A few years ago the Brattle Theater in Cambridge, MA had a showing and I was able to go. Prince had passed away a few days before and there’s the riff about the purple lit room being his bedroom. Everyone laughed, then we collectively said “Awww” and some people said “Too soon!” and then we laughed again. Incredible experience.
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Personally, I think the extended version of MST3K: The Movie should go like this: fans owning the DVD copy, combine the original movie with the deleted host segments, and BOOM. We get ourselves a custom-made extended cut of the movie.
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I am only here because of the movie. My friends and I rented it once a month for several months. I bought the blu-ray on Amazon because I loved it so much.
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My husband and I saw it at the tiny Tivoli theater in Denver. And I mean tiny. The room may have sat 30-40 people at a push. But it was a total kick, everyone there had a great time.
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Pretty much the same case here. There was a summer where I watched The Movie™ practically every single day. I rented it from Blockbuster and loved it (there wasn’t a theater around here that carried it), so when I saw that the MST3K Info Club was offering it for sale, I just simply couldn’t resist. And I proceeded to watch the hell out of it.
I’m amazed that I didn’t reduce the tape to ashes.
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It’s beautiful to look at. Content-wise, I’d compare it to a middling episode of the show. Satisfying and funny, with a few flashes of brilliance. Part of the problem is seeing a Mad work with no henchman or comic foil. The other part is that while T.I.E. was/is very dated, it’s not truly terrible in terms of acting, story, or visuals. Unless memory is failing me, there’s just nothing mind-blowingly awful for them to really dig into. It’s just kind of… there.
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This MSTie circulates the tapes. 
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It’s right over there on my Blu-ray shelf.
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I love it too. Always felt it made a great gateway to introduce more people. And “keep it on the road, we’re in The Tubes back here,” kills me every time!
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My aunt and uncle had their first date seeing MST3k: the Movie in theaters! That makes them two of the maybe forty people in Tennessee who knew it existed! I got them the blu-ray edition for Christmas one year and my aunt was so moved. My cousin may owe his very existence to this movie!
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I watched MST3K from its premiere on the Comedy Channel, but when my parents split up I entered into a life without cable television. The last new episode I saw was Warrior of the Lost World. Though the Satellite News told me there had been a personnel change, I didn’t see Mike hosting until The Movie. Eventually there was cable again, but no SciFi Channel, and when I was able to see the show once more, it was just about to be canceled again. It would be another (approximately) forever before I was able to finally see every episode.
All of that is a long way of saying that The Movie was the only MST content I had for the longest time. This Island Mirth, if you will. It remains special to me, and I’m realizing just how exceptionally weird it is that I have a DVD copy that I’ve never opened. I bought it to replace my VHS but I guess I know it so well it’s not been necessary. I should crack it open, because it’s been over 15 years since I’ve seen it, and find out how many of the riffs I still have memorized.
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At the time, that was my opinion. I left the theatre thinking, “That’s a pretty average episode.” This, of course, meant that I loved it.
Over time, though, it has really, really grown on me and become one of my favorites.
This, however, is very true and very unfortunate. Clay without Frank (or Dr. Erhart!), trying for world domination alone? It’s still kind of sad.
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I didn’t get to see it in theaters. I do remember Siskel & Ebert giving it thumbs up. I first saw it when it went to one of the premium cable channels. I had it on tape, then when it became available on the iTunes store I bought it.
I read one of the articles on the movie for last year’s 25th anniversary. One of the points I recall is that This Island Earth had to be cut down because the studio wanted a shorter run time for the movie. That ended up cutting out a key plot point about the attempt to learn more about Exeter leading to the destruction of the mansion.
I saw This Island Earth on its own a long time ago. It’s not terrible as 50s scifi movies go, but there are elements of the plot that are either glossed over or not brought up until near to the end. Not awful but I think below average.
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Every so often I’ll wonder if there’s enough cut footage available from the movie for an extended version.
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There was a fan working on a restored cut of some kind. I even influenced a recreation of the lost “Bootsy Collins” riff by ADRing dialogue from Kevin’s interview during the making-of documentary.
I’m not sure if he ever finished it, but the blu-ray has a bunch of added material regardless, just in poor condition.
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Maaaaaaan
I remember driving down to Milwaukee trying to find the one theater that was playing it for one week, getting lost, and going home without getting to see it.
I remember finally getting to rent it from Blockbuster.
I remember it was the first time I’d seen Mike as host.
I remember how cool it was to see new parts of the SOL, more ambitious action sequences and camera work, and that huge row of theater seats.
I remember having to pause it at the “Normal View” riff because I was laughing so hard I could not breathe.
I remember an English class where we were supposed to do a research essay about a movie, and wanting to do mine on MST3K The Movie, but I couldn’t because I couldn’t find enough reviews to cite as research sources.
I remember finally getting my own copy on VHS.
I remember getting another copy through the fan club so that I could also get a chunk of Deep 13. I still have the chunk, but the second movie went to a cousin who would appreciate it.
Wow. It’s been a long time.
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I’ve come across a few DVD copies at rando flea markets, garage sales, etc. I always buy them, because they’re like a buck. I kept one, of course, and I leave the others with friends or in places where they might be found and enjoyed. I do the same with paperbacks (why are there so many copies of Tarzan and the Ant Men?)
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I found it and Pod People at Blockbuster 20+ years ago. It wasn’t until the internet became more useful that I found more. You can find episodes on YouTube. Even some season zero episodes are there. Haven’t watched any of those yet.
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Not in the Gizmoplex, but YT and Google Play currently rent it for $2. And we have the link handily posted above. You’ve never seen it. I’ll bet you’re not alone in that. You want to watch it with us, then?
Quite possibly my single favorite riff of the entire original 90s run.
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