Mystery Science Theater 3000

One of the problems with reviving a cultural monolith like MST3K, is that it needs to be done perfectly or it will be deemed a dismal failure.

This reboot does a pretty decent job in updating many aspects of the show to 2017. The DIY aesthetic is still there and exploited pretty well. The cast is very solid. The change to Gypsy was a long time coming and well-executed.

The films that have been chosen are not particularly stand-out awful, but definitely fodder for riffing.

The main issues I have with the rebooted series can be ascribed to growing-pains as the cast and crew (re)acquaint themselves and fall into a groove. Although fondly remembered, the first two seasons or so of MST3K are far from stellar for similar reasons: the chemistry needs time to brew, everyone needs to get the feel of the format, and they need to find their strengths and exploit them.

The Host Segments are somewhat weak. While they have always been hit or miss, in this series they are rather disposable. This might be remedied once the crew decides on the relationship between Jonah and the Bots. Joel was "the Father" and Mike was the "Brother." Jonah is kind of awkwardly tossed into there and they simply abide.

The Riffing is pretty good but way too fast-paced. While it is naturally scripted (for maximum effect) it is way too jam-packed and the Riffers stumble over themselves trying to get as many in per film. It really weakens the impact of jokes and kills off the all-so-sweet illusion that they're organic. Some of their strongest riffs were the prolonged gags that they gave more than a second's notice to. As a consequence of this rapid-fire pace, they really miss opportunities to focus on exploitable moments or they create awkward transitions that really do not sell what could have been apexes of the episode.

As I said, the quality is there: they just need to see it and grow into it. So time will tell if they do so. Their pacing of riffs is perhaps their key area that needs improvement.

That said, for a reboot: they have updated the series and format well and just need to fine-tune it and surpass the growing pains.

EDIT- I feel I need to knock off a point from my initial review. At the time I was more forgiving but season 2 drives home a serious problem with the new series. There are too many jokes. For every two good jokes, it feels as though there are twenty bad ones in between and hurt the two good ones. The original series worked because it played off the movie, this is nothing but a distraction from it.

One of my favorite TV shows of all time get its second wind and the breeze is good. With a new cast and Joel behind the wheel, they have sought some great material for their 14 episodes and have given the series a nice new coat of paint. It took some time to get over the new voices for the bots, I'll admit, but nothing a little more exposure won't fix.

I love their selection. Two of them I have seen on Netflix before, Starcrashers and The Loves of Hercules, and Reptilicus is in my personal collection of $1 VHS tapes. With such quality, there is a plethora of ribs to be made. There is an android Texan for God sake, we have already crossed the camp line and I'll be damned if we aren't going to see that to the end. The other movies are strong contenders as well. In Cry Wilderness an obnoxious brat of a kid befriends Bigfoot and has to save his father from... all the while everyone throws as many insults as possible at the sole native American. Wizard of the Lost Kingdom has a doughy swordsman sort of avoid using swordsmanship to protect a bratty wizard kid. Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II has a fat wizard teach a bratty kid magic while David Carradine desperately tries to avoid swordsmanship to protect them. I am beginning to sense a trend. But Yungary... has a giant monster dance with a bratty Korean kid. But they don't just pick on kids, The Time Travellers has a bratty man child, son of a...! If I were to pick a best episode, it would have to be Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II because woof. Between the teen actor getting hit with puberty hard and the cast forgetting to act, it is just non stop fodder for Jonah and the bots. Carradine's constant heroic entrances and sudden departures are especially hilarious, half the time he doesn't even do anything. Just show up, kill a couple guards, then out the window as everyone stands around and watches. The weakest movie of the season has to be Avalanche, it starts strong and ends well but for a stretch the movie just doesn't have much to ridicule. Mainly because nothing happens, the movie stalls on endless exposition that makes one wish the avalanche would come sooner. Even then, I wouldn't call it a terrible episode, the end is ripe with cheesy goodness as Rock Howard frets over his endangered mother who might be his age and Mia farrow is as wooden as ever.

The humor is pretty diverse. The sketches have that family friendly, perhaps even PC at times, quality that was very reminiscent of Joel's seasons. They try to be inoffensive and sometimes slap on the hand of the movie for being behind the times, such as shaming Rock Hudsen's character in Avalancehe for being a poor role model. The theater however feels more like Mike Nelson's run. They tear into the movie ridiculing it for all of its faults without remorse. Bad special effects, terrible costumes, the wizard kid runs like he may have some special need, nothing is safe. Even Gypsy gets into the act, though why I can't quite understand. Her appearance has more flair then the others but her jokes just don't deserve the build. She shows up, drops something off, and leaves with a somewhat disappointing quip while Tom and Crow are left with the A material.

There is one glaring flaw I have with the new season/series, and unfortunately its the mads. I like Felicia Day and I like Patton Oswalt, but Kinga Forrester and TV's Son of TV's Frank just don't seem to cut it. There is no activity with the characters, while their fathers were very active in their segments their kids are very wooden. They deliver their scenes like a stand up routine, they just stand in front of the camera and deliver their lines. The invention exchanges are especially weak, their inventions rarely if ever call for them to do anything beyond spin a wheel or talk. Their predecessors made love to the camera, I kind of wanted more from them.

Mst3k is one of my all time favorite shows. Joel has never been a favorite of mine, but I really do enjoy the episodes when he is a host. When Mike became host, however, I think they polished the show exactly where they wanted it. Almost every joke was on point and hilarious.

Throughout the entire run, there was almost a humble way of presenting it. They didn't need famous people or cameos at all and it seemed to do really well with the limited characters. It didn't need anything else. For a show with such a zany and not-so-serious premise, the story was great that you could follow it. If it had a cast change, they would make a comment or explain why a certain thing was a certain way. They would always acknowledge questions. The show also ended on a great note.

With the new season, it seems like it was painfully rushed and sloppy. The story is lackluster and doesn't answer a lot of questions you may have. For example, they have a lot of callbacks to previous episodes and seasons and seem to go into detail about certain things, but gloss over why the bots are back on the SOL in the first place. I know "it's just a show and I should relax", but with them including details to link the story to past seasons and then gloss over why the bots are back doesn't make too much sense.

I actually don't mind the new cast. Jonah makes a good host that reminds me of Joel and the actor for Crow plays it very well. Tom Servo's voice however is rough. It seems like he is just trying to imitate Kevin Murphy's Servo most of the time. It is obvious because he doesn't seem to have a personality so far. I don't think it was a good casting choice, but it is the very beginning of the new season. Speaking of voices, Gypsy's new voice is terrible. I don't think that because it is a woman's voice, but because it makes the character no longer that interesting. Gypsy, to me, was always great because it was obviously a man imitating a woman. With this new voice it just doesn't add anything new. Also, her dropping in the theater to make a joke is super distracting.

The new mads are decent. I like Oswalt's character, but Kinga is far too overacted. Even for this show she is over the top and doesn't strike me as genuine like the past mads. She is rarely funny and doesn't scream "evil" to me. I may just have to get used to her because I found Pearl Forrester to be perfect in every way. I absolutely loved Mary's character and her timing.

As I said before, the riffs are too quick and the jokes are lackluster at best. They almost talk over one another and don't let the jokes breathe. They cram too much. Also, all these cameos are awful. They don't add anything to the show and it is not needed. I am hoping it gets renewed for another season as I think there is a lot of potential. Hopefully Joel lets Jonah make it his show a little bit rather than a rehash of Joel jokes. Overall it is a decent watch, but I don't think it demands repeated viewings.

As much as I want to like MST in all its forms, this attempts to keeping the show alive are pale shades of the even the worst of the original.

The new crew come across as a group of fans who THINK they can riff like the cast of MST. (There are a ton of folks doing the same level of riffs on YouTube.) Jonas and the bots all sound to similar and each provide the same style of "jokes". They lack the personality that Joel/Mike, Trace/Bill and Kevin brought to their characters.

There are many seasons, most of them pretty damn funny, of the original show that can be endlessly watched.

Turn down the lights (where applicable) and keep circulating the tapes.

I went into Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return with a positive outlook. I left wanting to hang myself. One of my major problems is the humor. No longer is it clever puns or jokes. Now MST3K:R is just a bunch of pop culture references because that is what sells. If this is your brand of humor, I get it. You'll probably enjoy this show more than I. However, you must admit that repeating the same brand of joke is lazy. My next major problem is the special effects. They all look terrible. I wouldn't have a problem with the effects if this were the old show. In the old show (MST3K) the effect were crappy because they barely had a budget. Now they have a budget and, should give a crap about the effects. Of course, there are some good things. The show is self aware and, knows it ridiculous. That is the one thing I could appreciate about Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.