Those of us who laugh uncontrollably at our TV screens whenever a bad movie comes on, we can finally take solace with others doing the same thing--but on a much larger scale. I'm referring to the legions of diehard fans who have embraced Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. Based on the popular cable TV series (Comedy Central, which by the way recently canceled the program) of the same name, MST3K is one of the most original concepts to emerge on television since Ernie Kovacs ruled the airwaves.
For those few out there who are not familiar with the MST3K story, I'll give you a brief synopsis. There's this evil scientist okay? His name is Dr. Clayton Forrester and he has this experiment designed to halt mankind as we know it today. His plan: find the worst movies ever made, show them to the entire planet and wait for the inevitable to happen. Any good experiment needs an unsuspecting volunteer. Enter Mike Nelson, a normal blue collar kind of guy who is kidnapped by Dr. Forrester and sent into space on the Satellite of Love spaceship to view the horrid flicks. However, Mike is a resourceful lad who has built several robots to view the cheesy movies that the evil Forrester has laid on them. Mike and his robot friends, Tom Servo, Crow, and Gypsy foil the doctor's diabolical plan by--you guessed it--talking back to the screen that shows these shitty movies! No matter how many movies are thrust upon them, Mike and his robot friends always have the last laugh. What a concept and a great way to reintroduce some sci-fi classics to a new audience.
How many times have you wanted to talk back at a movie that was so bad that you needed to joke your way through the bad acting, bad script and bad premise? I remember having a few comic friends over to watch cartoons and The Three Stooges while trying to one-up each other and see who could 'riff' or improvise the best. But to take it through an entire movie? C'mon man-that's gotta take some pretty heavy improvising without sounding boring. It's one thing to shout fillers at a flick such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, where everyone pretty much has a planned comeback to the lines (and quite a number of physical objects as well) but to comment throughout a motion pictures' run on everything including the dialogue is pure genius. MST3K is a combination of visual comedy and comical sci-fi (the bulk of their material derives from this genre) all rolled into one. Although the original filmmakers hadn't planned on showing their 'works of art' in this matter, I'm sure they would appreciate the updated versions on the smaller screen.
The set is very simple as is the whole MST3K feel. No Industrial Light and Magic here folks. The campier the better. Half of the fun is seeing the guy wires during the opening theme song holding up the spaceship and credits. It's like your first science project in high school where you had a 50/50 chance of blowing something up.
The cast of MST3K: The Movie consists of Dr. Forrester (played by Trace Beaulieu, who is also the voice of Crow T. Robot), Mike Nelson (played by Mike Nelson!), Gypsy (played by Jim Mallon, who also co-wrote, produced and directed), Tom Servo (played by Kevin Murphy), and Benkinorf (played by John Brady). I spoke with Jim Mallon and Trace Beaulieu from their offices in Eden Prairie, Minnesota (Best Brains, Inc.) about the loyal following the television show has created since it's inception seven years ago and on the 'buzz' the movie has stirred so far.
