The Official Mystery Science Theater 3000 Topic

[MikeSTZillak]

Forgive me for the double post, but the second season of the revival has been confirmed for this Thanksgiving : https://www.google.com/search?source=hp ... WrZ0TfT7kk

Best. Turkey Day. EVER.

[Gawdziller]

I'm fucking in.

[kingkevzilla88]

Nice, I'll have something to watch leading up Christmas then.

[MikeSTZillak]

Apparently, 5 of the episodes will be:

-Mac And Me
-Atlantic RIm
-Lords Of The Deep
-Ator, The Flying Eagle
-The Day Time Ended

Added in 29 days 5 hours 35 minutes 23 seconds:
Trailer's dropped:

[TitanoGoji16]

Hmm. So. Mystery Science Theater 3000 Season 12: THE GAUNTLET. Not quite sure what I think, to be honest. Overall it was great (the riffing was pretty A-Game) and they made some definite improvements from Season 11, but there were also some very odd choices that I don’t quite understand.

Spoiler:

- In general, the season feels very rushed. Now don't get me wrong, I don't mean it comes off as poorly made or like no one cared, but various things make it feel like they made it as quickly or as bare bones as possible. Aside from the smaller number of episodes, the opening sequence is completely unchanged in all aspects, there are fewer skits, the commercial bumpers are gone entirely, and even a good chunk of the episodes start off with Kinga and Max outright saying "Alright, let's hurry up, get going, get a move on, etc."

- As I said, there are fewer skits. The show has always had, what? Three or four skits during the movie (not including the opening and ending skits)? This season only has two per episode, which - depending on the movie - is a huge mistake, forcing people to go through movies like Lords of the Deep and Ator the Fighting Eagle without much of a break. Perhaps this was supposed to be an intentional part of THE GAUNTLET, but it was still disappointing to get fewer (non-movie) moments with our main characters in a season that already has such a low episode count.

- The lack of commercial breaks. I realize this is Netflix and thus there are no commercials, but to see episodes without the classic spinning MST3K logo, or the Skeleton Crew covering various MST songs, feels wrong. Again, maybe this was part of THE GAUNTLET, but again, it's not necessarily a good idea for the fans/audience. I was looking forward to maybe hearing some new Skeleton Crew covers this year, like "Tubular Boobular Joy," "Bouncy Upbeat Song," or "Where, O, Werewolf?"

- The theme song is COMPLETELY untouched. Now, it makes sense to keep the same lyrics as last season, as there hasn't really been a huge change to the setting plot-wise, but I was stunned that none of the visuals were changed. At the very least, I expected them to remove the pause in the song for Jonah's "What the heck?" (which EVERYONE hated) and to add Growler and M. Waverly to the group shot of Jonah and the 'Bots at the end of the song, but neither of these were implemented.

- Speaking of Growler and M. Waverly, they were a huge disappointment. Now, I loved their brief appearances in Season 11 and was actually really excited when it was revealed they would be part of the SOL crew in Season 12... But they don't DO anything. I was expecting some serious "shut up, newbie" hilarity and we get none of it. There's no skit where the two of them discuss being the new guys, there's no episode where Crow or Servo have to tag out during a movie and so Growler or M. Waverly take their seat in the theater for a bit, NOTHING. They appear in a few skits here and there, but they don't even TALK until Killer Fish - Episode five of six! There are skits that Growler is in and he should CLEARLY be talking (like when he's playing the failing inflatable man organ) but he doesn't make a single sound. *

- * Speaking of not making a sound, when Gypsy comes down near the end of Killer Fish, she pauses, her jaw flaps for a bit... But no dialogue comes out. Oops.

- Of course, I should clarify. Growler and M. Waverly don't talk until Killer Fish... in skits. They now show up randomly in the theater like Gypsy does, mainly for sight gags, though they also crack a joke or two as well. Depending on your opinion of the visual gags in Season 11, this can either be a good or a bad thing. I was really hoping they'd tone down the visual stuff from Season 11 like Gypsy's random deliveries and Servo flying around the theater. Servo's flying has been reduced to roughly once per episode, but now with Growler and M. Waverly popping in every five minutes, it almost feels like Joel and the crew are trolling us.

- I will give the Growler/M. Waverly sight gags this, though: The underwater song that Jonah and all five 'Bots sing together in Killer Fish is amazing and one of the best parts of the Netflix era thus far.

- Going back to minor characters getting bigger roles, I loved that they used Synthia much more in this season. While I liked the idea of Synthia in Season 11, all she really did was show up and say "I am a weird, awkward clone of Pearl" and that was about it. Here, she gets an intelligence upgrade and actually gets to partake in hijinks along with Kinga and Max. Ardy gets a bit more to do as well, receiving a much fancier-looking Hazmat suit along with a similarly-dressed dog. Ardy may be a minor character, but he's a fun one.

- The surprise return of Dr. Erhardt - Holy crap! I didn't see that coming at all. It was a great return for MST3K's "forgotten" character. Though the whole thing ending on another cliffhanger kinda irks me. We just got one with the last season, and as Kevin Murphy once said in an interview: "We don't need a 'story arc,' we're a 'puppet show.'" Since the whole thing with Frank and Dr. Forrester's ashes isn't resolved, I wonder if this is building up to the two of them returning to reunite with their children and wreak cheesy movie havoc once again, even if it's just for an episode or two.

- Also, why is the song for Frank and Forrester's funeral "Idiot Control Now"? If anything, I would've guessed "Livin' In Deep 13" or "Who Will I Kill?"

- ALSO also, does this mean Frank is no longer out in the universe, Soultaking? Or is that just his ghost and Erhardt has the ashes of Frank's physical body?

- Aside from the perfect "Remind me, how much Keefe is in this movie?" "Shut up," I was STUNNED at the utter lack of Cave Dwellers callbacks in the Ator episode. Not even a "What?! There's another Ator movie?!" from Crow and Servo when Kinga announces what their final movie is.

- One thing I do take issue with concerning the whole THE GAUNTLET thing is that... It never really feels like a gauntlet. The movies this season aren't THAT horrible (no Manos or Monster A-Go-Go equivalent this season) and Jonah and the 'Bots don't even seem that worn out by the end of it. Aside from the occasional "Man, this Gauntlet sure sucks, huh?" comment, the crew seems as plucky and riffy as ever. There should have been a skit in Ator where Jonah, Crow, and Servo just lay out on the desk in the bridge, exhausted and unable to put on a show for the skit, making things super awkward until Movie Sign, at which point they just tiredly shuffle back into the theater.

- Another concept that sorta fell through for me was the 30th Anniversary aspect. Aside from Kinga and Max declaring "Celebrating our 30th year!" after the opening theme there isn't really any acknowledgement of it in the show itself, which is weird, considering how much of a money-hungry, ratings-whore Kinga is - You'd think she'd try and pump the show's 30th Anniversary full of callbacks or old movies or old characters or SOMETHING. I'm not saying there should've been a major mention of it in every episode, but at least I would've expected Crow and Servo to make some comment on their birthday. "Woo-hoo, the Big Three-Oh! Now we can legally drink and watch R-rated movies and rent cars and stuff!"

- ...Unless the whole thing with Dr. Erhardt and Frank and Forrester's ashes WAS supposed to be the 30th Anniversary thing...? That'd be weird if that was the intent. For the 10th Anniversary we got to see Joel and Frank one last time, doing what they always do. For the 30th, we get "You know these two beloved characters? They are definitely, undoubtedly, without question DEAD FOREVER. Enjoy!"

- Another other thing I didn't care for from throughout the season (which was also a problem in Season 11), was that they seem to be going out of their way to make sure the 'Bots don't retain any of their skit costumes in the theater. I would've loved to have seen PEZ Crow and Servo or Mech Suit Crow and Servo riffing on the movies, but nope. They even make a point of showing us Crow and Servo 'deactivating' their Ator costumes in the theater with some “operating factory machinery” sounds. Crow and Servo wearing their skit costumes into the theater for the next segment of movie was a frequent thing in the original show and it's sad to see that the current crew apparently has no interest in it.

- If you'll allow me to nerdy fanboy nitpick for a moment: While I appreciate the (admittedly unneeded) answer as to who Kinga's mother is, that was really more of a Crow joke than a Dr. Forrester joke. I guess they figured "They're both Trace, close enough"?

- What was the reason Jonah and the 'Bots had to help construct... things... in Moon 13 throughout the season? I must've missed the explanation.

- I know it's just a show and all that, but Gypsy being on the ceiling in Moon 13 in the last episode makes no sense and she should've been in her old standing form.

- M. Waverly being briefly left behind on the SOL seemed like it was leading to something, but then it... wasn't.

- Holy poop they actually showed Cambot on screen! Twice, even!

- Speaking of "holy poop," why did they blank out the occasional swear word in some of the movies? It was nothing out of the ordinary for MST, just stuff like "b-word" and "damn." It makes no sense. I mean, CROW AND SERVO have said "b-word" before (and even do so this season). It's not like they have censors to worry about.

- Well, Jonah and the 'Bots are headed back to Earth with Kinga and Max trapped in a Mystery Science Theater of their own. I wonder how things are going to go in Season 13? Will Jonah get captured again? Will we be introduced to a new host? Will Dr. Clayton Forrester and TV's Frank be involved at all? Will Dr. Erhardt, the original sidekick, claim the main Mad throne? Or will they brush everything under the rug like they did with Jonah surviving Reptilicus Metallicus? I can't believe we have to wait another two (if not more) years to find out.

- So I guess we're just not gonna get that answer as to how Servo, Crow, Gypsy, and Cambot ended up back in space that Joel said we would be getting this season...

So, yeah. Overall, I'd have to give MST3K: The Gauntlet a solid B+. It's not bad by any means (Lords of the Deep is really the only dud movie and the laughs are solid throughout the season), but with the rushed/shorter episodes and odd choices with some of the characters and ending on ANOTHER cliffhanger, it's a very fun, but slightly unsatisfying experience. Of course, I say this as someone who THE GAUNTLET-ed the entire season along with Jonah and the 'Bots. Maybe things come off better if you watch the episodes one at a time like previous seasons.

[Grievous]

Nice...there is a MST3K thread on here...

And Season 12 is out...

I best get on that.

[kingkevzilla88]

I've been enjoying the new season, it's really fun. I have one minor issue and a major one. the miner being that I felt like there was a few too many topical jokes, something the original run of the show avoided really well.

the second, being the two new bots Growler and M. Waverly. I don't like them, and they feel like an afterthought. I think they should have been one and done joke charters as they did in the past. Waverly feels completely unnecessary edition, I think they don't know what to do with him and only use him if they feel like it. Honestly, if he was taken out of the show nothing would change, he really adds nothing to the show.

[UltramanGoji]

I felt like there was a few too many topical jokes, something the original run of the show avoided really well.

Haven't watched the new season (and likely won't for a long, long time as it's not the MST3K I enjoy watching) but this is very untrue. The original show had plenty of topical jokes, it's just that they were topical back in the 90's when it was on and don't really hold up well watching it years later.

[ROMG4]

How was the Atlantic Rim episode?

I imagine it was pretty hilarious because that movie has a ton of stuff you can make fun of!

[UltramanGoji]

How was the Atlantic Rim episode?

I imagine it was pretty hilarious because that movie has a ton of stuff you can make fun of!

By all second hand accounts I've read, actually not good at all.

[cloverfan98]

The Atlantic Rim episode was meh. I mean its hard to make a joke out of a joke which is what riffing on an Asylum movie essentially is.

[LegendZilla]

Next season, I think they should riff the Showa Gamera films that they missed out on last time. Infra-man Would be a good candidate too.

[kingkevzilla88]

I felt like there was a few too many topical jokes, something the original run of the show avoided really well.

Haven't watched the new season (and likely won't for a long, long time as it's not the MST3K I enjoy watching) but this is very untrue. The original show had plenty of topical jokes, it's just that they were topical back in the 90's when it was on and don't really hold up well watching it years later.

Well ok, let's just say topical jokes are not a thing that MST3K is good at.

[Grievous]

Mext season, I think they should riff the Showa Gamera films that they missed out on last time. Infra-man Would be a good candidate too.

Yes...I second this fine idea.

[SoggyNoodles2016]

I don't know if it will still work because of Criterion, but I would love if they used the Shout factory Classic Media library to riff Godzilla's Revenge and Gignatis the Fire Monster

[UltramanGoji]

I don't know if it will still work because of Criterion, but I would love if they used the Shout factory Classic Media library to riff Godzilla's Revenge and Gignatis the Fire Monster

NEVER happening again. They only riffed the two Godzilla films they did because they thought they were in the public domain. I don’t ever see them trying to take on Toho again.

[kingkevzilla88]

Heres my wishlist for films for them to do in the future.

Santa with muscles
God Monster of Indian Flats
Titanic: The Legend Goes On
Trog
Don't Go Near the Park
Cyber Tracker
Future kick
The Sword and The Claw
The Car
The Bees
Night of the Lepus
Nukie
Pocket Ninjas
little Bigfoot
C.h.o.m.p.s
Sir Billi
Gog

[Dawsbfiremind]

Heres my wishlist for films for them to do in the future.

Santa with muscles

Is that an actual movie? (Please say no.)

[kingkevzilla88]

Heres my wishlist for films for them to do in the future.

Santa with muscles

Is that an actual movie? (Please say no.)

OH YES, and stars Hulk Hogan!

[MikeSTZillak]

I don't know if it will still work because of Criterion, but I would love if they used the Shout factory Classic Media library to riff Godzilla's Revenge and Gignatis the Fire Monster

NEVER happening again. They only riffed the two Godzilla films they did because they thought they were in the public domain. I don’t ever see them trying to take on Toho again.

They might be able to do King Kong vs. Godzilla since Universal owns the rights.