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krpalmerIt's already been five years since Shout! Factory took over releasing Mystery Science Theater 3000 on DVD with a "Twentieth Anniversary Edition" (the number of the collection which followed it making it the thirteenth), and now they've got around to a "25th Anniversary Edition" (the number of the collection to follow making it the twenty-eighth). It came in a metal can stamped with the Satellite of Love, although once I'd opened it there was no cardboard box around the DVD cases; I wondered if there'd been a mistake with mine before noticing other people complaining about discovering the same thing.
The extras continue to find people knowledgeable about the particular movies and kinds of movies featured on the series. For "Moon Zero Two," there was an introduction to the original movie by a historian of Hammer Films, who basically said the movie's script couldn't decide whether it was a comedy or something more serious, but could compliment the special effects. The DVD also included the first part of an anniversary documentary; remembering the three-part history of Mystery Science Theater for the twentieth anniversary, I wondered what tack could be taken this time. It started off by featuring the behind-the-scenes Best Brains, which seemed a different way to do things; with "The Day the Earth Froze," though, the second part being about "the locations" gave me the feeling it could have been an introduction, talking about the beginning of the series at KTMA 23 and going on from there. "The Leech Woman" offered a take on "the characters," and also Mary Jo Pehl's turn at saying what she'd been doing since the series ended.
I might not ask for or require "new perspectives" on the movies featured on Mystery Science Theater, but with "Gorgo" I realised that William Sylvester, for all that having already been featured on the series through "Riding With Death" and "Devil Doll" made me focus on him before, wasn't so much "the main character" of the movie as the loyal sidekick of the guy who tended to get involved with the real action. The people talking about the original movie for the documentary for this DVD seemed impressed by its production values and inclined to say it had pioneered more complex motives for giant monsters, in much the spirit of Leonard Maltin's brief special introduction; I suppose I kept that in mind when Satellite News's continuing discussion feature got to that episode right around that time and people were inclined to mutter it didn't feel quite all together for them.
As a distinguishing bonus feature for this collection, there's a fifth DVD in the same case as "Gorgo" with a double feature of "Mitchell" and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," echoing the feeling I decided to close out commenting on all the episodes with. The bonus feature squeezed in with the episodes comments on "Joel's last episode," not bothering to dwell on just why he'd decided to leave the series but managing to suggest it was good luck more than deliberate choice the episode featured that movie. There's also an interview with someone who'd appeared in "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," as it turned out an exceedingly minor player in the movie; the piece wasn't that long either, though.
The extras continue to find people knowledgeable about the particular movies and kinds of movies featured on the series. For "Moon Zero Two," there was an introduction to the original movie by a historian of Hammer Films, who basically said the movie's script couldn't decide whether it was a comedy or something more serious, but could compliment the special effects. The DVD also included the first part of an anniversary documentary; remembering the three-part history of Mystery Science Theater for the twentieth anniversary, I wondered what tack could be taken this time. It started off by featuring the behind-the-scenes Best Brains, which seemed a different way to do things; with "The Day the Earth Froze," though, the second part being about "the locations" gave me the feeling it could have been an introduction, talking about the beginning of the series at KTMA 23 and going on from there. "The Leech Woman" offered a take on "the characters," and also Mary Jo Pehl's turn at saying what she'd been doing since the series ended.
I might not ask for or require "new perspectives" on the movies featured on Mystery Science Theater, but with "Gorgo" I realised that William Sylvester, for all that having already been featured on the series through "Riding With Death" and "Devil Doll" made me focus on him before, wasn't so much "the main character" of the movie as the loyal sidekick of the guy who tended to get involved with the real action. The people talking about the original movie for the documentary for this DVD seemed impressed by its production values and inclined to say it had pioneered more complex motives for giant monsters, in much the spirit of Leonard Maltin's brief special introduction; I suppose I kept that in mind when Satellite News's continuing discussion feature got to that episode right around that time and people were inclined to mutter it didn't feel quite all together for them.
As a distinguishing bonus feature for this collection, there's a fifth DVD in the same case as "Gorgo" with a double feature of "Mitchell" and "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," echoing the feeling I decided to close out commenting on all the episodes with. The bonus feature squeezed in with the episodes comments on "Joel's last episode," not bothering to dwell on just why he'd decided to leave the series but managing to suggest it was good luck more than deliberate choice the episode featured that movie. There's also an interview with someone who'd appeared in "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," as it turned out an exceedingly minor player in the movie; the piece wasn't that long either, though.