Mystery Science Theater
3000: Volume XIV (Shout! Factory DVD)
Picture: B-
Sound: C+ Extras:
B Episodes: A
Shout!
Factory does it again with its second boxed set of MST3K goodness! For folks
new to MST3K, please check our earlier spate of reviews, then report back
here post-haste. This set covers four
awful offerings: Mad Monster, Manhunt in Space, Soultaker, and Final Justice. Shout! Factory also includes some great
extras in the way of four mini-posters featuring the nifty artwork from the
individual disc snappers.
As with
the previous Shout! Factory box, this set features a mix of MST3K offerings from various eras of
the show. Perhaps the most entertaining
of the four films the crew spoofs is Soultaker, a bad horror-thriller
from the 1980s featuring the "talents" of Joe Estevez. This much less-well-known member of the
Sheen-Estevez clan was kind enough to provide an interview about his role in
the film, and was an amazingly good sport about the whole MST3K experience. Although
the interview is relatively short, it does add to one's enjoyment of the
episode. And what an episode. Aside from the awful movie and the many
wonderful gags and jokes that spring from it, this one features the dual return
of cast favorites TV's Frank and Joel.
Manhunt
in Space offers a
zany look at 1950s sci-fi, and a neat sketch with the 'bots reenacting scenes
from General Hospital.
The other
offerings in the set do not fail to entertain, making Volume XIV another must-own for Misties everywhere.
- Scott R. Pyle
