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Everyone has that one movie habit that can pull them straight out of a story. It might be a character making an obviously terrible decision, a romance that feels completely unnecessary, or a plot twist that only exists because nobody thought to have a five second conversation. These little annoyances can be surprisingly powerful, especially when the rest of the movie is doing everything right. Redditors have spent plenty of time identifying the things that make them suddenly stop caring about what happens on screen, and some of the complaints are incredibly specific. Here are fifteen movie habits that viewers say can ruin the experience almost instantly.

The post 15 People Share What Ruins a Movie Instantly Every Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

We all know plenty of movies with special effects that will last forever, made by cutting edge technologies and techniques that pushed the industry forward. We also know movies deemed like little more than trash, released rather recently, with effects that make them seem from many decades ago. We’re not here to celebrate the former, but to mock the latter.

This has become particularly noticeable in recent blockbusters, where enormous CGI-heavy sequences can expose rushed production schedules and overloaded visual-effects teams. From superhero disasters to ambitious science fiction, these recent movies show that throwing more money at a screen doesn’t necessarily make the pixels look better.

The post 15 of the Worst Special Effects From Recent Movies appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

Fame can make someone’s earlier life seem almost impossible to imagine. It is easy to picture a future movie star, musician, or television personality as someone who was always destined for the spotlight, but many famous people spent years doing completely ordinary work before anyone knew their names. They waited tables, worked office jobs, taught classes, sold clothes, drove trucks, and handled the same everyday responsibilities as millions of other people. Some were already pursuing entertainment on the side while paying the bills, while others stumbled into their eventual careers unexpectedly. These surprisingly normal jobs offer a glimpse at lives that looked very different before Hollywood came calling.

The post 15 Celebrities Who Had Surprisingly Normal Jobs Before Fame Had Other Ideas appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

Movie sets have rules for almost everything, but famous actors can sometimes negotiate an entirely different set of privileges. Once a performer becomes valuable enough to a production, unusual requests can make their way into contracts, shooting schedules, costumes, scripts, and even the final edit. Some of these arrangements exist for practical reasons, while others come from years of bargaining power or simply reflect a star’s very specific preferences. The strangest examples can sound completely made up until the behind the scenes stories reveal what actually happened. These are some of the unusual freedoms, demands, and creative privileges that movie stars have managed to secure while working on major productions.

The post 15 Weird Things Movie Stars Were Allowed to Do on Set appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

A great television series can hide behind a terrible first impression. Sometimes the pilot is awkward, the characters feel unfinished, the jokes land badly, or the premise seems unsure of what it wants to be. That can be surprising when the same show eventually becomes a cultural favorite with devoted fans and unforgettable episodes. Reddit users named series that made them question why anyone kept watching, only to discover that patience paid off. Some needed a new cast member, others needed time to find their rhythm, and a few were almost completely reinvented. These are shows worth giving another chance.

The post 14 Hit TV Shows You Wouldn’t Guess from the Awful Pilot Episode appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in […]

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

In the increasingly distant past, Mystery Science Theater 3000 was ground-breaking television. Part send-up of 1950s kid’s programming, part puppet show, part showcase for co-creator and prop comic Joel Hodgson, MST3K became a cult sensation, especially after it moved from a Minnesota public access channel to what would become the cable channel Comedy Central in 1989. So enduringly appealing was the concept of watching a human host make fun of cheesy movies with his robot pals that MST3K endured a change of hosts from Joel to Mike Nelson in its original run, a Netflix reboot in 2017 that brought comedian Jonah Ray on as new host, and a Kickstarter-funded second reboot in 2022, in which puppeteer Emily Marsh joined Jonah and a returning Joel as new hosts.

In fact, MST3K continues to be a favorite, so much so that it’s coming back this fall for yet another season. MST3K: The Rifftrax Experiments reunites Mike Nelson with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, who perform Tom Servo and Crow T. Robot, as well as Professor Bobo and Brain Guy with Mary Jo Pehl’s evil Pearl Forrester. The Rifftrax Experiments will consist of four new episodes, including the 1966 creature feature Sting of Death and the 1983 Roger Corman-produced sci-fi adventure, Space Raiders.

But to truly understand the appeal of MST3K, we need to go back to these foundational 10 episodes, which taught us all that the series was, in fact, far more than just a show.

Pod People

Season 3 Episode 3

Once the hottest topic on nerdy internet message boards, debates about the merits of Joel vs. Mike don’t matter as much, especially now that Jonah and Emily have entered the fold. But there’s no question that the two original hosts have their own distinct personalities and unique ways of interacting with the movies they mock. Where Mike has a sharper tongue, Joel tends to be more laid-back and kind, setting a tone matched by his puppeteers J. Elvis Weinstein and Kevin Murphy, who performed Servo, and Crow’s Trace Beaulieu, who also portrayed the mad scientist Doctor Forrester alongside Frank Conniff as TV’s Frank.

The one glowing exception may be the bit he does in the middle of Pod People, when he mocks a jerky rock star in the film by throwing up an “okay” sign and declaring, with maximum snark, “It stinks!” Of course, Pod People truly deserves any ire it receives. An off-brand E.T. directed by Spanish schlock auteur Juan Piquer Simón (he of Pieces and Slugs), Pod People melds a straight-forward alien invasion movie about monsters from the stars attacking stupid teens with a heart-warming kid’s story about a boy who bonds with the kindly Trumpy. The results are baffling and lackluster, as when Trumpy shows off his powers by levitating a bunch of knick-knacks, prompting the (again, uncharacteristicly mean) Joel to quip, “Trumpy! You can do stupid things!”

Gamera vs. Guiron

Season 3 Episode 12

Classic kaiju movies have been fodder for riffing long before Hodgson pitched his show to KTMA in Minneapolis. So it’s no surprise that the mad scientists who send movies to Joel, Mike, Jonah, and Emily would often choose pictures about people smashing models in silly rubber suits. But no monster better fit the MST3K aesthetic better than Gamera, the giant fire-breathing turtle.

The show would cover many Gamera movies, starting with Gamera at the top of season 3. But the best of the entries is easily Gamera vs. Guiron, if only because it debuts the all-time classic bit, “The Gamera Song.” Sung to the tune of the theme song that plays across the Gamera movies, “The Gamera Song” includes lyrics like, “Gamera is really neat! / Gamera is filled with meat! / We’ve been eating Gamera!” The silly lyrics capture the original movie’s mixture of kaiju horror and family-friendly bits with percocious young children, perfect for the good-hearted ribbing that Joel did so well.

Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Season 3 Episode 21

Few genres are more outlandish than holiday films, which make them perfect fodder for MST3K. Yet, even by that standard, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians stands out. The 1964 children’s sci-fi movie leans all the way into its ridiculous plot, in which a Martian overlord tries to get the children of his planet out of their stupor by kidnapping Ol’ Saint Nick and bringing him to Mars.

With its cardboard robots and desperate attempts at broad humor, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians give Joel and the ‘Bots plenty of inspiration for jokes. And they take every opportunity, mercilessly mocking the child actors’ wooden performances and calling for the death of the comedic relief character, Droppo. Yet, the holiday spirit still gives the episode a certain sweetness, best illustrated by the song, “Patrick Swayze Christmas,” in which correctly identifies Roadhouse as the greatest gift of all.

Mitchell!

Season 5 Episode 12

Surprisingly, most of the people who made the movies mocked by MST3K didn’t take it personally, and were just glad that people found some way to enjoy their films. That was not the case with Joe Don Baker, who turned in solid performances in Walking Tall and GoldenEye, but who also starred in some shabby action films. Two of those movies got the MST3K treatment, 1985’s Final Justice and 1975’s Mitchell!.

Of the two, Mitchell! makes for the better episode, thanks to its incompetent construction and the slovenly lead performance by Baker. What’s supposed to be a thriller about a gritty cop instead meanders along in dull car chases and stilted action scenes. Worse, Baker plays Mitchell as a guy who just got out of bed, which prompts the movie’s best riff. When Mitchell’s car pulls up a driveway in the middle of the night, Joel whispers, “Michell, honey, put your shoes on. We’re at grandma’s house.”

Laserblast

Season 7 Episode 6

After Joel left the show midway through season 5, he was replaced by Mike Nelson. Nelson was no stranger to the show, having served as head writer and frequent on-screen actor. But he brought with him a more sarcastic sensibility, which often resulted in more mean-spirited jokes. Few episodes demonstrate the change in tone, and Mike’s comedic skills, better than Laserblast from season 7. A production of the notorious schlock purveyor Charles Band, 1978’s Laserblast follows a teenager who becomes corrupted by an alien pendant and cannon he finds in the desert.

Laserblast isn’t good by any means, but it has some fun decisions, including a pair of stop-motion alien lizards and a pretty nasty sensibility. The film’s big swings leave the movie open to some hilarious riffs, most of all those directed at a deputy tracking the teen’s violent activities, a deputy who happens to look just like Hank Williams Jr. It’s funny enough when Mike or the ‘Bots shout “Are you ready for some football?” every time he appears on screen. But the best bit comes when the deputy gives a sullen look to his partner, prompting the riff, “You know, sometimes I think you aren’t ready for some football.”

The Giant Spider Invasion

Season 8 Episode 10

MST3K worked so well in part because it stems from the Midwest. The affability of Joel, Mike, and the various robot puppeteers softened some of their insults, making the whole thing feel like good fun. So it’s somewhat surprising that the Midwest also gave the show one of its most unpleasant films in The Giant Spider Invasion. There should be something charming about a bunch of Wisconsinites making a movie about a town terrorized by a massive arachnid. But director Bill Rebane makes the material so mean and nasty that we actually feel sorry for the audience, even despite the jokes that Mike and the ‘Bots make at its expense.

Fortunately, the jokes are pretty spectacular. The best running gag occurs every time the movie cuts to a mob gathered on screen, prompting shouts of “Packers! The Packers won the Super Bowl!” Likewise, every scene in which Alan Hale of Gilligan’s Island fame stumbles onto screen gets a laugh, especially as he tries to play an authority figure. Yet, not even Mike and the ‘Bots know what to do with a scene in which a teen girl makes a dirty joke to her father, forcing them to scream, “The movie hates us!”

Space Mutiny

Season 8 Episode 20

While all the movies on this list are great, most fans put two at the top, starting with Space Mutiny. The 1988 sci-fi thriller stars Reb Brown, a generic hunk of muscle, as Dave Ryder, a soldier who resists the villain Kalgan’s (John Phillip Law) attempts to take over the massive ship on which his people live. Also, there are space witches, and B-movie icon Cameron Mitchell, looking like Santa Claus.

Directed by David Winters, Space Mutiny has ambition to spare. It does not, however, have much in the way of budget, resulting in all sorts of mistakes for Mike and the ‘Bots to laugh at. They make jokes about everything from space witches who look like Stevie Nicks impersonators to an editing error that allows a character killed in one scene to reappear on the bridge in the next. But the best gag comes with the ridiculous names that Mike, Servo, and Crow give Brown’s character, calling him Blast Hardcheese, Crunch Buttsteak, and, uh, Bob Johnson.

Werewolf

Season 9 Episode 4

As this list shows, it generally takes at least a decade for a movie to show up on MST3K. It’s a lot more fun to mock an older film than it is to tease a new one, as the dated elements lead to better gags. Yet, the 1996 horror movie Werewolf was so bad that it only took two years for Mike and the ‘Bots to start making fun of it, showing up on a 1998 episode of the show.

On a plot level, there’s nothing particularly awful about Werewolf. It follows a guy who starts turning into a wolfman after being scratched by the skeleton of someone infected by the same curse. But the execution of the movie leaves everything to be desired, including its awkward attempt to integrate Native beliefs, the presence of Martin Sheen’s brother Joe Estevez, and every garbled line delivered by Adrianna Miles. Her mush-mouthed performance earns enough laughs by itself, but are even funnier when reinterpreted by the hosts.

The Final Sacrifice

Season 9 Episode 10

The other accepted favorite among MST3K fans is The Final Sacrifice, the 1990 adventure film directed by Tjardus Greidanus. The Final Sacrifice a.k.a. Quest for the Lost City, stars Christian Malcolm as Troy, a young man who comes under attack by cultists looking for his father’s knowledge of a hidden city. Troy’s only help comes in the form of Zap Rowsdower (Bruce J. Mitchell), perhaps the world’s least convincing tough guy.

The Final Sacrifice is the most Canadian movie ever made, which does not go unnoticed by Mike and the ‘Bots. Rowsdower in particular gets a lot of their jabs, as they joke about him thinking only of beer. Making matters worse for the movie, but better for the jokes, The Final Sacrifice pairs Rowsdower with Troy, who is played like a guileless, perfect angel. The combination prompts some of the sharpest riffs that Mike and the ‘Bots ever made, starting them taking the tone of a disapproving parent who will allow one more sacrifice, “But that’s the final sacrifice!”

Mac and Me

Season 12 Episode 1

The revival seasons of MST3K didn’t just bring on a new host. They also brought new sensibilities and a new set of films, aimed more at millennials instead of the late-boomer and Gen X audiences of the original series. Thus, Jonah and the ‘Bots got to set their sites on Mac and Me, 1988’s Coke and McDonald’s commercial masquerading as a wholesome comedy about a boy who befriends an alien.

The Netflix era was marked by faster-paced riffing, as new performers Baron Vaughn (Servo) and Hampton Yount (Crow) come from the world of stand-up comedy. That style particularly suited Mac and Me, which fills the screen with such nonsense that it’s hard to keep up. Jonah and his ‘Bots can’t catch all the insanity they see, but they get a lot of mileage out of the awkward way the protagonist’s family declares their new home “Pretty nice!”

The post The 10 Best Mystery Science Theater 3000 Episodes of All Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

Sometimes a movie wins you over before you’ve even decided whether you like it. Maybe someone else picked it, the trailer looked terrible, or you only put it on because there was nothing better to watch. Then two hours later, you’re wondering why you resisted in the first place. A Reddit thread asking people about movies they didn’t expect to love brought out plenty of converts, including viewers who reluctantly went along with their partners, dismissed something based on its genre, or simply stumbled across a movie by accident. A few didn’t just enjoy what they watched. They bought the DVD, went back to the theater, or turned it into a regular rewatch.

The post 15 People Share the Unexpected Movies They Wound Up Loving appeared first on Den of Geek.

Some actors seem to arrive on screen fully formed, with the face, style, and presence audiences eventually learn to recognize. Their first major roles can tell a very different story. Early performances often came with unusual haircuts, different physiques, younger faces, or character styling that made the person behind the performance surprisingly hard to spot. In some cases, the transformation was simply the result of time, while others were shaped by costumes, makeup, or a role that demanded a completely different image. These early appearances can feel like forgotten snapshots of stars before their familiar screen identities settled into place.

Amy Adams in Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Adams appears with shorter blonde hair and a remarkably youthful face in one of her earliest major film roles, making this a particularly fun snapshot of her pre stardom years

Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise (1991)

Pitt’s brief appearance as J.D. introduced audiences to an extremely young version of the actor, complete with floppy blonde hair and a carefree look that feels worlds away from his later image

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later (2002)

Murphy was only 25 when he became the face of Danny Boyle’s zombie thriller, and his extremely lean frame and youthful features make the future Oppenheimer star surprisingly difficult to recognize

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (1978)

Curtis was just 19 when she played Laurie Strode, and her long dark hair and fresh faced appearance make her look remarkably different from the established star she would become

Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza (1988)

Roberts had a wonderfully distinctive look long before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with enormous curly hair and a much more youthful appearance in this early role

Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused (1993)

McConaughey’s breakthrough arrived with long hair, a thick mustache, and the effortlessly scruffy look of Wooderson, creating an early image that became instantly memorable

Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm (1989)

Kidman’s wild red curls are one of the first things that stand out in Dead Calm, giving the future star a distinctive appearance that many viewers may not immediately connect with her later look

Robert Downey Jr. in Less Than Zero (1987)

Downey Jr. was only in his early twenties here, with a youthful face and thick dark hair that make him look almost unrecognizable beside the actor audiences know today

Javier Bardem in Jamón, Jamón (1992)

Bardem’s early appearance included thick dark hair and a completely different youthful energy, offering a fascinating glimpse of the actor before international audiences knew his face

Penélope Cruz in Jamón, Jamón (1992)

Cruz was only 18 when she made her breakthrough, and her youthful face and dark straight hair give her an almost startlingly different appearance from the glamorous star audiences know today

Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun (1987)

Bale’s first major film role came when he was just a child, making it easy to forget that the young boy at the center of Empire of the Sun would become one of cinema’s most recognizable actors

Michael Fassbender in 300 (2006)

Fassbender had a much leaner appearance as Spartan warrior Stelios, with long hair and an intensely youthful face that can make his early screen presence surprisingly unfamiliar

Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Waltz became internationally famous almost overnight as Hans Landa, but the carefully groomed hair, tailored wardrobe, and character styling created a very specific appearance that audiences quickly associated with the role

Viola Davis in Doubt (2008)

Davis had only a few minutes of screen time in Doubt, yet her performance became a major career moment, with the restrained styling and period wardrobe giving her a very different screen presence

George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Clooney’s appearance as Seth Gecko captures him at a particularly young point in his career, with dark hair, heavy brows, and a rougher style that feels surprisingly distant from his polished Hollywood image

The post 15 Actors Who Looked Completely Different in Their Breakthrough Role appeared first on Den of Geek.

Some shows seem to believe every dramatic moment needs to leave a mess behind, even when the story would work perfectly well without it. The violence becomes part of the visual language, popping up so often that it can start feeling less shocking and more exhausting. Sometimes a tense confrontation gets pushed further than necessary, while quieter scenes somehow find an excuse to turn ugly. The result can be a series where you spend more time bracing yourself than enjoying the characters, story, or atmosphere. These are fifteen shows that occasionally seemed to have absolutely no reason to go quite that far.

The post 15 Shows That Needed to Take a Chill Pill on the Blood and Guts appeared first on Den of Geek.

Some actors seem to arrive on screen fully formed, with the face, style, and presence audiences eventually learn to recognize. Their first major roles can tell a very different story. Early performances often came with unusual haircuts, different physiques, younger faces, or character styling that made the person behind the performance surprisingly hard to spot. In some cases, the transformation was simply the result of time, while others were shaped by costumes, makeup, or a role that demanded a completely different image. These early appearances can feel like forgotten snapshots of stars before their familiar screen identities settled into place.

Amy Adams in Catch Me If You Can (2002)

Adams appears with shorter blonde hair and a remarkably youthful face in one of her earliest major film roles, making this a particularly fun snapshot of her pre stardom years

Brad Pitt in Thelma & Louise (1991)

Pitt’s brief appearance as J.D. introduced audiences to an extremely young version of the actor, complete with floppy blonde hair and a carefree look that feels worlds away from his later image

Cillian Murphy in 28 Days Later (2002)

Murphy was only 25 when he became the face of Danny Boyle’s zombie thriller, and his extremely lean frame and youthful features make the future Oppenheimer star surprisingly difficult to recognize

Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween (1978)

Curtis was just 19 when she played Laurie Strode, and her long dark hair and fresh faced appearance make her look remarkably different from the established star she would become

Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza (1988)

Roberts had a wonderfully distinctive look long before becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest stars, with enormous curly hair and a much more youthful appearance in this early role

Matthew McConaughey in Dazed and Confused (1993)

McConaughey’s breakthrough arrived with long hair, a thick mustache, and the effortlessly scruffy look of Wooderson, creating an early image that became instantly memorable

Nicole Kidman in Dead Calm (1989)

Kidman’s wild red curls are one of the first things that stand out in Dead Calm, giving the future star a distinctive appearance that many viewers may not immediately connect with her later look

Robert Downey Jr. in Less Than Zero (1987)

Downey Jr. was only in his early twenties here, with a youthful face and thick dark hair that make him look almost unrecognizable beside the actor audiences know today

Javier Bardem in Jamón, Jamón (1992)

Bardem’s early appearance included thick dark hair and a completely different youthful energy, offering a fascinating glimpse of the actor before international audiences knew his face

Penélope Cruz in Jamón, Jamón (1992)

Cruz was only 18 when she made her breakthrough, and her youthful face and dark straight hair give her an almost startlingly different appearance from the glamorous star audiences know today

Christian Bale in Empire of the Sun (1987)

Bale’s first major film role came when he was just a child, making it easy to forget that the young boy at the center of Empire of the Sun would become one of cinema’s most recognizable actors

Michael Fassbender in 300 (2006)

Fassbender had a much leaner appearance as Spartan warrior Stelios, with long hair and an intensely youthful face that can make his early screen presence surprisingly unfamiliar

Christoph Waltz in Inglourious Basterds (2009)

Waltz became internationally famous almost overnight as Hans Landa, but the carefully groomed hair, tailored wardrobe, and character styling created a very specific appearance that audiences quickly associated with the role

Viola Davis in Doubt (2008)

Davis had only a few minutes of screen time in Doubt, yet her performance became a major career moment, with the restrained styling and period wardrobe giving her a very different screen presence

George Clooney in From Dusk Till Dawn (1996)

Clooney’s appearance as Seth Gecko captures him at a particularly young point in his career, with dark hair, heavy brows, and a rougher style that feels surprisingly distant from his polished Hollywood image

The post 15 Actors Who Looked Completely Different in Their Breakthrough Role appeared first on Den of Geek.