mst3kXXXIV

Even if Joel Hodgson's crowd-sourced reboot of MST3K doesn't float your boat (the lack of the original cast is understandable but still disappointing), at the very least it means Shout Factory will have some financial incentive to continue releasing their awesome box sets, of which Volume XXIV is the latest installment focusing on four titles from American International Pictures.

The set splits the episodes between two hosts and two seasons. Viking Women Vs. the Sea Serpent is a Roger Corman shoestring epic that just ripe for riffing with a cast of full-bodied females and one stowaway crossing the ocean to find their missing men-folk who've been captured by a tribe of primitive barbarians. Hosted by Joel during the 1991 season, this one takes a while to get going but winds up being a solid outing. The feature is preceded by Home Economics short from the ‘50s that is also great mocking material

War of the Colossal Beast isn't just the best episode of the set, it's one of the best episodes of MSTK3 ever thanks to the short film Mr. B Natural that casts a Sandy Duncan-type spandex-clad spokeswoman to preach the benefits of joining the school band. The segment is hilarious even without the extra jokes, but Joel and the crew carry things over to the Satellite of Love where Crow and Servo participate in a mock debate over the actual gender status of Mr. B Natural. The main feature itself is a comedy gold mine as well with the typically cut-rate effects from director Bert I. Gordon whose oversized bald baddie is imitated by Mike Nelson in another classic on-ship segment.

The next two episodes are culled from the 1997 Sci-Fi Channel season with Mike taking over the full-time hosting duties and second tier players like Pearl, Bobo and Brain Guy introduced. The Undead is another Corman entry that sends a hypnotized hooker time traveling into her medieval past life. The gimmick is actually quite clever but the typical Corman budget constraints and shooting schedule leave plenty of room for riffing.

And finally The She Creature was quite simply made for MST3K with another hypnotism angle dredging up an ancient two-legged sea monster that appears rather infrequently to menace a seaside town. Talky, tone-deaf and a chore to sit through (even our commentators go quiet for long stretches in this one), the guys do what they can to liven things up with some good skits in-between the movie segments.

TV's Frank provides brief introductions on each disc but the major extra this time around is the full-length documentary It was a Colossal Teenage Movie Machine: The American International Pictures Story focusing on the history of the studio through clips and interviews, including Corman himself. Theatrical trailers are also included along with clever new artwork inspired by each episode.