The Ninja Film Review: The Return of Tom Servo
Created | Updated Apr 30, 2017
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The Ninja Film Review: The Return of Tom Servo
They must've spent tens of dollars on this.
Tom Servo, Mystery Science Theater 3000
An acknowledgement, first off: I understand that British viewers don't 'get' MST3K. It must be something in the water over there. So I'll try to explain the phenomenon. Way back in 1988, a relatively unknown comic genius named Joel Hodgson launched an obscure television series in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The series, called Mystery Science Theater 3000, consisted of the worst movies the team could find, commented by a human and some robot puppets, who cracked wise all the way through the showing1. Rather like a group of college students in an after-midnight binge of snark. The 'frame tale' of the series involved a hapless space janitor being tortured by mad scientists. The mad scientists are supposed to be responsible for the cinematic choices.
MST3K gathered quite a cult following over the next ten years. I first encountered the series second-hand, through students and fellow faculty members at the college where I taught. They were watching it on cable, and couldn't stop talking about it. You know those people who relentlessly quote Monty Python gag lines at you? They were like that. They even sneaked some of the lines into a Shakespeare comedy in the Drama Department's new season. When I finally found time to watch the show, I saw the appeal: it's literary criticism as performance art. It makes you laugh, sometimes helplessly, at truly pathetic films.
MST3K went from a local phenomenon which was widely disseminated through VCR samizdat to a national broadcast on Comedy Central and the SyFy Channel. Even after its run ended in 1999, die-hard fans clamoured for its return. In 2015, creator Joel Hodgson launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the remake: he succeeded spectacularly, garnering a record $5.7m+ for what, in essence, is a relentlessly (and purposely) amateur-seeming production. Now, MST3K: The Return is available on Netflix for our streaming pleasure. Fourteen episodes of it. And for fans, the new series does not disappoint. For those who can't fathom the appeal of group hooting at bad movies, well, you can just walk on by.
So far, we've watched three of these 90-minute snarkfests at my house. We find them even better than the original series. The jokes are better, and I think there's a good reason. A lot of new memes have emerged in the entertainment world in the last 18 years. There's more geekiness to joke about. The level of film literacy has risen, and familiarity with what is called 'social television' has only increased since the early days when MST3K was an insider/fringe phenomenon. Evidence of the show's heightened profile can be seen in the guest-star list, which includes Wil Wheaton, Mark Hamill, and Neil Patrick Harris.
Of course, there will be critics who complain that the new series isn't as good as the old series. They will do this in spite of the fact that the show is being revived by its original creator, who is hiding in plain sight in a costume on the set. That's always the way with these 'cult shows', isn't it? The true diehards who resist change and insist on the purity of their dedication. . . to what, after all, is a mild form of amusement rather than a towering cinematic achievement. Like the horrible movies it lampoons, MST3K aims merely to entertain. Unlike the movies, it actually succeeds most of the time.
One question remains for the viewer: should you binge-watch this new series? Not if you value what's left of your sanity in this media-mad 21st Century. Each episode is 90 minutes long. After you've sat through the first film, the absorbing 1960s Danish monster flick Reptilicus, you'll need a breather. You'll need to get that papier maché dragon out of your system. Go take a walk, breathe fresh air. Watch a cop show rerun. Sufficient unto the day is the schlock thereof. MST3K will still be there when you get back.
Or go over to Twitter or Facebook and post about how much you like MST3K. You're sure to find some kindred souls on your social media.
And if you don't like it, leave it alone. No skin off your nose, you didn't pay for it, unless you're a Kickstarter supporter.
