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MST3K

Mystery Science Theater 3000 (often abbreviated as "MST3k") is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc. that originally ran from 1988 to 1999. An eleventh season became available to stream on Netflix on April 14, 2017. The series features a man and his robot sidekicks Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, who are trapped aboard an orbiting satellite by a mad scientist from the Forrester clan. There, they are subjected to terrible movies in the hopes that one will drive them insane and allow the scientist to rule the world. To cope, the host and the robots provide a running commentary on the film, making fun of its flaws and wisecracking (or "riffing") their way through it in the style of a movie-theatre peanut gallery.

The series notably features several Japanese monster films during its earlier seasons: Godzilla vs. MegalonEbirah, Horror of the Deep, and the five Showa era Gamera films distributed in the United States by Sandy Frank and King Features Syndication during the 1980s.

Selected episodes[]

Season 0[]

Season 2[]

  • 212 Godzilla vs. Megalon
  • 213 Ebirah, Horror of the Deep (as Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster)

Season 3[]

  • 302 Gamera
  • 304 Gamera vs. Barugon
  • 308 Gamera vs. Gyaos (as Gamera vs. Gaos)
  • 312 Gamera vs. Guiron
  • 318 Gamera vs. Zigra

Season 9[]

  • 909 Gorgo

Season 11[]

  • 1101 Reptilicus
  • 1109 Yongary, Monster from the Deep

Season 12[]

  • 1202 Atlantic Rim

Season 13[]

  • 1307 Gamera vs. Jiger

Availability[]

The show's first season (often referred to as season "0" or "KTMA") aired on a public access station in Minnesota, and the five Gamera films were among those riffed a second time when it was picked up by Comedy Central. However, Sandy Frank blocked re-airings of these episodes starting in 1996.[1]

The Godzilla vs. Megalon episode was ultimately released on DVD as part of the "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 10" box set in 2008, but due to confusion regarding ownership of the film's English dub version (Best Brains had been led to believe that Godzilla vs. Megalon and Ebirah, Horror of the Deep were public domain films) the set was pulled within weeks of its release and ultimately re-released two years later with Giant Gila Monster replacing Godzilla vs. Megalon. Included on the new set (known as Volume 10.2) was a brand-new host segment showing the crew giving a tutorial on swapping out the movies, and TV's Frank being admonished by Doctor Forrester for not obtaining the rights from Toho. Throughout the segment, the title Godzilla vs. Megalon is either referred to as the "Japanese giant lizard movie", or intentionally has its syllables grunted out or coughed over.

Selected video releases[]

Rhino Entertainment DVD (2006) [Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 10]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 4
  • Audio: English
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special Features: Video Jukebox with 15 songs from the show, outtakes (15 minutes), photo gallery
  • Notes: Episodes included are Godzilla vs. MegalonSwamp DiamondsTeen-Age Strangler, and The Giant Spider Invasion. Out of print and extremely rare; the more readily-available Volume 10.2 replaces Godzilla vs. Megalon with The Giant Gila Monster.

Shout! Factory DVD (2011) [MST3K Vs. Gamera: Mystery Science Theater 3000, Vol. XXI]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 5
  • Audio: English
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special Features: "So Happy Together: A Look Back at MST3K and Gamera" featurette (23 minutes), The Mystery Science Theater Hour wrap-arounds for Gamera and Gamera vs. Guiron (5 minutes), theatrical trailers for all five movies, "Gamera Vs. The Chiodo Brothers" featurette (24 minutes), "Gamera Obscura: A Brief History by August Ragone" featurette (30 minutes)
  • Notes: Episodes included are GameraGamera vs. BarugonGamera vs. GaosGamera vs. Guiron, and Gamera vs. Zigra (all from Season 3). Out of print.

Shout! Factory DVD (2013) [Mystery Science Theater 3000: 25th Anniversary Edition]

  • Region: 1
  • Discs: 5
  • Audio: English
  • Subtitles: None
  • Special Features: Return to Eden Prairie: 25 Years of Mystery Science Theater 3000 documentary (70 minutes), "Ninth Wonder of the World: The Making of Gorgo" featurette (30 minutes), "Life After MST3K" featurette focusing on Mary Jo Pehl, Moon Zero Two introduction by Constantine Nasr (10 minutes), The Mystery Science Theater Hour wrap-arounds for The Day the Earth Froze, "Leonard Maltin Explains Something" clip, "Last Flight of Joel Robinson" featurette (10 minutes), interview with Marilyn Neilson, posters and original trailers for Moon Zero TwoThe Day the Earth FrozeThe Leech Woman, and Gorgo
  • Notes: Episodes included are Moon Zero TwoThe Day the Earth FrozeThe Leech WomanGorgoMitchell, and The Brain That Wouldn't Die.

Shout! Factory Blu-ray (2018) [MST3k: Season 11]

  • Region: A/1
  • Discs: 8
  • Audio: English
  • Subtitles: English
  • Special Features: We Brought Back MST3K documentary (73 minutes)
  • Notes: Episodes included are ReptilicusCry WildernessThe Time TravelersAvalancheThe Beast of Hollow MountainStarcrashThe Land That Time ForgotThe Lovers of HerculesYongary, and Wizards of the Lost Kingdom.

References[]

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