The Craziness of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie
It’s funny how a cult classic becomes a cult classic. Sometimes studios try too hard to make a cult classic and it ends up being something else. But then sometimes you get that gem in the rough that you don’t expect to be so damn quotable years later.
Of course, Mystery Science Theater 3000 has a cult following to begin with; and continues to go strong today with its own streaming service and some really funny episodes. But there’s one certain point where people didn’t know what to expect — and that’s with Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie.
It arrived in theaters in the summer of 1996 with very little fanfare, and left pretty much just as quickly. And there were so many stories revolving around the movie that Tom Servo, Mike Nelson and Crow T. Robot were making fun of — the sci fi “classic” This Island Earth.
Also, from what I understand, there was drama behind-the-scenes, as producer Jim Jacks and Universal meddled a bit, resulting in the film’s 74-minute runtime (the shortest of the MST3K episodes) and some “I wish I never did this” sentiment.
But…man. All these years later, and MST3K: The Movie not only has a cult following in its own right, but remains probably one of the most quotable episodes out there. There are people that will do stuff like “Eat at Joe’s!” or “increase the Flash Gordon noise and put more science stuff around.” Or, of course, the “NORMAL VIEW!” mini-song that pops up as the crew gets close to Metaluna. (“I never Metalunan I didn’t like. You get it?”)
I think what it is is how the Movie actually captured the affable charm of MST3K. Granted, I’m guessing that’s what the producers were going for, and even with the studio’s meddling (was it Gramercy? I don’t even know), it still managed to be a wonderful experience in its own right.
And what’s more, we’ve seen bits and pieces of cut stuff, including a side segment involving meteors and Crow trying to cut through the floor with a chainsaw after a pickaxe didn’t get the job done. (“IT’S A LONG WAY TO TIPPERARY!”)
It’s funny. The movie’s been out for well over 25 years and still remains just as joyous as before. And what’s more, This Island Earth isn’t bad either for its sci-fi roots back in the 50s. So if you want to watch that separately, by all means. Just watch out for the indentations in those aliens’ foreheads. (“I’M NOT AN ALIEN!”)
I highly recommend this movie if you’re not watching anything else today. Do it for Joe!
Hope everyone’s having a great weekend.
