Release Date: November 21, 2017
Episodes featured:
Also featuring:
This is the end, beautiful friend.
This is the end, my only friend.
Maybe.
Shout Factory went above and beyond my expectations for amount of episodes that could be released on the format. The minute they started tapping big name studios for physical release was the moment I knew that we were probably going much further in the series in these volumes than I could have ever hoped for. This box set sees them tapping Paramount for the first time for Girls Town and Diabolik, and while there are three more episodes that Paramount owns the film rights to, those particular films were tied up with another third party label and weren't available for licensing at the time of this set's release, leaving the idea of a Volume XL up in the air.
For this "supposed" final volume of the series (don't be surprised if that Volume XL happens, because it seems inevitable), Shout releases the final sixth and tenth season episodes that had never seen physical release, completing those seasons on DVD. But the bad news is that there are only three episodes on this set, mostly because that's all Shout could release. But the good news is that one of them is the fabulous Girls Town, which is definitely worth a look. Also here is the classic series finale Diabolik, which was our farewell to the series until 2017. Amazing Transparent Man is also here, and it's a solid episode with a great short, so these episodes must be in any fan's collection, making this set a must-own.
But if you're upset that there are only three episodes on this set, there are some supplemental materials here that might make up for it. There is a bonus disc called Satellite Dishes, which offers the host segments of the episodes that are unlikely to see release. And if you bought it through Shout Factory's website, you received a limited edition bonus disc called The Complete Poopie, which featured the two Poopie! gag reels as well as the televised ad Poopie Parade of Values. It's not a bad package, even though most of the gag reels had already been released on DVD.
Average Rating (out of 4): 3.33
Audio and video for the episodes was pretty solid, though the segments seen in Satellite Dishes were uneven. Godzilla vs. the Sea Monster featured tape hits, while It Conquered the World had dim video and poor audio and both Terror from the Year 5000 and I Was a Teenage Werewolf look and sounds pretty lousy too, but not quite as bad. The centerpiece features come on the Diabolik disc, which has a retrospective on the end of the series called Showdown in Eden Prairie. Also featured is The Last Dance, which is a vintage feature-length behind-the-scenes video of the making of the final episode. Also show related is an interview with Chuck Love, who help compose the theme to the series. There is a mini-doc about the making of Amazing Transparent Man called Beyond Transparency, while all three films have a theatrical trailer. There is also a documentary about the go-to DVD documentary makers, Ballyhoo, called Behind the Scream.
The box art is the Shout Factory norm, featuring the logo in the upper left hand corner and the theater seats down at the bottom looking up at the roman numerals "XXXIX" painted in orange. And as always, the highlights are the interior case artwork by Steve Vance. Girls Town features Tom Servo as Mamie Van Doren and Crow as a nun, as they rock out above the film logo. Amazing Transparent Man has Crow as the Transparent Man being zapped into transparency by scientist Tom Servo. Diabolik has Crow as the title thief climbing a rope over the film logo, up to Servo as Eve, holding a necklace of emeralds. Satellite is mostly a portrait of the main characters of MST3K, with Joel, Mike, and the Bots hanging out on the bottom, while the group of the Mads look down at them over the "Satellite Dishes" logo (the only Mad missing is Dr. Erhardt). The Complete Poopie features Crow and Servo wrestling with film stock and a pair of scissors.
While disc art is the standard movie logos against starry backdrop, the menus change things up for this final release. Shout decides to ditch both the CG robots and mini-puppets and instead do menus with little cutouts of characters wagging around. I kind of like the aesthetic of it, but like the puppets, they feel a bit limited. But they still take the audio from episodes to create little skits. Girls Town has Mamie Van Doren crashing the Satellite of Love bridge to sing the Girls Town theme. The Amazing Transparent Man has Tom Servo zapping Crow with a transparency ray. Diabolik has Diabolik tricking Mike into pressing a button that celebrates the end of the show. Satellite Dishes features stills of the segments being presented in a little mini-theater as the closing theme plays. The Complete Poopie has the disc title against a starry backdrop as the theater seats sit at the bottom.
By the time this supposed final volume was released Mystery Science Theater 3000 had already aired its eleventh season on Netflix, and were prepared to announce a twelfth season during that year's Turkey Day marathon. And just before I wrote this review, they had successfully funded a new season on the Gizmoplex. Even if this is the "conclusion" of the classic series on DVD, it's good to know it isn't the end. But with three great episodes gracing us with their DVD presence, this collection is a must own, even if it is bittersweet.
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