Robot Monster

I have been a fan of MST3K for a little under 20 years-I was late to the party, that's for sure. Anyway, in that time this show has become something I truly love and one of the things that actually gives me comfort and makes life worth living. I just recently saw this episode for the first time and while it may not be the absolute best episode, I highly enjoy it.

The most off-putting thing here is that this episode has Erhardt and the original Tom Servo. I am sorry to say it but he has just never felt right to me (which seems to be the case for most fans), so traditionally I have avoided most episodes he is in. That being said, I saw some stills of the bizarre monsters in this movie which look like gorillas wearing space helmets and having no discernible faces (the faces kinda look like "son, you got a panty on your head" but it's tough to tell for sure) and I decided I had to see the episode.

I find this episode to be hilarious. The movie Robot Monster is bizarre and terrible (not to mention the two chapter plays shown before the movie) but still somewhat entertaining and when combined with the riffing the whole thing is more than worthwhile to me, no question. There are plenty of laugh out loud moments as far as I am concerned and the invention exchange between the Mads and Joel and the 'bots is cute. I consider this to be one of the "quieter" episodes, which I think some people my not care for but I love. I have come to appreciate Joel's mellow demeanor more and more over the years. I like some of the older episodes where they did not feel that every single dialogue-less moment of the film had to be filled with jokes (whether funny or not) which, as funny as I find the show all the way to the last episode, really does become a bit of an issue for me towards the end of the series. Sometimes less is more.

Bottom line: I think this episode is a must-see for real fans of the show because it is genuinely funny and the movie itself is so odd. For newbies, this is not where I would recommend starting your MST3K adventures, but once you go down the rabbit hole and decide that the show is awesome and you are into it, be sure to check this one out. :)

I've seen "Robot Monster", and if you're going to put yourself through such an ordeal, you may as well have the bots along for the trip. Give this movie credit for creating the lasting image of a lumbering gorilla suit with a space helmet . A costume like that would be a hit at parties. Other than that, you should only watch this movie drunk or stoned (both?).

As an "MST3K" episode, it's good, although not one of my favorites. It was back in the early days, so the green tint is understandable. But I do confess that Tom Servo's old voice is a bit jarring (Kevin Murphy made him my favorite character, and this was before him). That said, the riffs are good and it does the job of making "Robot Monster" manageable.

6/10

Make them stop! And don't forget the million bubble machine. A very sparse budget and some extremely mediocre acting made this film, unbearable to watch until MST3K came along and jazzed it up. Quite a bit of good banter by Joel and the bots keep the bubbles popping for sure, the host segments are ok. Maybe next time directors will learn about what actually makes a scene or a movie pop and that is to have a great editor to cut out horrendous hiking scenes, DEEP HURTING!

Mystery Science Theater 3000: Robot Monster (1989)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

This episode of the series starts off with two RADAR MEN FROM THE MOON chapters and then we get to the main feature ROBOT MONSTER, the 1953 movie which is considered to be one of the worst ever made.

As I've said in what few episodes I've reviewed, I'm really not a fan of the series but I skip around and watch episodes with bad movies that I enjoy. I really thought this episode was really bad and it's certainly the worst that I've seen. The two chapter episodes aren't all that funny and there really aren't many laughs to be found. I was really letdown with the ROBOT MONSTER stuff because while I did laugh a few times there weren't enough to keep me fully entertained. What's worse is that there's actually a lot of time when no one is speaking.

Certainly not one of the best the show has to offer.