MST3K: Episode 820 - Space Mutiny

I'm watching all of the Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes in order. More about that here and here.

Episode 820: Space Mutiny

First aired: Sci-Fi Channel on 7 November 1997
Availability: Amazon DVD (Volume 4), Rhino (Volume 4/out of print)

Not your regular mutiny.

It's hard to pick out what Mike & the Bots found most unbelievable about Space Mutiny.

There's the character that's killed off, then shows up back at work in the very next scene.

There's the slow-moving chase scenes involving floor buffers.

There's Cameron Mitchell looking like Santa Claus.

But, it seemed to be the leading lady in this film. They seemed to think she was much older than the leading man. Turns out the actors are married. They met on the set of this film and hit it off.

Reb and Cisse go at it.

The lead actress, Cisse Cameron wasn't the 20-something her character seemed to be. She was likely pushing 40. The movie was released in 1988, some 17 years after her first film. That likely puts her in her late 30s or possibly early 40s.

The male lead, Reb Brown, was born in 1948. His first movie role wasn't until 1973. He played college football at Southern California, worked as a sheriff's deputy, and boxed professionally. So, his not having a role until two years after Cisse Cameron doesn't mean he was two years younger. I figure they were the same age, or he was slightly older.

Now, he didn't look it. She actually looked older, although I thought she looked pretty good in the film. It wasn't that she looked older than she was, it's that he looked younger than he was.

Santa, the captain, the dead girl, and Big McLargehuge.

All that to say that the riffing on Cisse Cameron's age was a little unfair, since they didn't riff on Reb Brown's age.

Then, again, whoever said the MST3K crew was ever fair?

Now, don't get the idea that I'm trying to defend this movie. I'm not. It's a bad, bad film. A wicked, bad, naughty film. And, it deserves to be punished.

Why? I'll tell you why.

A bunch of folks are wandering around the universe in a bunch of warehouses that look like Battlestar Galactica ships from the outside, so Pygar from Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy and some dude that kinda looks like David Bowie used to look decide to mutiny, equipping their security forces with floor buffers, but not teaching them to avoid falling over railings, and there are some dancing girls who seem to be important for some reason, plus there's a girl that won't stay dead and keeps showing up for work, and anyway, despite hating each other, the two love interests end up falling in love and saving the ship and everybody lives happily ever after except for all the dead people. The end.

Bobo knocks over a lamp.

Other than the riffing on Cisse Cameron's age -- I thought that was a little unfair -- I really enjoyed M&tB taking this movie apart. And the list of names for Reb Brown's character? You can find lists of them on the Internet, so I won't go into all of them here. But my personal favorite? Bob Johnson.

The season-long arc of the endless chase all across the universe finally leaves ancient Rome. Though I just didn't really get into them, the way they worked out the destruction of those places was kinda clever. Bobo heading back to grab the cheese and accidentally knocking over a lamp, starting the fire that burned ancient Rome was kinda funny. At least they won't be able to blame that one on Mike.

Kind of a lame movie, but an okay episode.

And, yes, I got the t-shirt.

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