The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Collection, Vol. 7 (The Killer Shrews / Hercules Against the Moon Men / Hercules Unchained / Prince of Space)

Episode 408: Hercules UnchainedHercules, his bride and a goofy young guy are on their way to a grand city when Hercules drinks from the waters of "Forgetfullness" and he ends up with a creepy redheaded woman. The young guy helps him regain his memory and also throughout this movie two brothers are fighting over who will take over a kingdom, I think. The movie has some good elements but is a major mess. The crew riff this one very well and they really target how dumb Herc. acts. Favorite Line: Joel-"I wonder where Hercules went?" Crow-"I wonder where the movie went?"Episode 410: Hercules Against The Moon MenHere Hercules tries to save a city that is forced to send sacrifices to the "Mountain of Death". He also meets a young woman that he must save from the evil queen. There's also some stone guards and a moon guy with oven mitted hands. Oh and don't forget the lengthy and I mean lengthy sandstorm sequence. This is pretty goofy though Alan Steel seems more suited for the role of Hercules than Steve Reeves was. This is quite a good one, which I like better than Unchained as its nonstop hilarious. Favorite Line: "Super Bob Villa"Episode 816: Prince of SpaceJapan and the world's very existence is threatened by the invasion of Krankor and his army of chicken faced warriors and only the great "Prince of Space" can save us. This is a really really bad movie but boy is it fun with Mike and the bots at the helm as its one of my all time favorites. Favorite Line: "You can't use the phone it doesn't dial out."Episode 407: The Killer Shrews with short Junior Rodeo DaredevilsWe have a couple of guys who land their boat on an island, where a guy and a few people have kinda their own civilization here. Oh and of course they have defenses set up to keep rabid dogs.... or rather shrews... or more like dogs dressed as shrews out in the wild. There's a ton of drinking, hard to understand dialogue from almost every actor and more drinking. Well Joel and the bots do their best, but its not their best effort, not that they didn't try, it just wasn't a good episode. Favorite Line: "He was Mr. Ed"ExtrasThree shorts on "The Killer Shrews" discCentury 21 Calling: Filmed at the Worlds Fair in Seattle in '62 we are subjected to the phone wonders of tomorrow. There's a couple of white, white kids wandering around the fair and they view all the ways phone technology will change our lives and make em better. Mike and the bots riff this one with great speed and are totally on point. Favorite Line: "Here you tell mom I'm pregnant" "Well I'm glad to know the future has, constant organ music!!!!"A Case of Spring Fever: What would happen if springs were not here anymore? Well some clod wishes he didn't have to deal with em and a creepy animated spring grants it, the guy finds out he needs springs and takes back his wish. Then he drives his friends insane explaining how great springs are. This is a very funny outing for Mike and the crew. Favorite Line: "Can't decide between short sleeves or long, split the difference."Assignment Venezula: An american oil worker gets sent to South America to help expand his company's influence in other countries. He then writes letters to his wife and kids about how great the country is and how they'll have to adjust to their new lives there. Its quite funny as the crew picks on the guy and the way the country itself is portrayed. Favorite Line: "I thought of you honey, when I saw the big barge"This is one set that is totally worth paying for, even with the average "Killer Shrews" feature in it, the shorts and the other films more than make up for it.

MST3K Volume 7 has some truly terrific and hilarious episodes that are among some of my personal favorites. The movies themselves are some of the more entertaining ones used on the show. Each one is described in turn below. The first three are from the Comedy Central years and the last is from the Sci-Fi Channel episodes:Episode 407- THE KILLER SHREWS (with short: JUNIOR RODEO DAREDEVILS)Killer Shrews is a classic B-grade b/w SF film from 1959 with James Best (Dukes of Hazard) and Ken Curtis (Gunsmoke). The melodrama and the endless drinking and standing around punctuated by panic as the main characters are preyed upon by small dogs dressed up as "killer shrews" is hysterically funny all on it's own. Then, the MST3K crew raises the level of humor several notches more. The short, Junior Rodeo Daredevils, is a classic MST3K bit that is referred to in many later episodes of the show (e.g., "old timer Billy Slater" is mentioned for years after this episode was made). Don't miss this!Episode 408- HERCULES UNCHAINEDThe 1959 Italian classic sequel to Hercules, also with Steve Reeves, the first and in some ways best muscleman-turned-actor, opened the door for endless "sword and sandal" epics with his two Hercules films. This sequel is slower and inferior to the first Reeves film, but the crew of the SOL makes it a special treat. The host segment where the 'Bots try and get Joel to explain what Hercules and the "nice lady" do all day as if they were kids asking a parent about a sexual situation is drop-dead hilarious, yet as always it is handled so that kids can watch the show, enjoy it, and yet have no idea what they've missed in the way of adult-level jokes.Episode 410- HERCULES AGAINST THE MOON MENThis is one of the funniest episodes ever ("sandstorm!"). Comments like, "This movie is equipped with airbags." at the sight of a voluptuous woman in a low-cut dress will have you howling with laughter. "I hate movies where the men wear shorter skirts than the women." says Crow. "Sandstorm, saaannnndstoooorrrrmm..." say the Mad Scientists. This film is actually a "Maciste" movie, but like most of the Italian films starring that character, the name was changed to one more marketable in the USA.This episode has always been an absolute favorite for me. The sheer goofiness of the story, the costumes, and the fun action in the first part of the film, which is inexplicably followed by an endless scene of people struggling through a sandstorm near what should be the big climax, render this film a bit messy but loads of fun to watch. Wait till you see "Woodsy Owl." "Why is he wearing oven mitts?" asks Crow. You won't care; you'll be laughing too hard.Episode 816- PRINCE OF SPACEThis show from the Sci-Fi Channel years is a 1959 b/w Japanese children's story about a guy in tights who runs around saving the world from some really terrible actors, whoops I mean aliens, who are clad in equally silly outfits. The film, also known as Starman, is absolutely dreadful even if judged strictly as children's fare. It's slow, nonsensical, poorly dubbed, and offers little suspense even for junior members of the audience. Of course, these qualities make it great fodder for MST3K. You will "like it very much!"One bonus feature in the set is the inclusion of a shorts collection previously only available on VHS directly from the MST3K Info Club. The most notable short in the collection is ASSIGNMENT: VENEZUELA, originally "MSTed" for a CD-ROM project that was never completed; it was never shown on television and until the tape was released, was never seen except at the second MST3K convention put on the by show's creators back in 1996. The collection also includes the shorts CENTURY 21 CALLING and A CASE OF SPRING FEVER.Be sure to buy this set as soon as possible. You won't be disappointed. Everything in this set is worth watching many times over as the comedy is very dense and unending till the credits finish rolling. Rhino Video, thank you for this set and please keep them coming! How about Rocketship X-M, King Dinosaur, Lost Continent, Wild Rebels and Monster A-Go-Go for starters! Publish it and we'll buy it!