909-Gorgo

Film Year:  1961
Genre:  Horror, Science Fiction
Director:  Eugene Lourie
Starring:  Bill Travers, William Sylvester, Vincent Winter
MST Season:  9

The Movie

Leonard Maltin recommends today's movie.  None of this two-and-a-half star Laserblast bullshit, we're going the extra mile for the film that got the full three stars, Gorgo!  Inspired by the giant monster movies that were all the rage at the time, Gorgo sees treasure hunters bumping into a giant sea beast and capturing it.  They bring it back to the mainland and sell tickets to spectators to take a gander ala King Kong.  However, they are unaware that the creature they have captured is actually a baby and mama is on the rampage.

Growing up a giant monster fan, I've never really been that into Gorgo.  The movie is fine.  It's handsome, lavish, and has a cool monster design.  I've just never found it particularly interesting or entertaining.  It's...dry.  I just think it's a little boring.  That's not to say it doesn't have virtues.  I like the idea of the story, in fact it's so good that it was lifted almost entirely for Jaws III.  I don't really know what it is, but this movie is hard for me to get into.

The special effects at the very least are mostly good.  The monster costumes, while a little stiff, are pretty well designed, and the model cities are very intricate.  Probably the worst special effects are the fairly lousy matting shots, of which there are many.  There are points where portions of Gorgo's body grow transparent, and sometimes citizens against added backdrops just look horrendous.

The movie is okay.  I appreciate it for what it is, but I don't really have much to say about it because it doesn't inspire much in me to discuss about it.  But Gorgo has a loyal fanbase and I guess I understand why.

The Episode

Pearl was absent last week, that's because she was seeking the guidance of legendary film critic (and MST whipping boy) Leonard Maltin for help finding the worst movie ever made.  For some reason Maltin recommends a movie he enjoys though he claims hospitalized several of his assistant editors.  But Gorgo isn't quite that bad of a movie, nor is it really Mystery Science Theater material.  It's a tad cheesy, but not really in a funny way.  I theorize that the movie may have been selected based on the fact that when the episode aired in 1998 the American version of Godzilla was released and someone from the network or on the show thought a name giant lizard movie might be a fun tie-in.  Why not a Godzilla movie?  Likely because Toho wouldn't play ball with the series, though ironically Gorgo seemingly got tied up in film rights issues itself and was only aired twice upon it's initially airing day and was never re-aired on television (it has been approved for streaming decades later though).

So with this episode being something of an infamously pulled episode, can we hope to find a hidden gem here?  Not really.  Mike and the Bots throw a lot of sarcasm at the movie but it mostly feels like what entertainment value one gets from this episode may very well be from the movie itself.  They do latch onto the character name "Dorkin" and they clearly think it's funny.  They're kinda right, but it's not that funny.  They repeat the name as often as possible (though not as often as a certain name in the following episode) and apply it to various aspects of the production.  They also rally behind a goofy tone toward the film itself, probably to try and goofy it up when it really isn't that goofy in general.

In addition to Leonard Maltin's cameo, our host segments are mostly just middle of the road.  Maltin highlights, while the closing segment where the Bots desperately search the film for a female character is pretty hysterical (this movie is a real sausage fest).  Most of the rest of the segments are just mildly amusing, such as a bird using Crow's head for a nest, the Nanite Circus, and the presentation of "Waiting for Gorgo."  Mike's round of William Sylvester Trivial Pursuit however starts stupid and just gets dumber.

A movie that's fine, riffing that's fine, host segments that are fine...the episode is just fine.  It's not really something I can recommend nor ward people off from.  Maybe if you're a MSTie and you really like Gorgo you might want to definitely check it out, but it's not a solid episode and the ninth season British Invasion ends on a whimper.  But then again none of the British episodes this season were that great really.

Average

The DVD

Amazingly Shout was able to license this one-airing wonder for DVD on the 25th Anniversary Edition.  Seriously, my mind was blown when this episode was announced and it's a true testament to Shout's determination to get as much of the series on DVD as possible.  Audio and video were both good, and Leonard Maltin returns to wish a happy 25th anniversary to our favorite show in a brief featurette.

Highlighting the disc, however, is an extensive documentary titled Ninth Wonder of the World:  The Making of Gorgo.  The feature discusses how the success of King Kong, Godzilla, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and The Giant Behemoth led to the creation of the film and the various filmmaking techniques the filmmakers employed while bringing Gorgo to life.  Also included is a trailer for the film.