Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return joins an elite number of reboots that are actually worth watching. The movies are just as corny as ever (I suppose there's no shortage of awful B-Movies out there), and the jokes continue to hit the mark far more than they miss. By and large the casting choices are fantastic.
There have been a few choices made that seem like missteps, however.
The first is that the comedians in the writers room might, ironically, be TOO funny. So eager are they and the cast to fit in every zinger that Jonah and the Robots never seem to stop to breath and as a consequence, the audience barely has a moment to register and appreciate the joke before the next one is already being fired at them. Another consequence of this machine gun approach is that it completely undoes any illusion of spontaneity. While MST3K has been scripted for quite some time, it is very apparent in this reboot. Routinely, one of the gang will start their joke before the movie catches up to the moment the joke references. Naturally this apparent divinatory ability on the part of Jonah and the robots belies the conceit that they are watching the movie for the first time.
A little more ruthless cutting of material may improve the pacing, if we see a season 2.
The second is the decision to include Gypsy in on the fun during the movie - but only for brief moments. She'll descend from the ceiling, make a single joke, and then disappear again for the rest of the episode. It's just a little odd, and quite distracting. I would much rather, if the crew wanted a female voice in with the gang, that Gypsy simply be there the whole time. Maybe that's the ultimate goal, and these brief drop-ins are some sort of trial run?
Unfortunately, Tom Servo disappoints. There is nothing wrong with Baron Vaughn at all, but his voice isn't perfect for the part. The problem is that while Hampton Yount sounds passably like the Crow of the past, Vaughn's take on Servo sounds nearly identical to Crow too. Without subtitles on, I could only occasionally tell which of the two jokers was cracking wise at any particular time. Another odd choice with Tom is an upgrade that lets him fly, which two episodes in has been used a handful of times to have his silhouette float upwards across the screen towards the subject of his joke. These have all fallen flat so far.
Beyond these quibbles, the new reboot is a hilarious show and a respectful, authentic-feeling successor to the legacy it continues.
There have been a few choices made that seem like missteps, however.
The first is that the comedians in the writers room might, ironically, be TOO funny. So eager are they and the cast to fit in every zinger that Jonah and the Robots never seem to stop to breath and as a consequence, the audience barely has a moment to register and appreciate the joke before the next one is already being fired at them. Another consequence of this machine gun approach is that it completely undoes any illusion of spontaneity. While MST3K has been scripted for quite some time, it is very apparent in this reboot. Routinely, one of the gang will start their joke before the movie catches up to the moment the joke references. Naturally this apparent divinatory ability on the part of Jonah and the robots belies the conceit that they are watching the movie for the first time.
A little more ruthless cutting of material may improve the pacing, if we see a season 2.
The second is the decision to include Gypsy in on the fun during the movie - but only for brief moments. She'll descend from the ceiling, make a single joke, and then disappear again for the rest of the episode. It's just a little odd, and quite distracting. I would much rather, if the crew wanted a female voice in with the gang, that Gypsy simply be there the whole time. Maybe that's the ultimate goal, and these brief drop-ins are some sort of trial run?
Unfortunately, Tom Servo disappoints. There is nothing wrong with Baron Vaughn at all, but his voice isn't perfect for the part. The problem is that while Hampton Yount sounds passably like the Crow of the past, Vaughn's take on Servo sounds nearly identical to Crow too. Without subtitles on, I could only occasionally tell which of the two jokers was cracking wise at any particular time. Another odd choice with Tom is an upgrade that lets him fly, which two episodes in has been used a handful of times to have his silhouette float upwards across the screen towards the subject of his joke. These have all fallen flat so far.
Beyond these quibbles, the new reboot is a hilarious show and a respectful, authentic-feeling successor to the legacy it continues.