The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 1

BLOODLUST-A modern-day (for 1961) re-telling of "The Most Dangerous Game" with teenagers. Two young couples on an ocean cruise make an unplanned stop when they come to an island. There they meet a British safari hunter and his own private army of obedient natives. They meet another couple there, and soon learn that thier host hunts not animals, but people. Although the commentary here is funny as always, I actually thought this was a pretty good movie on it's own, deserving of better than this type of mockery. But then again if it had never been picked up by MST3 I probably never would have found out about it.

CATALINA CAPER-Middle aged folks steal a piece of art from a museum and it's up to a group of beach bum teenagers to save the day. The film features not one but two rather obvious (and odeious) komic (not comic) relief characters: a dunder-headed thief (how'd a dope like him manage to steal the art without getting caught?) and a really clumsy F.B.I. agent who functions as a third-rate inspector Cluseou. (Well, O.K., the scene where he goes fishing and snags an unexpected catch was classic.) Still worth watching if only because of Mike and the 'bots and their ribbing.

THE CREEPING TERROR-The only science fiction film featured here, this one features little dialouge from the characters and mostly just from the narrator (go to imdb.com and look this film up, then click on trivia to see why this is) and has a lumbering alien that looks like a bunch of stitched-together carpets devouring people. In real life this monster couldn't catch any one capable of simply running away, since it, ahem, creeps along at about 4 miles per hour. The only reason it manages to eat so many people here is that nobody ever actually tries to run away, they just stand there and scream. (Perhaps they are the reletives of characters from 1980s slasher films who do dumb things like running up the stairs while trying to escape from the killer instead of out the door.) An easy movie to laugh at by itself, the commentary here is just icing on a cake.

SKYDIVERS-Pretty much what it says it's about. There is an evil plot that involves pouring acid into one of the parachutes. It's been awhile, so I don't remember much about this one.

Who would've thought that the perfect instruments of torture could be B movies? Well, we quickly learn that this is possible with the show. MST3K is all about a man (either Joel Hodgson or Mike Nelson) and his robots being forced to watch some of the worst movies ever created. In the process, they wisecrack their way through every single one of them. It is a talent to admire, as many of us can do the same thing; however, many of us cannot get the same hilarious results as these guys do.

The set includes the movies "Bloodlust," "Catalina Caper," "The Creeping Terror," and "The Skydivers." The best ones are "Bloodlust" and "The Skydivers," as they are really lousy movies; meaning that the boys are able to come up with some hilarious lines and observations. You also have the chance to see these films without the MST3K crew (why in the world would you want to subject yourself to that??!!). Theatrical trailers for the movies are also available on the DVDs.

This is a wonderful show that is brilliantly clever and fresh. It will always remain a favorite of mine, that's for sure. "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume 1" is a treat to have and a joy to watch. You'll be watching each episode over and over again. A MUST for MST3K fans all around.