Rifftrax
If you’re a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, you owe it to yourself to check out Mike Nelson’s Rifftrax. Basically, he produces audio commentary in mp3 format that accompanies mainstream movies. Syncing up the audio is a minor challenge, but the end result is an MST3K-like treatment of big budget flicks that would have been out of reach for budgetary reasons when the show was still on the air.
Here are snapshot reviews of the Rifftrax released so far:
Road House: Mike Nelson has frequently commented that this is the greatest movie of all time, and I can see his point. A touching story about (I kid you not) a world-famous bouncer, kicking ass and taking names. In terms of cheesy concepts, it was Snakes on the Plane before Snakes on a Plane. The Rifftrax is generally excellent, and you can tell Mike knows this movie rather better than a sane individual probably should. Compared to an MST3K episode, the riffs come at a slower pace than fans may be accustomed, but the quality and comedic timing are as good as ever. Grade: 8/10
The Fifth Element: A big-budget sci-fi romp from the mid-nineties, a decade that practically teemed with stuff like this. The riffage is on par with Road House, and although the source material is less absurd than Road House’s shirtless inanity, overall I liked this Rifftrax a bit more. Mostly I think it’s because the Fifth Element is a bit of a guilty pleasure of mine, and doesn’t lag as much as Road House as a movie. Whatever the reason, it’s my favourite Rifftrax so far. Grade: 8.5/10
Plan 9 From Outer Space: Long requested as bot-fodder for MST3K, this is one of the so-called Rifftrax Classics available. Strictly speaking, it’s a DVD commentary Mike recorded for Legend Films, which has been repackaged as a Rifftrax (complete with DisembAudio). After viewing this with the Rifftrax, I’m frankly glad MST3K never tackled this piece of crap. Yes, it’s the archtypical crummy movie, the like of which the show typically spun into comedy gold. However, I just don’t find it interesting in its badness; it’s lousy and boring at the same time, and though Mike tries his best, I found it a hard slog. The Riffing is funny, but not as rapid fire as Road House or The Fifth Element, which I suspect is a result of its origins as a DVD commentary. Grade: 6/10
Night of the Living Dead: Another Rifftrax Classic, this one is a strange beast. Revered as a groundbreaking genre movie, it’s really quite dull and slow-moving, which the commentary can’t quite overcome. Further, this time the commentary is less like MST3K-like riffing and more like a traditional commentary. Mike makes biographical comments about each of the actors (obviously trolling IMDB for his info), and spends much of the time taking jabs at the filmmaking, the dialogue, etc. in a more detached fashion than other Rifftrax. Grade 6/10
I’m looking forward to the latest commentary for Star Trek V, featuring fellow MST3K alumn Kevin Murphy (Tom Servo). To echo Damian Penny, this is the next best thing to re-launching MST3K. If you loved that show like I did, Rifftrax is worth your time.
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