Decent movies.

[TarlCabot]

Even though 90% of the "films" featured on MST3K aren't worth the celluloid they're printed on, there are the occasional few that you say to yourself, "Say, that really wasn't that bad of a movie.", the kind of movie you might see on the Saturday morning matinee. Nothing great, just....ok. Not bad, but not great.

Here's my list:

First Spaceship on Venus(211): While occasionally slow, it looks like it had a pretty good budget (for an MST film), the sets are pretty cool, the acting isn't that bad, and, as Crow said: "I liked the international flair and it had a lot of action." A good example of late-50's sci-fi.

Stranded in Space(305): Though the episode isn't memorable, it's due to the movie being mediocre. Glenn Corbett does very well in this pilot episode of the failed show "The Stranger". It's kind of like a sub-par "The Fugitive". If it were done just a little bit better, I could find myself watching it every week. The concept behind it is pretty cool and the action near the end is enjoyable.

Master Ninja(aka "The Master", 322, 324): While Timothy can get a bit annoying, I like chemistry between him and Lee. And, compared to the majority of the other movies shown during the series, "The Master" is pretty good. It can get a little goofy at times, but that makes it fun. I'd readily watch the unMSTed movie(s).

Space Travelers(aka "Marooned", 401): A no-brainer. This Academy Award winning movie starring Gregory Peck, Richard Crenna, David Janssen, Gene Hackman, etc. is one the best(I use that term loosely) movies shown on MST3K. The Brains also apparently enjoyed it. They referenced it several times in earlier episodes (most notably when, at the end of Rocketship X-M, Joel asks why the Mads just didn't send "Marooned" and their reply is "we couldn't get the rights"). Overall, this movie is very enjoable with a solid performance from Peck, and the superb work of Gene Hackman(after all, he's good in everything). On it's own, it's a pretty good movie.

The Magic Sword(411): All I need to do is quote from the ACEG: "...this is actually a pretty good movie. The effects are fun - the two headed dragon, for instance - and it's got a sense of humor." I tend to agree.

The Rebel Set(419): An enjoyable caper film starring the great Edward Platt. While not a good movie, per se, it is pretty enjoyable on it's own. Joel and the bots riffing on it is just an added plus.

The Day the Earth Froze(422): Beautiful cinematography, and an apparently huge budget and very well made. This Russo-Finnish movie is probably really, really good in it's original Russo-Finnish form. It unfortunatly just comes off as incredibly goofy and badly edited in the American dubbed version. The best (and probably least goofy) of the 4 Russo-Finnish movies on MST3K.

San Francisco Int'l(614): If it were made just a little better, it'd be very fun to watch. Kind of like LAX.

So, what movies on MST3K do you think weren't that bad?

[Phantom Engineer]

I disagree about the merits of Master Ninja but I think Tormented is a decent B movie. The "special effects" are not good but it does have at least one effective scene in the wedding scene when Vi'is ghost walks down the isle and the flowers wilt behind her. A cheap effect but it works. It is absolutely a "B" movie but it's not terrible.

[Dave Walker]

I'll disagree with your mention of The Rebel Set, I find it very weak. But, no mention of the The Sword and the Dragon surprises me. Regardless of the goofiness, I think they did a decent job in that one.

[Udvarnoky]

I know that This Island Earth, Devil Doll, Time Chasers, and Squirm are considered reasonably good in certain cult circles. I would point out the Green Slime but when the pilot was made the concept of featuring bad movies probably hadn't even been established yet.

But as I've said a few times before, the unfair nature of MST3K's heckling sort of renders the quality of the movie almost beside the point. I'm partial to the "old B movie" trademark that the series is known for, but I believe (though few others share my opinion) that the show would be equally funny if classic films were showcased. Whether the movie exhibited is bad or good, we know going in that it's going to be edited and ravaged anyway, so we put the notion of seeing the movie as it was intended aside and enjoy MST3K for what it is: unabashed mockery.

I don't want my view to be misread, though. I do believe every movie shown during the show's ten season run is bad, most relentlessly so. I'm just saying that the general concept of the show is not something that comes directly from the badness level of the movie in question. The movies are sort of the guinea pigs (most of them deserving of the role) on which the Brains can hang their jokes, and as all MSTies know, that's a technique that is highly successful, brilliant, and damned funny. The writing is the main reason for that.

[snoozer328]

Time Chasers wasn't that bad of a movie, IMO. I thought for a low budget feature, they did an okay job with it.

[Phantom Engineer]

snoozer328 said:

Time Chasers wasn't that bad of a movie, IMO. I thought for a low budget feature, they did an okay job with it.

There's really nothing wrong with the idea of Time Chasers but the casting, acting and execution of the thing sinks it. I'm sorry but I can't consider it a "decent" film.

[TarlCabot]

Well...Time Chasers...it's an interesting concept...but conbined with the bad guy's goofiness, the good guy's unappealingness, and everyone else's horrid acting....I'd say...hmmm...tough call. Sort of a borderline movie.

It's an ok movie. I guess. If the filmakers had a few thousand more bucks, the movie would've probably been much more watchable.

[Phantom Engineer]

TarlCabot said:

Well...Time Chasers...it's an interesting concept...but conbined with the bad guy's goofiness, the good guy's unappealingness, and everyone else's horrid acting....I'd say...hmmm...tough call. Sort of a borderline movie.

It's an ok movie. I guess. If the filmakers had a few thousand more bucks, the movie would've probably been much more watchable.

Maybe they could have afforded real actors.
Remember, when making a movie always hire real actors.

[Jack Burton]

I was a teenage werewolf is a classic grade B horror flick. A lot of season 8 flicks were decent enough (for the time) flicks, but lend themselves perfectly to MSTing. Like Revenge of the Creature, Mole People, and Leech Woman, the effects are cheesy but fun, but Id rather see the MST version of all of them anyday. Also the Mamie Van Doren flicks Untamed Youth and Girls Town are fun, cuz well they have Mamie's Mammories. Heres a list of MST movies, I can actually say I like:

Corpse Vanishes (I'm a Lugosi buff)
Amazing Colossal Man (It's a giant dude stomping on stuff whats not to like)
War of the Colossal Beast (see above)
Bride of the Monster (the Ed Wood lover in me)
Brain that Wouldnt Die (its like frankenhooker before there was a frankenhooker)
Girls Town
Violent Years (Ed Wood)
and Hobgoblins (KIDDING JUST KIDDING!!!)

[XerxesTheCat]

SST Death Flight was pretty good. It was kind of like Airplane! but without the comic feel, which was only coming from Joel and the bots.

[Slick's ghost]

I Accuse my Parents is dumb, but pretty well made and well meant. The acting is good, there are likeable folk. If anything, it's a trifle boring.

The Gunslinger never made me want to cringe.

ummm....this is hard.

I liked the rebel set okay, but SF international was laaame. It was almost as lifeless as Code Name: Diamond Head.

It Conquered the World was interesting and had strong performances. The monster was silly, but otherwise a decent movie.

I dunno about Master Ninja. The sword fights were well done, though.

Operation Double 007 would be okay if it had a plot.

High school Bigshot was well plotted and executed, but depressing.

That's all I got.

[Reuisu]

I've always defended "It Conquered the World," despite the goofy monster. ^_^ I love the strong acting and the philosophy involved in it.

Oh, I also really enjoyed both "I Accuse My Parents" and "The Beatniks," despite the total lack of Beatniks (I hate real Beatniks. Existential morons... *Is pelted by Beatnik lovers*)

[yousonuva]

Well for me the thing with Timechasers is that I watched it a bunch of times unmistied when they were showing it all over the pay stations and I was filling in the lines from the show and somehow fell in love with the dumb little movie and the reason it became my favorite ep. But it wasn't a bad movie at all really (as TarlCabot said, it needed more money and time) and the locales (VT) were quite beautiful.

Squirm; just watched that ep last night. Not all that bad of a movie. Not great or anything but can be a fun way to spend 2 hours.

Devil Doll is ok. Haliday is a decent actor and dolls are creepy, esp Hugo although it's hard to see it now that Mike and comp. ripped the movie apart.

I like Jack Frost. Good kids movie. If I were 10 or so I'd be really into this one and it really is just intended for kids.

Parts had a pretty good story but everything else failed. Can't really say it's a good movie but it could've been.

Girls Town is a good movie. It just has horrible moral messages that aren't at all clear.

Also for some damn reason I kind of like Sidehackers. I like the acting especially. I thought it was quite well acted. So sue me.

[Melting Manos]

The ONLY one I will even consider is Jack Frost. It was well shot, had a decent story that sort of made sense, and would be a good one for the Finnish kiddies. Other than that I think every other movie they have done that I've seen was terrible.

[Vlad89]

Manos said:

The ONLY one I will even consider is Jack Frost. It was well shot, had a decent story that sort of made sense, and would be a good one for the Finnish kiddies. Other than that I think every other movie they have done that I've seen was terrible.

This movie isn't Finnish, it's Russian! So are "Magic Voyage of Sinbad" and "The Sword and The Dragon". "The Day The Earth Froze" is a Russo-Finnish movie.