Review of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie (1996) by John P — 01 Aug 2008

NOTE: THIS FILM HAS BEEN RATED ON A FOUR-STAR SCALE.

A movie version of MST3K is essentially just an episode that was shown in movie theaters, and a shorter episode at that. At just a little over an hour, MST3K: THE MOVIE is about a half hour shorter than an average eppie of the TV show and is actually even shorter than this episode's film selection THIS ISLAND EARTH. Nonetheless, it's still as funny as ever and would have been a good way to broaden the show's fanbase had Gramercy not gone bankrupt.

However, my own favorite aspect of this film is probably the set design, which are a more polished version of those on the TV show. The Satellite of Love is luminously gorgeous here and there is some great lighting and camerawork to be found. But more time is spent with THIS ISLAND EARTH for this to actually set the movie apart from the show.

All in all, just think of it as an episode that you have to pay for rather than something that is pushed as a motion picture.