Ok, so I wanted to make a place to air out thoughts for “Robot Wars”.
What worked, what needs a little love, and what might not have worked for you.
I thought the pacing was much better in terms of how they utilized the ads and intermission countdown.
The audio levels, at least for me (using Roku), seemed to be a better mix then 1301. The riffs were still a bit louder, but better than last time.
They seemed to also hear the feedback in regards to the Mads background plate being tinted purple to better match the footage of Max and Kinga.
The compositing still needs a bit of love.
What else?
If you have a criticism, please remember to be constructive- it’s okay to say you think something wasn’t perfect, but let’s respect the hard work people have done.
Well, looks like I have a new least favorite episode of the reboot, next to Mac and Me. So disappointing after I enjoyed Santo so much. The movie was just a black hole of nothingness that I couldn’t even get interested in enough to enjoy the riffing.
Technically, I don’t think there was anything wrong - it was just an unriffable movie for me.
After I saw the concept art of Crow’s Robot Wars outfit, I feel like I just jinxed myself.
Welcome, Emily! See you in Beyond Atlantis!!!.. I hope.
Oh, and I briefly saw @themwaverly’s hand while Crow and Servo were fighting. That doesn’t mean I was bothered about the fact that there are times when parts of the puppeteers’re shown.
The cons:
Audio sync errors (but things got better afterwards)
Growler and Waverly still didn’t show up yet… lightly face slams on the desk At least they’re mentioned.
Some of the production quality bothers me still but it’s understandable. Mostly the audio and lighting for the Mads. I wonder if they have tried a de-verb plugin to try and get rid of some of the room noise. Other than that I love love love the first two eps.
The writing was really sharp and they really nailed both the host segments and riffing. As much as I love the classic episodes and being able to recall the riffs that I love, I think I’m realizing that my favorite episode of Mystery Science Theater is a new episode watched with folks, like we do here on the forum. Where we can enjoy it together at the same time and be surprised by things and come up with our own jokes together.
I love this. While there have been some Gizmoplex growing pains in the prelaunch period, I think this is shaping up to be a new golden age of the show in a way that the Netflix era of asynchronous feast or famine really couldn’t be.
The worst reboot episode of all 3 seasons. I only laughed at the end skit. Not a single piece of amusement anywhere else in it for me. I found the similar themed ‘Atlantic Rim’ far more enjoyable, and it’s low on my list of reboot episodes. Robot Wars was a combination of ‘Jokes aren’t funny/movie is painfully flat and boring.’’ A Rim’ is spectacularly bad, which makes it stupidly amusing on its own, and I recall being amused by the riffing at times, though they had much stronger efforts in most of the other episodes. And the riffing for R Wars was just so repetitive and ‘meh’. Yes, Drake is repellent. Now give me something else to try and laugh at.
On the plus side I am lightening my original somewhat harsh review of Santo. A far sillier movie with a slow 2nd act (the retelling of Stoker’s Dracula), but it’s a deliciously absurd first, third ,and fourth act. And the humor was far better than this. I will rewatch that one and will probably enjoy it more than the first viewing. Robot Wars… I legit doubt I’ll ever bother watching it again. I have zero interest in doing so.
Ah, 90’s era Full Moon. Back when they had a budget higher than $1.25 found in the couch cushions. They ruled the video store with an iron(?) grip.
The movie itself is no Robot Jox. It’s like one of those Amittyvile movies that just borrow the name for a disconnected plot. Like Amittyvile Werewolf or Amittyvile Malt Liquor. The main characters range from forgettable to obnoxious. Still, Jonah and the bots gave it their all with this stinker.
I really loved it! I snorted tea through my nose laughing at just a really simple riff where the dude peeks over a hill and Tom yells “Wahkini” like a Jawa
Good episode, I was glad to see the “lighting” in the Mads sequences adjusted. The chemistry with the Mads felt better too since it wasn’t just hyping the Gizmoplex. Felicia and Patton are a great duo so I figured it wouldn’t take long to get back to normal there. The movie itself was harder to get traction with after the…experience that was Santo, but I laughed quite a bit.
I would still like to see the opening back to the format of seasons 1-10 but I don’t think it’s on the table for this season, and I can accept that.
It feels like everything is trending in a good direction. I’m excited for 1303!
The movie is right in my sweet spot of not so much bad, just really, really stupid. And I’m a sucker for any sci-fi riffing. The host segments were really strong, and I laughed out loud at a lot of the riffs. I enjoyed Santo, but can already tell I’m going to be revisiting this one more.
That was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to rewatch it when I’m less sleepy, but it was a very surreal episode. It felt so '90s in so many ways, not just that sketch. It’s weird to watch a show I watched in the '90s that is now referencing the '90s. It feels great to see. The show feels provocative and bespoke.
As for suggestions to make it feel like more of a special event for everyone, what if you had people send in a quick 10 second clip introducing themselves, saying where they are watching from, etc… and you pick a handful of them at breaks or intermission to show? Or ask viewers questions during intermissions and then show the answers later or at the end of the broadcast.
Enjoyed Robot Wars
(Lisa Rinna, WOW her lips were big back then too)
Audio was off sync (, I know they know so I won’t beat a dead horse. )
Thank you for MST3K, I love looking forward to new live shows . It’s weird that I can’t pause the show, reminds me of when I was a child and only going to the bathroom during intermission.
I loved it! I heard some of my favorite riffs from other episodes and Jonah and the bots were still having fun and making me laugh during the breaks. I can’t wait to watch this one again!
Fair enough. We all have different sensibilities. I think it’s always been thus that someone’s least favorite episode is someone else’s greatest episode ever. Sampo’s Law remains true.
I can see this episode being one of those that everyone in MSTiedom loves, but I don’t really care about. (Don’t @ me - Werewolf and Time Chasers are two of my least favorite episodes) It had good parts, but the over the top Top Gun “hero” was just too much. I try to ignore those things and enjoy the riffs - and there were many - but this isn’t hitting me as having one with replay value.
The sound levels were better, and much more consistent, but the movie just gnawed and gnawed. There must be something about more recent movies that doesn’t resonate with me.
Then again, contact me in a few months but 1302 didn’t entertain me as much as 1301 did.
