New DVD Release for MST3K: The Movie...at last!

• Jan 22, 2008 12:06 PM ET
• by The DVD Team

Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie delivers laughs that are out of this world! A demented scientist, Dr. Clayton Forrester, has concocted a diabolical scheme for world domination. He's going to subject the human race to the worst movies ever made! But his test subject, Michael J. Nelson, possesses mankind's ultimate defense: a sense of humor. So as the classic sci-fi "B" movie This Island Earth unspools, Mike and his robot companions, Tom Servo and Crow, heckle the film mercilessly, providing a hilarious running commentary!!!

That's the description from Image Entertainment's old, long-out-of-print DVD release of the 1995 film Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. The bare-bones, non-anamorphic disc (which I have in my own collection, having bought it for my wife when it was still "new", and catching it on sale for only $10!) was originally licensed to Image for DVD release ten years ago, and has long been out of print since Universal Studios decided to begin releasing their own shiny discs.

While many of the Universal films which Image Entertainment put out on DVD have long since been re-released by Universal themselves, MST3K: The Movie hasn't been one of them. Whenever you find copies of the OOP Image release going on eBay, it's not hard for prices to get over $50, or even around $100!

But all that's about to change, because Universal is bringing out their own DVD release at last! This morning the studio has just announced a May 6th release for Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. This new DVD release is still going to be mostly bare-bones, but at least the trailer is thrown in...along with a brand-new anamorphic widescreen transfer that will make the video look a LOT better on your home theater system.

The soundtrack has been upgraded, too, from a simple stereo mix to a brand-new English - Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mix. A French - Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo track is also included, as are English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing. Running time is shown as 75 minutes, a minute longer than the old Image disc is listed at.

The film is rated PG-13 due to some sexual humor. Cost for the new release will be $19.98 suggested retail price, and since many stores will be discounting it you'll find it a cinch to pick this up for under $15. We know that many of you have been waiting to add this film to your MST3K DVD collection at a reasonable cost...now you'll get your chance! - David Lambert

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Edited by The DVD Team (David Lambert) at 01/22/2008 1:16 PM to correct the release date: Universal's info shows May 8th (a Thursday) in the detailed listing, but shows the proper street date of Tuesday, May 6th in the actual schedule area. We regret passing along the incorrect info.