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Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Manos, the Hands of Fate

Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Manos, the Hands of Fate

List Price: $19.95
Your Price: $17.96
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: who HASN'T reviewed this dvd?
Review: let me put it simply: if you're an mst3k fan, you already own this. go away (just kidding!). if you're looking in to mst3k for the first time, this is what you need. except for monster a-go-go, which is unfortunately not available on dvd, this is the BEST MST3K EPISODE EVER.

when mst3k fans (MSTies) say that an episode is great, it means several things:

first of all, it means that the movie itself is blissfully terrible. manos is a movie that fails on every single possible level. people seeing it for the first time usually have a hard time believing that the movie was actually ever made and released. many people think flop movies like "battleship earth" or "hudson hawk" or "ishtar" are bad. these people have no concept of bad, because they haven't seen manos.

secondly, a great episode means great riffing. the jokes that joel and the bots throw out during manos are splendiferous, but the truly uproarious moments, exclusive only to manos, are when the movie is SO bad that they can't say anything but "...manossss..."

third and finally, a great episode is an episode that appeals to everybody. you don't have to be a hard-boiled MSTie or understand EVERY reference to enjoy manos. you just need to watch!

enjoy manos. by the way, according to the amazing colossal episode guide: "manos means 'hands' so the title translates: 'hands: the hands of fate.'"

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: I love MST3K, but this is cruel
Review: First, I understand that the movies are supposed to be bad. But this is different.

"Manos: The Hands of Fate" is quite possibly the worst movie ever made. It is BORING. It's like a bad porno, but with the sex scenes removed.

The set design consists of 3 places: outside a tiny house, inside one room of the house which is an obvious fake set, and a mysterious chamber with no walls (just a dark set with illuminated people/furniture). You never see through a door into the next room, you always just see blackness through doors since (I guess) they only had one room set up at once. But most important, for almost a whole hour NOTHING HAPPENS. They drive back and forth in the desert and finally argue about whether or not to stay in the house. There isn't very much dialog. High points include a three-note theme tune for a henchman that walks funny and a ridiculously silly robe worn by the villain.

Just so you know I'm not one of those cranky people that don't "get it," I have enjoyed many MST3K episodes in the past with bad movies about killer shrews and such. I also just watched "Mitchell" and loved it. But this movie is just too boring and doesn't provide the bots with material. I give the episode 2 stars because, of course, our heros and the evil doctors provide us with laughs in the breaks.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: ONLY FOR SEASONED VETERNS
Review: This has got to be the absolute worst movie i've ever seen...but joel and the bots make it not only fun, but barely watchable. The movie starts with a long ride past "those blue kentucky hills of tennessee." Torgo has got to be the worst "monster" ever. Overall...the rips were as funny as any MST episode, but the movie was horrible...I recommend to only seasoned veterns of MST3K

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: we've got some poodle meat in the freezer for you
Review: im not going to explain the premise of either manos or mst3k. read 3 more reviews and you'll probably have both.

jus let me say this: this should NOT be your first MST3K experience. Get "The Movie", get "Mitchel", get "Red Zone Cuba".

this movie is so painful you actually suffer through it just as much as joel and the robots are. in the middle of the movie they break down into tears, and at the end they're so spent they can barely speak.
this movie is the one that bonded me with joel and the robots. i felt like i had to suffer through the movies, cuz THEY had to.

i cant wait to get the rest of the episodes on DVD! and i hope they keep releasing more!

very funny episode, but as i said, i wouldnt recommend it unless you're a seasoned veteran.

I LOVE THIS EPISODE!

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Save yourself from certain boredom - Don't watch this!
Review: I really had a hard time watching this one. It brings new meaning to the word dull. I was given this episode as a gift after a well-meaning family member bought it on sale. My only thoughts as the film ended were, "Did I really just watch all of that?" and "No wonder it was on sale." I love MST3K, but even the guys couldn't make this one worth my time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: "Oh, Daddy!" *sob*
Review: "Manos": The Hands of Fate is considered by many to be the worst film ever treated by MST3K, and is thus a classic and much beloved episode. It is indeed horrific, though I'd hesitate to say it was worse than, for instance, Red Zone Cuba (thank you, Coleman Francis!). In any case, it does make for a hilarious MSTing, and one that bears many viewings (if the movie doesn't drive you mad).

What is Manos about? Well, a dumb guy (Michael), his overacting wife (Maggy), pathetic child (Debbie) and soon-to-be-eaten dog get lost in the middle of nowhere. The come upon a mysterious old house, and since it's getting dark (and everyone knows you can't drive when it's dark out), they decide to stay and spend the night. Somehow, Michael is not put off by the weird, socially inept, melon-kneed caretaker, Torgo, or by Torgo's insistance that they can't stay, because the undead Master wouldn't approve. Me, I'd have been out of there like a shot, but not Michael and the family. They're made of tougher stuff. Finally, Torgo agrees that they can stay the night, which turns out NOT to be a good thing. (Surprise!)

They spend an immensely creepy evening at the Master's house, and we, the bewildered audience, are treated to many enjoyable moments, such as the tender "Peeping Torgo" scene (in which Torgo watches Maggy undress), another scene in which an unconscious Michael is molested by a woman dressed like a jellyfish, and lots of driving. Driving and driving and driving. Lots and lots and lots of driving, accompanied by the most peculiar, caterwauling disaster of a song ever written.

Even if the writing and acting weren't horrible (which they are), and the editing made sense (which it doesn't), Manos STILL wouldn't be anything but an insult to celluloid. Fortunately, we have Joel and the 'Bots to help us through it, and they soldier on bravely, despite the film's negative impact on their psyches. Host Segments fall apart because the Bots keep bursting into tears, and the Mads are so guilt stricken that they apologize for the experiment.

As an added treat, enjoy Mike Nelson's outstanding performance as a delivery boy from Torgo's Pizza - "LeT mE juST get YOur ComPLimEnTaRy CraZY BrEAD..."

I highly recommend this very funny episode - though I would not suggest it as a "starter" episode, if you've never seen MST3K before (or if you're introducing it to friends). Manos is just so awful that you really have to be used to horrible movies to tolerate it. Better to start off with something a little less nonsensical, like "Bloodlust", "Mitchell," or "Sidehackers" (all available from Rhino).

Enjoy!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: In the not too distant future...
Review: ...it's THE MST3K episode. The one that most fans agree is the best (worst?) episode ever subjected to our Deep 13 friends. So, if you need a jumping on point for some fine cinema, this is it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: total transcendental experience
Review: not only can one be elevated through the works of "good art" but also through what I will call "elevated bad art." That is, something of low quality but done in just the right way as to allow one of us mere mortals passage into the mystical "realm of forms." You know, Plato and all that. "MANOS" is just such a work of "E.B.A"- watch it, feel it sink in, revile it, and be enlightened through its poor essence. Plus, it features one of the most unique characters of ALL TIME- Torgo as played by John Reynolds (you will respect this man and remember his name) is PERFECT BEYOND DESCRIPTION. watch it NOW

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Wonderfully Awful!
Review: The only way this movie should EVER be seen is with Joel and the 'Bots. "Manos" may be the worst movie ever made, which makes it perfect for MST3K. If you're a fan, and somehow missed this one, get it!

Those of you who are NOT fans, the basic idea behind MST3K is this guy Joel (or Mike in later episodes) and two robots (that he made) have to watch really bad movies while they're stuck in space. To survive this awful experience, the three heckle the films, turning some merely awful movies into wonderfully awful. If you like to shout insults at the screen while watching movies, you will like MST3K!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: beyond bad
Review: alright--this was a present, and having seen numerous episodes of the series, this one takes the cake for being the worse. we watched it through tears, and had to rearrange our top ten worse movies that MST3 had to sit through, with this one taking the top position. The next nine were: Puma Man (2), Time Chasers (3), Jack Frost (4), Squirm (5), Horrors of Spider Island (6), Giant Spider Invasion (7), Godzilla vs. Megalon (8), Santa Claus conqures the Martians (9), and the Pod People (10). These were bad and at times had no plot, but at least they had plots at times. Manos was humorous in that you could walk in at any point and sit down, there was no threat of losing the plot. This one is designated for the keeper shelf, especially when having a hard time falling asleep at night--this will either put you out or have your attention.


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