...a must-have for fans and worth checking out for everybody else to become fans.
I would have great difficulty in sitting back and enjoying "This Island Earth" on its own merit and would likely pass out from boredom before the film´s grand finale. It would be a lot easier with a friend or two and we could produce our own "Three Mile Island Theater 2008" or other homegrown, beer-fueled parody of "MST3K." The television show and its sole theatrical effort show that any film can be loads of fun if somebody is making fun of it and thankfully, Mike Nelson and his cohorts are masters of mockery and ridicule. With them sitting down in their theater seats and making jokes about the poor story unfolding as "This Island Earth" moves along, "MST3K: The Movie" is a highly entertaining film that is centered around an absolutely hilarious premise and a non-necessarily good film. I´ve watched "MST3K: The Movie" a couple of times and always find the jokes fresh and funny. While the film isn´t as good as the television series, it serves as a good entry drug to those that have never been subjected to the nine-year television show.
Video:
Rogue Pictures and Universal have re-released the Gramercy film onto DVD with an improved anamorphic widescreen transfer that is framed at the proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film was previously released in May of 1998 in a non-anamorphic transfer that was grainy and inferior when compared to this clean new transfer. Colors look every-so-slightly aged and the footage of "This Island Earth" cannot compare to the new footage shot featuring Mike Nelson and his fellow cast. Detail is good and certainly improved when performing an A-B comparison to the original pressing of the film by Image entertainment. The source used for this transfer is clean and lacks any noticeable flaws. I was generally pleased with this transfer and while it isn´t the best looking DVD you will ever see, it is the best that "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" ever looked on the format.
Audio:
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" is presented with a crisp and relatively potent Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel surround mix. The strength of this soundtrack is quickly apparent during the early scenes when Crow is attempting to breach the hull and the .1 LFE channel thumps heavily. Rear surrounds are used effectively during the footage shot for the film, but when the film contains footage of "This Island Earth" onscreen, it becomes a front heavy experience where the only thing that truly matters is the actors´ dialogue. Thankfully, dialogue is clear, but I did find myself turning the volume up just a little bit to hear some of the lower ramblings of Crow and Servo. A French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix is provided as well as English subtitles.
Extras:
No supplements are provided with this release of "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie."
Closing:
I have always been a fan of the television series and while I do not find "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" to be quite as well done as the majority of the episodes from the show´s nine year run, the cinematic experience of "MST3K" is nicely executed and even slightly neutered, it is still a riot. The writers of "MST3K" have always done a remarkable job of throwing in wonderful pop culture and historical references in the show and this brand of humor translates nicely to the big screen. This is simply a very funny film. The new DVD release from Universal is a solid step up over the previous Image Entertainment release. The picture is quite good and sound was better than I had expected. Sadly, no supplements are included on this bare-bones release, but the disc is still a must-have for fans and worth checking out for everybody else to become fans.
Video:
Rogue Pictures and Universal have re-released the Gramercy film onto DVD with an improved anamorphic widescreen transfer that is framed at the proper 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The film was previously released in May of 1998 in a non-anamorphic transfer that was grainy and inferior when compared to this clean new transfer. Colors look every-so-slightly aged and the footage of "This Island Earth" cannot compare to the new footage shot featuring Mike Nelson and his fellow cast. Detail is good and certainly improved when performing an A-B comparison to the original pressing of the film by Image entertainment. The source used for this transfer is clean and lacks any noticeable flaws. I was generally pleased with this transfer and while it isn´t the best looking DVD you will ever see, it is the best that "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" ever looked on the format.
Audio:
"Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" is presented with a crisp and relatively potent Dolby Digital 5.1 multi-channel surround mix. The strength of this soundtrack is quickly apparent during the early scenes when Crow is attempting to breach the hull and the .1 LFE channel thumps heavily. Rear surrounds are used effectively during the footage shot for the film, but when the film contains footage of "This Island Earth" onscreen, it becomes a front heavy experience where the only thing that truly matters is the actors´ dialogue. Thankfully, dialogue is clear, but I did find myself turning the volume up just a little bit to hear some of the lower ramblings of Crow and Servo. A French Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo mix is provided as well as English subtitles.
Extras:
No supplements are provided with this release of "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie."
Closing:
I have always been a fan of the television series and while I do not find "Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie" to be quite as well done as the majority of the episodes from the show´s nine year run, the cinematic experience of "MST3K" is nicely executed and even slightly neutered, it is still a riot. The writers of "MST3K" have always done a remarkable job of throwing in wonderful pop culture and historical references in the show and this brand of humor translates nicely to the big screen. This is simply a very funny film. The new DVD release from Universal is a solid step up over the previous Image Entertainment release. The picture is quite good and sound was better than I had expected. Sadly, no supplements are included on this bare-bones release, but the disc is still a must-have for fans and worth checking out for everybody else to become fans.
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[release]23756[/release]