Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie MPAA Rating: PG Entertainment: +2 Content: -1

For fans of the cable television series, news of the MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER'S (MST3000) demise was upsetting. But in Hollywood, old TV shows never die - they become movies. For non-fans, the MST3000 series took old B-grade science fiction movies and added the wisecracks of two robot silhouettes seen in the bottom of the film. This often turned serious drama into laugh-fests by changing the whole meaning of a scene. Using the 1954 film THIS ISLAND EARTH, the robots and their human companion make jokes about Star Trek, Orion Pictures bankruptcy, references to old TV shows and character interaction. The early scenes of a bone-shaped spaceship circling the earth even spoofs 2001: A Space Odyssey. Interspersed are scenes of a mad scientist who's controlling the projector and subjecting the human to mind-control experiments by playing old movies. The real humor and attraction are the robots' side comments, but what works well on TV doesn't always translate to the big screen.

In many ways, this is a re-release of the 1954 film with few objectionable elements. But the added dialogue has several crude and obscene references. Side comments about character interaction on the screen often refers comically to homosexuality. The only drug reference is a side comment from a robot who says he was part of government LSD tests. A few fist fights and a menacing monster hit with a club may have been considered violent in 1954, but today it's merely ho-hum action. Also, comments from the robots often include sexual remarks about on-screen action. In keeping with the character of the mad scientist, the actor refers to himself as God, controlling the experiment subjects in the spaceship. This film within a film is mildly enjoyable but the crude references downgrade it as family fare.

Preview Reviewer: Paul Bicking
Distributor: Gramercy Pictures, 9247 Alden Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210