"Mystery Science Theatre 3000", or "MST3K" as it's known to its fans, was unceremoniously taken off the air several years ago, much to the dismay of film geeks like myself. This wonderful show took horrid, so-bad-they're-hilarious films and inserted its own irreverent commentary, well before such features were common on DVDs (or even before DVDs existed). At 74 minutes, David DeCoteau's (under one of his several aliases) opus "Test Tube Teens From The Year 2000" (aka "Virgin Hunters") is a perfect excuse to bring the show back, as it's tailor made for a fresh commentary by Mike/Joel and the 'bots. There's even room for commercials!
In the year 2019, an American corporation has overtaken the globe. At the behest of board member Camella Swales (Morgan Fairchild), Supercorp has banned sex in all its forms, resulting in humans being grown from test tubes (hence the confusing title...the protagonists were birthed in the year 2000). A professor who's part of an underground resistance (Ian Abercrombie) sends two of his students back in time to stop this from happening: the cute-but-geeky Naldo (Brian Bremer) and hunky lunkhead Vin (Christopher Wolf). They are followed by their friend Reena (Sara Suzanne Brown) and a killer cyborg (Don Dowe). Back in 1994, the test tube teens must stop Camella, then the head of an all-girls academy, from ever attaining the power that will lead her to ban sex. Much hilarity and female nudity ensue.
By all rights, this film should be at best awful. The sets, script, effects, and actors are all on a strict budget, and it shows, quite painfully in some cases. But the film is highly enjoyable despite itself. One reason is its mercifully short length (and even then the plot seems stretched too thin) and the other is the winning attitudes of all the actors involved. Everyone in the film seems like they're enjoying themselves and are honestly trying to bring through a good performance. Nobody brings this across more than Fairchild, who seems to relish playing the icy Camella Swales with a tightly-wound bliss. Both Bremer and Wolf are also quite enjoyable and charming, and it helps that Wolf is an absolutely gorgeous man. There are also moments of genuine humor, especially through Dowe's hilarious Arnold Schwarzenegger impression as the killer android.
When bad films take themselves too seriously, they're painful to sit through, such as the ponderous and dreadful "The Hulk." But when they keep their tongues in cheek and just have fun with themselves, they're actually quite enjoyable. "Test Tube Teens" falls firmly into the latter category, and it's all the better for it. Especially if you're trapped on a satellite with two wise-cracking robots. 6 out of 10.
