The Phantom Planet
The Pumaman
Werewolf
The Deadly Bees
The Space Children
Hobgoblins
The Touch of Satan
Gorgo
The Final Sacrifice
Devil Fish
The Screaming Skull
Quest of the Delta Knights
Mystery Science Theater 3000's second year on the Sci-Fi Channel is mostly solid, though it's a step down from the far more consistent eighth season. While the film selection is a bit more diverse than the previous season, it doesn't quite have the same riffing momentum as they aren't quite firing on all cylinders anymore. It certainly feels like it's the most vanilla of the Sci-Fi seasons, even if the average works a little bit more in its favor over the tenth season, which I attribute to there being three episodes this season I labeled as "Classic" as opposed to one despite a high volume of "Average" level episodes.
There are a lot of virtues lifting the season up. Bill Corbett is a lot more comfortable as Crow here than he was throughout most of last season, and the series abandons the "Chase through time and space arc," which mostly led nowhere. This mostly allows the host segments to be movie related rather than story related, and while not all are winners, this season feels a bit unchained because of it.
Looking back upon the movies, it's easiest to note that there are three monster movies from Britain spaced throughout the season, with the series having given us a small tast last year with Devil Doll. None of these episodes are as good as Devil Doll however, and I think they're probably the weakest of the entire season. The highlight of this season's British Invasion is The Deadly Bees, as I feel both The Projected Man and Gorgo are let down by weak riffing. The three movies couldn't be more different though, and that diversity is a strength this season. None of the films feel the same as anything previously. We get a classic rocketship movie with Phantom Planet, a superhero movie with Pumaman, a trashy late-night "comedy" with Hobgoblins, a then-recent horror movie with Werewolf, and whatever the hell Final Sacrifice is supposed to be. There is nothing about this season that feels repetitious, which is a step up from the long stretches of Universal International/American International films and a Prince of Space/Invasion of the Neptune Men double feature last year.
While the three British movies are bottom of the heap this year, top marks are awarded to Werewolf, which is just a blast. The Screaming Skull is one of the most underrated episodes of the series, with a howler of a short and a movie that's a scream (pun intended). My top three is finished off by the delight of Pumaman. Some might lament the fact that my top three doesn't include the fan favorite Final Sacrifice, which is a funny episode but not a favorite of mine.
The ninth season is a wear down from the highs of the previous few seasons, but is still good enough to keep one's mouth salivating for a tenth season. The writing was probably on the wall for MST3K's brief revival on the Sci-Fi Channel as the series was only picked up for thirteen episodes this year opposed to twenty-two, but we enjoyed it while it lasted.
No comments:
Post a Comment