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Featured Episodes:
The Mad Monster
Manhunt in Space
Soultaker
Final Justice
Release Date: February 9th, 2009
Shout sets a determination to be an equal opportunity episode releaser almost from the get go. Outside of The Crawling Hand and Women of the Prehistoric Planet, Rhino seemed too timid to tap the first season well, and probably rightfully so. While I enjoy all eras of MST, there are more than a few who outright refuse to watch early episodes or the series. These people are wrong and deserved to be shamed. SHAAAAAAAAME!
Even still, those who don’t lament the fact that a first season episode is on this set might lament the fact that of all the first season episodes they chose to release, they chose Mad Monster, which from what I gather is considered one of the worst episodes of the series. I have an opposing viewpoint on that, as every time I pop this episode in I enjoy it thoroughly. This skews my appreciation for this box set a bit more than most, though regardless of how you feel about Mad Monster I’d say the other episodes are worth having. Soultaker is a must own bar none, and while Mad Monster might be the least funny episode by default a part of me enjoys the episode on the same level as Final Justice personally.
Average Rating (scale of 1 to 4): 3.25
The good news is that no matter which episodes you enjoy, the video presentation is pretty great across the board. Special features are a bit light, especially by comparison to the fully loaded 20th Anniversary Edition set that preceded it. However we are given brief interviews with Soultaker star Joe Estevez and Final Justice director Greydon Clark, which are worth a look. We also get clips from Mike, Kevin, and Bill’s small MST cameo on the television show Cheap Seats, though we’re not given the full episode. Having seen the full episode, it wasn’t a huge loss. Cheap Seats was fine, but it wasn’t anything special. Concluding content is a trailer for Mad Monster.
Volume XIV set the standard for the MST box sets that Shout put out package wise. The cardboard case is mostly a star backdrop with the theater seats at the bottom, and the MST logo in the top left corner. Dead center is the Roman numeral “XIV” painted in green. Get used to this image folks, because it’s not getting much different from here. I don’t hate the covers, and I thought it was okay when I first saw it. The repetition of it as a stock cover for the series grew a bit tiring. Regardless of whether or not you liked Rhino’s sets, one can’t deny their covers were more creative. They weren’t always show related, but they were pretty to look at. But as always the real beauty of thewe Shout sets lies inward.
Presenting the discs are four thin plastic clam cases, each with their own distinct artwork by Steve Vance, each featuring Servo and Crow “in” the movie. Mad Monster features the duo hiding behind a tree from the titular beast. Manhunt in Space has them sitting in an open command center gazing up at a rocketship. Soultaker is my favorite of the bunch, showcasing a giant hand stealing their souls. Final Justice features Servo as Sheriff Geronimo in a Maltese dungeon searching for Crow, who is sneaking up on him with a double barrel shotgun. And in case you want to hang these on your wall, four mini posters are included as well.
Disc art is standard for Shout. It’s a starfield with an episode logo. But the disc menus still amuse, featuring 3D animations of Servo and Crow wandering around various movie scenes. Mad Monster finds them locked up in the mad scientist’s basement with a wolf in a cage, meanwhile the title beast scurries around in shadow and howls occasionally. Manhunt in Space offers them gazing out a string held spaceship window. Soultaker steals the show again, featuring Crow stealing the soul from a comatose Servo in a hospital, making it the most visually appealing menu on the set. Final Justice has them hanging around an alleyway in Malta watching a squealing car drive by and occasionally ducking shots fired.
Despite light special features and an episode that seems disliked by most everyone (except myself), I think this set is a must-own. Unfortunately it’s currently out of print, due to lapsing rights to Soultaker. But hopefully MSTies everywhere got while they had the chance. If not, hopefully you have a few hundred dollars to spend, because no MST collection is complete without Soultaker.
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