7.2 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
The hit cult series returns! Two mad scientists force humans and robots to come together and riff on truly terrible movies.
Starring: Jonah Ray, Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt, Baron Vaughn, Hampton YountSci-Fi | Insignificant |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
Blu-ray Disc
Eight-disc set (8 BDs)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 4.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It might not be fair to say that Mystery Science 3000 redefined television but it would be fair to say that it revitalized old, bad movies, suddenly giving purpose to purposeless cinema and entertainment value where little or none previously existed. The show was conceived by and starred Joel Hodgson who appeared as the lead in the first five seasons, the human forced to watch "bad movies" as part of a cruel, but ultimately humorous, experiment meant to test man's limits when exposed to crummy entertainment for prolonged periods of time. He was joined by a couple of robots -- Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo -- but would ultimately give way to a subsequent sufferer, Mike Nelson, for the series' second-half run. The show ran from 1989-1999, the bulk of which was on Comedy Central, and garnered an enormous fan base over that decade, not simply for the humorous jabs at epically bad movies but for the skits and sketches and fun character assessments and constructions that played out during some much-needed respites from the tortures of tortuous movie watching. And that fan base would prove vital to the show's resurrection in 2017 on Netflix. Season 11 was funded through Kickstarter to the tune of $6,000,000 (followed by a twelfth at half-length) and came to the screen with new characters and new movies but the same spirit of riffing in relaxation on board the famous Satellite of Love.
Don't you guys see enough bad movies as it is?
Although the "real movies' fill most of the frame for most of the runtime across all 14 episodes, there's little point in analyzing the picture quality to any
degree of exactness. These are public domain films and presented "as-is;" there was certainly no thorough restoration work done to them for the
purposes of presentation on MST3K, if any work was done on them at all. But fans are going to be somewhat surprised by the broader quality,
anyway. None of them rate extremely highly, but many of them fare quite well: appropriate grain, good detail, fair (but sometimes somewhat faded)
colors, and
minimal-to-moderate print damage are the norms. The Loves of Hercules is an example of one that looks really quite good (see screenshot
directly above).
The beginning and interlude materials look quite nice, too. Again there's not a lot to critique here. It's all fairly static and there are precious few
fluctuations in lighting, clothing, and the like. Deviations are usually in the form of various props the characters bring to their little stages. But essential
clarity is fine. Noise and compression artifacts are few and far between. Basic facial and clothing details impress for core clarity and definition. The
charmingly cheap props and sets reveal the minimalistic textures and details with ease. Colors are lively; Jonah's yellow jumpsuit is a particular
standout and the purple light-bathed backgrounds hold steady, too. Black levels and skin tones are fine. This in no way looks extraordinary and it in no
way looks poor. It's a good, simple 1080p image that will satisfy all viewers.
MST3K's 11th season arrives on Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is very well done, finding a nice bit of depth and breadth to music and sound effects alike, the former generously spaced in both directions and the latter, particularly in the "real" segments rather than the "movie" segments, enjoying impressive spacing and detail. The track integrates some fine examples of spatial awareness as doors open and close, sound effects drop in here and there, and the general sense of "place" seems accurate and satisfying. Dialogue is clear and center focused. The movies usually struggle to impress; the sounds are very basic, enough to convey the action, usually under Jonah and the bots' banter, but there's never any need for superior audio here. In all cases the track sounds fine.
This Blu-ray release of Mystery Science Theater 3000: Season 11 only includes one supplement, but it's a doozy. We Brought Back 'MST3K' Documentary (1080p, 1:13:16) is a feature-length making-of that looks back on the property's conception and past history. It moves on to look at its transition to Shout! Factory, fan desire to make new episodes, funding the new content through Kickstarter, crafting a new plot and building new characters for season 11, bringing the new show -- and its $6,000,000+ in fan funds -- to Netflix, the process of writing new episodes, and the transition to high definition and the type of films that would play well in the new era. This supplement also explores new characters in great detail, the new season's production design, gags and skits, guest stars, and more.
It's a shame that the revitalized MST3K only aired for twenty episodes (EDIT: great news; a new Kickstarter campaign is underway for a thirteenth season!). Any movie buff knows that there are countless more films out there just waiting to be plucked from obscurity and made famous by Jonah and the bots or, perhaps, yet another entirely new cast. But short-lived as it may be, here with season 11 encompassing more than two-thirds of the show's new era content, it's a home run return for the fan-favorite show. The look, the feel, the structure, the style, it's all been loving recreated and reworked to fit into the universe and bring fans the exact sort of content they have demanded for nearly twenty years. Shout! Factory has put together an excellent Blu-ray set, eight discs of MST3K bliss. Included in the set is a very good feature-length making of in support of rock-solid video and audio presentations. Highly recommended!
1979-2013
Collector's Boxset / Kickstarter Exclusive | Name Inside Booklet + Exclusive Bonus Disc
2016
Collector's Boxset / Pledge Drive Edition | Exclusive Bonus Disc
2018
2022
Gizmoplex Collector's Edition
2022
Collector's Edition
1996
1965
1958
1965
Voyage to the End of the Universe
1963
1994
1968
The Woody Allen Collection
1973
1969
めめめのくらげ / Mememe no kurage
2013
1959
Slipcover in Original Pressing
1984
1970
1996
1988
Los nuevos extraterrestres / The Pod People / The New Extraterrestrials / Tales of Trumpy / The Return of E.T. / The Unearthling
1983
2005
1979
Avere Vent'anni
1978
1966