MST3K boxed sets ~50% off at Amazon (TV Deal of the Week thru 9/15)

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I'm always looking for the MST3K box sets to be on sale and they rarely are. Amazon has them as the TV Deal of the Week this week. They have volumes XX - XXIV for $28.99 each. That's still a bit too high for me (would like $20) but not a bad deal.

I did buy the Gamera set (Vol. XXI) since it has 5 movies (the rest all have 4) and is $42+ on eBay and $50 at Best Buy. So $28.99 seems like a pretty good price for that one. I might buy one or two more later in the week. None of the later movies (from about vol. XXI and up) are available via Netflix or Blockbuster online.

Netflix had the Gamera movies for streaming for a short time but then pulled them - right after my son got hooked on watching them. So he'll be happy to have them permanently.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=TV_DOTW...d_t=101&pf_rd_p=1396489562&pf_rd_i=2625373011
 
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I have never seen an episode of MST3k but heard it's real funny and entertaining. Which set is good to get to make me really enjoy the series? Also any plans of this coming to bluray?
 
This is about the third time this year they've lowered them to this price and is a great chance to stock up. You're going to be waiting a long time if you're looking for $20, never saw them that low anywhere. The Rhino sets went OOP long before they could ever go that low. Don't know how long the Shout sets will hold out, but you shouldn't pass up this price if you want them because this is the kind of show where OOP sets skyrocket on the secondary market.
 
[quote name='ryosnk']I have never seen an episode of MST3k but heard it's real funny and entertaining. Which set is good to get to make me really enjoy the series? Also any plans of this coming to bluray?[/QUOTE]

Try the Gamera set. Some of the best of show, IMHO.

As for blu, I doubt much would be gained by a blu-ray release considering some of the movies they riffed were pretty beat up prints.
 
[quote name='Captain Wrong']Try the Gamera set. Some of the best of show, IMHO.

As for blu, I doubt much would be gained by a blu-ray release considering some of the movies they riffed were pretty beat up prints.[/QUOTE]

I imagine most of that stuff was being played off a VHS tape.
 
I'd say the Gamera set for a different reason; they're all episodes hosted by Joel, and there are 5 episodes in the set instead of the normal 4.

If you want something that has both Joel and Mike episodes, it's a tougher choice. Set 22 comes with Time of the Apes and Mighty Jack, but set 24 comes with Fugitive Alien and Fugitive Alien 2. I suggest looking into Time of the Apes and Fugitive Alien and seeing which of those two concepts sound more hilarious to you.

Or, you could just buy them all. I would if I didn't already buy them on day one.
 
[quote name='ryosnk']I have never seen an episode of MST3k but heard it's real funny and entertaining. Which set is good to get to make me really enjoy the series? Also any plans of this coming to bluray?[/QUOTE]

[quote name='TheBomb69']Bought the Gamera set as I have never seen an episode and feel this would be a good intro to the show.[/QUOTE]

Blu-Ray would bring nothing I'm sure. As others have said the originals for most (if not all) of these movies are not in great shape and I'm sure the hosting segments were filmed in SD anyway since it was made in the early 90's (for the most part).

But yeah, I'd say the Gamera set is a great start. Not only do you get the 5 movies (vs 4 for the other sets) but they are some of the best. Unfortunately, they are all similar types of movies, and all have Joel hosting so you don't get much variety there, but you do get 5 great episodes. Of course, each episide has different riffs so it's not like they are too similar - and it is kind of nice for other reasons to see the "evolution" of the Gamera movies. Still, you might want to pick up another set with some Mike episodes. Personally I like them both for different reasons.

The original Gamera movie episode has one of THE best host segments - the "Tibby" the turtle song. That still busts me up even 20 years later.

I had all the Gamera movies recorded in high quality on VHS (and converted to DVD long ago) so I didn't absolutely have to buy this set. It is indicative of how great these are that I bought them anyway. Some of the other sets have a few movies I didn't catch on tape or ones I haven't seen at all (some of the later season episodes) so I am definitely thinking of buying 1 or 2 more.

In terms of MST3K in general, I'd say you can definitely get into it for the first time even (~20) years later. I watched many of them on TV when they first aired and I was in my early 20's. A lot of the references even then went over my head since the guys hosting/writing were a bit older and referenced a lot of 50's-60's stuff. I still don't get some of the jokes. And then there are topical references to current events in the 90's that you may or may not get (my kids mostly don't). But then there are plenty of timeless jokes as well. So it is a good mix - even my kids (ages 9-15, and even my 4 year-old though he mostly likes them for the monsters like Gamera) really enjoy watching them. I've noticed my 15 year-old daughter "getting" a lot more of the humor than she did when I first showed them to her several years ago.

And in terms of them going OOP and becoming more valuable later - that is definitely most likely with the Gamera set over all the others. So I had no qualms buying that set as soon as I saw the sale. That set will definitely retain its value.
 
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If you want to try out the show and are in the US, Hulu has 7 episodes up for free to watch. The episodes are mostly from season 4, but there is one episode each from S2, S5, S6, and S10.
 
"Ga-mer-ra is really neat! Ga-mer-ra is full of meat! We all love to eat Gaaaaa-merrrrr-rrraaaaa!"

In for the Gamera set, can finally replace my taped-off-TV VHS tapes (from when they aired!).
 
[quote name='NuclearPorkchop']"Ga-mer-ra is really neat! Ga-mer-ra is full of meat! We all love to eat Gaaaaa-merrrrr-rrraaaaa!"

In for the Gamera set, can finally replace my taped-off-TV VHS tapes (from when they aired!).[/QUOTE]

Yep, same here. I did record the Gamera ones in hig quality though (unlike many others that I recorded in 6 hour mode so I could get 3 per tape - I was a cheapass back then too, but with less money ;)).

I still have some gems in my collection of tapes - ones that they have not and may never release on DVD (due to licensing issues). Probably the best of those is Girls' Town (starring Mamie Van Doren, a young Mel Torme, and an even younger Paul Anka ;)). It may be the "best" movie they ever riffed, and they had some great jokes.

FYI, my Gamera set arrived today. I think I will buy one more set - once again, after I figure out which set has the most that I don't already have in some form. I better get on that with the sale ending Saturday.
 
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