Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)

An extremely poor introduction to Mystery Science Theater 3000 that I only lasted part way through when I was younger. It put me off checking the show out any further until recently. I don't know why it was passed off as a movie when it's just another episode of the show. As a TV show, MST3K is a cute way to watch silly old movies, and it's not so bad if the episodes are hit-and-miss.But to actually rate this as a movie in itself... it's basically equivalent to having a few friends come over, sit on your couch and make a bunch of dumb toilet jokes, 5% of which you find funny. I have more tolerance as an adult and I'm able to sit through and enjoy a movie despite unfunny interruptions. This Island Earth was a groundbreaking and spectacular film in its day, and MST3K didn't rise to the occasion for their 'Movie' at all. The laughs are simply too few and too far between. They've done better, so perhaps they just needed to spend more time on this one.

Watching 'MST3K - The Movie', I came to the conclusion that it deserved to be on 'MST3K - The Television Series' far more than 'Danger Diabolik', 'Squirm' or 'Phase 4'. Bad script, ham acting, lame jokes, poor special effects - it had the lot. It also managed to insult one of the finest science fiction films of the '50's - 'This Island Earth'. Why that particular movie? Could they not find something more suitable, such as 'Plan 9 From Outer Space'? The sad thing is that its audience will never know how good a film 'This Island Earth' is because all they have seen of it is a silly send-up. The funniest line in the whole 90 minutes was "I've farted!" and that tells you all you need to know. The 'MST3K' brigade do not seem to be aware that any idiot can laugh at an old movie, especially if it is of its time. It takes real intelligence to be able to look at 'This Island Earth' and see it for what it is, an imaginative and exciting sci-fi picture.'MST3K' bombed on its release, and the show itself was cancelled a few years later, so one good thing came out of it at least.

Mystery Science Theater 3000, anyone who is a fan of this show is a friend of mine, it's a great show for any movie buff. The reason why the show is so loved is because it does what we always want to do or say during a really bad movie. So naturally the successful show that was created on Comedy Central wanted to do a movie about our favorite sarcastic robots. Was the movie a success? Not so much, but doesn't mean that this movie is bad at all, in fact, it's a great one to watch. My only disappointment? I think was just the fact that this was just like any other episode, there was nothing really too special about it to make it stand out as a movie. Secondly, I've seen funnier episodes than this movie. I'm not dissing the movie, because this is still completely worth the watch.Mike, Tom and Gypsy are startled to find Crow deep in the lower sections of the Satellite of Love, pounding at the hull with various digging instruments. He has convinced himself that he can tunnel back to Earth, he tells them. Checking his digging calculations, Crow discovers that he already knew this was inevitable: Look at that, Breach Hull, All Die. Even had it underlined! They return to the Bridge, as Dr. Forrester announces that he is about to make them watch the 1955 classic sci-fi thriller This Island Earth in an attempt to break their wills. In Mystery Science Theater 3000 tradition, we are in for a good ride as they mock this silly clichéd 50's sci fi film with no mercy.I do love the film that they picked This Island Earth, while in some sense it is a fun little sci fi classic, probably the first movie that I saw before I ever saw it on Mystery Science Theater 3000, it still is really cheesy and fun to make fun of. I just love at the end where the alien is trying to protect our two main characters away from the monster and for some odd reason he just lightly blocks the two people away from the monster as Mike points out "ACTING!", lol! Obviously fans of the show are going to see this movie, it's a little girt to the fans I think in some sense, I wish they had a few more cameos and could've gone a little bigger, but it's all good. For those who don't know the premise of the show, this is a funny movie, the people that I've introduced the show too have mixed reviews, a few loved it a few didn't really like it, so it's one of those movies you'll have to decide for yourself.9/10

The movie version of the popular TV show finally came to the big screen, but it's not a perfect adaptation. The guys are subjected to "This Island Earth" by the familiar Dr. Forrester. In between the condensed movie, there are 5 "sketches". Dr. Forrester's mad-scientist soliloquy & Crow drilling a hole to the Earth can be considered the first part. When the film melts and breaks is part two. There are two "interocitor" sketches and the credits.Dr. Cal Meacham is a gifted and important atomic scientist. So important that Lockheed lets him commute to work in one of their vehicles. A commute to work is flying a jet from DC to somewhere across the country. As Cal arrives at work the plane malfunctions, but (thankfully) he is saved by a mysterious and pulsating green glow. At work, more strange things appear. This time an ordering mishap occurs, giving Cal a "capacitor" of incredible specifications. A delivery of a metal-page catalog arrives and continues the strangeness, which ultimately leads to an ordering spree and the creation of an "interocitor".Next, a strange white-haired "man", named Exeter, appears on the interocitor & reveals all. He admits that the catalog, the parts & their assembly were a test to verify his aptitude. Exeter is a recruiter for a scientific think-tank. Cal can't resist and ends up at a utopian-like mansion full of the world's best scientists. Some typical snooping later, the development of a love interest (Dr. Ruth, if only it were her) & the Professor's help, lead to the truth; Exeter is an alien and they are going to his home planet of Metaluna, with Cal & Ruth tagging along. BIG Surprise, right? No. Not at all actually. HELLO!. There are aliens on the movie posters even before you would have walked into the theater.I remember seeing this movie as a child on AMC on a Saturday afternoon. It was one of the first science fiction movies that had better than average production value and a plot line that was a bit more than an "alien-western" or "alien-horror" story. It's not perfect and it isn't Forbidden Planet (the overall best sci-fi movie of the 50's; story, special effects,etc.) either, but it is fast paced and enjoyable. Most sci-fi of the time is about an alien out to destroy us & our attempts to stop them. This Island Earth adds a small layer of actual science, some sympathetic extraterrestrials and colorful special effects to create something worth remembering. There are genuine attempts at science fiction here, restricted by the budget, studios and audience perception of the genre. Don't expect 2001: A Space Odyssey, but it's not Plan 9 from Outer Space either.This is by far the best production value of anything with Mystery Science Theater 3000 on it. The sets, models and robots look great. One of the funniest parodies of the series comes out of this: the "Normal View" scene. I enjoyed it so much that I made it my ringer. There is a strange "echo",however, that accompanies all the sketches, but that can be explained. This contributes to the the most pasteurized version of the show ever. It feels a little hollow. Frank and the opening credits, which were important to the series, are sadly missing here. The guys even do the credits for their own movie and in the end, it is still MST3k and it is still fun. You just have some regret of how much more amazing it could have been.-Celluloid Rehab