Release Date: November 12, 2002
Re-release Date: September 1, 2015
Buy Rhino set here!
Buy Shout Factory set here!
Episodes Featured:
Bloodlust!
Catalina Caper
The Skydivers
Rhino Home Video had released about ten episodes in singles on DVD, but at the time complete season collections were becoming all the rage, with seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, The X-Files, and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer bringing in about a hundred bucks a pop upon original release. Single episode home media releases were going out of style, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 wasn't exactly in a position to evolve into complete sets. Due to the complicated nature of licensing the films (and the fact that the films were never licensed for home media release, which meant they had to be licensed all over again) complete seasons were not really in the cards.
Rhino's solution was to create grab bag box sets that mix up a variety of four episodes from different points in the series. It's not the ideal solution, as it was still a pretty hefty price for each. It was still somewhat cheaper than singles, as the singles averaged about $20 while box sets ran about $60, meaning fans would be saving about $20 per set. In the long run it worked, as the volume release would become the status quo until the advanced licensing agreements of the relaunch series finally made complete seasons possible.
This first set was made up of episodes that were left over from the VHS days and hadn't yet been released on disc, which Rhino would run through before finally licensing new films in Volume 4. It's notable that the bulk of episodes come from a cluster in early season six, which I personally find interesting because the sixth season was fairly underrepresented in the long run of these sets. Five of the seven slots in the last two box sets alone were reserved for sixth season episodes, but one wouldn't know that would happen by this initial volume, which features three episodes from the neglected season. Of those episodes, Bloodlust is easily my favorite, while The Creeping Terror is a respectable second. The Skydivers is pretty good, though I don't often favor it over other episodes. The sole Joel episode of the set is season two's Catalina Caper, which has it's fans but I've personally never been won over by it. It's the one blemish in a mostly pretty good set.
Average Rating (out of 4): 2.75
The set was originally issued in 2002 by Rhino. Video and audio were excellent across the board. Special features included uncut films for all four episodes, which is something I wish more releases did. There were also trailers for Catalina Caper, Bloodlust, and The Skydivers as well.
The box art for this is rather strange, as the outer case is like something out of a pop-up book. There is an MST logo in the middle of the case and a little window above it. On the side of the set there is a disc that you can spin that shows off a different character, each of which says something different. Joel says "The only difference between Catalina Caper and Titanic is talent." Tom Servo says "He's going to make some of his famous toe jam!" Mike says "Seems like they forgot to make something happen in this movie!" Crow says "No shoes. No shirt. No script." TV's Frank says "Don't look at me! I said NEVER look at me!!" Dr. Forrester says "The Creeping Terror - I just KNOW you'll hate it!" In the upper left hand corner there is also a little rocketship that says "Volume 1" on it, and to the right side of the box there is a tab that can make it move. Unfortunately my little rocket fell off of my copy years ago.
Opening the set up you'll find very similar art on the interior fold out, with the logo centered but in this case the characters are all placed around it (along with Gypsy). The Volume 1 rocket is placed in the upper middle of the very top. Opening the foldout further you'll find a pair of promotional photos on the right flap, one featuring Mike and the Bots and another featuring Joel and the Bots, though Joel's is upside down. The left flap just has a rocket and a promotional pamphlet. Open both of these flaps to find the discs, each of which is housed in front of a photo of one of the theater doors. The discs themselves are double sided, which means they have no art. Oddly enough the discs are numbered, but the order seems to be entirely random. It's not in episode production order, like most box sets, nor is it in alphabetical order like the cover. The disc number order is The Skydivers, The Creeping Terror, Bloodlust, and Catalina Caper.
The disc menus are simple. Catalina Caper has cartoon fish like the opening credits, while footage from the movie plays in a little from on the right center. The reverse side with the uncut film just has stills from the movie in ovals. The Creeping Terror features the title monster trying to eat Tom Servo. The reverse side with the uncut film features stills from the film, including a screaming man and a woman and the Terror behind them. Bloodlust features an ocean with a very animated island that has skulls and palm trees. The reverse side with the uncut film has the title image of a skull and a hand with stills from the movie over it. The Skydivers has Servo and Crow flying biplanes and clips from the movie playing on a little radar screen. The reverse side with the uncut film just features stills from the movie, featuring a plane and skydivers. As was the norm for Rhino, each episode menu featured the theater doors leading up to it and had Joel and the Bots sitting in the theater seats at the bottom, regardless of whether it was a Joel or a Mike episode. The one exception is The Creeping Terror, where Servo is absent (because he is being devoured).
Shout Factory eventually reissued the set thirteen years later, this time in a simple DVD case much different than the ones they had been doing. Catalina Caper, The Creeping Terror, and Skydivers all looked and sounded good, though Bloodlust has a few tape flaws. All of the uncut films had been dropped as bonuses, though the trailers remained. New bonus features included a documentary called The Crown Jewels, which chronicled Crown International Pictures. Also here is a trailer for The Creep Behind the Camera, a docudrama on the making of The Creeping Terror. There is also a Q&A for The Creep Behind the Camera which features Trace and Frank in attendance.
It was a tad bit of a disappointment as unlike those releases there were no individual poster art for each episode (and honestly some of the classics Rhino released deserved some), but as a reissue sales were anticipated to be fairly low so fans who missed out on Rhino sets were lucky they got the set at all. The box art was simple, featuring the MST logo in the upper center against a starry backdrop with the theater silhouettes at the bottom. This would be standard for future reissue sets. Unlike the Rhino set these do feature disc art, however it's just the episode title against a starry backdrop. Unlike other Shout sets the episode titles aren't in any stylized font, which would also be the norm for reissues.
What is unique about this set compared to other reissues is that it has custom menus for each episode, of which all other reissues just used a stock menu for each episode. Catalina Caper features cardboard waves, a background of aged parchment, and stills from the episode. The Creeping Terror is above a water body, with stenciled squares spinning in a circle. Bloodlust features a lagoon in the backdrop, with a skull above a circular map in the center. The Skydivers features Tom Servo skydiving above the clouds.
As far as box sets go, this first volume is pretty solid. The Mike episodes alone make the set worth buying, though if you're one of the die hard Catalina Caper fans out there you'll no doubt definitely want to get your hands on this set. Is there any reason to be reluctant? Not really, just a debate on whether you should seek out an out of print Rhino set or a reissue by Shout. If you would prefer a better video presentation or enjoy watching the movies without the commentary, the Rhino set is the one for your shelf. But if you enjoy trivia about the studios that make the films or would prefer a cheaper option, the in-print Shout Factory set is the way to go. But either way it's a win, because it's Mystery Science Theater.
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