Movie: (1974) During World War I, a German U-boat sinks a British ship and takes the survivors on board. After veering off course, the submarine arrives at the unknown land of Caprona, where the crew finds dinosaurs and neanderthals.
Opening: It’s Gypsy’s birthday!
Invention exchange: J&tB have “M. Night Shyamalan Living” Magazine; then they accuse the Mads of stealing all their inventions
Segment 1: J&tB are playing submarine
Segment 2: The Mads introduce the Moon 14 Mesozoic Ranch Dinosaur BBQ
Segment 3: Crow is worried about turning into a human
Closing: Jonah sends a message in a bottle?
Stinger: Carried off by a pterodactyl
(66 votes, average: 3.92 out of 5)
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• This one was diverting, I’ll give you that. The movie is SO odd. And the funny riffs, while not a gusher, flowed steadily. I’d call this one good not great.
• Jonah calls the screen that comes down behind him the “Jet Screen.”
• Apparently the main spot where they cut the movie for time was the third time the sub changed hands, when the Americans regained control of the ship. Ardy says that’s what he’s seeing in the fluid leak.
• Is there a name for that cute little squid? I hope we see more of him.
• Callbacks: “Hikeeba!” (Women of the Prehistoric Planet) was said a couple of times. Also: “He said ‘area,'” a callback to the, I think, Bridget-inspired riffs about “areas.” Also: “Packers!” and “Watch out for snakes!”
• The whole “stop repeating what I say,” gag is a nice running bit.
• “Jingle’s self aware, now it’s doin’ what it wants to…” is a great topper to a bit that had been going on a little long.
• Increasingly obscure riff: When a caveman is shown, they make a car insurance joke, a reference to the nearly-forgotten Geico commercials that got spun off to a short-lived TV show. Also: “Double rainbow!” a reference to once-popular a viral video.
• Cast and crew roundup: Many people involved with this movie were also involved with “At the Earth’s Core,” which I will just call “ATEC.” Doug McClure was also in “ATEC” and “SST- Death Flight.” Keith Baron, Godfrey James and Bobby Parr were all also in “ATEC.” Behind the camera, producer John Dark also produced “ATEC.” Max Rosenberg also produced “ATEC” and “The Incredible Melting Man. Milton Subotsky also produced “ATEC,” editor John Ireland also edited “ATEC” and art director Bert Davey also art directed “ATEC.” Special effects supervisor Derek Meddings also did visual effects for “Revenge of the Mysterious from Mars” and “Invaders from the Deep.” (Hooboy!)
• Fave riff: “Don’t tickle the wall clown!” Honorable mention: “Classic no-look pass.” “It’s Crosby, Crosby, Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.”
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Wait wait wait wait wait…. Whaaaaat? The Diabolik ending didn’t really happen? That’s disappointing. :(
Count me in among those who absolutely loved the Moon 14 BBQ segment and the self-aware jingles. I thought that was an altogether brilliant segment with perfect absurdity and escalation. And Jonah’s Segment 3 with Crow was just too adorable. It made me audibly say “awww” when Crow dodged Jonah’s hug but then conceded to Jonah’s affection with an amicable punch. I love Crow’s tendency to become irrationally and inexplicably fixated on adapting some aspect of the movie into his personality, like “taking his bear simulations to the extreme” in Jack Frost or wanting to be Jack Elam in Girl in Lover’s Lane, and now this.
Also, I gotta say… I absolutely ADORE the instrumental arrangement of “Livin’ in Deep 13.” Every time it pops up, especially in the end credits, I just get filled with glee. It’s so exhilarating somehow.
I liked the riffing/movie section of this episode just fine, probably on the lower end of this season for me, but that’s okay. It really is. Favorite riff: “What are you doing with a replica of my skull? Is that my birthday present?”
The wonderful little “x” would indeed be wonderful if it would stick. Every time I reload the site, even with my login saved and cookies saved, even in the same browsing session fer Pete’s sake, I have to click it again for the same person. Even if I just go from page 1 to page 2 of these comments, and back to page 1, I have to click it again. Any suggestions to make it a permanent “Ignore”?
Yes. Realize that nothing’s permanent in this world, and we must look to ourselves for change. ;)
Just on the subject of the house-band covers, I recognize most of them, but what’s that one jaunty Irish accordion-jig they play in at least one break every episode?–It doesn’t sound like “My Wild Kathy Ireland”, at least that I can make out by ear, or is it?
That is The Canada Song
Way back in 1989, in the beginning of the final KTMA episode of MST3K, Legend of the Dinosaurs, Dr. Forrester introduces the film as “a dinosaur movie without Doug McClure”. It was a reference to the movie riffed in this episode, a whopping 28 years later. It’s a strange and wonderful kind of “full circle” bit of awesomeness that they got to tackle this film, and the end result is pretty funny! It’s not my numero uno favorite of the season, but it’s keeping up the quality of Season 11. Plus, it has also introduced MST3K’s newest punching bag, Doug McClure, to the mix, and despite my admiration for him and this movie, it’s still a good time.
This is another movie I’ve seen before and own on Special Edition Blu-ray, and despite some elements that make it good for riffing, it’s not a movie I would have picked for the show. It’s actually not a bad movie at all, full of adventure, spectacle, elaborate special effects, and based on a celebrated (in some circles) piece of literature written by one of the sci-fi/adventure genre’s greatest figures. This episode just goes to show… there’s very little MST3K can’t make funny. The movie works, the riffing works, and when combined with a few of the new season’s most memorable host segments, it’s another winner.
Some observations:
-I love the obviously electric candle Tom blows out in the opening.
-I LOVE J&TB’s invention. And finally, the guys catch on that their riffs are being stolen! The Mads get more original after this episode. Also, wondering just what an “Elder Pump” might do is a disturbing train of thought I’d encourage all of you not to board…
-More antics in Moon 14 with Ardy. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Kinga Chrome leaks are a great way to explain missing scenes that were, in reality, edited out for time. Still not sure why thats necessary on Netflix, but something tells me there might be a plan in place to air these episodes elsewhere in the distant future…
-This isn’t the first time the opening credits of a movie make Crow sick. It’s been a while, though. It’s still funny.
-Wow, again the movie is edited to shreds. There’s a lot missing here, including a re-takeover by the Germans (Tom calls this out when he noticed that the captain is suddenly locked up and no longer in control) and some bits on Caprona. The original film makes a TON more sense.
-Count me in on the love for the cheesy German accents. They just get funnier.
-Any use of Yakity Sax makes life better! Even if it’s kind of a mess as they sing it.
-Callbacks: “Hikeeba!” (Finally!!!! And two of them, no less!) (Women of the Prehistoric Planet); “Introduce me to Hasslehoff.” (Starcrash, maybe?); “Never shoulda tampered in God’s domain…” (Bride of the Monster); “I Was a Teenage Klingon”; Go Packers! Packers win the Super Bowl! (The Giant Spider Invasion); “Watch out for snakes!” (Eegah, appropriate considering all the cavemen!)
-Classic MST3K Bits: “Surprise! Happy Birthday to you!”; “He said “Area”!”; “Jim Henson’s Lou Ferrigno Babies!”; “Dickweeds.”
-Star Wars References: “This is what every Star Wars movie looks like before the CGI gets put in.”; “There’s always a bigger fish.” “Oh, right into the Death Star trash compactor”
-Segment 1 is a hoot! Classic MST3K silliness, and one of the best “old school” bits of the season. I love the Servo Snack Dispenser Space Squid (alliteration!); that part ALMOST like Glenn Manning visiting back in Season 3. I loved it! “I still think I’m German!”
“The Milton-Bradley bit is a nice running joke. Still funny the 90th time.
-Jonah’s line about Flo from Progressive reminded me just how long those commercials have been on.
-The monster effects get a lot of bashing, but for the time, they were actually pretty imaginative and elaborate (at least, some of them). Being a fan of Japanese “tokusatsu” (practical) techniques (Think Godzilla and Ultraman), I have a soft spot for the effects in this movie. Some of them are pretty effective, some not so much. But it’s all fun! (By the way, this film’s sequel features one of those stuff pterosaurs fighting off a biplane. It’s kind of an amazing scene!)
-Segment 2 is yet another classic! So funny, it hurt me to breath the first time I saw it. The pictures are hysterical, and the “punny” names for the food reminded me of Bob’s Burgers’ Burger of the Day gag. And then there’s the song. With all of its variations (including the use of the phrase “Never shoulda tampered in God’s domain…”), it’s a winner. Thanks, Paul and Storm!
-Also note, during this segment the Mad’s name drop the Dinosaur Hotel in Lakewood Colorado, who were executive producers of the new season via Kickstarter. They dropped a staggering 25 grand during the campaign, so I think they earned the shoutout!
-Segment 3 is adorable. As others have noted, it’s very Joel era, and kind of reminds me of Tom’s curiosity about kissing way back in Attack of the The Eye Creatures. It’s a sweet moment between the two characters.
-When Jonah says “He’s the heir to the Sinclair fortune!” in a gravely voice, it’s actually a multi layered riff. It’s obviously a reference to dinosaurs (specifically the Brontosaurus (RIP)) being the Sinclair Oil mascot, but its also a reference to the Henson sitcom “Dinosaurs”. In that show, the lead character is Earl Sinclair, and his boss is an eternally pissed off Styracosaur voiced by Sherman Hemsley. So, it’s a riff that works on multiple levels!
-Nice The Fugitive reference near the end!
-Any reference to The Far Side is a good reference. How I miss Gary Larson’s twisted sense of humor…
-The film ends the way it began, with the thermos being chucked into the water. Both Tom and Crow joke about sequels, but it’s common knowledge that this film DOES have a sequel about a rescue party coming to save Doug McClure. If MST3K returns for a Season 12, I would bet The People That Time Forgot is on the shortlist of potential films. (By the way, there is a THIRD Caprona novel, but it was never adapted by the team that did the first two films. They later worked on another Burroughs adaptation, At the Earth’s Core, instead…)
-Max feels VERY Frank-ish in the final segment. It’s another classic feeling bit in an episode that feels very classic overall.
-End Credits Music: Sidehackin’; Livin’ in Deep 13; Creepy Girl
Favorite Riff: “I’ve got a visual on something living in a pineapple under the sea.” “Take the shot!!!!”
Honorable Mentions: “Whoa, everyone’s sweater okay?!”; “NO PICTURES!”
Not that it matters much in a film filled with people interacting with dinosaurs, but the note chucked into the sea was placed in a German gas mask canister. They were not water proof, but it did look cool before it filled with seawater and sank to Sponge Bob’s mailbox.
Just curious….do you have a job?
Because I don’t like the new show, that means I’m ‘insulting you’? Wow. People can’t have a different opinion than yours? There’s a word for that: fascism. Get a grip, for crying out loud.
You need help. Threatening me by saying you’ll use a gun on me? Wow. There are thousands of people, like me, who dislike this new version of mst3k…do you want to volunteer to kill them as well? People don’t agree with you, that means you turn violent and intolerant? Wow, again.
I enjoyed his comments. A job matters not.
Joel did a short interview with Lesley Kinsel for MST3K.com. She brought up continuity with the old show and Joel was rather dismissive that the fans should actually care about how the Bots got back in space. I think it’s the biggest mistake he made with the revival and he seems to have walked it back a little since the Netflix debut. I quote:
Joel: Basically the fans were very excited and grateful that we came back and brought it back, but there was also a question about continuity, because how could the bots be on the Satellite of Love, if the bots were on Earth in the last episode? And then fortunately Jonah had the presence of mind to go, “Well, it’s just a show, you should really just relax.”
Leslie: I remember!
J: I guess I never thought about it, because in my mind I always thought of that ending as just one alternative ending. And in my mind, I think, “They’re robots, they were blown up a hundred times. There’s duplicates! Didn’t Forrester save a few robots somewhere, for his daughter to turn on?” But people really wanted to know. What’s happening? What about those robots? They’re on Earth! How did you fix that?
L: You’re not thinking about the canon!
J: All I thought was, oh, well, whether they’re actually Tom Servo and Crow or they’re duplicates of Tom Servo and Crow, it doesn’t matter, because they’re robots.
L: The first time you went through the premise with me, that was one of the first questions I had — if Tom and Crow were on Earth, then how…? There could be any number of explanations, and it’s always the rest of us who get hung up on those details. But I think what’s really fascinating about this that I’m just realizing right now — hypothetically there could be a second Crow and Servo on Earth, in this universe. And they’re just hanging out. Maybe Servo’s got a job at Starbucks, and Crow writes recaps of Game of Thrones.
J: Yeah. That’s the funny thing about how it ended. “No, come on, really? They’re on Earth?” It was complicated enough to revive the series. [laughter] Don’t make us figure out how to get Tom Servo and Crow off Earth too.
Haha, I do have a job! And one that I’m at 6 days a week for upwards of 40 hours between Monday and Saturday. My secret is watching the episode on a Sunday, jotting down notes as I watch it, and then editing/fleshing them out throughout the week until I create the mini-novels I post here every Saturday morning. I think I’m genetically incapable of writing anything short. :/
But hey, I really enjoy it! Plus, it’s my opportunity to contribute to a site that has meant a lot to me over the years. It’s not everyday that new episodes of my favorite show come out, after all! I hope my posts have been entertaining, however leangthy. ;)
Danzilla “Cornjob” McLargeHuge, Student of Kaijuology, you are a credit to Cornjobs everywhere.
*sniff* I’ve waited all my life to hear those exact words…
Oh, lay off the melodrama, thin-skinned one. It was one thing if you don’t like the show, but the condescending attitude of, “I can’t believe all these people are dumb enough to like it” is another. Don’t be surprised if I respond with bewilderment since the show is basically the same thing as it was before, just with new people. Times change and shows change with it. Deal with it.
I would bet on it. And I would welcome it. Two words: Cavemen. Samurai.
I was amused to also find that McClure’s history with MST goes all the way back to the KTMA days, given he was in “SST Death Flight.”
Thank you for that information and those quotes, MonkeyPretzel! I did not know about that conversation. That’s an interesting mindset he has regarding that topic.
(slow, deliberate “Ruthless People-moment” delivery)
Uhh–No, Jed. That’s….not….what…the expression means. Look it up.
(And allow the rest of us to use the “wow”, as in “Wheeeewww….WOW. 0_0”)
One word: Millennials (or at least folks who weren’t in their 30’s when the show first aired). But I agree, this was a very disappointing movie in comparison to The Original Series. However, I’ve come to accept that this is just “MST3K-lite”. When you look at it that way, when you understand you aren’t getting the full satisfaction of all the calories of the original, then you can appreciate it for what it is. Or, another way of looking at it is a tribute band — they are never as good as the original, but they give you warm fuzzies that someone remembers what is used to be all about.
Even viewed in that context, though, this is a very weak episode (I’d rank it at or near the bottom so far — we’re about three episodes from the end).
Hey, don’t let enjoying what you do get in the way of him being a condescending jerk to you!
We get it. You don’t like the show as much as you wish you did and you’re okay with that but also those darn millenials. Every single episode thread. Sheesh.
Comments:
– Kinda weird they all put their party hats back on after the opening sequence “re-enactment”.
– LOL Why does that squid in Segment 1 look like Tom Servo!
– Segment 2 is a funny idea, but it drags on way too long.
– Very gross riff: “You ever seen the opening to Waterworld?”
– Another gross (but hilarious) riff: “I miss toilet paper.”
– Jonah’s adjusting Crow in Segment 3 is not convincing at all.
– Was Colin Farrell really in this, or is it just another actor with the same name?
– That look that Kinga pulls when Max says he found Jonah’s bottle message. LMAO
Funny riffs:
– “World’s worst paper boy!”
– “It’s not often people use Jimmy Hendrix font.”
– “Over here, is really not a helpful direction!”
– “It’s Dirty Debbie Harry!”
– “Oops. Someone was texting and submarine-ing.”
– “It’s October Fest somewhere.”
– “That’s where they harvest Paramount Pictures logos.
– “I don’t care what anyone says! I love my Virtual Boy!”
– I laughed very hard at the part where the triceratops stabs the (very fake) T-rex, and Crow makes the sound of a tire deflating.
– “She was right to wear that track suit.”
I’ll look into it (translation: I will check with Erhardt.)
Could you also check with him on why I haven’t gotten my internet money check? I clicked on a banner on a site somewhere that promised I would get paid for surfing the web. Oh well, back to working from home to make big money…
My bad. I keep forgetting how easy it is to take internet posts at face value. In retrospect, I should have included an appropriate emoji to emphasize a more jocular tone.
It’s probably best to continue leaving it vague. Therefore, I can continue believing that they were captured by a Skeleton Crew hit squad, while anyone who doesn’t like that idea is free to ignore me.
This, along with the next episode, represents the nadir of Season 11 to me – not that I don’t think there are funny moments in either (there’s funny riffs and sketches in all the episodes of every era), as much as they’re the ones that held my attention the least. I think part of it has to do with the movie, as I found the movie dull and not particularly *bad* enough to overcome the dullness; I don’t particularly think it’s a GOOD movie, as much as it’s just a movie, and that doesn’t really lend itself to the MST3K treatment, no matter how goofy some of it is. This is one of those eps where the riffs, IMO, just sort of bounce off of the movie rather than sink in like they do with the classics (I’m thinking of something like Code Name: Diamond Head from the CC era), and I couldn’t even get halfway through a second watching before I had to turn it off. Every other episode I’ve seen at least twice; for reference, I’ve seen Cry Wilderness something like 4-5 times. But hey, they can’t all be winners, and I do enjoy the Mesozoic Ranch sketch (although it runs a tad long).
This. You nailed what I was feeling but couldn’t express. It was funny but I don’t want to watch it again, unlike, as you also said, Cry Wilderness which seems goofier every time I see it. No offense to those that love this movie! We all have different tastes.
I don’t think either of the Amicus episodes in S11 are all that good. The movies are certainly goofy, but they’re JUST entertaining or solid enough to turn them into a slog. I think it’s that you keep thinking, okay, this little bit here was pretty good – the submarine intrigue is mostly well done! The huge drill is supercool! – surely it must continue along like that… but nope. The movie’s tricked you! They don’t have much of a soul.
Maybe they’re accurate translations of the Burroughs novels, though. I’ve never read them. Got too many other trash novels to read.
Oh, they’ll have nadirs (seeing as they haven’t pulled out the my-my-my-McClure gags on the other Burroughs-dino pic yet), this one was just…okay. Like a movie that seemed as if it WOULD have been goofier before they started riffing and there only ended up being a smattering to work with. Although I did laugh at the deflating T-rex.
Sort of like next week’s Hercules movie, which sounded like it might be a hoot, but just sort of ended up there.
And yes, Mike, you don’t have to KEEP posting that “It’s good, but it’s just not the old series”, you’re not alone. And take it from someone who’s been fighting the lone solo Good Fight for years.
I’ve used the Curly Joe “Not an entirely bad understudy” metaphor, and that’s good enough for me to get by, although I don’t rage that the riffing isn’t up to Monster-a-Go-Go’s or Batwoman’s. There, do you have the support group you needed, now?
I understand the feelings of “Lone persecution” for thinking that the Ranch song went on too long, and while I thought it was funny, the random sentient trailing-off-with-no-more-premise felt too much like those gags at the end of Honest Trailers, where their actual satirical content ends, and they spend the rest of it just spouting whatever random pop-culture irony the write-in fans want the Trailer Voice to say for Random Is Funny’s sake. (“Say ‘You don’t get it, do you?’…Say ‘My kitten is a calico.’… Say ‘I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!'”)
Hope that clears up Mike’s complaint about “Millennial Humor”, and spares a few of us long-timers from more Denny’s-4:30-dinner-special jokes by the kids who never watched the show before Netflix.
They’ll have nadirs–seeing as this one didn’t pull out the lazy my-my-my-McClure gags on the other Burroughs-dino pic yet–this was just more of a lull.
Again, like next week’s Herc movie, seems like kind of movie that WOULD have been a hoot on paper, but just ended up being a pleasant smattering of riff fodder to work with in practice. Although I did laugh at the deflating T-rex. :)
And yes, Mike, you don’t have to keep posting that “It’s good but it’s not the old series”, or trying to explain how it feels “Too millennial”. And that’s from someone who’s been fighting the lone solo Good Fight in the name of quality comedy for years. I’ve already used the Curly Joe “Not an entirely bad understudy” metaphor, and that’s healthy enough an attitude for me to go with, even if I might think the riffing wasn’t absolutely up to Monster a Go-Go’s or Batwoman’s.
And I understand your feelings of Lone Martyred Persecution in thinking the Ranch song went on too long after running out of premise–It was funny, but the sudden sentient rambling felt too much like those “Random is Funny” gags at the end of Honest Trailers, where the actual pointed satirical content ends, and they just enjoy the facetious irony of the Trailer Voice saying whatever the fans tweet in for him to say for Random Irony’s sake (“Say ‘You just don’t get it, do you?’…Say ‘My kitten is a calico’…Say ‘I’m Mary Poppins, y’all!'”)
That’s sort of what us old folks mean by Millennial Humor, just so some of the more comically focused and disciplined long-timers don’t get buried under the Denny’s-4:30-dinner-special jokes by the new kids who never watched the show before Netflix.
Yep, and I get it, you DO love the show more than sliced bread, and I don’t need to hear every single episode thread that this is “THE BEST EPISODE EVER” when it clearly isn’t.
I’ll continue to voice my opinion and you can do like most younger folks nowadays and exercise your option not to listen to it (in this case, with the “x”, although usually it’s just not allowing folks to even express dissenting opinions).
So, what are the other three submarine movies Jonah’s heard of? I’m betting on “Hunt for Red October”, “Crimson Tide” and “The Enemy Below”.
Just trying to lighten things up.
Same. This episode just didn’t do anything for me or my family. I would put it at the bottom of the rankings, with The Loves of Hercules just above it, followed by Yongary. So it’s a three-episode dry spell before they climb their way back to the heights of comedy with Wizards of the Lost Kingdom.
The most remarkable part of this episode, for me, was the crazy flaming debris stunt towards the end of the film. As Jonah points out, it looks incredibly dangerous. This season, in general, has been a banner year for crazy stunts. There was also the exploding scrying pool in Wizards of the Lost Kingdom and the horse on the hillside in Hollow Mountain.
I saw the ending of this on tv a long time ago and I’ve seen the sequel a few times. Basically, it’s a good but not outstanding episode. I don’t remember the host segments very well, so maybe I’ll comment on those after another viewing. I wonder if Moon 13 has artificial gravity, otherwise they should be in 1/6 gravity. Also, ‘dark side of the moon’ is a misnomer, the moon rotates and the FAR side is fully illuminated during a new moon. What’s that? It’s just a show and I should really just relax? I read your mind!
LOL. I’ve never expressed that opinion, ever. I’m actually of a similar mind as you, that the reboot doesn’t quite live up to the older show as much as I hoped but I’d rather have what we got than no new MST3K at all. I just don’t blame it on millenials and make the same identical comments in every episode thread. And I may not be in your age range yet, but being in my mid-thirties doesn’t really make me feel like one of the “younger folks”.
After reading the back and forth on this thread the past few days, I decided to watch “The Land That Time Forgot” again last night, no distractions. End result: my opinion/assessment of the episode remains the same as Saturday. For me, a very strong episode, with riffing that covers a wide range of references, callbacks, historical etc. Sure, as always, there were “groaners” (jokes that cause a collective response of “ohhhhh, that was a bad one”), and stuff that simply wasn’t funny. All episodes of MST3K, even the great ones, have their share of those. Considering the seven episodes covered so far by this thread, this one falls solidly in the middle of the pack for me (and in the pantheon of MST3K, of which this was show 204 according to the little sign at the beginning, that placement would be the same- not a headliner, but a worth-it-to-see “warm-up” episode.
P.S. The host segments are also good, although they didn’t strike me as funny as I found them this past Saturday. The segment that appeared to cause the most controversy, the Dino-Ranch, is clever. It’s parody, in part, of the annoying and maddening world of TV commercials hits the target.
I’ll match your Harrison Ford submarine movie and raise you another: U-571 The Widowmaker.
Also 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.
And any number of movies that I’m actually just misremembering are really part of Hunt for Red October, “There was the one with the captain with super accurate sea floor maps… wait, that’s Red October.”
Just so you know, that’s what a lot of fans before you said about the LAST version we got. At least this one’s slightly better.
LOL. You calling the reboot “slightly better” than the Mike years is probably the most harsh I’ve ever seen you treat a Joel project, considering your disdain for anything Nelson-related. Man, you must be soooooooo conflicted.
I agree with this being on the low end of the season – the “MST3K-lite” comment was spot on, I occasionally get frustrated when watching because something like Star Crash feels like it should be a lot funnier than it is. They sometimes hit the sweet spot, though.
That interview was interesting – the final shot with Mike and the Bots watching TV on Earth was such a nice ending and it’s a little odd that Joel didn’t seem to understand that people might care about what happened to get them back up in space. Also he needs to stop taking notes from Jonah, based on this and the “as many jokes as possible” thing.
One of the reasons I enjoy this one so much is because it’s slow and plodding for the first half. Kind of puts me in that “rock climbing” state of mind. I find it refreshing. I also like that the riffs are more of the clever variety than the hilarious (although those are in there, too).
My sub movies guesses are:
Das Boot, Down Periscope and 1941
Not really, that’s a facetiously understated “Slightly better”, as in “People actually knew how to make it this time, and didn’t screw it up.”
In exactly the same way that one might say “Yeah, Wonder Woman was slightly better than Batman v. Superman…”
In your twisted version of reality, I’m sure that true. It’s pretty insulting just how little credit you’re willing to give the rest of the Brains. Probably why Frank called you out for being the douche you are.
While “The Return” has featured some very funny and memorable songs, I miss Kevin Murphy/Tom Servo’s musicality and singing.
Last night I cracked up at the way Jonah was standing with his arms crossed looking snooty and superior in the playing submarine sketch. Anyone mention Yellow Submarine while compiling submarine movies? I thought this was a solid episode. Lots of good riffs (“Someone went overboard frosting their toaster strudel”), the movie was watchable. I enjoyed seeing Doug McClure again since SST-Deathflight is one of my favorite Season K episodes.
Some of the criticisms of Season 11 have been thoughtful and well articulated. Other criticisms make me wonder if we are all watching the same show. As I recall Joel saying at some point, “Someone’s bitter”.
Yeah, agree on the crazy stunts. And that’s not even counting Avalanche, which seems to be one of the most (relatively) big-budget pictures they’ve had on the show.
I like Yongary a bit more than you do, but mostly because I think the last 20 minutes of riffing are pretty strong, but I’d agree that Wizards of the Lost Kingdom is where they really hit a good patch; Wizards I is in my top 3 of the season and is another one I’d consider right up there with the CC/Sci-Fi episodes.
This is about how I feel, too. It’d be naïve to think the show would be perfect. Nobody, not even the biggest fans of Season 11, shouldn’t have some criticisms or things about the reboot that at least bother them a little bit. But there are some criticisms that I don’t agree with from my own perspective on the show, some criticisms that I think are either easily fixable or were already mostly fixed by the time the season ended (the “quick riffs” thing, IMO, was *way* less a problem by even the halfway point), and some criticisms that just sorta make me sigh and shake my head. I’ll leave it up to the readers to determine which are which.
My husband and I are up to this point in a second watch-through, and I still do think the riffing is both a bit rapid-fire in terms of time between riffs, and too quick off the starting line in the sense of being too rapidly spat out in response to whatever prompted it, losing that feeling of ad-lib. However, my other issue of not being able to tell people’s voices apart in the theater got a lot better on second watching — it was mainly Tom I had to learn to identify and I think I’m pretty good with that now — so for those who shared that I would recommend giving it a second go at least.
My feeling is that there is no movie centered on submarines that comes close to Das Boot (The Boat). The technical authenticity is phenomenal. For example, the director required the actors to stay indoors all the time so they would have an authentic submariner’s pallor. Now if you want a totally opposite experience go to Japan’s Attragon. A submarine that not only goes underwater, but flies through the air and even drills into the earth. Now that’s a submarine. In your face, Richard Basehart!
Invaders From The Deep, that’s another submarine movie for ya