MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE ESSENTIALS: SANTA CLAUS CONQUERS THE MARTIANS / MANOS, HANDS OF FATE - DVD review

There are good movies and there are bad movies. In the middle lies a nether-region of mediocre, forgettable films that are lost quickly to the sands of time after a limited theatrical engagement. There are classic movies that define genres and generations, and there are films so bad that they become the stuff of legend. Yet still lies a darker realm of cinema, beyond the marker of "so bad it's good," these films embrace horrendous stories and acting, look and sound as if they were recorded on a sweater, and feature the production value of a value combo number 3. Not regarded as classic, or B-level, these films are a threat to the very existence of a logical society, because if they were to get out, the nation, as a collective, could quite possibly experience a simultaneous aneurism. Such are the films of "Mystery Science Theater: 3000."

The premise of this show is absolutely brilliant. Take some of the worst movies ever created and mock the living Hell out of them. It's a game that drunken college students have partaken in since the advent of 16mm film, and has lead to the popularity of movies like "Evil Dead" and the "Monty Python" films. But instead of viewing slightly-schlocky, cultish movies, the "MST3k" crew tears into some of the worst atrocities ever committed to celluloid on a serial basis. I first discovered the show during its run with "Mike" on SciFi and was utterly hooked. This DVD set contains two of the classic episodes, movies so bad that most can't believe they actually existed, "Manos: Hands of Fate" and "Santa Conquers the Martians," a movie that was parodied in a "The Simpsons" bit regarding Skinner's favorite holiday movie.

The show itself consists of a short skit, basically prop comedy, of silly competing inventions between the space faring Joel and his makeshift robot companions. For most, it's just filler to buffer out a full episode of movie mockery. The meat of the episodes consists of two robot puppets and their human maker watching these atrocious films and throwing out as many jokes as possible. Not only does it work, but it's insanely funny too.

As far as the actual movies contained within this "MST3k" set, I'll only address them briefly because they need to truly be seen to be appreciated, and are not the focal-point of the set anyway. "Manos" is the story of a lost family of travelers, who spend the first 30 minutes simply being lost. They come across a mysterious house run by a scary old man, partake in some sort of ritual that involves women rolling around a fire, and ends up with a very "Twilight Zone" twist that is laughably bad. In "Santa Conquers the Martians," an alien race observes Santa and decides they must kidnap him to bring him to their world while two children they slight come back to rescue the day. Both of these movies, if taken seriously, would be terrible and I really wonder what drugs the producers were taking when they put the films together. However, as I said previously, the actual movies are not the feature of the episodes, rather the commentary from the three viewers is.

I will admit that the humor in "MST3k" is not for everyone. My father, in the room while I was viewing an episode on a Saturday afternoon a few years back, kept commenting on how he wished the players would be quiet so he could follow the movie. Although I'm a silent movie watcher, even I know there are some films that just need to be commented on. I actually made it half-way through Dee Snyder's "Strangeland" before I called some friends over to get toasted and toast that abomination. Furthermore, the comedy by the commentators is very scattershot in nature. Some hits, some doesn't. As a comedy writer, I could see potential for running gags where they just made a one-shot and moved on to the next joke. While I prefer longer jokes, I can see the appeal of just throwing material up on a wall and seeing what sticks, which is the approach taken. Ultimately, for me, it works, and I know I'm not the only one based on how loved this show is on a cult level. This "MST3k" set contains two of the most beloved episodes of the shows run and is highly recommended for fans and new converts to enjoy.

Video:
The video transfer of these films is hard to judge because the films themselves are in horrible shape with scratches, nicks, jumps, and grain. But the transfer is flawless, because there is excellent definition in the silhouetted commentators and the intermitted skits look fine. Colors there are good, and though it looks like they were recorded on video stock 12+ years ago, they look fine with only a little haloing. All the video is preserved in its 4:3 broadcast ratio.

Audio:
Again, the audio is hard to judge fairly, and even more so because the ADR on "Manos" is so horrible it becomes its own comedy. However the commentary comes through strong and clear in 2.0 Dolby Digital with no ill effects and it is never obscured by the film's soundtrack.

Extras:
This set is light on the extra features, only housing a 30+ minute Blooper Reel that consists of blown lines, puppeteer peeks, and robot destruction. It's funny at first, but gets old pretty quick, as most blooper reels do.

Film Value:
There is a reason these episodes have been included on the "Essentials" compilation of "MST3k:" They are hilarious. The only thing I would have asked is for a version of the films without the commentary from Joel and his gang, because having a "Manos" party would be a blast, I would think. Otherwise the A/V of these two film are excellent and the content untouchable and get a high recommendation from me.