Phase IV

[bratpop]

If you haven't seen this KTMA ep, google "MST3K - K09 - Phase IV". It's unbelievable. The improvised jokes are really good. I enjoyed this 10 times more than any season one episode. Apparently somebody learned how to take macro photography of ants and decided to make a movie about it. Two guys in a dome in the desert experiment on ants by spraying them with yellow liquid (no, not like you did when you were a kid). And the one guy is an expert in game theory so he learns how to communicate with the ants through math. (!!??) The ants build big geometric towers of sand, and uh... some stuff... and they kill people without growing giant. It's ridiculous. I'm always amazed how bad MST3k movies are and this is no exception. The photography is really good. The guy is probably rich now working for Discovery or something. But the movie is so stupid. It features that one guy from that one movie. The best part is the middle has a commercial featuring Kevin Murphy in a lawn chair, and an ad for Joel's stand-up with a voiceover by Kevin. Also Kevin did the directing and lighting and cameraing back then.

Here's the best joke, spoilered:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Crow sees a dead animal and says "kitty!" Joel starts laughing and says, "that's a goat."

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

Here's the best joke, spoilered:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Crow sees a dead animal and says "kitty!" Joel starts laughing and says, "that's a goat."

Which is funny because

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

it's actually a sheep

.   



Seriously, though....better than all the season ones?   Phase IV is part of the KTMAs where you can see the show taking shape for what it was destined to be.  But better than The Black Scorpion?

Meantime, if you liked this one wait until you see City on Fire

[bratpop]

Oh God did I hate The Black Scorpion. It made me hate all of Mexico. I loved Untamed Youth however, and Robot Holocaust. But most of season one was depressing black and white films I'm convinced were commissioned by Guantanamo Bay.

[Plastic Self-Cleaning Duck]

But most of season one was depressing black and white films.....

Ahhh....I see.

[Trumpy's Magic Snout]

I actually kind of like the film, if there was a bigger budget and a bit more talent behind the camera involved in the non-ant sections then this could have been a good movie.

[xiphoid]

I'm going to go check it out right now. I'd actually never seen it, but it sounds strangely interesting. Thanks!

[YoohooRiffer]

Phase IV is a great KTMA episode.  That and SST Death Flight are my top pics of that season.  Even though some people have a hard time watching them I very much respect and like the really old stuff.  And to be honset I really like how KTMA Crow looked.  I wish there was a way to build him like he looked in the early days.

[bratpop]

The show seems more fun when you know it isn't written. And when you know they're three feet from a green wall.

[eegah]

Phase IV is probably my favorite KTMA. I also liked Hangar 18, Gamera v Guiron, and City on Fire.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I actually like the concept behind Phase IV, even if the ambiguous ending was a bit annoying, and we never find out WHY the ants are doing this.

The riffing is okay, but I think I had more interest in "legend of the dinosaur".

[mrbasehart]

I haven't even seen any of the KTMA episodes yet.  I've actually barely scratched the surface of the early years - I think the only first season episode I've seen is the pilot.

[Toyland Chairman]

Never really found the KTMA Season all that funny. Sometimes the movies themselves can be entertaining, but this one was rather boring, and the ending was weird.

[MerryWanna]

I always loved this film. It may be of interest that in 2012, the actual, intended ending for this film was discovered...and it's far better. Paramount screwed Saul Bass badly by whacking the fourth phase off Phase IV.  The original ending, for those interested, can be found on YouTube. (I always mess up the links when I post them...maybe someone can do that for me?) Paramount also marketed it as nothing but a horror film without suggesting any of the depth or sci-fi elements...all you have to do is look at the posters they designed for it. This must have been a double blow to Saul Bass since he also designed movie posters himself.He did not design the one picked for his own film, which was crap.

I agree very much with bratpop: the jokes in this episode were AWESOME. Right on point and very funny. I love all the incarnations MST3K spawned, but my true adoration still lies with Joel, Trace, Josh and Frank. The humor was more tuned to folks like me. Rifftrax has evolved into a dark-humor-dominant, anti-hippie thing. I still buy every episode (except the ones with cat killing in them...since that just wilts my funnyboner, so to speak) and enjoy most of them, especially the growing Bridget/Mary Jo collection... But the KTMA and Comedy Central years? That's where my heart lies, along with the funnybone.

Antstock!

[wihogfan]

I remembered not liking Phase IV and thinking it was boring as a movie and as a riff the first time I saw it. Watched it again recently and enjoyed both the riffing and the movie. My feelings on the KTMA and Season 1 episodes have changed in the last few years. I've come to enjoy a lot of them probably in part because a lot of them are episodes I've watched the least number of times. But they're definitely not a place to start if you're new to the show.

[linszoid]

Yeah acid endings do not appeal  to people who are sober