Release Date: March 28th, 2017
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Features the following episodes:
Invasion U.S.A.
Colossus and the Headhunters
High School Big Shot
Track of the Moon Beast
Also featuring:
Play MSTie for Me "Triple Decker"
By Volume XXXVIII of Mystery Science Theater's DVD releases we've found we've hit a brick wall with Joel era episodes that can be released on DVD. While there are still a handful left, rights issues have become a bit of a bitch. As a result we have our first all-Mike volume of the series since Rhino released the all-Sci-Fi era Volume 5. We get a bit of a feeling that the sixth season has been underrepresented up until this point as three of the four slots are filled with episodes from that season, while the final slot belongs to an episode from the tenth season.
As for episode quality, this set is fair. High School Big Shot I think is the easy winner here, though bringing it down are host segments that under-perform and a lackluster short. Colossus and the Headhunters is also a solid episode for your collection, though I don't think it's quite a standout either. With those in mind, Invasion U.S.A. and Track of the Moon Beast are not favorites of mine, though I favor Invasion of the duo. One thing that needs to be kept in mind is that Moon Beast has a cult following, which means some would say the volume is worth owning for that episode alone. I don't abide by that, but I encourage all to find what episodes they respond to themselves. I just offer a small guide of ones I recommend over others.
If you ordered through Shout Factory's website the first 1,500 orders received a bonus disc featuring all three volumes of Play MSTie for Me, a compilation of music from the series. Whether or not you're interested in this depends greatly on how much you like the songs on the show.
Episode Rating (episodes only, out of four): 2.25
The good news is that the audio and video of the four episodes feature good quality. The minor note on this is the Play MSTie for Me disc, which is sourced from weaker masters than the episodes themselves. But there is nothing really to complain about here.
Collectors of the films featured on the show will be happy to know that High School Big Shot is here in its uncut glory as a bonus feature. Interviews include Track of the Moon Beast actress Leigh Drake while Joel Hodgson does a retrospective on Mike Nelson, which is a fun inclusion to this all-Mike set. If that's not enough for you there is also a documentary on the career of Albert Zugsmith, producer of Invasion U.S.A., which is my pick for centerpiece of the set. Closing up the bonus features are trailers for Invasion U.S.A. and High School Big Shot.
The box art is Shout's stock cover for MST sets, which feature the logo in the upper left hand corner and the theater silhouettes at the bottom looking up at the volume number, which is painted in pink this time. The interior art is always where the effort is, which features four new slim cases with art by Steve Vance. Invasion U.S.A. has Crow and Servo dressed up as a man and a woman looking up at a World War III air raid as the city burns behind them. Colossus and the Headhunters has Crow as Maceste and Servo as a female warrior fighting an army of spears. High School Big Shot features Crow as Marv and Servo as Betty as they crack open a safe and steal "A MILLION BUCKS!" Track of the Moon Beast is the coolest, which features an Incredible Hulk style face split with Servo as Paul on one side and the Moon Beast on the other. Crow is dressed as Kathy and looks up at him while holding a camera, and if you listen real close you can hear him say "Moon rocks? Oh wow!" The Play MSTie for Me disc is housed in a slim case separate from the set, which features the stock bonus disc artwork of the logo and the silhouettes looking up at a movie ticket with the title.
The disc art is also standard, just a starry backdrop with stylized logos of the episode titles. But the disc menus are less fun than usual, and they still utilize the puppet theme of the last few sets but are almost all too basic and similar to leave any sort of impression. Invasion U.S.A. has Dr. Forrester, Frank, and Nummy Muffin Coolcol Butter eating breakfast while Mike and the Bots riff away from theater seats on the bottom. Colossus and the Headhunters features Frank upset at the absence of Nummy Muffic Coolcol Butter and Mike and the Bots riffing on it. High School Big Shot features Frank losing a dinosaur and turning on the movie for the riffers, but mostly consists of Servo singing the "High School Big Shot Theme." The one menu that stands out is the Track of the Moon Beast one, which features Crow and Servo with "The Fish Lips Guy" singing California Lady.
There is a feeling that a lot of barrel bottoms are being scraped for Volume XXXVIII. Not only are episode releases of the classic series on their last legs, but even watching the interview with Joel on Mike he revisits a lot of information we've already heard before, meanwhile even things such as menus just feel stale. I'm not saying this isn't a set to own, as there are laughs to be had, though this wouldn't be the first set on my list if I were behind on them. I think the one thing about this set that might shoot it to the top of the "must own" heap is whether or not you treasure Track of the Moon Beast. Unfortunately I don't, so this one doesn't quite come recommended from me due to a lack of must own episodes and genuinely substantial bonus features.
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