MST3K (103)
103 - The Mad Monster (w/ Radar Men from the Moon, Chapter Two: Molten Terror) - I like bad movies. I have a book autographed by Lloyd Kaufman. I own the Leprechaun box set. As far as I'm concerned, there is only one unforgivable movie sin: making a boring movie. If that's the moral metric, this film is burning in the seventh circle of Hell right about now. Crow accurately summed the picture up: "plodding." Perhaps they were in a rush to capitalize on the previous year's hit, The Wolf Man, but what they ended up producing gives She-Wolf of London a run for its money for worst werewolf film ever made.
Even if the riffing were up to par -- and it's not; too much silence -- I don't think JatB could've saved this one. This is probably just a bad choice for the show. Two of the host segments are also repeats, using recycled KTMA material. I guess that answers my question from 101: they did not think this was a continuation of that series. The remaining host segments, luckily, are quite good. I think Crow looks great with Servo's body. And, I love the host segments in which the bots question their father figure about the confusing aspects of the movie they're watching. If a werewolf changes back into a human while eating people, is he a cannibal? Great questions.
Servo: "If they would've shown him diving out of the way last time, I wouldn't have spent the week worrying about him." I've always wondered about the famous serial cliffhanger copouts. Now I know: they just make stuff up to get the hero out of the impossible jam from the previous episode. I still think Commando Trashcan Head is cool. Molten lava rushing down the cave at him? How can he possible survive this time?
I do have to get behind the Mad Monster scientist's original idea. The man wants to create an army of werewolves to fight Nazis in WWII. That is friggin' brilliant. If someone wants to film that movie or make that video game, I am first in line. (5/10)
film d. Sam Newfield (1942)
short d. Fred C. Brannon (1952)
mst p. Jim Mallon (16 Dec 1989?)
