As you may have heard, the folks behind Mystery Science Theater 3000 are back in two separate incarnations. The original cast members and creators (Joel Hodgson, TV’s Frank, Dr. Forester, et al.) are putting out new DVD’s of MST3K-style rapid-fire riffing on old B-Movies as Cinematic Titanic, while the later cast members and writers (Mike Nelson and the second and third incarnations of the robots) have reunited at Rifftrax, where they sell MP3’s of MST3K-style rapid-fire riffing that you play alongside your own DVD’s (mostly summer blockbusters and sci-fi classics).
I bring the MSTies up because the cohort over at Rifftrax has recently set their sights on this blog’s old punching bag, last year’s CGI Beowulf movie, and I’m pleased to report that the result is well worth the $3.99 price point. Whether it’s worth that plus the cost of buying a copy of the Beowulf Special Collector’s Uncut Extra-Gory Edition, I can’t say, as my indulgence was subsidized by a hapless but well-meaning marketer.*
Here are a few highlights from the Beowulf Rifftrack that hit me just right to motivate you all to go check it out for yourselves:
- “Oh, please, sarcastic slow claps went out in the 200’s.”
- “Gee, in my translation, Grendel wasn’t an effeminate mincing puss.”
- “I am Beowulf, if that helps. Just throwing it out there.”
- “She has Barbie’s rack and Ken’s genitals.”
- “You know, Old English sounds about as pleasant as Olde English tastes.”
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*Rifftrax, on the other hand, has given me no promotional consideration. I consider this plug a debt of honor I owe for the box of decaying VHS tapes in my mother’s basement containing the first three seasons of MST3k, carefully recorded and treasured by the junior high version of me.