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20 Years of MST3K

Limited Edition DVD Features Four Fan Favorites

Nov 24, 2008 Erin Yowell

Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a unique comedy show that ran on both Comedy Central and the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s.

MST3K was a great show to stumble across on a Saturday afternoon. It's temping to change the channel but after hearing the silhouettes in movie seats spout insults at the screen, many viewers changed their minds.

The Official MST3K fansite succinctly sums up the events of the show: "After some brief preliminaries, Dr. F./Pearl sent Joel/Mike the movie and in response Joel/Mike and the bots yelled "Movie Sign!" and then rushed to their places in the theater as we, the viewers, saw Cambot's path through several strange hatchways to his place in the back of the theater. There, Cambot watched as Joel/Mike and thebots took their seats and the movie began. As they watched the movie, the three offered riotously funny commentary, satire and general heckling."

Knowledge of the characters was not vital to enjoying the show. Intelligent humor played a large role in what made MST3K so popular. The comments that Joel/Mike and the bots made were really the meat and bones of the series. Though they would occasionally slip in a low-brow one-liner, most of their material was had an educated flair. References were taken any where from pop culture, history, literature, and classical music to name a few.

To celebrate twenty years of poking fun at cinema's greatest and strangest mistakes, Shout! Factory has put together a box set featuring four episodes that give new fans insight into what made the show a cult hit.

The films themselves exhibit stereotypical plots and characters found in just about any B-movie, case in point the hilarity that is Laserblast. Billy, a misunderstood, good-looking guy finds an alien weapon in the desert is overcome by its power resulting in him becoming an alien and going on a rampage around town. If that doesn't make the viewer laugh on their own then the pitch-perfect comments from Mike Nelson and the 'bots certainly will.

Another jewel in the four star set is Werewolf. This is the story of an archeologist team, who discover the skull of a werewolf which brings doom to whoever comes in contact with it. At least that's what the movie wants the audience to think. B-movie staple Richard Lynch reprises his role as a B-movie villan and Joe Estevez supplies unintentional comic relief.

DVD Features

2008 Comic-Con MST3K Reunion Panel
The Oral History of MST3K feature
Variations on a Theme Song with all six versions of the theme song
Original film trailers
Limited edition tin with four lobby cards and Crow T. Robot figurine

The copyright of the article 20 Years of MST3K in Sci-Fi TV is owned by Erin Yowell. Permission to republish 20 Years of MST3K in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.