Not the show it used to be, but trying to be

seandmillz

Mystery Science Theater 3000 was a show that I grew up watching on the Scifi Channel (now Syfy). I can still remember the little Saturn watermark from the corner of the screen. The original theme song played, and even though it was clearly Mike singing it, it had a rhythm that always got me excited for exactly what that show delivered. The riffers actually sounded as bored by the movies as the audience, which made it work in a very particular way. The lackadaisical Mike throwing a pitch and the insane robot Crow knocking it out the park. Servo grounded the three with his goofy voice and sarcasm...

Here, though, nothing meshes. I love Patton Oswalt, and he does an OK job, but he's the high point. This is a show about riffing on movies and the high point is the intermission. That's a bad sign. The riffing crew doesn't know or understand why the original was good. They got paid to talk over shows and they do it aggressively, with far less cleverness and far, far less comedic timing. It's a disappointment in every way.

I guess the point is this: The magic will never return. Mary Jo Pehl, Joel Hodgson, Mike Nelson, et al have moved on. If you're looking for the classic riff masters, the actual masterminds behind the original stuff, check out Rifftrax. Please. It's far better than this, with better source material, better writing, and better delivery. Hell, Mike Nelson solo riffing on Night of the Living Dead is superior to this cash-in in every possible way.

Avoid at all costs. 1/10

score 1/10

seandmillz 26 April 2017

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3694510/