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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: 2/15/2011
Director: Bert I. Gordon
Cast: Peter Graves, Peggy Castle
Year: 1957
The Movie:
This 1957 Bert I. Gordon production, another 'pain in the brain' from the infamous producer/director, was originally released on DVD in its MST3K version by Rhino years back in 2001. That disc went out of print but it lives again thanks to Shout! Factory's ongoing efforts with the Mystery Science Theater license. This re-release doesn't really improve on the Rhino disc at all, but if you missed it the first time around now's your chance to get it and complete your collection.
The plot of the picture is pretty simple - radiation causes the locusts of the great state of Illinois to grow to massive proportions and lay waste to the towns and cities of the Lincoln state. The army comes in but can't seem to stand up to the giant bugs, and all appears to be lost. Thankfully Dr. Ed Wainwright (Peter Graves) is on hand to try and sort all this out, with some help from a deaf-mute gardener and a foxy female reporter (Peggy Castle) - which is only fair because Wainwright was the one who grew the giant radioactive vegetables that the locusts ate in the first place.
Originally broadcast as the fifth season's Turkey Day episode, Beginning Of The End is a good, not great, riff on a pretty easy target. Peter Graves' acting is hammy at best and the supporting cast are no better but what really makes the movie as laughable as it is are the special effects, most of which include footage of locusts superimposed over top of footage of people running and screaming or things being broken. While these over up all manner of nostalgic charms for those who love their sci-fi cheap and cheesy, the reality is that it's all pretty goofy and ripe for the MST3K treatment.
Mike and the 'bots are game - but they never quite hit that stride that they do in the best episodes, where you get the impression they're completely in synch with one another and the movie. That said, the crew certainly does have a good bit of fun at Peter Graves' expense, and rightly so. Digs and pop culture references fly as quickly as the usually do with pointed Jayne Mansfield jokes thrown in during a car crash scene and the prolonged opening of the film, which is really just a lot of driving, also gets railed on. The skits that are inserted in between the bits with the commentary in the theater are more amusing than usual, particularly when Crow decides to give us a taste of his one man show.
Video/Audio/Extras:
The fullframe interlaced black and white transfer that graces this DVD won't blow you away but it's watchable enough particularly when taken in the intended context. You will see the MST3K silhouettes in front of the screen so purists take note, and the transfer is taken from an old TV master so those expecting the movie to appear here as it was originally intended will be disappointed. That said, it looks as good here as it did on TV when it first aired and pristine video quality isn't really the point here. If you've seen MST3K before, you'll know what to expect.
The commentary comes through nice and clear, there are no problems understanding the participants as they're balanced nicely against the audio from the movie itself. As far as the quality of that part is concerned, it's on par with the transfer. It's not great; in fact, there are times where it sounds more than a little bit muffled. It gets the job done, I suppose, but it's nothing impressive.
There are no extras on this disc at all, just a simple static menu and chapter stops. The non-MST3K version of the film is not included here, but it has been released on its own through Image Entertainment.
The Final Word:
Not the best MST3K episode, but certainly not the worst either, The Beginning Of The End is now back in print thanks to Shout! Factory's reissue.
