Space Mutiny (1988)

"You're much more attractive with your mouth shut! ", 31 May 2007

I suppose I could go on and on about the many problems I have with this movie, but there's really no point. That dead horse has already been beaten. You can find page after page of comments on IMDb that describe in great detail the ridiculousness that is Space Mutiny. Instead, I want to focus on two areas that I feel deserve to be commented on.

First, I've made it no secret that I've always enjoyed MST3K. For whatever reason, the show worked (or works) for me. Well, Space Mutiny joins the exalted company of something like Mitchell as one of the absolute best episodes of MST3K I've so far seen. Space Mutiny is such a mess that it's perfect for riffing. Whether it's the poor set design, the laughable continuity, Cameron Mitchell's ridiculous beard, the ludicrous dialogue, John Phillip Law's over-the-top maniacal (but often misplaced) laugh, the golf cart chase, or anything else in the movie, it's almost as if Space Mutiny was made with the concept of MST3K in mind. It just might be the perfect MST3K target.

Second, as a huge fan of Cameron Mitchell, it pains me to see what he was reduced to appearing in at this stage of his career. The fake beard, the satin robes, and the painful dialogue are not the way I want to remember him. It's a long way from Blood and Black Lace, The House of Bamboo, How to Marry a Millionaire, or even The Toolbox Murders. I can't help but be reminded of something similar I wrote after watching the great Myrna Loy in It Happened at Lakewood Manner – Cameron Mitchell certainly deserves better than this "monkey-turd of a movie".

3/10