The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 1 (Bloodlust / Catalina Caper / The Creeping Terror / Skydivers)
This four-disc set, bundled together in an appropriately cheesy but charming package that sports pop-up-book-styled artwork, compiles four episodes of the Peabody Award-winning comedy series. The "experiments" in question (Bloodlust,Catalina Caper,The Creeping Terror, andThe Skydivers) aren't necessarilyMST3K's finest hours--they don't hold a candle to the show's takes onThe Magic Sword,The Atomic Brain, andThe Brain That Wouldn't Die. But the barrage of verbal zingers and pop-culture references slung by hosts Joel Hodgson and Mike Nelson and their puppet pals Crow and Tom Servo are still quite funny, and should please both longtime fans and science fiction aficionados who don't take too much umbrage at having their beloved movies heckled.TheCollectionis decidedly Mike-centric, withThe Creeping Terror,Bloodlust, andThe Skydiversall culled from his reign during the sixth season. Series creator Joel Hodgson's participation is relegated to season 2'sCatalina Caper, a fan favorite that at one time was pulled from circulation over rights issues. As with most of Rhino'sMST3KDVDs, each disc is dual-sided, with one side devoted to the original, uncut version of each film, and the other given over to the "MSTied" version. Theatrical trailers for each movie round out the remainder of the supplemental features. Given the size of this presentation, it might have been interesting to include some interviews with the show's writers and performers (Comedy Central once ran a passable special about the series), but fans will still appreciate having these four episodes together, each providing a wealth of laugh-out-loud moments.--Paul Gaita