Review Detail

Does what it sets out to do, a really nice way to rewatch for hardcore fans. "But what if I'm not a hardcore MST3K fan?" you say. Hmm, then I'd give it a qualified recommendation. You should be aware of a couple things:

Firstly, if you don't know what MST3K is, here's my review of the original film where I give an intro for "dummies": https://letterboxd.com/nottheacademy/film/mystery-science-theater-3000-the-movie/ So basically be prepared for some cheese and some fun.

Secondly, if you've already seen the original theatrical release and liked it just okay, you may wonder if it's worth watching this version. Are the alternate jokes funnier? Hmm, humor is always subjective, but for me: sometimes yes, sometimes no. In the balance, I'd have to say the theatrical audio (also included here as a 2nd track) is probably funnier. But there IS good stuff in the alternate track (used here as the main audio).

Finally, the major change is simply the inclusion of several deleted scenes, including the original "ending". Keep in mind that these are not from the classic film the crew is commenting on, these are original scenes of the MST3K crew's wacky hijinx. I personally never found these bits very funny, so leaving these out of the theatrical film was a non-issue for me. There's also the factor that these scenes look like a bad copy of an old VHS tape (hence the marks off for the Video score). I mean, the whole tone of this film is B-grade cheesiness anyway, but the contrast is pretty extraordinary. So for me, I'd just as soon leave these out of the film.

For MST3K nubes, this could be a good intro, though there are certainly wackier films they comment on and better "episodes". For afficionados, you'll have to decide if the included deleted scenes and alternate jokes are worth the quality difference. It should be noted that the editor has done an amazing job incorporating the alternate audio however! I could hear a tonal difference in some of the lines, but again, the whole experience is pretty B-grade, so I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't specifically listening for it. The transitions within the "theater" are very well done, too. It's simply the quality of the deleted scene footage that is greatly different from the rest of the film. But having that stuff put back in will make this feel like more of a true episode for the old skool fans, and will probably be required viewing for them.