# Best Movie ever shown on MST3K? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 10, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930 "2002-04-10T23:35:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/1 "2002-04-10T23:35:02Z")
Not the best episode of MST3K, which anyone with the intelligence of a half-eaten Hamdinger knows was _Mangos: Cans of Fruit_. I mean, what movie do you think you would enjoy the most without the addition of sarcastic puppets? My vote is _Attack of the Killer Shrews_. Despite the unfortunate name, this seems to actually be a tight little thriller. Science experiment gone horribly wrong, a disparate group of people trapped on a deserted island, surrounded by thousands of ravenous, flesh eating beasts. The monsters didn’t look too hokey, the plot was coherent, the characters weren’t all total morons. Mind you, I’ve never seen _Killer Shrews_ without the MSTie edit, and it’s one of the episodes I don’t have on tape, so I haven’t seen it in a while, but this was actually a decent flick. ---
**Author:** ![Lamia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Lamia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lamia)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2002, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/2 "2002-04-10T23:49:07Z")
_This Island Earth_, the movie featured in the big-screen version of _MST3K_, is something of a sci-fi classic. Not a personal fave by any means, but it’s certainly a far better film than, say, _Soultaker_. ---
**Author:** ![Tars\_Tarkas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Tars\_Tarkas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tars_Tarkas)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/3 "2002-04-11T00:04:21Z")
Pod People is one of their few films that wouldn’t put me to sleep if there wasn’t a running commentary from J&TB, And it has a killer ALF!!! what more do you want? ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/4 "2002-04-11T00:12:21Z")
I second **Lamia** – _This Island Earth_ occupies a place in 1950’s-sci-fi history only a couple of rungs under _Forbidden Planet._ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/5 "2002-04-11T00:35:15Z")
Another vote for _This Island Earth_, though it’s nowhere near the top of SF films of the 50s. In addition to _Forbidden Planet_, just about every Jack Arnold film is better (_It Came from Outer Space, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Tarantula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon_ etc.), as was _War of the Worlds, Them!,_ and _Invasion of the Body Snatchers_). Still, it’s much better than the usual MST3K fare and can be enjoyed without the commentary. Using it for the movie was a poor choice. ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/6 "2002-04-11T01:31:48Z")
I have to totally disagree regarding **This Island Earth.** This movie so deserved to be heckled. It’s as corny, stupid and pretentious as any MST flick. It has plot holes a mile wide, actors chewing the scenery and a bug-eyed monster thrown in for good measure. My vote would be for **Space Travelers** (real title **Marooned** ). It’s probably the _best_ of the _worst_ (any film with Gene Hackman can’t be **all** bad!) As an aside, I have no problem with _MST3K-ing_ **any** film. Even the most serious dramas can be mocked this way (in the privacy of your own home of course). ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/7 "2002-04-11T01:54:52Z")
My vote goes to **Kitten With a Whip**. Aside from the goofy title, it wasn’t too bad. It starred…I want to say Ann Margaret, but I don’t know why. Anyway, it was one of the better old films I’ve seen. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/8 "2002-04-11T01:59:21Z")
I kind of liked _Touch of Satan_, because I like movies about witches, and ones where there’s a back story and flashbacks to historical events. I know, that doesn’t make any sense, does it? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/9 "2002-04-11T02:00:53Z")
When a friend of mine took Intro to Film at UW-Madison the professor showed Diabolik, the last film to be MST-ified. While the supposed “hero” of the movie is a wretched psychopath, it does have some fun '60’s pop visuals I suppose. This was a few years before it ended up on MST3K. I was lucky, I got all good films when I took the class. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![king\_of\_spain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7cd45c/32.png) [@king\_of\_spain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/king_of_spain)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/10 "2002-04-11T03:41:46Z")
I’m rather fond of _Prince of Space_. Not that it’s actually a good movie by any means, but to me it’s bad in an endearing sort of way, rather than just offensively, irritatingly bad like most of the movies they do. The same can be said of _Pumaman_ and a few others, but _Prince of Space_ holds a special place in my heart. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Green\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mr.Green\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Green_Fool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/11 "2002-04-11T04:27:36Z")
Time of the Apes! Come on! The Japanese version of Planet of the Apes was incredibly bizarre and non-sensical. I rented it a few years ago to try watching it without any commentary… Just as hilarious as with the puppets. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Green\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mr.Green\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Green_Fool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/12 "2002-04-11T04:27:37Z")
Time of the Apes! Come on! The Japanese version of Planet of the Apes was incredibly bizarre and non-sensical. I rented it a few years ago to try watching it without any commentary… Just as hilarious as with the puppets. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Green\_Fool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mr.Green\_Fool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Green_Fool)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/13 "2002-04-11T04:27:37Z")
Time of the Apes! Come on! The Japanese version of Planet of the Apes was incredibly bizarre and non-sensical. I rented it a few years ago to try watching it without any commentary… Just as hilarious as with the puppets. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Lao](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2bfe46/32.png) [@Dr.Lao](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Lao)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/14 "2002-04-11T04:36:42Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hail Ants \* > **My vote would be for _Space Travelers_ (real title Marooned). It’s probably the _best_ of the _worst_ (any film with Gene Hackman can’t be all bad!)** Heh, Crow’s first comment when Hackman appeared for the first time was, “Oh, he’s good in anything.” Marooned is the obvious answer to this question, considering it is the only MSTied movie to win an Acedemy Award (unless one of the ones from the Sci-Fi years did). According to the Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, the first time the writers met Dennis Miller he dissed them because of this movie, claiming that it was too good to be made fun of. I kind of like those goofy Finnish films they did (The Day the Earth Froze, Jack Frost, The Magic Voyage of Sinbad). They are beautifully produced, even if they are surreal as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Darwins\_Finch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darwins_finch/32/20304_2.png) [@Darwins\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darwins_Finch)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/15 "2002-04-11T04:54:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RealityChuck \* > \*\*Still, it’s much better than the usual MST3K fare and can be enjoyed without the commentary. Using it for the movie was a poor choice. \*\* As I understand it, **This Island Earth** was selected for the MST3K movie precisley because it _didn’t_ suck as badly as many of their other victims. There was a big fear amongst the studio execs that people (as in, the common Joe, not those who were already fans) wouldn’t “get” the concept, so they wanted at least a half-way decent film as the subject…just in case. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Frink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Mr.Frink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Frink)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/16 "2002-04-11T05:43:01Z")
…and what’s the deal with reruns of MST3K appearing on the _SciFi_ channel? I remember the big brou-ha-ha on the boards last year over the impending cancellation of the series effective December 2001. One of the reasons given was that the rights to many of the films had expired. Does anyone have any information as to why the powers-that-be decided to continue showing it? I suppose that an outpouring of fan outrage might have something to do with it. But did anyone read anything giving the concrete reasons for its reprieve? ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/17 "2002-04-11T06:08:05Z")
A check over at alt.tv.mst3k turned up this [thread](http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&safe=off&threadm=3c39d70a_5%40vienna7.his.com&prev=/groups%3Fnum%3D25%26hl%3Den%26group%3Dalt.tv.mst3k%26safe%3Doff%26as_drrb%3Db%26as_mind%3D1%26as_minm%3D1%26as_miny%3D2002%26as_maxd%3D10%26as_maxm%3D4%26as_maxy%3D2002%26start%3D100). MST3k is currently safe until at least 1/31/2003. ---
**Author:** ![ElwoodCuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/edb3f5/32.png) [@ElwoodCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElwoodCuse)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/18 "2002-04-11T07:00:58Z")
Is Time of the Apes the one that used to be on the commercials? Tom Servo would say “Do you like long walks on the beach? Chinese food? Mushing up your banana?” ---
**Author:** ![rupert\_pupkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/67e7ee/32.png) [@rupert\_pupkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rupert_pupkin)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/19 "2002-04-11T12:06:43Z")
i do enjoy **catalina caper** for it’s white bread campiness and the random appearance of little richard doing that “we’ll have a party” (tom servo: the nazi party!) haha **party beach** is a horrible film but has amazing commentary that was so funny i almost choked. what about best commentary (hijack)? i think **mitchell** may be a winner. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2002, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930/20 "2002-04-11T13:19:32Z")
What is _wrong_ with you people? Clearly the least-bad movies shown on MST3K were: **Girl’s Town** : with Mamie Van Hooters as the tough-as-nails girl with the heart of gold and Mel Torme as the tough guy **The Girl In Lover’s Lane** : (with Jack Elan, not Jack Lalane!) Except for the totally botched ending, it was actually pretty good. And those weird Finnish fantasy movies are pretty good “Sampo”? in their own bizzare way. The best episode of MST3K, however, is either **Santa Claus** (Santa’s growing paranoia begins to hamper operations in the heart of the might Kla[sym]ü[/sym]s organiztion…" or “Puma-Man” or…oh, crap… What’s that Ed Wood one, where a girl goes bad, robs gas stations and becomes a commie :eek: because her parents give her a nice birthday present? The best short (outside of “Mr. B Natural” of course) is “Circus on Ice” Fenris [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-movie-ever-shown-on-mst3k/102930.md?page=2)