The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 2 (1988)

Reliably funny, and a small window on society of twenty years ago.

I've been going gangbusters watching my MST3K DVD's, many for only the second time ever. This set falls into that category. Truly, I forgot how flaming funny these are. Angels Revenge brings back all kinds of memories, good and bad, and the constant references and riffs to the '70's and '80's (music, TV, hairstyles, clothes, etc.) just make me trip to think of all that was normal way back when. What's really crazy about this movie is all the talent - Jack Palance, Peter Lawford, Alan Hale, Jim Backus - that just makes it so easy to spoof and make fun of. Then there's Cave Dwellers, which isn't even really about people living in caves. It's more of a Conan rip-off, without a plot or capable actors (though some would make the same case for Conan). The riffs and comments are fast and furious throughout, though, so the laughter never lets up. Pod People gets the award for the single most disjointed movie ever. It looks like it was filmed in four different countries over four different seasons with four different sets of actors. Again, it makes it easy for the Satellite of Love crew to tear into it. Finally, a volume of shorts brings up the rear, and as usual, this is a mixed bag and for me, just not as much fun as a movie's worth of material threaded together over an hour and a half. So, I deducted one star there, but that said, this volume may not be the best one to start with, but any MST3K fan of any reasonable level will certainly appreciate the work done in this set. And speaking of a "small window", check out the cover, where you can dial in a movie picture and various characters show up in the windows of the buildings and cars. Very clever and cute. August 5, 2008

Great Collection for the Most Part

If you are a fan of MST3K, then this is one you don't want to miss. Pod People, in my opinion, is the best movie during the Joel era of MST3K. That alone is worth buying this DVD. A movie that I was surprised about in a good way was the movie Cave Dwellers. It is a Conan the Barbarian rip off, and not that bad of a film. Crow, Mike and Tom Servo even seem to enjoy it, but of course there are things to be made fun of about the movie.

What brings this down and makes this a four star DVD is mostly for the fact that Angel's Revenge is on here. That movie is so boring, MST3k can't save it. I feel asleep during it and so did one of the other people watching it with me, and that was during the day! A very boring and cofusing movie that jokes couldn't even save. Overall, a really cool DVD to have. Just beware of Angel's Revenge! July 1, 2008

MST3000 Vol. 2 is reasonable value for money

Hi MST3000 fans,

Volume2 of MST3000 is not bad at all.
Of the set, the shorts volume 1 is my absolute favorite. Its nothing short of brilliant.
The other three titles in the set are reasonable.
Pod People stands out as the absolute stinker of the three full lenght features.
Of course this makes for excellent MST material ;-)

Anyhow all the best,

Etienne
South Africa June 18, 2008

So Good I have to buy it twice...wait. three times!

When I saw this set back in 2003 I was so stoked because these are my Three Favorite MST3k episodes, I watched my VHS copies probably a million times each. So I bought them once before, then I bought this set, and have just about worn the discs out by taking them with me to Korea, Iraq, and now another tour over seas... I'm gonna buy a copy just to keep in case these ones get too bad. I Can't live with out Pod People, Or Cave Dwelleres, and Angels' Revenge was the best Jim Backus movie he made after he died.
This is the best set!!!!
I know I have them All... February 22, 2008

Flying Over Trout With A Master Race Of Chickens

In the second release in the Rhino Mystery Science Theater DVD series, we are treated to three horrifically bad movies and several even worse shorts.

"Angels Revenge" is an embarrassing and blatant ripoff of "Charlie's Angels" in which a group of unlikable women in polyester get together to fight crime. The film has some fairly big name stars including Jack Palance, Arthur Godfrey, Peter Lawford, Jim Backus, Alan Hale, and Pat Butrum as the world's most easily bamboozled car salesman. Look for lots of big hair, lots of bad clothes, lots of bad acting, and an utterly ludicrous storyline. It is, in other words, an excellent episode.

"Cave Dwellers" is my least favorite of the episodes, as I don't like the swords and sandals epics all that much. This one stars Miles O'Keefe as Ator, a warrior on a mission that involves considerable (if silly) peril, and who invents the hang glider in the most laughable scene in this extremely laughable movie. The writing for this episode is first rate, with Joel and the bots coming up with countless great riffs, despite the less than entertaining background movie.

"Pod People" is easily my favorite film of the set. It is a foreign made mess about miniature aardvark-like bipeds from another planet, one of which is good, and at least one of which is evil. There is a terrible band on a camping holiday who intersect with a story about poachers and the family harboring the good creature, Trumpy. This one has numerous great lines; the host segments are likewise some of the best ever featured, and the spoof of the song from the movie ("Bees on pie"..."Flying over trout") is one of the all time greats and made "It stinks!" a regular reference for the remainder of the show's run. This film has everything for a perfect MST...inane plot, terrible acting (along with odd dubbing), a completely ridiculous monster (I love the peanut eating scene), and various unrelated subplots that are all over the place. This one film justifies the price of the set by itself.

The last disc in the set is "Shorts Volume One" and contains a variety of bizarre shorts on a variety of disquieting subjects. "Junior Rodeo Daredevils" is legendary for introducing the character of "Ol' Timer Billy Slater" to the series, but the strangest of the bunch in my opinion is "The Chicken of Tomorrow," which is simultaneously funny and macabre. "A Date with Your Family" is a noteworthy little nightmare from the "Leave it to Beaver" school: I'm all for family bonding, but this will make your eyes roll to the top of your skull.

All told this is a great set, and I highly recommend it to B-movie lovers everywhere. December 5, 2007

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