1101 - Reptilicus

A Reptile Disfunction!

I used to have dreams about Mystery Science Theater 3000 returning. Actually, they were more like nightmares. Sure, the show would be back, but it would be at half the budget, the SOL sets were tiny and dismal, Deep 13 was now a small even cheaper looking satellite itself, the episodes were shorter, and everyone just seemed desperate. Now, 18 years after the show went off the air, MST3K’s return is a reality, Kickstarted by hundreds of people with enough money to make not just a handful of episodes, but 14 all new, movie length experiments. Whether it’s just for a one-off miracle season or more remains to be seen. The question is, how does it live up to my expectations, my hopes, and my literal dreams and nightmares?

I took the advice of Patton Oswalt’s character Max, who said, “Most shows don’t get good until episode five,” and waited until finishing Beast of Hollow Mountain before making a judgment. I didn’t need to wait that long. Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back, new, and a little different. But the same old show is still there, albeit with some new voices, better puppets, and a little bit of a learning curve. And after rewatching this first episode after going five deep, a lot of the issues I had turned to be either in my head or things I’d gotten used to.

The show now follows Jonah Heston (Jonah Ray), Gizmonics Institute employ, who is the latest bejumpsuited fool kidnapped and thrown onto the SOL with robots Crow (Hampton Yount), Tom Servo (Baron Vaught) and Gypsty (Rebecca Hanson) and forced to watch bad movies. The villains this time are third-generation mad scientist Kinga Forrester (the ever delightful Felicia Day), daughter of Clayton and grandaugther of Pearl, and Max, TV’s Son of TV’s Frank (the hilarious Patton Oswalt.) The point of the show remains the same: watch bad movies and make fun of them. Though here, Kinga’s goal is to grow the MST3K brand and sell it to Disney for major cash, nicely acknowledging the reboot and even properly naming the experiment! How the new SOL got built, and how Gypsy, Tom, and Crow got back up there has yet to be explained. 

Jonah and the Bots

Kinga and Max (that just sounds like a sticom with a catchy theme!)

The bigger question is, how do Jonah and the new Bots do? On a first viewing, fine, at best. But on a second viewing? They’re good! My problems still stand with episode one. They seem to rush out a lot of the riffs, like when Jonah and Crow argue over a Shakespeare riff. Or they try too hard to oversell the joke, as when, upon seeing an airplane, Crow says, “Turns out Reptilicus was the plane the whole time. Twist!” The “twist” isn’t needed, just feels desperate. But my nervousness and anxiety from seeing a new iteration of the show has passed, and the apprehension I felt on my first viewing is gone. And even here, despite the growing pains, the abundance of jokes and Jonah and the Bots’ good nature kept a smile on my face. And having seen how Jonah and crew grow, my issues stick out far less than I thought they did.

                                                             

Jonah comes across by far the best, probably helped by his time working on the Nerdist podcast. Coming close is Yount as Crow, sounding more like Trace than Bill, very high pitched and somewhat nasally, and distinctly Crow sounding. Vaughn, however, isn’t as good. At times he’s indistinct from Jonah, though not as refined in delivery, and lacks both the dryness of J. Evil Weinstein’s performance and the vocal stylings Kevin Murphy gave Tom over his near-decade tenure as the little fireplug. Also, all of them fall into what I call ‘podcast voice”, where people who aren’t trained to use their voice (like say radio hosts are) deliver the same kind of desperate for laughs, too-self aware, and just weak sounding delivery that plagues many a podcast. Even ones I like, such as My Brother, My Brother and Me, and Hello, From the Magic Tavern are plagued by this. This makes sense, since all three of them have done heavy podcast work. That said, they improve as the episodes progress. They stop trying to sell the jokes so hard with forced delivery or unnecessary extra lines, stop rushing them out, and sound less like strangers who’ve never spoken into a mic and are trying to make you like them and know you get their jokes (wow, I have some issues with podcaters), and sound more like MST3K at its best, like when you and some friends riffing on a movie together. Vaughn noticeably improves, making me glad I took Max’s advice, as by episode five he’s more distinct sounding in theater and more fun during the host segments. And while I don’t think he’ll ever be able to belt out tunes like Murphy could, he’s definitely getting the pompousness of Servo down. I also enjoy newcomer Rebecca Hanson as Gypsy, as well as her hanging-Umbilicus design, though I do really miss that goofy ol’ voice, how her having a goofy woman’s voice done by a man was juxtaposed by how she was by far the most competent member of the crew. But damn, can Hanson as Gypsy sing well! As for Day and Oswalt, Day is more mischievous than evil as a Forrester, and I’m not sure Patton Oswalt has a mean bone in his body for anything that isn’t a member of the Republican Party, but they’re obviously having a blast, and that joy is infectious. 

Part of my issues with rushed jokes may have to do with how the show is now made. According to this Nerdist artitcle, the show had a rushed production schedule. Back in the day, each episode would be made in about the span of a week. Here, all the host segments were filmed within one week alone. Also, the actual process of riffing the movies has changed. The old way was the writers would watch the movie several times and one writer would compile all the jokes and assign them a time code coinciding with the movie. Then, when the time came, Joel, Mike, and the bots would sit in front of a green screen and record their jokes, watching the movie on a small screen at their feet, the actors playing the bots doing the simple mouth movements and recording their jokes. This is one of the reasons the show has such great chemistry and feels like friends hanging out; they literally are sitting around watching those movies and joking; only, their jokes are prepared. According to the Nerdist article, the jokes are prerecorded, and now, Jonah, Hampton and Baron sit in front of a green screen, along with two Jim Henson Studios puppeteers, and the puppeteers control the Bots' movements, Hampton and Baron use RC controllers to move their mouths, and Jonah just interacts as needed while their audio plays. While this allows them to do more physical gags with the silhouettes, it seems a little more complicated than it needs to be, and I think robs it of a little of the intimacy that makes the show pop. However, that does explain why some of the jokes feel rushed; they had a super tight production schedule, were just learning how to do this all over again, and were re recording it. It's noticeable, and so far I prefer the old way, but again, after five episodes in and rewatching this one, it's not a problem.

Almost as important is the movie they came back with. And when I saw that first preview and saw famed Danish Godzilla knockoff Reptilicus was their launching experiment, I grinned like a moron. I’d seen it once, decades ago, and my two primary memories were 1. bad puppetry effects and 2. the scene when Reptilicus eats a farmer who turns into a cartoon character (that for some reason reminds me of Popeye) as he is eaten. Combine that with being a huge Godzilla fan, and, needless to say, I was ecstatic about the idea of seeing this movie riffed. 

"YOU WON'T BELIEVE YOUR EYES! NO REFUNDS!" I imagine the movie poster screaming.

A Danish mining team hits a vein of bloody goo and digs up a frozen, intact tail of some giant reptilian life form dubbed Sock Puppet I mean Reptilicus. Soon, its thawed, improbably regenerated its entire body, and goes for a nice pleasant rampage around the Danish countryside and headed towards Copenhagen  (hey, autocrrect didn’t autocorrect my spelling! Yay for me.) Seeing it for the first time in years, it’s an almost perfect episode for the show. It’s dubbed, has terrible special effects, lots of scientists spouting goofy even goofier science, a few babes, a shouty general, doesn’t drag, and even has some Odious Comic Relief ™ in the form of famed Danish actor Dirch Passer as easily dumbfounded and electric-eel friendly handyman Peterson. The only things that could make it better worse characters and a song or two. 

Reptilicus: still not as silly as "The Giant Claw"

But, the stakes were high for the first episode of the relaunch, new hot, new voices for the Bots, new set design and all. I was honestly a little worried, that same dreamlike fear creeping in on me as it began, that the move would overwhelm them, that they’d be ridden roughshod over by the movie. But they keep right on riffing, albeit, as I’ve said, a little rushed, trying a little too hard. But a little after the halfway point, as the army first engages Reptilicus, they hit their stride, launching solid joke after solid joke for a good ten minutes, and the rest of the episode is just gold. 

Jonah teaches the bots an important lesson about monsters.

    

But it’s not just hurling jokes at the movie that makes MST3K, it’s the in-between skits, the host segments that help make it as well. And with the very first one, the Worldwide Kaiju Rap, I get the feeling we’re in good hands. It’s an immediate great MST3K song, and of course hits the sweet spot for this kaiju aficionado. They also bring back the letters, which is nice, though it’s a little awkward being in the next to last host segment instead of at the end. That said, the letters, the prop kaiju, and of course the return of the invention exchange lean the new version of the show heavier on the Joel rather than the Mike side. Which, as a Joel fan, is fine. But, Jonah adds his own flair as well such as with the RPG and experience jokes they make as the army attacks Reptilicus (WoW fans will enjoy those.) I just hope as the season continues (and the show gets renewed Netflix!) he gets to make an even bigger imprint as well (and that the production of the show can slow so it can grow and hone itself more organically).

But the show does have more tricks up its sleeve in this iteration. With a slightly more enhanced production, the presence of bigger stars like Oswalt and guys like Dan Harmon and Joel McHale joining the writing staff, and the big band music used for the theme, there’s a lot that’s new this go around. Some of these things take some getting used to, like the breaks and big band-ness of the theme, and the commercial-less commercial breaks narrated by Oswalt, but I stopped noticing them after a few episodes. The show also makes use of its new budget to have the bots interact with the screen more, such as Servo floating up near a factory to reenact the cover art to Pink Floyd’s “Animals”. It’s an interesting new technique, but they overuse it in this episode, and thankfully tone it down later on. And then there’s just nitpicks I have, like the framing of the SOL bridge feeling slightly off (due to new frame size and resolution? not sure) and the moderate shaky cam in Moon 13. But it’s nice to know the show isn’t resting on the glory of its past, and is trying new things. It just takes some getting used to. (though I wish they’d use that guitar “twang” that’s in the opening theme more, and the old-school bumper music at all!)

God knows why I’d think that, ‘cause while It’s not a perfect or a great episode, this is certainly a fine maiden voyage for the new SOL, and one that I enjoyed even more on the second viewing. A lot of the show’s old, bare-budget “let’s put on a show!” appeal is there, and most importantly, it’s funny. I’m glad I gave it a few episodes to grow and a while to sink in, but really, I should’ve repeated to myself that it’s just a show, and I should’ve just relaxed. It is indeed, still, Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Episode In a Riff:

“It’s[dramatic pause] much cheaper looking than we could’ve possibly imagined!” –Crow

Random Asides:

-Man it’s good seeing that big Gizmonics “G” again. Too bad it seems their HQ is staffed with Team America marionettes. Yes, I could’ve made a Thunderbirds reference here. Eat me.

                                                                                                                       

-I know it sounds like I came down hard on Baron Vaughn as Tom, but I want to be really clear that not only has he improved, he’s become good as everyone’s favorite gumball head. Not as good as Murphy was (and I feel bad saying that as J. Elvis Weinstein originated him), but c’mon, it’s early on in the new run, give ‘em a break.  I also want to mention that I think he has a kickass name.

-One of the original writers, Paul Chaplain, is back on this episode. Paul is best known on camera for playing Pitch the devil from the classic episode Santa Claus. He wrote a lot of entries in the episode guides, especially in the SciFi era, and always kind of fascinated me as a weird, interesting guy. Glad to have him back!

--I haven’t watched an episode in about 5 weeks, and man I’m smiling already. Great having this show back and rewatching it

-I can’t express how excited I was that they chose Reptilicus for the first episode, and how ecstatic I was to see the even worse Yongary as a future experiment.

-There’s a nice shout out to episode 504 Secret Agent: Super Dragon as the sing the Copenhagen song. They even alter the lyrics to “Beautiful Super Dragon!” Nice deep cut, guys.

-There’s a handful of classic riffs in this one: “With a name like Smuckers…” and, “Diarrhea is like a storm raging inside you,” being the top ones.

-I like they left the “all teachers, authors of first amendment, and msties worldwide’ in the special thanks section of the end credits.

-Good Pink Floyd reference, Tom. But, you should be in the middle of the smokestacks, not to the side.

-God, what if all the Servos have a hive mind? 

We are Servo. Resistance is stupid.

-I still have no idea what Gypsy is delivering.  Mid movie snacks?

-I like the implication that the MST3K logo is on the dark side of the moon

-The “movie in the hole” segments, where Joel is in a suit and downloading the next experiment, are great. It’s nice to see a firm delivery system for the experiments, something the original show just danced around (because it’s not important at all) but I like seeing that aspect acknowledged and the posters of each movie, giving the original flicks a little respect.

-On that note, I think it’s obvious how much this version is made by people who are fans of the original show. Not just in Day and Oswalt’s giddiness, but in how much affection and joy Jonah and the new Bots seem to have in watching each movie. Thankfully, that affection doesn’t stick around for future, worse experiments.

-I love the use of the movie posters and the “liquid video” as they upload the flicks to the SOL. Very cool touch.

-The new seat design and layout is very nice; not as big as the old ones, but not as small as the ones in MST3K: The Movie. Very professional and unobstructive.

--they’ve actually found well preserved dino skin and feathers lately!

-So in other words, all I need for my steak to grow into a real cow is to thaw a steak?

-I’m not sure this movie has enough attractive blondes in it

-there is no reason for the military to be there except that this is a monster movie.

-At 31 minute mark, a reporter asks the main scientist, “What is regeneration?” My sarcastic response: “A big word, you dumbass.”

-There’s ALMOST real science in this movie.

-I cant tell if their applause for the Dirch Passer as the OCR is genuine or not. But he’s almost as genuinely funny as the monster sfx

-Is there a reason they don’t have a guard on the frickin monster they’re growing?

-"I don’t have to make Sense, I’m Tom Servo." Truer words were never said

-It’s a small thing, but it bugs me they have the commercial bumps in the middle of the movie segments, but not at the beginning and end of each host segment. I kinda miss the rhythm that gave the show.  Minor

-Some of the screen interaction bits feel a bit forced, ruins illusion they’re watching the movie for the first time as they get into place. Small thing, but whatever

-I almost think how professional the show feels is a hamper to it. The bigger budget, fancier music, and bigger names make me realize how many people also love the show, running the feeling that it was made especially for me to watch in the middle of the night. A real, huge problem, and not at all a subjective nitpick.

                                                                                             

-The “Reptilicus 6-5000” are a reference to the song “Pensylvania 6-5000” which is where the movie “Transylvania 6-5000” gets its name. The More You Know! The Dumber You Are.

-I like the new door sequence and how it basically separates into the different rooms of the SOL. But I also like the idea that there’s just tons of room on the ship, like when Mike once found a hot tub off screen.

-I think what throws me off about the framing of the SOL during the host segments is that the camera is a little low and is level with the level of the desk…bridge…thing, instead of being level with Jonah and angle down a little. Or oit could all be in my head.

-I’ve watched all three seasons of Grace and Frankie, and not once, not ONCE, during watching the new MST3K and the writing of this review, did I notice that Baron Vaughtn was Bud, Frankie’s son, on that show. God damn, am I obtuse.

-They really could’ve ripped on this movie harder, especially at the point where Reptilicus eats a farmer who becomes a stop-motion animated 2D cartoon to be swallowed. They let it off easy.

-Boy, I sure hope they do another Godzilla knock off. Maybe one from Korea this time. And maybe it’ll have an annoying kid character in it! And maybe it’s also a movie I still have a VHS copy of (yes, seriously).


Additional Links:
 Nerdist article on the making of the new season
Satellite News discussion thread