Recap / Mystery Science Theater 3000 Special 3

Films covered (in order of appearance):

1. The X-Files: Fight the Future
2. Ever After
3. Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later
4. The Truman Show
5. π
6. Saving Private Ryan
7. Small Soldiers
8. Deep Impact
9. Armageddon (1998)

The third and final movie special made during the show's Sci-Fi network era.

The Segments:

Prologue

• Mike and Servo are ordered by Crow, with government backing, to again review this year's summer blockbusters, much to the two's objections. In the theater, they sing the theme, a surf rock number.

Segment 1

• Crow starts off the special with The X Files movie, with snowclones of Cigarette Smoking Man's name. Servo moves on to Ever After starring Drew Barrymore as a giant insect.

Segment 2

• Mike then introduces Halloween H20 and The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey's butt.

Segment 3

• Crow shows a clip of Pi, much to his disdain. He alleviates the situation with Saving Private Ryan, with Servo complaining about saving Matt Damon. Small Soldiers is next, with Tommy Lee Jones as a lesbian doll. Crow wants to show clips from a certain giant monster film, but instead shows his alternative, Goshzilla!.

Segment 4

• Crow shows a clip of Deep Impact, a film not to see again and again. Another meteorite film, Armageddon is shown, but the animal cracker scene leads to the disgust of the three riffers. As the special ends, Servo reassures fears of meteorite impacts, while asteroids head for the SOL.

---

This special contains examples of:

• Accidental Misnaming:
  • Mike calls Halloween H20 "Halloween Water".
  • Later, Crow calls Pi "Apple Brown Betty", Saving Private Ryan "Saving Private Benjamin" and Deep Impact "De Pimp Act".
• Call-Back: "Hey baby, where you got to go?"
• Cats Are Mean: The inversion is lampshaded.
  (Alan's cat is licking Archer)
  Mike: An affectionate cat? This is science fiction.
• Continuity Nod: In the opening segment, Crow is wearing a Civil Defense helmet, just like the time he tired to dig out of the SOL.
• Fade to White: How the special ends.
• Felony Misdemeanor: Mike and the bots reminds the audience a few times that seeing these summer movies is a requirement and you're in violation of federal law if you don't.
• Hypocritical Humor: Crow begins the special with The X-Files movie, saying that movies based on TV shows is a ridiculous notion.
  • Then again, what with what happened with Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie, this might also count as a Take That!.
• Screwed by the Lawyers: invoked Crow announces to the audience that they can't show clips of a certain monster movie remake or even speak its name without getting sued. So he puts up a replacement, Goshzilla, which is him playing with a lizard toy and cardboard skyscrapers.
  Crow: There, and it's Matthew Broderick free! And Mike paid a quarter to watch it so it's already made more of a profit than (BEEP)zilla.
• Tempting Fate: During the credits, Servo reassures fears of asteroids hitting Earth, while at the same time asteroids head for the SOL.

---