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Post by waxcylinder on Apr 15, 2017 15:28:47 GMT -5
Just finished EP 1, and signed up for these boards just to comment! Overall, much funnier than I expected (helped to have cautiously low expectations.) Consistent enough with the original for me, and the new elements were not too off-putting. What a great, weird choice for a first movie! and a callback to the giant monster movies from the early seasons. The riffing is definitely more packed in; I didn't have the experience some mentioned of feeling that the jokes came too soon, but I agree there were sometimes too many to really register. Maybe this will add to the Netflix rewatchability. I would say it's closer to the Mike-era episodes...more joke-heavy with the riffing. Less character-based humor, especially with the bots not having really distinct personalities as many have mentioned. Including the bumpers without commercials is kind of weird... maybe this allows the movie to be trimmed less noticably? I thought the rap host segment was OK, loved seeing the letters from viewers again (were they real letters?) Servo flying around is not my favorite, but seems like a definite Joel idea, also Gypsy's different personality will take some getting used to. Looking forward to watching EP 2!
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Post by mrmeadows on Apr 15, 2017 15:40:35 GMT -5
Welcome, waxcylinder! If you liked the first ep, I think you're in for a treat. This one was good, but there are even stronger ones ahead.
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Post by brandonakaxerxes on Apr 15, 2017 18:51:20 GMT -5
Another minor quibble. Anyone else kinda disappointed by Cambot's new design? He's basically just a studio light. Lame!
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Post by CrowTrobotfan92 on Apr 15, 2017 19:47:34 GMT -5
Ok, so first thing's first I'm going to say this.
This was actually a really terrific start for the new series. I really found myself laughing a lot in this one! My only complaints so far are the new voices for the characters (but I'm sure I'll get used to them eventually), and how the doorway sequence, while I've noticed they have different objects on both sides in each hall, are just the same door with different numbers that slide left to right.... lame.
But, the riffing in this one was really funny. I liked the jokes about Pixar, the Nickelodeon kid's choice awards, Thomas the Tank Engine and the monster needing a "safe space"; those had me dying.
Servo flying I will say on another note seemed kind of.... weird. I'm expecting that to be a running gag throughout the new show. I also liked the rap song in the second host segment.
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Post by kmorgan on Apr 15, 2017 22:15:42 GMT -5
I haven't read the other comments yet. Personally, I thought it was a good start.
I'd seen "Reptilicus" before, so I knew it was perfect riff fodder. I mean, a movie where the monster pretty much pukes people to death? And let's not get into the Jack Elam lookalike's "comedy".
The riffing was fine, though I'm not used to the new crew's voices, and the jokes were a bit too fast. I think they'll develop a better pace in later episodes. The host segments were good, and the song was catchy. I liked the return of fan letters and the Invention Exchange, but I missed the closing TWAAAAAAAANG at the end of the closing theme. It was a good choice to get the set-up for the new plot done right off the top as quickly as possible, and I liked the cameos by Wil Wheaton and Erin Gray. And I'm glad they stayed with a relatively low-tech look for the show.
I think the riff I laughed at the most was when the monster pukes up the green gunk at the beach, and we hear, "You can't do that on television!" I miss that show.
All in all, I think it was a good opening. Things still need some tweaking here and there, but I'm hopeful.
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Post by mylungswereaching on Apr 16, 2017 20:49:26 GMT -5
I really enjoyed the first episode. I agree that the riffing was a little fast in many parts but there were enough fall on the floor jokes it was worth it.
I think that the parts I didn't like were compromises needed to get the show on the air. The old show was filmed in an office park they rented with a small crew filming year round. It would be very difficult to film that way and impossible if you want to get well know people to be regulars. So it had to be filmed quickly in a studio where there were a lot of people with the technical skills needed to make the show. It seemed like they had a lot more people working on season 11 then in earlier seasons. They had to replace the hand built sets that I loved with cheesy and boring digital sets. But it wouldn't feel right if the new sets looked too polished.
I don't like the faster paced riffs as much but a lot of that has to do with the fact that they weren't in the same room when the wrote the script and they had to film it quickly. They didn't have the time to practice. I'd bet they did a quick practice run and then went for it.
I'm sure they'll look at the feedback, make a few minor adjustments and do better in season 12.
Overall, I am very pleased with the effort. Trying to make it a carbon copy of the original would have been a mistake. It changed but it still felt like MST3k. I'd rate 1101 as a middle of the pack episode and that's fine by me.
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Post by toddpcwv on Apr 17, 2017 12:15:11 GMT -5
That was explained as Synthia - Pearl's (younger) Clone. I don't get the reasoning for this. Half the time she acts like an idiot, the other half she's robotic. What is she, exactly? And more importantly, WHY?
The actress also does the (horribly flat) voice for Gypsy.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Apr 17, 2017 15:44:30 GMT -5
I had the thought that Bridget would have been a good fit for the new Gypsy - as she has a bubbly, lively voice, and comedic delivery that can sell even a weak quip (see her Rifftrax shorts with Mary Jo)
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Post by mauto on Apr 17, 2017 16:24:21 GMT -5
I watched the first episode on Friday on Netflix and so far so good. I also found the riffing a little too fast, especially towards the end of the movie, as if they all couldn't wait at once to get their riffs out and the voices seem to meld together as one at times, but to be fair, I've also got to get used to Jonah, Baron, and Hampton as well.
Those are probably my biggest complaints, but certainly not show stoppers.
I'll need to re-watch the episode and maybe the riffs will slow down since now I've seen the movie and can concentrate more on the riffs and who's saying them.
I do like the riffs/writing, but I agree with another poster that Felicia needs to ramp down the act a little. She'll probably take the most time for me to get used to. I'd like to see more of Patton also.
I hope to enjoy the rest of the season at least as much as I enjoyed episode one. If that happens, then I'm OK with that.
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Post by Scizor-Mothra on Apr 18, 2017 9:33:18 GMT -5
I'm in love with this revival.
First of all, the choice of a giant monster movie for the first episode sold me right away, and the Kaiju rap is awesomely cheesy (the whole show is, in fact).
Second, I adore the new cast! Felicia Day is a badass, Hampton and Baron are great voices for their respective 'bots, and oh...my... don't even get me started on Jonah.
The only one I don't like is Patton. I can only see him as an evil Koala. But that's my own bias.
And finally, they made a Dragon Quest reference. SOLD!!!!!!!!
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Post by Megalon on Apr 22, 2017 15:45:45 GMT -5
I had two fears going into the relaunch:
(1) The show would no longer be family-friendly. (2) The riffing would no longer be smart, clever, or funny.
After living through the Family Guy and Futurama reboots, which were greatly disappointing, I was DREADING the return of MST3k. Even though I backed the Kickstarter and really WANTED MST3k back, I was pretty sure the final product would be disappointing.
But I was wrong. Reptilicus was funny. Within a few minutes, I was laughing, and the laughs kept coming -- no, not as frequently as the greatest episodes of the past, but frequently enough for me to say, "This is MST3k."
A lot of people are comparing this new season to their favorite seasons of the original show, which hardly seems fair. I'd rather compare it to MST3k at its worst.
(1) Are the host segments at least as good as the Sci-Fi Years (my least favorite)? Yes.
(2) Is the riffing at least as good as Season 1/KTMA (my least favorite)? Yes.
In short, this new season stands toe-to-toe with the original show. I won't know exactly where it ranks until I finish it, but I already know that it's at least as good as Season 1. And that's good enough for me!
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Post by zombiewhacker on May 1, 2017 15:18:27 GMT -5
Incidentally, Turner Classic Movies will be showing the unriffed cut of Reptilicus this week on Thursday May 4th as part of their Creature Feature spotlight. (Revenge of the Creature and Mothra will be shown the same night as well.)
Haven't seen the new MST3K (I don't have a Netflix subscription... yet) but you can bet your bots when I do the MST3K Reptilicus ep will be the first thing I watch!
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Post by gorncaptain on May 5, 2017 1:46:21 GMT -5
If anyone has a hankering for seeing Reptilicus uncut, TCM is airing it at 5 AM Eastern on Friday.
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Post by madisoncarter on Jun 30, 2017 19:23:29 GMT -5
Finally broke down and got Netflix for the show, so will be adding my thoughts as I go through them.
Reptilicus was a decent start. I had forgotten how absolutely cheap-looking the original movie was. How something so amateurish ever got picked up for theatrical release, even during that time period, is astounding.
The new set up is...okay, at this point. I've read it gets better (and I'm already seeing improvement as I'm up to ep 1103 now) but man, no personality at all from almost anyone involved. The jokes are a bit miss to me; the only one I audibly laughed at was the reaction to the tank turning to the camera. I'm also seeing where they're missing things the "old crews" would have worked more with. Petersen is a good example, this is the sort of character that was always given heavy prominence, but not here. I don't even think they notice him disappear from the story halfway through.
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