Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

Directed by: Jim Mallon

Written by: Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy, Mary Jo Pehl, Paul Chaplin, Bridget Jones

For those not familiar with "Mystery Science Theater 3000," you must understand that everything about it is basically absurd. Originally a TV series, it followed the life of Joel (later Mike) - an average guy who is kidnapped and experimented on by the mad scientist, Dr. Clayton Forrester. The mad doctor's experiments involve gaining mind control over all humanity by using the worst science fiction movies ever made. Luckily for Joel/Mike, there are some friendly robots who help him survive the awful films by providing a humorous commentary track to go along with the movie. Perhaps the most recognizable symbol of MST3K is the silhouette of Mike/Joel and the robots beneath a movie screen. (Look at the picture above!)

It's not worth recounting the plot of the movie, as the very meta movie-within-a-movie-about-a-movie can really make things convoluted. Suffice to say that this time the protagonists are required to watch the sci-fi classic "This Island Earth" and hilarity ensues.

To start: This is one of the most unique comedies you will ever see. The jokes are constant and relentless, and it requires multiple viewings to catch (or in some cases, understand) them all. There are one-off jokes and running gags, and even a few intermission sequences with Joel and the robots wandering around the ship which spice things up a bit.

I'd definitely recommend having a familiarity with the premise of the show (above) and an open mind - especially if you've never seen anything MST3K before. The humor can be a bit jarring, and it takes a while to get used to the style. This movie was not designed as a jumping-on point. It is the shortest segment of the franchise (an hour, thirteen minutes), though, so if you're crunched for time it might be reasonable to check out. The typical episodes from TV run a full 90 minutes (two hours, if you actually watched them on TV).

To be honest, even for those familiar with the show, this isn't the best representation of MST3K's offbeat magic. The jokes are rather uneven, with the gags at the beginning of the movie being much stronger and tapering off to smaller chuckles towards the end. This leads to a sense of the film being incredibly long, despite the fact that it's shorter than most feature films.

If you're looking for something funny and you're tired of watching "The Hangover" or the latest Judd Apatow junk, then I'd recommend giving MST3K a try. I just don't necessarily recommend giving judging the whole series by this incarnation of the series.