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As a long time "Mystery Science Theater 3000" fan, I was a little wary when I heard that the show's creator, Joel Hodgson, had recruited four fellow MST3K performers for a new movie-riffing venture.
It just seemed to me that any such project almost had to involve Mike Nelson, who was the show's head writer for most of its run and Hodgson's on-screen successor (Nelson went off and created his own dreck-mocking empire called Rifftrax).
Well ,"Cinematic Titanic" has arrived and it is plenty good, better even than the Rifftrax DVD releases.
The heckling is first rate and some of the best of it is provided by one of the lesser-known cast members: J. Elvis Weinstein. Weinstein left after the show's inaugural and little-seen UHF season. Liberated from the grating voice he had to do (or chose to do) as Dr. Forrester's sidekick, Weinstein reveals a deadpan persona that is the equal of what we have come to expect from Hodgson or TV's Frank (Frank Conniff).
All seven of Cinematic Titanic’s current releases are excellent. Its take on "Santa Claus Conquered the Martians" is far superior to the MST3K version, a version whose existence is wittily acknowledged.
What really sets "Cinematic Titanic" apart is the ingenious narrative framing device and the interstitials.
Once again, the plot involves the cast heckling against its will. This time, their tormentors are pleasant drones at the service of some shadowy government or corporate organization.
Literally shadowy.
All we ever see are silhouettes moving ant-farm-style through underground hallways.
It's a really clever design.
Nelson did away with all pretext of a premise when he launched Riffrax and you won't realize how much you missed that sort of thing until you see Cinematic Titanic.
Cinematic Titanic is apparently owned, operated, and funded by its cast so they have a lot riding on it. I hope it carries them through their retirement in style.
