Movie: (1994) A man who was enslaved by aliens escapes to contemporary Los Angeles, where he is hunted by cyborgs using forced-perspective dinosaurs as trackers.
First shown: April 25, 1999
Opening: The bots calculate how many times a lady Gypsy is
Intro: Pearl conducts LSD experiments on the bots
Host segment 1: Tom makes a pair of legs so he can kickbox, but Gypsy has a leg up on him
Host segment 2: M&tB thank Pearl for not killing them, which puts a crimp in her plans
Host segment 3: Droppy the Water Droplet visits
End: Mike has a biiig chin; Pearl explodes Bobo and Brain Guy’s plans for going on the road
Stinger: The future warrior’s shirt is head-butted right off
(329 votes, average: 4.44 out of 5)
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• We’re still in a stretch of good-not-great here, seems to me. A mixed bag of host segments, a movie that is simultaneously watchable and incomprehensible and riffing that kind of rises and falls with the movie.
• Mary Jo’s thoughts are here.
• This episode appeared on the MST3K 20th Anniversary Edition, aka Vol. XIII.
• The opening segment is almost a textbook example of an opening bit. It’s apropos of nothing, takes a silly idea and takes it just as far as they should but doesn’t belabor it. Witty, fun and it’s over.
• The intro segment isn’t a laugh-riot, but Brain Guy and Bobo are hilarious.
• Filmmaker Dave Eddy revealed that this is another movie that kind of collapsed halfway through production and got taken over by another director (him). The original director, Tony Doublin, was battling with the movie’s producer, who felt the fight and action scenes weren’t being done correctly. (He might have been right!) Ultimately Doublin quit and Eddy and his team (dubbed the “Damage Control Unit”) was hired to salvage the movie as best they could. This is the result.
• He also noted that, while they did so, he and some of the crew remarked that it would be great if some day their movie would show up on “Mystery Science Theater 3000”!
• Then-current reference: Kim Wilde. Yes, I know she was actually popular in the ’80s, but at least in ’98-’99 people still remembered who she was!
• The characters cuss a few times and Sci-Fi Channel felt it necessary to insert silences.
• What IS going on with the “car visor cam” effect in some of the shots? (A “gradiant filter” was kindly explained to me in comments.)
• Segment 1 just kind of lays there. I think they’ve attached all the body parts to Servo that are possible.
• The guy with the magazine in the park who gets eaten by a dinosaur is none other than writer, editor, agent and movie fan, the late Forrest J. Ackerman.
• Callbacks: “Warwoolf”; “Tusk!” (Werewolf) “Would you dopple me into that movie, Mike?” (Overdrawn at the Memory Bank)
• Particularly amusing movie moment: the TV cameraman who is clearly holding a cardboard box sloppily made to look a little like a camera.
• Last time around I mentioned that the “Warren Moon impression” joke escaped me. I don’t follow the off-field antics of footballers. It was explained in the comments, as was the Mandy Patinkin reference.
• Segment 2 is a cute idea taken from the movie, but they belabor it a bit.
• On the other hand, segment 3, featuring a visit from Droppy the water droplet, is classic MST3K.
• This movie must have been extra-tough duty: The Brains had to come up with TWO sets of riffs for the same sequence–the one in which the rag-tag band infiltrates the dinosaurs’ lair — which is shown in its entirety TWICE.
• The subject of Joel comes up when Mike tries some forced perspective fun during the closing credits.
• Mike’s big chin is funny in the closer, but Pearl calmly blowing people up when they annoy her is not really a new concept.
• Cast and crew roundup: Robert Z’Dar was also in “Soultaker.” That’s it.
• CreditsWatch: Directed by Mike. Fred Street Post Audio get a special thanks in this and only this episode.
• Fave riff: “An actor prepares…to suck.” Honorable mention: “Z’dont!”
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#96: Apparently the movie’s director and producer couldn’t make a deal with the Earth’s gravitational pull to help them out with the illusion. ;)
Just thought I’d mention that although I don’t really like Hamlet all to much, in a recent weekend discussion it was one of the top vote-getters for peoples top 10 episodes. Go figure.
Regarding Pearl killing the SOL… it strikes me as all part of a lonnnng running gag throughout much of late MST… the “fiction” really isn’t about the experiment proper. Hasn’t been for a long time.
The experiment has simply become That Thing We Always Do.
Both the SOL and the Forresters acclimated to its sheer repetition and begun to accept it as normal. Hence the half-hearted escape attempts (and lack of, despite the many many many opportunities the SOL crew has had), BOTH Forresters being quite casual about letting the SOL drift off helplessly, or be engulfed in flames or whatever, and of course the final scene of the series. Pearl just keeps flinging the movies at the SOL not because of any actual experiment, but just because, well, she’s evil and that’s what she DOES. And killing them is pretty darn evil, right?
(Of course, she’s also not very smart, hence the sudden “I can’t kill them now, can I?” bit. Which Mary Jo sells so, so well. And her amazing fake-indignant protestation when the SOL realizes she nearly killed them.)
Definitely in my top 3 episodes of all time. I think it has to do with the fact that I understand almost every riff M&TB throw out.
So often (especially in the Joel era) the riffs are so obscure or dated I can only laugh at the enthusiasm with which they are said. But “Future War” seems to focus more on characters lapses in logic and cheapness of the production as opposed to “Hey, it’s (60’s/70’s actor, musician or political figure I’ve never heard of)”, which is refreshing.
Plus, I just love watching the earnestness of the extras in this movie. Chubby Policeman not wearing a tie that leads Capt. Polaris to see a corpse, the flannel wearing gangsters and of course Cardboard Camera Man!
#103
One escape posibility would be to use the time machine
(as Crow did and did in Time Chasers). I suppose they
could all use it to go back in time and warn Joel about
being sent into space…but then Joel wouldn’t have made the
bots so they couldn’t go back in time to warn him….. :shock:
I waited and tried rewatching this after reading such favorable comments. I just assumed I was missing something, and well, I guess I missed it again. I loathe Future Wax. And the Mo Howard kid makes that little rock-n-roll martian kid absolutely cuddly by comparison. I want to hurt this movie, but I can never hurt it the way it’s hurt me. I think that’s the phrase, isn’t it? Anyway, I tried, if not very hard. NEXT!!!
#106. Sometimes it pays to listen to the dissenters.
Upon re-watch (and Shout DVD release) this episode fell in my estimation, whereas next weeks DR. Z (a much more boring movie) actually improved. Myself, I’m shocked that FWar is currently at an above 4 star rating. “There’s no accounting for taste” and all that…
And our “1009 – Hamlet” discussion should be epic. So everyone posting about that now should save their love/bile until then.
Nah, don’t listen to *anyone* — humor is so subjective I truly believe the only reason there’s such a consensus on MST3K is they throw out SO many riffs, in SO many different ways that some of it has to hit you no matter what. If the stars align (the movie, the host segments, whatever) and the majority of material suits you, then the episode becomes “a classic”. If not, you can’t stand watching it.
So there will always be episodes no one can stand (that happen to be someone’s favorite) and vice versa. I wouldn’t fret, I wouldn’t debate (debating humor is about the most pointless exercise I could imagine). About the only thing we can do is come up with whether an episode is “popular” (and remember, “Gilligan’s Island” was EXTREMELY “popular” — does that make it great art?).
I really do like this episode — it’s goofy fun, which is how I define a great episode. “Hamlet” depresses me (not the rifts, but the movie) and therefore I don’t enjoy it. But so what? If others do enjoy it, then it’s a success (at least for them).
Ladies and gentlemen…FRED BURROUGHS!!!
This is by far my favorite episode of MST3K.
It is an awful, awful, awful, awful, awful movie. The segments are forgetable but the riffing…when it shines, its like the glow of an atomic bomb…and that alone makes up for it.
Besides Giant Spider Invasion (snap crackle poop, my 2nd favorite), this is also the ONLY one my fiancee will watch in its entirety. She is not a big MST3K fan by any stretch, but whenever we tell each other something is worse than we thought, we always tag on “theres no butter in my coffee” (the all time greatest quotable-in-virtually any bad situation riff)
FUTURE WAX!!!!
(Couldn’t help that) :mrgreen:
I tried to watch Future War twice this weekend and I fell asleep both times. Not promising. I’ve only seen it once, and I rated it a low 2 stars from that viewing.
Good opening credit sequence. The dinosaur effects are laughable and highly riffable.
I’ll try again later.
I don’t care that much for this ep for a reason I don’t think anyone has mentioned yet…
It’s too camp, to self-consciously bad. In a recent interview Joel mentioned how he doesn’t like to pick movies that “wink” at the audience too much. And this film is winking all over the place. I prefer deadly earnest (but Earnest) movies that have grand ambitions beyond the means…Manos, for example.
But that said the riffing is solid and it’s still more fun to watch than, say, Swamp Diamonds. It also helps that my girlfriend really likes this one…
I met Forrest J Ackerman. He was a kind man who gave me and my mom a tour of his house (I got to literally touch models used in King Kong, Harryhausen armatures, and a miniature gong used in Metropolis, the creature from the black lagoon mask, etc) and took us out to lunch. He also got us in free to Graham’s Chinese Theatre. A true gentleman. I also sent short stories to him when I was a kid and he actually replied with kind comments and encouragement. The magazine he is holding is Famous Monster of Filmland, in which he published one of my stories (though not in the issue he is holding), and my name and picture can be found as I won a few contests. Ah, sweet nostalgia…
B-
the paranthetical statement in the second paragraph above should read: (NOT Earnest movies)
I don’t think the movie is bad on purpose, it’s just bad. Look at all of the actors. They all take their roles seriously and play them straight. Look at Ray Adash as Captain Polaris. I can almost feel his internal pain at having to act in such a movie, but he doesn’t show it.
Maybe Mikek, but the makers have said they thought it would be great to have it MSTed some day while they were making Future War. In my book that displays the high degree of self-consciousness that does not make for a great ep. Contrast that to say, Soultaker–though Vivian and co’s tongues do appear to be in their cheeks at times, it is also clear they (and some viewers) thought this was a coherent and intriguing film…the one other example of a film being “too campy” for MST, in my opinion (not Richard Nixon’s, though people often confuse my opinions with his) is Hobgoblins…doesn’t work well with MST for the same reason.
The filmmakers may have said that, but that doesn’t mean they made a conscious effort to make Future War bad. They may have decided to make the best of things and say it would be good for MST3K, but there’s nothing about the movie looks deliberately cheesy.
It’s not even ass, Servo!
I love how the movie is so low budget, that they even get away with using shipping pallets as framing for sets. The whole tunnel sequence and train sequence is built of shipping pallets.
Z’Dar cracks me up in this movie. The little goofy, crooked helmet he wears is comical.
All the cyborg sound effects seem to be made by someone just pressing the trigger on an electric drill.
This is one of those episodes that I remember fondly and then when I watch it I figure I wasn’t as in the mood for it as I thought. But since thats happened three times now, I chalk it up to being an average episode and not the solid winner I think it is.
The movie provides more than enough material, but there is a lack of energy to the riffing that makes parts of the episode drag. But when Mike and the bots are on fire, some of it is very funny.
As others have mentioned the host segments have thier moments but nothing really stands out. So I end up giving this three exploding dinosaurs out of five.
Click on my name for a full review.
#39 (JCC): “I find Servo’s “legs” highly disturbing and don’t think they look like human legs at all. Or was that the point and I’ve been watching this sketch all wrong for the last 11 years? Maybe it’s like a magic eye puzzle or that three prong fork illusion.”
I believe they’re supposed to be kangaroo legs, as kangaroos are known kickboxers, right.. RIGHT?!
Has anyone ever seen an actual kangaroo-with-boxing-gloves match up? Youtube, hoOoOoOooo!
i watched this ep over the weekend…
actually had it on in the background while i cleaned and fed the baby…
but i remember the Jim Courier news caster… “we are at the 3rd (?) st. warehouse…”
the empty cardboard, the mailboxes etc. reference…
this is one bad movie but one great episode!
Mary Jo is perfect in segment 2. there’s nothing she could have done to improve that performance.
I love this episode. I think Fred Burroughs was kind of like Lembach in Projected Man. If they could only get his help everything would be allright.
I mentioned this somewhere on my website or on the forum… I thought it was interesting that the mag that Forrest J. Ackerman is reading features an article on “Gorgo”.
I find FW an enjoyable endeavor all told. Many solid quips throughout, I’ve always seemed to enjoy Christianity quips, especially when they zero in on Catholicism (I was born into a Catholic family). And this one has plenty of good ones.
#116 “Maybe Mikek, but the makers have said they thought it would be great to have it MSTed some day while they were making Future War.
… you mean the makers who were dubbed the “Damage Control Unit” who were brought in halfway through the film to salvage what they could?
This isn’t Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, this is an honestly incompetent stinkbomb of a film that has a second crew brought in to try and save it from being flushed, a crew who knew that they were on a bad production but moving on anyway because getting paid is very nice.
Love this one too-“damn Bumpasses dinosaurs!!”—“I asked Sister Bertril for air support”—“he’s got lady-weight lifter cleavage!”
The thing I remember about this episode is the halfway house setting, because it’s the kind of film that might be cooked up by the real-life denizens of a halfway house I know. Whenever I watch this one I’m struck by how BAD the movie is. Sad, really.
did we forget, “I have a big chin”. A nice slam to Z’don’t and the cuteasarus.
Future War passes the Bechdel Test. Sister Ann discusses her crisis of faith with the Mother Superior.
I would think that Mike appearing as a clown would inspired terror rather than laughter.
That ship does sort of resemble the Galactica.
According to IMDB, Future War was released in 1997, which would make it (as claimed on the back of the DVD slip case) the most recent film featured on MST3K.
So why do the opening credits make such a big deal about Mel Novak? I’ve checked his IMDB profile and there’s nothing that appears to stand out.
@ #2: How does it compare to those in the Doctor Who adventure Invasion of the Dinosaurs from the Third Doctor’s tenure. Although I haven’t seen it myself, I’m given to understand they were bad even by the already low standards of the original version of that show.
@ #70 and #75: There is universal agreement that I Accuse My Parents is good (aside from a few who were a bit underwhelmed by the art therapy host segment).
Favorite riffs
Welcome to Pipe World. All we do are pipes, and we do them well.
They’re promising entertainment, but I’m not that optimistic.
We’re still building the sets. Keep the credits going.
Gerbils? Well they pretty much remained gerbils.
I’m telling! You’ve got a pet on the beach.
Maybe it was butterflies that wiped out the dinosaurs.
He’s boxed in!
Yeah, well I’m card-bored.
I care about the boxes. I mean, why should innocent freight have to suffer?
Sorry, I ate your breakfast on the way in.
I don’t think I will enjoy, if it’s all right with you.
Glad the dinosaur got the kid.
“I have a past that I’m not proud of.”
That’s why I kept a scrapbook!
We’ll take a brief break from my flashback now.
Thanks for playing Reporter and Camera Guy with me. I think the cardboard camera’s working good.
The dinosaur is skeet shooting off the port bow.
A skinny Belgian idiot was arraigned on charges earlier today.
Sorry, this nipple ring’s hard to remove.
The Crips like to go down to the reflecting pool for their gang retreats.
The mean streets of Burbank.
Until actual humor can be found, please enjoy this substitute.
By the way, I asked Sister Betrille to give us air support against the dinosaurs.
Introducing new, faster seconds!
His careful plan involved putting on a beret and rushing at the dinosaur with a Boy Scout knife.
The Lutherans create a cyborg.
I tried to light a votive candle for my grandma and it got out of control!
You know, he has a point, Crow.
No, no, no. He has no point. Don’t encourage him.
Calculating how many times Gypsy is a lady is kind of sort of but not exactly a Joel era opening.
Bobo roasting marshmallows over Brain Guy’s burning guitar is a nice touch.
When we see the spaceship the first time Mike riffs “dustbuster Galactica.” Is this the make up riff from Space Mutiny?
In conclusion “I could point out this isn’t the future and it’s not a war, but I don’t like to complain.”
Rewatching the Comic Con Panel DVD extra five years later is interesting. The participation level on that was incredible. We haven’t seen this many alum in one room since. I noticed there was a name card for Patrick Brantsig even though he was missing otherwise there really wasn’t any writing room talent absent. The most prophetic moment was Mike expressing a desire to riff Titanic which of course Rifftrax would later take on.
Favorite Riffs:
Fred shoots a dinosaur. Crow “So it wasn’t a giant meteor, it was a Daisy air rifle that killed the dinosaurs.”
The Cine Excel Entertainment title card is show. Crow “They are promising entertainment but I’m not that optimistic.”
The Dave Eddy credit is on screen. Tom “Two first names from Van Halen. Coincidence?”
Tool crawls on the beach. Crow “It’s tough swimming in this part of the ocean.”
Tom “Cardboard boxes aren’t working. Try throwing a piece of paper or a cotton ball.”
With the two big guys on screen Crow sings “All… My… Pants… Are lowriders.”
Post #9 got four likes yet Post #8 got none? That *faintly* surprised me but, hey, likes is likes. :-)
My first thought was to comment on how some sources list the main character’s name as Atool but it turns out that I made that comment the first time around. Huh.
“B*st*rd! He’s always one step ahead of me!” [see The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror IV for context]
BTW, entertaining-and-informative-jerk reviewer tackled this film too:
http://www.jabootu.com/futurewar.htm
“The Scary part is that they’re all ex-hookers.”
Ah, good old Future Wax. I was a junior in high school in 1994, so watching this movie reminds me of that time when “plaid was king and all other textiles mere serfs in its kingdom” (as Trace said during the CT riff of “Alien Factor”).
I think one of the riffs described this movie best: “It’s more of a movie loaf made from real movie parts, chunked and formed.” In this case, they were all parts stolen from other, much better movies (“Past Predator, Present Alien, Future Terminator” indeed!), glazed over with a really weird coating of Catholicism.
The riffing is in top form on this one, of course, but it still isn’t a top ten episode for me. I’m not exactly a fan of the Catholic Church, to put it politely, so the theological parts of the movie are like a cheese grater to the face. I also can’t help but echo Mary Jo Pehl’s sentiments about feeling sad for the actors, who are clearly doing their best in what is obviously a very troubled production. Others have already singled out Ray Adash as “Captain Polaris” and the “Cardboard Camera Guy”, and I would also have to give kudos to Travis Brooks Stewart and Robert Z’Dar. Despite the terrible material she was given, I actually thought that Stewart brought a lot of heart to her performance as “Sister Ann”, and poor Z’Dar reportedly had to work a sixteen-hour day shoehorned into that ridiculous homemade Terminator costume. I don’t think anybody in front of the camera made a lot of money on this one, and most of them have since left show business or are still relegated to supporting roles. As others have said, Hollywood isn’t exactly known for its compassion.
I don’t think the Pete Porteous in this movie is the same one in Cosmic Princess.
RPG–Good catch. Will fix. Guess there are two in the world.
Just call me Bruce Boxliker!
Someone bumped into me at the mall the other day, and my shirt just flew right off! I don’t know why you all think it’s so unrealistic…
One of my favorites from season 10, probably 2nd favorite (after Track of the Moon Beast). And I’ll be contrary here and say that the ‘kickboxing’ & ‘thanks for not killing us’ host segments were the funniest, while the others were just kind of there (amusing, but not overly funny).
Well, I’m all CHAAA’d out.
I probably shouldn’t worry about such minutiae, but I’m guessing that Fred Street Post Audio is responsible for blanking out the curses (as Sampo noted). The credit mention is probably in the contract…
I couldn’t tell for sure, but the “TV camera” looked like a small super-8 movie camera with a box taped to it to make it look bigger. It wouldn’t have been nearly so noticeable if they had at least painted the cardboard black. That was just embarrassing!
Not a fave of mine. I agree that the movie drags in places and the riff quality gets pulled down with it. The host segs were mostly ok, but Tom’s and Gypsy’s legs were just… wrong.
Mmmm… vitamins.. minerals…. lots of fiber… powerful hallucinogens…
Decent episode, the movie is so ridiculous I find it entertaining and I am a sucker for dinosaur movies no matter how badly done. Riffing was good as well.
Future War is really something. Terminator + any given kickboxer movie from the 1990s + Catholic Church. Wow. Not really a combination most sane people would have thought of. But then, most sane people would not have made Future War.
Narration really is the last refuge of the desperate, isn’t it? Especially so when you have scenes of people talking and you’re narrating OVER the talking. And it’s not as though Sister Bland’s narration whilst she and Tool are perambulating about really advances the film’s narrative, such as it is.
I am entirely unclear why the future cyborgs even bother to track down their escaped slaves. Who cares? What are these slaves going to do? Tell the authorities? Let ’em go and spend the time and money on beefing up security, I’d say.
There is one deleted scene from The Terminator that reminds me of Future War. It’s the scene where Reese has a blubbery crying fit with Sarah over how overwhelmed he is to be in the past, where everything isn’t destroyed and stuff. Cameron was SO RIGHT to omit that scene from the film. But that one scene pretty much encapsulates about 55% of Future War.
I don’t get the host segment with the legs either. It comes across as a last minute idea in the writing room. The sandbag weights that are Servo’s legs are strange as well.
Ah, we’ve come to an episode in the rotation that I do *not* watch repeatedly. Mostly I blame the movie. It’s just dull. I don’t think the actors have much charisma. The music is grating and the plaid is too plaid-y. By the end of it I’m totally annoyed and dying to forget the whole thing. I do find the randomness of two massively heavy roommates a refreshing novelty. (“Wanted: Housemates to make me look dainty by comparison. Bring ice cream.”)
But I do get a kick out of the LSD expirement. And Droppy is cute.
This movie is sooo bad. We’re talking Birdemic/Monster A Go Go level of badness. Well, okay, a step above that. But not by much. This time around, it took me several viewings to finish this one off. I used to think next week’s episode was the all time worst, but not anymore. This one was clearly more painful than 1005, but now I don’t know what to think the absolute worst episode is. While this was the dullest of Season 10 (so far, and may remain so), it was still funny and amusing, not the absolute worst ever. Just very slow, Castle Of Fu Manchu levels of tedium. That makes for a good torture experiment, but it unfortunately puts me to sleep.
Also, this is clearly the the most “Grunge”-ish episode of all MST3K. Flannels abound! It figures this one would roll around on Kurt Cobain’s birthday (also Joel’s birthday!)
I love that this comment thread has at least two mentions of Carnosaur. You guys are on my wavelength. The first thing I thought of way back when this episode premiered was, “this is kinda like Carnosaur, except worse!”
I really like Future War, it’s maybe not quite a 5-star classic, but it’s still a great episode. The movie is cheesy-stupid in the best possible way (I don’t find it to be “winking at the audience” at all) and the riffing is solid. It’s another great Season 10 episode (I really seem to like this season more than most..).
My favorite things in the movie are the box fight, Robert Z’dar, and the forced perspective dinosaurs, which looks like something you would do at home messing around with your friends and not, you know, making a professional movie.
The Host Segments are okay and serviceable, none of them are all-timers but also none of them totally bomb, so consider that a positive. As noted, the opening with the calculation of Gypsy X a lady is very Joel era funny, a bit of short nonsense. I wish the LSD experiments were funnier, they don’t quite nail it for me, although Bobo roasting marshmallows on Brain Guy’s flaming guitar is a small bit of inspiration. The closing with Mike and his big chin is a nice bit of goofiness, Mike just having fun. “I have a big chin!”
Host Segment #1 is maybe the weakest, mainly because Servo’s “legs” look so dang weird (what is the story there?), but the payoff with the reveal of Gypsy’s large and much better looking leg is pretty funny.
I’ll admit the premise of HS#2 with the Mads just randomly trying to blow up the SOL is not well thought out, I do like Mike’s calm and mannered delivery of “thank you for not killing us.”
Droppy the Water Droplet in HS#3 is the harbinger for Coily, right?
–
Future War is the most recent movie that was riffed on MST3k, not Merlin or Werewolf as others have posted and/or seem to think. It was released in 1997 (riffed on the show in 1999), and even though Future War was shot in 1994, you can’t go off that date, because the film was not finished and released until 1997. You have to go off of a movie’s domestic release date and not the year of production. Just wanted to clear that up.. :film: :silly:
–
RIFFS:
Servo: “It’s Jean-Claude Van Damme.”
Mike: “It’s more like Jean-Claude Gosh Darn.”
dinosaur bemoaning the death of his compatriot,
Mike: “He was three days away from retirement!”
Crow: “I warn you, my meat is very stringy..”
dino blows up,
Servo: “No wonder fossils are so rare.”
Crow: “He’s boxed in.”
Mike: “Well I’m card-bored.”
Servo: “Shut up you two.”
Mike: “Battle of the guys who peaked in high school.”
Servo: “Is this a halfway house for huge guys?”
guy chokes a woman,
Mike: “Great Warren Moon impersonation.”
Crow: “Want a little convent issued pot here?”
cop pulls up,
Crow: “I’m supposed to get you folks back in the movie..”
Crow: “It’s a giant fake Bruno Kirby!”
Crow: “You know. . I hope they do the ‘bong-bong’ sound again, Mike. You know, I hope they never stop.”
Mike: “Yeah. I wish I had a bong-bong right now.”
Servo: “My shirt was knocked off!”
Mike: “I think it’s the Arby’s employee chapel.”
Servo: “The movie that delivers more HUH?s per second!”
–
Future Wax, er, I mean War, Future War is a great episode.
I give it 4 out of 5 exploding dinosaurs.
For the record, I find Carnosaur INFINITELY more boring than this movie.
Watch-out-for-Snakes says:
“Future War is the most recent movie that was riffed on MST3k, not Merlin or Werewolf as others have posted and/or seem to think. It was released in 1997 (riffed on the show in 1999), and even though Future War was shot in 1994, you can’t go off that date, because the film was not finished and released until 1997. You have to go off of a movie’s domestic release date and not the year of production. Just wanted to clear that up.”
But, if we use the domestic release date to determine the most recent MST3K movie and not the production date, I can think of at least one that was even more “recent” than “Future War”: “The Dead Talk Back”. Yes, the movie was shot in 1957, but it was never released or even seen outside of an editing machine until Sinister Cinema discovered it and released it on video in 1993 (that’s why the IMDb gives the film a 1993 date). It was first shown on MST3K the very next summer, on 7/30/94.
This is the movie where credits encompass the entire second act. This is the movie that leaves me boxed in. This is the movie where large guys occupy half way houses. This is the movie where somewhat foxy ex-hookers become nuns. This is the movie where I’m not sure if it was shot in Houston or Los Angeles. This is the movie that I have watched a whole bunch, and, it makes me laugh. Future Wax.
@ jaybird3rd #146: Hmm. I knew somebody on here would bring some sort of factoid like that to the table. Until this moment, I was unaware of the history behind The Dead Talk Back, but this is my take on that particular instance: there has got to be a statute of limitations on this sort of thing.
I mean, a movie being made and then released 2 or 3 years after is one thing, but 36 years later… sheesh, that’s just a little too much. I would say the statute of limitations on this sort of thing would have to be at least a decade, maybe 15 years at most…? I dunno. I mean, The Dead Talk Back is obviously a ’50s movie and not a ’90s one, you know? The 36 year difference is too much to overcome, unlike, say, the 3 year difference in Future War’s production and release dates. So, I’ll say, nice try, but no cigar on that one, jaybird3rd. Future War is still the most recent movie (from release date to riff date) to be featured on MST3k.
I love this episode. I’m watching it now and it keeps cracking me up. Who can’t love the adventures of Jean-Claude Gosh Darn and his sidekick Sister Mary Vehicular Homicide with the chunky guys helping them to fake fight dinosaur puppets and Lutheran cyborgs that throw empty boxes in a time that isn’t the future during circumstances that aren’t a war. The movie is silly enough for me to watch by itself and the riffs are on the spot.
BTW clean pure LSD taken with preparation and a good attitude in a peaceful beautiful setting with a competent guide shouldn’t result in hallucinations (even pleasant ones) unless the person taking it is predisposed to schizophrenia. However, if harsh, impure LSD is taken in tense circumstances with a bad attitude with untrustworthy people, you’re on your own. Obviously those prone to mental illness should take any mind altering substance with caution, if at all. Think about it, won’t you?
@ #146: Last time I checked, 1993 did not come after 1997 or 1994. So no matter how you cut it, Future War is more recent than The Dead Talk Back.