Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie on Blu-ray Sept. 3

Get ready for “this Blu-ray mirth”: Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie is coming to Blu-ray Sept. 3 from Shout! Factory.

Not only that, but the 1996 MST3K theatrical release is getting some juicy extras, including a making-of featurette called “The Making Of Mystery Science Theater 3000 The Movie: The Motion Picture Odyssey.” (It appears to lose a colon in there somewhere.) There’s also “This Island Earth: 2 1/2 Years in the Making”; deleted scenes; and the original trailer.

There should be plenty of deleted scenes, since Universal mercilessly chopped up the original cut of the film to make it a mere 75 minutes for theaters. And the MST movie’s making-of featurette should be interesting, since this in some ways was such a departure from the TV series (and wound up limiting MST’s Season 7 to a handful of episodes in the process).

This Island Earth, from 1955, isn’t a bad film, but it is from the same era and genre often mocked by Mike and the ‘bots. Look for Russell Johnson in a supporting role — the same actor who became “The Professor” on Gilligan’s Island a decade later.

And look for this Blu-ray come September.

— Bruce Westbrook