Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996)
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74% of critics liked it
(38 reviews) -
85% of users liked it
(26,484 ratings)
The cult television series Mystery Science Theatre 3000 transfers its brand of science-fiction wisecracking to the big screen with relatively few changes. The concept is the same in series and film: an innocent man (Michael J. Nelson, playing Mike Nelson) is stranded in outer space by a mad… More The cult television series Mystery Science Theatre 3000 transfers its brand of science-fiction wisecracking to the big screen with relatively few changes. The concept is the same in series and film: an innocent man (Michael J. Nelson, playing Mike Nelson) is stranded in outer space by a mad scientist, who subjects the poor slob to "experiments" that involve watching the worst movies ever made. In order to survive this cinematic torture, Mike and his two companions, sarcastic robots Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, mercilessly heckle the film in self-defense. In this case, the target is This Island Earth, a 1950s sci-fi opus that, despite its silly makeup effects and stilted dialogue, actually stands slightly above the usual Mystery Science Theatre fare. Otherwise, despite the larger budget, the film plays as a shorter version of the television show, with the robots and sets purposefully maintaining their ingenious, homemade look. Despite its loyalty to the original concept, many long-time fans found the film less sharp than the series, and the cinematic version failed to attract many viewers beyond the original audience. Nevertheless, it serves as a good introduction for the uninitiated, demonstrating the show's combination of pop culture deconstruction and intelligent, playful humor. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi
- Directed By
- Trace Beaulieu, Jim Mallon
- Written By
- Joel Hodgson, Michael J. Nelson, Trace Beaulieu, Jim Mallon, Kevin Murphy
- Genres
- Science Fiction & Fantasy, Comedy
- In Theaters
- Apr 19, 1996 Wide
- Studio
- MCA Universal Home Video
Critic Reviews
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Todd McCarthy, Variety
[The wisecracks], more often than not, don't go over. But those that do still add up to lotsa laughs, and the sheer weight of them eventually builds an atmosphere of mild lunacy that it's useless to resist.
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John F. Kelly, Washington Post
So, how does movie differ from TV show? The answer is, thankfully, not a lot.
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Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Helping to make these pleasantries funny is their spur-of-the-moment quality, the same quick spontaneity that characterizes chance remarks overheard at raucous movie houses. Capturing that bright and unexpected quality is what the MST3K crew does best.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
One of the film's more likable aspects is its certainty that nothing's sacred.
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Part of the appeal of the program is in the wisecracking. But the movies themselves are also crucial.
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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
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Cast
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Michael J. Nelson
as Mike Nelson
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Trace Beaulieu
as Dr. Clayton Forrester + Crow.T. Robot
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Kevin Murphy
as Tom Servo
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Jim Mallon
as Gypsy
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John Brady
as Benkitnorf
- Mike Nelson
- Kevin Wagner Murphy
- Frank Conniff
- John Ashby
- Joe Don Baker
- Bill Corbett
- Mary Jo Pehl
