The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 7

Another Hilarious Volume

This is a pretty good volume. There's something fabulous about every disc, so you can't go wrong with it.

I am about to commit a horrible sin! Here it goes: I really didn't like Killer Shrews that much. I watched it three times and was dreadfully bored each time. It's just too dull, and there's little the guys can do to lift its drunken weight. Even the epic Killer Shrew song, the "Quick! Light your martinis!" line, and the constant cries of "Puppies!" when Shrews appear cannot save this. What I do like this disc for is its inclusion of three delightful shorts, one of which has never been released before. "Century 21 Calling" (in which the Aryan race explores the World Fair and the future of telephone services) and "A Case of Spring Fever" (featuring Coily, the creepy spring demon, extolling the virtues of springs) are previously released shorts. You will not have seen "Assignment Venezuela," which explains all the perks of working in the 60s-era oil-fields there. Each short is hilarious, and every riff rings true. Check 'em out.

Hercules Unchained is a creepy kind of funny... and yet, one cannot peel one's eyes away. It's mostly creepy because of Omphale, the bizarre woman who dominates most of the film. She has the bulgy eyes of a toad and seems to be made completely of synthetic materials. But that's not all: there's some crappy dancing and horrible fighting as well as a weird sidenote featuring Oedipus and his squabbling sons. I'm guessing this was done because nobody would pay to see an entire movie centered on Herc's relationship with a creepy bionic woman. There's also a rather lame attempt at spectacle in a low-quality (read: amusing) war scene, with the guys riffing along at a quick and delightful pace. The host segments are also a lot of fun, including a great segment where the bots ask Joel what Herc does all day with the pretty lady. There are plenty of hilarious jabs and the movie is unintentionally humorous all on its own; with Joel and the bots, it's a comedic gold mine. Don't miss it.

Hercules vs. the Moon Men... gee, where to start? How about a giant sandstorm scene that seems to last for years and adds absolutely nothing to the film? How about villains in budget Halloween costumes and oven mitts? Plus, Hercules panty shots. (Oh boy.) The Mads are right... it IS Deep Hurting! Still, don't let that turn you off. There is a delightful host segment featuring a song about the virtues of pants, and riffs are great (my favorites being "Pizza pizza!" whenever guards appear, Herc's unfortunate short skirt, and the constant cracks at the dumpy evil queen). It's a bit slow at first, but very rewarding toward the end. Great episode overall!

Prince of Space is my favorite. An underwhelming hero attacks underwhelming villains who look like chickens and... well, that's it. I can't imagine anybody from any time period or culture ever enjoying this one. That said, the movie never falls flat; jokes at Japan's expense, the clucking every time a villain appears, and universal stupidity keep the entertainment running high. Also, this episode features my favorite host segments -- Mike and the bots get trapped in a wormhole in which all kinds of shenanigans can occur, and Mike becomes a robot himself at one point.

In short, this Volume is definitely a must have. Grab this one when you can! September 19, 2008

Killer Shrews Owns!!!

Okay, you probably can tell that I love the Killer Shrews episode. My brothers and I saw it for probably the first time last summer, and we still quote it today. Even the commentary for the rodeo thinging. It is so freakin' hilarious. I don't really know much that I can say. Mike and his robots comment on the movie and have little stuff about it. Like they like take a break in the middle of the movie and sort of talk about it or whatever.

Now, the only other movie I saw in the set was Hercules Against the Moon Men which was also pretty funny. The movies alone were horrible. Sometimes, they're so horrible, they don't need commentary to make me laugh. Hercules Against the Moon Men is also funny. It's no Killer Shrews, but it is funny. I highly recommend this DVD to anyone who is looking for a good laugh as the TV shows get back on their feet at the end of this writers strike. It's also good if you're looking for laughs any time of year. April 9, 2008

Great and fast shipping.

Love MST3K, this is one step closer to completing my collection of the Rhino DvD's and shipping took less than two days. Absolutely no complaints. January 10, 2008

I love Prince of Space

It just doesn't get any better. This is the quintessential MST3K. I love "Prince of Space." First time I watched it, I was alone, and still I fell on the floor laughing. It was even better when I watched it with friends. I mean, "swich, swish, swish!!!" You have to see it to believe it! December 30, 2007

"The Sculpture 'Anteater With Onion Ring' Is Located In The Plaza."

As a long time "Mystery Science Theater 3000" fan, I love to revisit episodes periodically. This set is one of the few I had not previously purchased, mostly because I find the Hercules films to be exceptionally tedious. Of course that didn't stop me from watching the two contained here, "Hercules Unchained" and "Hercules Against the Moon Men." Without question "Hercules Against the Moon Men" is the more entertaining of the two due to the ludicrous imposition of "Moon Men" in a sword and sandals extravaganza. The riffing and host segments in the two Hercules films are great as usual, but I still find the films too boring to be very entertaining. The Hercules-induced tedium is the sole reason I gave the set four stars instead of the normal five stars for an MST3K set.

On the other hand, "Prince of Space" is one of my very favorite episodes. There is nothing as amusing as seeing Prince of Space using his magical stick to defeat the menacing chicken-like arch villain Krankor while yelling "Your weapons have no effect on me!" You'd think Krankor would figure it out, but he never does. The whole undercover superhero aspect of the plot combined with the typical Japanese children mitigating disaster ("We like boot blacking very much!") elements make this a must see episode.

I have always loved "The Killer Shrews" as well. I saw the original movie many years ago, and can't even begin to tell you how much the MST3K treatment adds to this somber, yet stupid, shaggy dog movie: I love the concept of dressing dogs up in shrew costumes and then making them chase the main characters off an island under inverted storage drums. The acting is hilariously overplayed, the concept is beyond laughable, and the direction and lighting are among the worst even by MST3K standards. I love it.

The set comes with three shorts that I liked to varying degrees. "Assignment: Venezuela," which was never used in an episode, is lengthy and is a modestly boring film about an American family moving to Venezuela to help the oil industry. There are some great riffs during this short, including my review title, which was Crow's description of a piece of modern sculpture. "Century 21 Calling" is an account of extremely white people learning about the telephones of tomorrow, which are quite humorous in retrospect. By far my favorite of the shorts is "A Case of Spring Fever," which is about the wonders of springs, and features a character named "Coily the Spring Sprite." ("Coily? Ewww.") I love this short because I completely don't understand who would make this film or why. Was it made by the National Spring Council? Was some other product in danger of dominating springs in the marketplace? I have no idea, but it makes for one of the best shorts ever.

In summary, any MST3K is a great thing, but compared to other sets this one left me wanting more...a little Hercules goes a long way. Despite that modest critique, I would still highly recommend volume seven. September 6, 2007

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