Review
‘Rifftrax’ returns to silver screen in newest movie parody
September 19, 2013
If you have never heard of Rifftrax before, then it is time you hear firsthand how hilarious they are as they came back last Thursday to make fun of the cheesy, albeit entertaining, 1997 sci-fi film “Starship Troopers.”
Three men: Mike J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett. One movie: a science fiction flick from the 90s with dated effects and even more dated acting. Put these two together, and you are bound to get tons of riffing and ranting.
The sci-fi action flick “Starship Troopers” was in theaters once again last Thursday, only this time it was to be riffed apart and made fun of by the former stars of TV series “Mystery Science Theater 3000” who are now Internet film bluffs. It can be very much assured that the audience was laughing along hysterically with their humor.
If that premise seemed a little underwhelming or odd for a one night global film event that many people try to get into, then I am going to tell you firsthand that you have not seen any film in its entirety until you have seen it mocked by Nelson, Murphy and Corbett.
The setup was simple, the three middle aged men, via live feed from a theater in Tennessee, introduced the film they were going to make fun of before an entire audience, and without a second to spare, they dug in. Like any live Rifftrax event, they delivered hard and hilarious.
“Starship Troopers” is a mixed bag in itself. It tells the tale of space marines in the future who fight against an evil alien insect species called Arachnids. The events of the war are portrayed through the viewpoint of marine Johnny Rico, whose campaign is joined by several other friends and loved ones. Most of the film consists of cheesy acting, dated computer generated images, and unintentionally funny moments from the actors and situations.
For a movie that tries to take itself pretty seriously, it makes for great material for our riff masters. Nelson, Murphey and Corbett make sure you are laughing even before the movie starts with some clever Hollywood trivia parodies: once they get started, you are cringing with laughter.
The jokes they crack, the humor between the men and the overall tone they set make the movie experience funnier than most comedies seen in theaters.
The men make their audiences truly happy when they say the things we all think when watching movies like these and, when mixed with their own brand of humor, it makes it all the more of an enjoyable movie-going.
To say that you should see one of these live performances is an understatement. Rather, if you want a great, side-splitting time given by three hilarious and clever men, then definitely see their live riffings and contribute to their website Rifftrax.com. Otherwise, “Rifftrax: Starship Troopers” was an excellent ride from beginning to end and one that I hope to relive soon.
Be sure to catch their next live riffing of the horror classic “Night of the Living Dead” shown worldwide on Thursday, Oct. 24, at a theater near you, or a Fathom Events sponsored cinema.
Ryan Funes is a lover of all things movie, TV, video games and stories and wants to become a television writer someday. In his spare time he enjoys hanging with friends, tapping into his imagination, and watching cartoons of all kinds.