MST3K (201)

201 - Rocketship X-M - Though it dragged a little in spots, this wasn't a bad 50s sci-fi film at all. In fact, this has got to be one of the first "fear of nuclear war" films ever made. This isn't too surprising, as the Soviet Union had tested their first nuke the year prior. Still, this film beat Godzilla by four years… and that was made by the only country to ever suffer from those weapons.

I liked the bummer ending. For this era of genre filmmaking, it was especially surprising. You'd never see Commando Cody running out of fuel and exploding on the ground.

Mike Nelson's first onscreen appearance was also the funniest host segment yet. His Valaria accent was dead-on. Doug Warren? I was crying tears of laughter during his impression. Plus, this was the first hexfield viewscreen usage. The window shade didn't exactly work, as Mike merely turns off a light when its time to cease communication. I wonder when the iris arrives?

Joel cribs some more KTMA material when he readjusts Servo's voice. That's forgivable, given the cast change. Kevin Murphy doesn't quite sound like himself yet. I think he's trying to do "a voice" in this episode, instead of just speaking. He does a stand-up job with his first time riffing, though.

Ah, MST3K is comfortable, now. This is how my oldest memories of the show are. The set is covered in do-dads and painted gray. TV's Frank is there, dumb as ever and sporting Marlon Brando's hair. The mix of Murphy, Beaulieu and Hodgson's voices in the theater sounds right on the ears. It's all good. (7/10)

film d. Kurt Neumann (1950)
mst p. Jim Mallon (22 Sep 1990)