It has been eight long years for devotees of retrograde cinema. But through cultish devotion and generous crowd-funding affection, the touchstone show of professional movie heckling is making a return. Beginning today on Netflix is the rebooted version of “Mystery Science Theater 3000” — and its return is most welcome.
The country is currently mired in a divisive political malaise, so what better way to put aside the vitriolic sniping than to sit back and watch people hurl insults at laughably bad films? The truth is that some of the activities we engage in while on social media have their roots in this program; snark, ridicule, and picking apart flawed constructs are all fixtures of the series that have become more mainstream in recent years.
“Mystery Science Theater 3000,” often abbreviated to “MST3K,” involves a group of characters sitting in a theater and tossing acerbic barbs toward movies that are low-quality, amateurish, and frequently inept. The humor found in the poor titles is one thing, but the expert commentary elevates the proceedings to great levels of fun.
Related: The Five Best Movies to Watch This Easter
A new cast with some new programing additions will follow the very similar format of real-time riffing of a movie, interspersed with segments of the cast engaging in various activities that may, or may not, have to do with the featured film. Fans already know what to expect, but here is a primer for the uninitiated.
A pair of mad scientists have kidnapped a hapless employee and sent him into orbit aboard their satellite. They perform experiments on him by playing cheesy movies and measuring his reactions. To combat boredom, the subject built a pair of robots for company — and together the three trade quips and jokes at the expense of the hapless motion pictures. The premise is rather basic, but the execution is pure merriment. Appearing on screen as the film plays is a row of seats, with the chattering trio shown in silhouette.
So the viewer is placed in the theater — and encouraged to do the one thing you’ve been lectured not to do your entire life during a movie: talk out loud. These are not movies that should be granted that type of respect most movies deserve; they are anomalies that deserve to be heckled.
[lz_third_party align=center width=630 includes=https://youtu.be/5ct0Z2bQndM]
This enterprise was initially conceived in 1988 at a local Minneapolis UHF TV station. Area comedian Joel Hodgson had the idea to make a show around the concept of mocking a bad film. He recruited comedian friends and cobbled together a pilot. The station manager picked up the show, and they then had the pick of a variety of sub-par movies in the station’s library. The show quickly became a small hit in the area. As the station was going bankrupt, they sold the show to a fledgling cable network hungry for on-air content: The Comedy Channel.
The affection for the series is evident, as fans remained devoted during numerous cast changes. The show ran for 10 years, across two networks and 197 episodes.
The show ran for 10 years, across two networks and 197 episodes.
Fans’ passion did not ebb in the ensuing years, and variations of the premise have persisted. A group of the early cast members performed the movie riffing in front of live audiences as an ensemble called Cinematic Titanic, and three players of the later cast have been successful in feeding the fan base with downloadable content of commentaries on bad old movies as well as modern blockbusters at RiffTrax.com.
Related: Five Movie Franchises That Refuse to Die
During those down years, Hodgson always had his eye on reconstructing “MST3K.” He decided to test fan support by offering up a KickStarter campaign last year. He hoped enough people would desire a return of the show and donate to cover the production costs of three episodes; where the show would broadcast was something to figure out after the fact. Any questions Hodgson had about fan devotion were answered almost immediately.
The outpouring of support was closer to a tidal wave. It became one of the most successful KickStarter campaigns ever, as they took in enough donations to generate 14 episodes — and, soon after, negotiated broadcast rights with Netflix.
That fan generosity has resulted in a couple of bonuses the “MST3K” productions of the past had not before experienced: higher production values and genuine Hollywood star power. The new cast will consist of comedian Jonah Ray as the newest marooned test subject (following Hodgson, and Mike Nelson). He will be partnered with automatons operated by Hampton Yount and Baron Vaughn, serving as the ghosts inside the machines of Crowe T. Robot, and Tom Servo.
Related: You’ve Never Seen America’s Special Forces Quite Like This
Taking the roles as relatives of past mad scientists are actor/comedian Patton Oswalt and actress Felicia Day. To go along with that is a collection of serious celebrity heft. Guest stars who will be making visits include Mark Hamill, Jerry Seinfeld, Neil Patrick Harris, and Joel McHale. Most of the various past cast members are also slated for appearances as their former characters.
The fact that all the important people are behind this effort is more than encouraging. There are new elements and alterations on the framework to make it fresh. But “MST3K” has always been about the attitude — and everything is indicating that attitude is firmly in place once again.
Join the Discussion
Comments are currently closed.