Rating: 
Summary: Another great collection from the funniest show ever on TV
Review: Although many of us are still wishing for Rhino Video to release more episodes from the Comedy Central era, these are four strong episodes nonetheless that any fan of the show will enjoy. Especially strong are Space Mutiny and Girl In Gold Boots. Space Mutiny stars Cameron Mitchell and for some reason his real life daughter along with some beefy no-name as the hero. The stock footage of the space ship battles is from Battlestar Galactica, so that tells you how much effort and money went into this hilarious attempt at "space opera". The acting and action sequences will have you rolling on the floor in spasms of laughter. For example, the climactic chase in the odd little golf cart-type vehicles at the end of the film will make your eyes water it is so goofy. Girl In Gold Boots is from one of the kings of grade-Z movies, Ted Mikels (of Astro Zombies fame), and is surpisingly good for him, but is nevertheless great fodder for Mike and the 'Bots, who proceed to find humor in all of the crazy 60's characters and issues in the film. The other episodes include a German version of Hamlet. Since Shakespeare is one of head-writer Mike Nelson's great loves, it's loads of fun hearing him unleash his wit on this botched version of what may be the greatest play ever written. Finally, Overdrawn At The Memory Bank is a low-budget PBS version of a story by SF writer John Varley. Raul Julia's always adequate acting ability cannot save this film from everything else in it that is just plain wrong. The host segments making fun of PBS pledge drives are some of the best from the Sci-Fi Channel episodes of MST3K. I personally enjoyed all of these episodes and purchased this DVD set as soon as it became available. Note that this set, unlike other Rhino MST3K releases, contains some new commentary by Michael J. Nelson. Now, Rhino Video, please hear my pleas and release more Comedy Central episodes, especially those for which you already own the movie rights, like Teenagers From Outerspace or Giant Gila Monster. How about some Robert Lippert film episodes, like Rocketship X-M, King Dinosaur or Lost Continent? We want them now!
Rating:
Summary: Thanks for any MST3K releases............
Review: but how about Wild Rebels, Ring of Terror, Daddy-O, Earth vs The Spider, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Attack of the the Eye Creatures, Teenagers From Outer Space, and more shorts? Why not include commercials, Turkey Day bumpers, convention highlights, etc. as special features?<
Rating: 
Summary: I waited for this?
Review: After months of patient waiting for volume 4, I simply can't believe that Rhino would do this to us. After years of watching the same episodes OVER AND OVER AND OVER on Scifi every Saturday morning, they actually release four of those same episodes. Heck, I just watched "Girl in Gold Boots" THIS SATURDAY, and I'm sure some of you did too! I'm afraid that I'm just going to have to wait for the next collection and hope for the best... I just can't see spending the $ on this collection.
Rating:
Summary: Any day that an MST3K collection is released....
Review: ...is a good day. A show this creative should live on forever on tape or DVD. Unfortunately, due to rights issues with the underlying movies, MST3K is likely to disappear forever in January. Until that time, we have 4 more episodes to preserve for posterity, and to demonstrate to Rhino that there is an audience for this show. "Hamlet". An underrated show, and a good candidate for DVD-hood. Mike and the 'bots win a game of 3 card monte and get to select their film. They choose "Hamlet" but let Pearl decide WHICH adaptation. Instead of Kenneth Branagh's 1996 version or Zeffirelli's 1990 interpretation, they get to watch this poorly-dubbed German made-for-TV slice of warm pork. "Space Mutiny". Made in the one country not subjected to endless reruns of "Battlestar Galactica" - South Africa. What to do? Why , reuse the BG opticals in the bizarre space drama. The film can be summarized as follows: Our hero, Big McLargeHuge, does something in a spaceship that is made of brick walls and boiler rooms. "The Girl With Gold Boots". A film made when Manson walked the streets. The less said about this one the better. "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank". The kind of film your parents thought would be ok to watch since it was produced by PBS. It even has that flat videotaped "made in the UK" look about it. Little did your folks realize that making kids watch this awful Raul Julia vehicle is tantamount to child endangerment. The film itself is a futuristic "Casablanca" something-or-other. Oh, and it's hilarious! In conclusion: buy this collection, even if these experiments aren't your favorites. Create demand for old MST3K episodes so that others might be released in the future. Supplies are really limited, so act now!
Rating: 
Summary: Some of my favorite episodes ever...
Review: I knew there would be at least a few reviews that dismissed the SciFi era in favor of the Comedy Central years. The arguments seem to center around the host segments, which, in my opinion, are hardly the most important part of the show. Yes, one gets to feel some attachment to the characters, but the premise of MST3K is people making fun of bad movies, and in my opinion the SciFi era represents the pinnacle of Best Brains' comic writing. First, I must admit that I didn't have Comedy Central until the ascendancy of South Park forced my cable provider to add it. We did, however, have the SciFi channel, for whatever reason. So I had to wait until the SciFi channel picked up MST3K before I could watch the show. So my association with MST3K consists primarily of these three years, though I have watched a number of the CC-era episodes now. There are really two different periods. Joel and Mike offered two kinds of humor. Joel--sleepy-eyed, laid-back Joel--was capable of the most intellectual, wise commentary, but it was generally reserved for the host segments. The skewering of the films was relatively friendly--even when the film was as punishing as "Manos: the Hands of Fate." Joel was the class clown who made fun of the teacher's presentation, but in a way that let the teacher know he didn't really mean any harm. The pop culture references in the Joel era tended to be somewhat dated and very geared toward a baby-boomer audience. But the "Mike" era changed that. Slowly, by degrees, the commentary began to sharpen to a razor edge. The references became more contemporary. The sarcasm was amped up, and this was probably what turned a lot of former MSTies off. The films were no longer joshed; they were skewered. Where Joel and the 'bots would often spend much of their time pretending to be characters making stupid or goofy remarks--essentially, allowing themselves to be drawn into the film, crappy as it was--Mike and the 'bots tended to comment more broadly on the action, the plot, the actors and the production values. This type of humor was much more appealing to me. My point of all this is that the whole Joel/Mike debates are not only divisive but pointless. The two hosts--and the eras they hosted--offer two arguably different senses of humor, and many people will prefer one or the other. But I think it's unfair to demand that Rhino produce DVDs from one era over another. I've been waiting for some SciFi-era DVDs for a long time, and these represent a tiny fraction of the DVDs published to date. Now, as for the episodes themselves--I must admit, "Hamlet" and "The Girl With the Golden Boots" are not two I would have chosen for the DVD. That said, both are amusing. But the real meat of this set are "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" and "Space Mutiny." The former is a movie, made for public television, that inexplicably stars Raul Julia. It is very, very bad, and yet, watching it, one can't help but notice that it has a lot in common with "The Matrix." Both films deal with a world where computers control everything and a single programmer who must fight back; and both films are bad. (Ooh, that's going to cost me some "helpfuls"). But "Space Mutiny"...ah, Space Mutiny. So perfect. So unbelievably amusing. It's one of those films that must have written itself in the MST3K office. My favorite line: when the villain attempts to escape in what appears to be a cherried-out golf cart, and the heroes quickly board another one to give chase, Mike notes, "You could walk on your hands and catch up to the guy!" Personally I hope for more SciFi era releases..."Riding With Death," would be wonderful, as would "It Lives by Night" and the two Japanese superhero films, "Invasion of the Neptune Men" and "Prince of Space."
Rating:
Summary: A Wonderful Set from the Sci-Fi Years
Review: I am excited to see releases from the Sci-Fi era. Some of my favorite episodes of the series are from the Sci-Fi period. Pearl, while not the same as Dr. F and Frank, has some great moments. The only change I would have wanted to see for this release would have been the release of "Jack Frost" or "Soul Taker" as the forth episode instead of "Hamlet."
Rating:
Summary: Rhino has done it again!!!
Review: It's great they're releasing the Sci-Fi eps,but I hope they'll continue to release the Comedy Central eps as well...I love these eps on this box set,though Hamlet is probably the weakest one of the bunch,but I'm not not saying it's bad either!! There are some good quips in it...I love the packaging,too! Rhino if you're reading this,please,please,please release the Comedy Central eps,like the more obscure eps.....How about some extras like interviews of the cast and such?? Maybe some trivia about the movie and things like that?Just a thought.Other than that,looks great!! Keep up the superb job!!!!!
Rating:
Summary: Anything MST is great, but please release Comedy Central eps
Review: The vast majority of fans prefer the Comedy Central years. As an occasional thing, it's certainly fine to throw in some Sci Fi episodes. But, I certainly hope the bulk of the remaining episodes to be released by Rhino come from the Comedy Central years. It is unquestionably the show's finest era as reflected by critical and fan response alike. The main problem with the Sci Fi era? Mary Jo Pehl's horrifying Pearl character ruined the host segments. There is not one enjoyable or humorous element to her performance. It's such a shame given the enormous talent of the other cast members. Mike, Kevin and Bill are absolutely brilliant. But, Trace and Frank are sorely missed. These particular episodes are a faily good selection from a flawed era: Space Mutiny: one of the best Sci Fi episodes. The buff "hero" has got to be one of the most laughable leads in MST history. Girl in the Gold Boots: A very good episode, featuring a hilarious skit that features Mike mocking a horrible song from the film. Overdrawn at the Memory Bank: This is one of my Top 3 favorite episodes of the Sci Fi era (along with Track of the Moonbeast and Merlin's Mystical Shop of Wonders). Horrible skits with Pearl (as is always the case when she's involved in a host segment), but the theater segments are top notch. Hamlet: Very disappointing. One of the rare episodes that fails both in the theater and during the skits. This is one of the weakest episodes of the entire series. So, let me reiterate: this is the best show of all time. Mike Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy are brilliant, brilliant, brilliant and I love their work. But, it would be a travesty if the fantastic work of Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu and Frank Conniff are ignored in favor of a far weaker era featuring the excruciatingly bad performance of Mary Jo Pehl as Pearl. So, thanks Rhino for MST. But, please...focus on the Comedy Central years. Here are some suggestions: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians, Santa Claus, Master Ninja I and II, Warrior of the Lost World, Attack of the Eye Creatures, Village of the Giants, Outlaw, High School Bigshot, San Francisco International, Time of the Apes, Gamera vs. Zigra and The Magic Sword.
Rating:
Summary: The rating is not jsut for the episodes ....
Review: It's great to see more later season MST3K appearing on DVD. I have them taped off the TV but it's just not the same. I also am happy to see they're releasing totally new episodes, as opposed to releasing DVD's of those shows they already put on tape. The episodes themselves are mixed. "Space Mutiny" is hilarious! Why did anyone let them use the Battlestar Galactia shots? Probably one of the gang's funniest rips though. "Girl in Gold Boots" (while not sci-fi) is equally funny. My favorite sign is Tom Servo's comment at the beginning that "shouldn't we be in individual booths to watch this movie?" Beautiful. I've only seen the Hamlet episode once and wasn't too impressed and "Overdrawn at the Memory Bank" is some mess Raul Julia made that seems like a low budget conglomeration of Casablanca with Tron. Still, this is wonderful and the first two episodes alone are worth it for me.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Rhino MST3K Release!
Review: How could any self-respecting MST3K fan complain about these great RHINO collections. Here we are getting 4 complete episodes of one of the most unique TV Series in history. I must say that with Rhino VHS I've been disappointed twice with the quality of the tapes. Most seemed to have minor defects. However, with the DVD releases (I have all but about 2) the quality is very good. Indeed, Rhino's best release must be the MANOS/Poopie Reel DVD. Perhaps MST3K's most beloved episode with a blooper reel that'll make non-fans FANS! The episodes here are a mixed bag IMO. I love SPACE MUNTINY and would buy this collection for it alone. Did they just lease Battlestar Galactica's special effects? How stupid can you get? This flick makes ICE PIRATES look like 2001: A Space Odyssey. (Although I quite like ICE PIRATES and would love it on DVD...but you know what I mean) At the other end we have HAMLET. This episode bores me to sleep. I'll try it again when this arrives. Not MST3K's worst but not a personal favorite of mine either. A close second to SPACE MUTINY is OVERDRAWN AT THE MEMORY BANK. It's been a while since I've sat down and watched it. Oddly, the movie is actually okay. Raul Julia makes it tolerable. Mike & The Bots make it a blast for 90 minutes! Finally, GIRL IN GOLD BOOTS which barely passes Sci-Fi Channel's requirements for a Sci-Fi/Horror film (there's a haunted house ride in it and a funny scene with missing film frames so an actor just sort of pops back in to the conversation :) ). I'm glad they took the chance. It brings back memories of the Comedy Central years. I miss films like TEENAGE STRANGLER, DADDY-O and all those great shorts like MR. B NATURAL and the one about train crossings ("Oh, why don't they look?"). The only down side I can see is that I already have great copies of these on VHS (3 or more of each, actually...fanboy). But there are so many of the pre Sci-Fi Channel episodes that I badly want on DVD. Still...this shows that Rhino is dedicated to bringing MST3K FANS what we want. MST3K DVDs!!! For that we are all grateful.
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