Mystery Science Theater 3000

UNFunny, UN-smart, UNinspired, the players do not have the savoir faire nor the education or background to create wise references. The timing is all off- it is tired, plastic and basically ruined MST3K. Either make it well, or do not bother at all. They bothered.

I have watched this show since the beginning, but had no idea that this additional kickstarter season even existed, until stumbling onto it via Prime.

It's a far cry from the original version, and a even a step down from the Netflix seasons, which I watched. Meh.

The look is cheap. Models are replaced with green screen and computer graphics.

The robots voices are too similar to one another. I had to turn on the subtitles to understand what was being said.

I like Jonah Ray. No problem with him - but the "timing" of the riffs often feels off.

The wrap=around "skits" are as silly as ever. However, Oswalt is grating.

I went into Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return with a positive outlook. I left wanting to hang myself. One of my major problems is the humor. No longer is it clever puns or jokes. Now MST3K:R is just a bunch of pop culture references because that is what sells. If this is your brand of humor, I get it. You'll probably enjoy this show more than I. However, you must admit that repeating the same brand of joke is lazy. My next major problem is the special effects. They all look terrible. I wouldn't have a problem with the effects if this were the old show. In the old show (MST3K) the effect were crappy because they barely had a budget. Now they have a budget and, should give a crap about the effects. Of course, there are some good things. The show is self aware and, knows it ridiculous. That is the one thing I could appreciate about Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Return.

One of the problems with reviving a cultural monolith like MST3K, is that it needs to be done perfectly or it will be deemed a dismal failure.

This reboot does a pretty decent job in updating many aspects of the show to 2017. The DIY aesthetic is still there and exploited pretty well. The cast is very solid. The change to Gypsy was a long time coming and well-executed.

The films that have been chosen are not particularly stand-out awful, but definitely fodder for riffing.

The main issues I have with the rebooted series can be ascribed to growing-pains as the cast and crew (re)acquaint themselves and fall into a groove. Although fondly remembered, the first two seasons or so of MST3K are far from stellar for similar reasons: the chemistry needs time to brew, everyone needs to get the feel of the format, and they need to find their strengths and exploit them.

The Host Segments are somewhat weak. While they have always been hit or miss, in this series they are rather disposable. This might be remedied once the crew decides on the relationship between Jonah and the Bots. Joel was "the Father" and Mike was the "Brother." Jonah is kind of awkwardly tossed into there and they simply abide.

The Riffing is pretty good but way too fast-paced. While it is naturally scripted (for maximum effect) it is way too jam-packed and the Riffers stumble over themselves trying to get as many in per film. It really weakens the impact of jokes and kills off the all-so-sweet illusion that they're organic. Some of their strongest riffs were the prolonged gags that they gave more than a second's notice to. As a consequence of this rapid-fire pace, they really miss opportunities to focus on exploitable moments or they create awkward transitions that really do not sell what could have been apexes of the episode.

As I said, the quality is there: they just need to see it and grow into it. So time will tell if they do so. Their pacing of riffs is perhaps their key area that needs improvement.

That said, for a reboot: they have updated the series and format well and just need to fine-tune it and surpass the growing pains.

As much as I want to like MST in all its forms, this attempts to keeping the show alive are pale shades of the even the worst of the original.

The new crew come across as a group of fans who THINK they can riff like the cast of MST. (There are a ton of folks doing the same level of riffs on YouTube.) Jonas and the bots all sound to similar and each provide the same style of "jokes". They lack the personality that Joel/Mike, Trace/Bill and Kevin brought to their characters.

There are many seasons, most of them pretty damn funny, of the original show that can be endlessly watched.

Turn down the lights (where applicable) and keep circulating the tapes.