: RiffTrax and The Film Crew. Mike and “the bots” are sorely missed by fans, but I hope the removal of MST3k’s sci-fi image will open the concept to people who once shied away from such things. The more the merrier. Considering these guys are now working for themselves I welcome anything that will keep them going. Both of these properties are unique, and appeal to differing audiences, yet still remain true enough to their roots to make fans rejoice.

RiffTrax
RiffTrax began over a year ago as a solo project by Mike Nelson. It quickly grew to include many guest riffers in addition to Murphy and Corbett. With RiffTrax, you purchase an mp3 file for two to three dollars through their web site. You’ll need to obtain the DVD for the movie they riff. Then, you play the DVD while listening to the riff track on your portable mp3 player. It’s a little bit crude but it allows them to explore far beyond the B films of MST3k because they don’t need to pay royalties on the movie. Recent RiffTrax include Independence Day, TheBourne Identity and 300.

The Film Crew
The Film Crew is much closer to an episode of MST3k. The premise is that Nelson, Murphy and Corbett are now employed by a movie studio and tasked with adding commentary tracks to all the films in archive. They produced three DVDs, through Shout Factory, featuring some films truly worthy of Mystery Science Theater. It’s missing the trademark MST3k silhouette but they include bumper skits that were often my favorite part of the old show. I first heard about The Film Crew from Mike Nelson’s interview on Retro Crush, and I was a bit skeptical. I rented “Killers From Space” and was hooked after the first 10 minutes.Netflix has all three DVDs so that would be a good way to try them out. I think they’re doing this to test out the market; So if you like it, buy at least one.

If you’re new to this, Rifftrax is a great way to get in to the whole concept. Think of it as a gateway drug. The Film Crew is the best way to re-live seeing an MST3k episode for the first time, when all the jokes are fresh. One thing I really hope to see is the studios jump on RiffTrax and release their commentary with the DVD. Imagine seeing new movies come out with the RiffTrax logo on them, “with bonus commentary by RiffTrax”. I think that would only help DVD sales. All us fan boys will have to buy DVDs of movies we would otherwise not watch at all. While we’re waiting for that to happen, head over to their site and buy a track. For three bucks you can breathe new life into your tired DVD collection. Though I don’t have it yet, I’m told that The Fantastic Four is the best. There’s a perfect example of a movie I wouldn’t otherwise buy. My personal favorite Daredevil. If you don’t like Ben Affleck, that one’s for you. Their collection is growing fast so you’re bound to find something there to enjoy.