A New Test Case: #WeBroughtBackMST3K (MST3K Special)

Way back in the day, Comedy Central filmed their own half hour "Making Of" specials for Mystery Science Theater 3000.  It seems fitting that the new era of MST3K would receive one too, albeit a more thorough one that was home video exclusive.  A New Test Case is a centerpiece documentary that Shout Factory produced to center a bonus disc of MST3K Season 11 on.  If you received the Kickstarter exclusive #WeBroughtBackMST3K Collector's Edition, there were more bonus features crammed onto that disc, though folks who just bought the standard set only received the documentary on this disc.  A more thorough overview of what special features were on the Collector's Edition can be found on my Season 11 DVD and Blu-Ray Retrospective, but for those concerned with what they missed out on, a lot of what else is featured on that disc are archival features that can be found from other sources on the web, such as YouTube or Shout Factory TV, while the most exclusive stuff is just an intro from Joel Hodgson and a blooper reel.  I think it's generally agreed that A New Test Case is the best bonus feature on the disc.

This is MST3K and The Making of Mystery Science Theater 3000 are pretty good docs for what they were, half hour promos for the series on each channel that provided some neat behind the scenes footage for long time fans.  Their primary purpose was to advertise the series, but while a lot of promo shows like those are self congratulatory and diluted, MST's were to an extent, they have always been a little aloof and honest.  A New Test Case meets that criteria, as the crew members stress that they think the new series will be beloved by fans, but there is a hesitancy to it, knowing there is a legacy to live up to.

They briefly touch upon that series and work their way from the cancellation leading up to the Kickstarter.  They'd talk about how Joel always seemed to be keen to bring back the series during Cinematic Titanic's tours, and how it took them years to get Jim Mallon to sell the rights to the series to Shout Factory.  It seems like a lot of details are glossed over in mere sentences, such as Jim Mallon's reluctance to sell the series and former MST cast reactions to reuniting for it, but a lot of it lies in private matters of individuals, so it's no surprise these stories are kept mum.  I just like it when a good documentary gets into the nitty gritty, so when it hits fast forward I get disappointed.

From there the doc discusses rounding up the new cast (Jonah Ray, Hampton Yaunt, Baron Vaughn, Felicia Day, Patton Oswalt, and Rebecca Hansen) and puppeteers (Grant Bacioccio and Russ Walko) and their reactions to being brought onto the new series.  We also talk setting up the Kickstarter and how Joel worked it behind the scenes, they describe it similar to a setting sail on a cruise.  I experienced the Kickstarter on the opposite end for the entirety of its duration, and Joel was a constant presence, there is no denying that.  He was constantly updating, generating buzz, spreading what info that was safe to share, and he really seemed to be running with the fans with a sense of command.  He was both a ringleader and made strides to make fans feel like we were his equal.  Considering he was the one with the power and held all the secrets of the new series, he was certainly not an equal, but there we did appreciate his attempts to "be real" with us even if we didn't know everything.  A New Test Case both shows and tells us a bit of info about what was going on on the other side of the curtain, as Joel, Shout Factory, and Kickstarter worked on the fundraising from their side, discussing how they sent emails out an hour too early, maintaining communications with the fans, and even briefly addressing backlash from original series purists (they don't dive deep into this, but they did seem a bit shocked and bummed about it).  This all concludes in fantastic fashion during the concluding telethon, in which the funding is so successful that they raise enough money to make two episodes more than they initially asked for.

The rest of the documentary is probably the juiciest.  I mean, we were already familiar with the new series, and those that followed the Kickstarter already knew how it went down.  It's during this section that we find more information about the creative process.  They talk about expanding the lore beyond the show's limited production values and making it work within those values.  That's one of the things about the new MST that you really can't take away from it, is that it tries to flesh out the world the Satellite of Love inhabits while making it work in the confines of the fact that it's a crappy puppet show, because that entire world is a crappy puppet show.  There is a bit of talk about making the bots more expressive, mostly about Crow's arms and marionetting Gypsy from the ceiling, while the look and sets of the Satellite and Moon 13 are given some talk time too.  They also discuss film selection, which is something that I really wished they dug deeper on.  They did talk about wanting good looking movies for HD (which is something I disagree with, but that's a battle for another time) and have a few things to say about Cry Wilderness and Avalanche.  I would have appreciated a bit more talk about the movies themselves, because they're an important part of the show, but they get pushed aside pretty swiftly.  We also get to see behind the scenes of the celebrity cameos and the fans who were brought in to play Observers at Jonah and Kinga's wedding.

The documentary pretty much ends at the world premiere of the first episode of the new MST, Reptilicus, which was rewarded to the lucky Kickstarter backers who were lucky enough to attend.  There isn't any talk about reaction to it nor the season itself when it finally dropped, but I think they leave the opinion up to the viewer and they don't feel like impressing what they think their opinion should be upon them.  In a lot of ways, A New Test Case is a very in-depth look at the recreation of this amazing show, but it does leave something of a sense that several aspects could be expanded upon to make this documentary just that much better.  As is, A New Test Case is still a must see because it is a pretty honest portrayal of how this whirlwind of a fundraising campaign created a new season of our favorite show, it just has a tendency to skim.  That tendency is often the line between a great documentary and one that's just good enough.