Time for the Round 4 showdown to commence with a Supernatural Summer theme for the Vault Picks this month!
With six classic episodes entering the fray this June, we have an even division of Joel episodes and Mike episodes. The voting this round presents a difficult decision, but decide you must! Which installment do you favor above the others? Which episode stands out as the funniest? Whose cuisine will reign supreme?!
Hey @SuperCutie - looking at the descriptions of the new vault picks, the Synthiaās selects portion of Quest Of The Delta Knights involves that orange cyclops 'bot you like.
The Magic Sword. My second-favorite Joel episode ever. Burnt Eye is pretty good in the Kiddie genre, plus we get Basil Rathbone, the bots in their dog costumes, AND āOde To Estelle.ā
Merlinās Shop of Mystical Wonders is occasionally my number one episode ever. So many riffs that get me every single time. Iād love to see MST3K take on more failed sci-fi/fantasy anthology shows.
Cave Dwellers. In a sane world nothing else is even close. This movie is ridiculously bad while at the same time maintaining a basic watchability. The riffs and host segments are top notch. This is a movie I still use as an āintroductionā to MST3K for newbies because it so perfectly exemplifies what the show is really all about ā¦ I.E. hilarious jokes poking fun at a bad movie. Episode gets 9 out of 10.
The Magic Voyage of Sinbad. This movie holds a soft spot for me as it is part of the Russo-Finnish clump, and those are all excellent MST episodes (Day the Earth Froze is top 10 of all time). Sinbad isnāt quite the romp that Day the Earth Froze is, but it is a solid outing with some memorable riffs and bits. 6.5 out of 10.
The Magic Sword. Another ābad but not BADā movie that has decent production values, scripting, and acting but has some silliness and bad effects that weigh it down. Solid riffs and host segments. Good episode but not great. 6 out of 10.
Deathstalker & the Warriors from Heck. A slight step down from Magic Sword in movie quality, but having equal levels of corn. Saxon makes about the least threatening bad guy around, but there he is. Movie just kind of ends. Decent riffs. Above average 5.5 out of 10.
Quest of the Delta Knights. Low budget 90s schlock with very little going for it. Unheroic āprotagonistā with forgettable Obi-Wan and low importance sidekicks in Leonardo and Princess Cleavage. Indiana Jones ending where nothing the āheroesā did mattered and they could have just let Bat-Head find the place and gone drinking. Mediocre riffs and host segments. Average 5 out of 10.
Merlinās Shop of Incoherent Boredom. Spliced together nonsense with creepy 1st half and dumb finale. Borgnine is no Peter Falk Princess Bride ripoff cuts to try and piece together this pile of poo. Riffs arenāt ābadā but arenāt memorable either. Below average episode. 4 out of 10.
First off: This is a very strong collection! Props to whoever selects them for making such a fantastic set of episodes!
My vote goes to Cave Dwellers. So many reasons, but the top has to be because you get this sense that MST3K has truly arrived. 212 started the Modern Era (Joelās Maroon jumpsuit), but with 301, they now know exactly who they are and how to approach what they do. Having a real gift of a movie definitely helps!
While Iām here: I want to shoutout to The Magic Voyage of Sinbad for being such a visual treat (Just adore the Russo-Finnish movies) and Quest of the Delta Knights because it features Pearl in the theater!
I canāt choose! Donāt make me choose!