Movies - Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

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	Movies - Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996, produced by Best Brains, Inc., distributed by Gramercy Pictures) is a theatrical adaptation of the cult television hit Mystery Science Theater 3000. The date of the movie's production, between seasons 6 and 7 of MST3K, explains the absence of both TV's Frank (Frank Conniff), who left the series in the finale of Season 6, and Pearl Forrester (Mary Jo Pehl), who arrived in the premiere of Season 7 (the final Comedy Central season).

MST3K: The Movie was filmed away from the Best Brains corporate headquarters and studio in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, at Energy Park Studios in St. Paul. Like the TV series, it starred Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Kevin Murphy, and Jim Mallon.

MST3K: The Movie was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Synopsis

The movie opens with mad scientist Dr. Clayton Forrester (Trace Beaulieu) explaining the premise of the film (and associated TV series). This is a break from the TV series, where the opening theme ("Love Theme from Mystery Science Theater 3000") typically explains the premise in lyrical form. A love theme was recorded for the film by David Allen, formerly of The Blasters, but ended up being cut. A portion of this theme survives in the official screensaver for the film.

Following Dr. Forrester's intro, we are introduced to our heroes, Mike Nelson (Michael J. Nelson), Crow T. Robot (Beaulieu), and Tom Servo (Kevin Murphy), along with Gypsy (Jim Mallon). Cambot and Magic Voice play no role in the movie.

After brief introductions, 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. A hull breach soon follows, which Tom Servo remedies in an unexpected way.

They return to the Bridge, as Dr. Forrester announces that he is about to make them watch the 1955 classic Rex Reason sci-fi thriller This Island Earth
in an attempt to break their wills. In the process of doing so, Mike and the Bots mock (or "riff") the movie mercilessly.

During a break in their movie watching, Mike is taunted by Crow and Tom into steering the satellite himself...and promptly crashes into and destroys the Hubble Space Telescope. Mike tries to let it go back into space by using the ship's manipulator arm. Its controls are headed with a plate with the word 'Manos' on it. This is a reference to Manos: The Hands of Fate
, the most well known MST experiment. During another break, Mike and Crow venture into Tom's bedroom in search of an interocitor, which might help them escape. They find one, but the Metalunan they contact isn't much help.

After the movie, their wills completely unbroken, Mike and the bots unwind with a little "Metaluna mixer" (a This Island Earth-themed party), much to the aggravation of Dr. F.

Commentary

MST3K: The Movie is remarkable in that it is several minutes shorter than an actual television episode (75 minutes vs. 91-103). And although the movie-theater quips come, for the most part, at the same rate as on a typical TV episode (with the exception of a long quiet period early in the film), many long-time fans noted that the jokes were an order of magnitude less complex, the references less obscure. Best Brains later explained that much of their material was "dumbed down" at the insistence of Gramercy officials, who were worried the concept would not be accessible to average movie-goers. A small number of riffs—actually rather conspicuous in the milieu of the series—included profanity and drug-use allusions in order to save the film from a "G" rating, which, Gramercy officials told Best Brains, would have been the kiss of death for a young adult-oriented comedy.

The choice of This Island Earth for the film to be riffed in MST3K: The Movie was questioned by some. While not a "good" film, some sci-fi buffs seem to have a soft spot for it, and there is no denying that its visual quality is considerably higher than virtually all of the films seen in the series. This was intentional: Best Brains and Gramercy agreed that average movie-goers would not sit through the sort of dreary, black & white fare normally featured on the TV series, and that the concept would be more successful if the film that was featured was visually engaging and action-packed, which This Island Earth, whatever its other failings, surely is.

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