Cinematic Titanic Presents: Santa Claus Conquers the Martians

Joel Hodgson and Co. riffed Santa Conquers The Martians back in the MST3K days and it is considered one of their strongest episodes. Even so, I was not reluctant to buy the Titanic's take on the same movie. I have become a huge fan of Joel, Elvis, Frank, Trace, and Mary Jo in their new incarnation. And Santa did not disappoint. This movie is truly abysmal. Even as children's fare it is tepid and moronic. But the Titanic make this movie a funny and worthwhile viewing dee-lite. Okay, the movie is still dismal ... but the laughs are plentiful with Cinematic Titanic. I like the way this group is able to coordinate five different riffers, each one emerging with their own personality. Most reviews tend to compare this take of Santa with the MST3K days. I find that with each passing year, I don't even compare the two. Cinematic is its own thing and a very good own thing at that. Whatever this group does, I'll be waiting to buy it, unwrap it and put it in the DVD player. Highly recommended.

Amusing retread of an MST3K classic. Not as good as the original but worth a sit-thru. At a loss as to why the MST3K alumni riffed a film they already did. I guess to milk a little more money out of the franchise. Fun but the original is better.

As a huge MST3k and RiffTrax fan I was really excited to try a Cinematic Titanic release. It was very disappointing. The MST3k version of this movie was much better. The references are very old, 70s era stuff, Watergate, Cat Stevens songs, Jamie Farr, etc. My two teenagers who both really enjoy RiffTrax both ended up giving up on it. Getting some of the obscure references is part of the fun but they seem very fixed in the 45+ viewer frame of reference.Mary Jo Pehl is awful, not that shes responsible for all her own lines, but her delivery is groan-inducing. TVs Frank is very low energy. Joel and Trace both at least seem to be trying. It seems like having 5 people is too many also.Other than a couple chuckles throughout, we found it tough to finish.

Cinematic Titanic, Santa Claus Conquers The Martians, (#5)I'm thrilled to be the one who gets to offer the first rating on this movie!Some may not know, Cinematic Titanic is an off-shoot of MST3k or Mystery Science Theater 3000.This cast consists of Joel Hodgson (creator of both), Trace Beaulieu (a.k.a. 'Crow', J. Elvis Weinstein (who was 1st Tom Servo and created 'Cinematic's theme song) and Mary Jo Pehl. And you should know - that although MST3k did 'riff' this movie, Cinematic Titanic's riffing is all different on this one.The riffs (funny-comments between movie dialog) are suburb!! - The guys (and gal) don't miss a beat.I have watched it twice so far - and the 2nd time - I caught things I missed the first time.Amazing how unfazed the two kids are in this movie - about having been abducted my Martians.A great movie to riff on. As noted - this is disc number 5 of the Cinematic releases(The Oozing Skull was the first one).One character in this is 'Droppo'(sp?) and he is not only 'lovable' he is irresistible for the gang to riff on.I saw Cinematic Titanic live in Concord NH, it was great!! And I loved the meet and greet after.Also check out their site for other titles, I think 7 so far.You can currently see the trailer of Cinematic Titanic's 'Santa Claus Conquers The Martians' on youtube (and other Cinematic titles).This movie is in color, and total running time is; 1:26:12I not only love this concept, I love this version of the movie!- And I think you will too!Scott MacNeil

This is an interesting title because Cinematic Titanic is composed of most of the original crew of MST3K, who had previously 'riffed' this one. This movie has sort of a cult reputation on its own, and made an excellent episode of MST3K. It's interesting to hear them riff it many years later and in a more PG-13 context than the original. I have both versions and generally prefer this one. Though the MST3K version is also quite good.

For a professional smartass, Joel Hodgson has a sentimental streak a mile wide. That he chose to revisit "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians" nearly twenty years after the MST3K version shouldn't be surprising: it's a movie that, for all its sad, ludicrous, no-budget faults (and I don't just mean Droppo), has a warmth and gentleness that's quite genuine. Watching John Call's impossibly optimistic, reality-challenged Santa is like watching Captain Kangaroo getting sloshed on whiskey-spiced eggnog: jovial, if a little disturbing.So which version is funnier: MST3K (1992) or Cinematic Titanic (2008)? I'd call it a draw. Some of the jokes in the earlier version can't be topped, but the newer material is very strong, and in some cases an improvement over the '92 version. The "Chochem" scene, truncated for MST3K, is seen in its entirety in the CT version, and the latter has the advantage of a better quality, more colorful print, for what it's worth.

Not much to add on this one. It was very funny. I didn't see the prior review and the disclaimer about not watching it with food. So I had my usual midnight snack ready as I turned it on. I learned quickly to be on guard as the lines are fast and funny. It was nice to relax and watch a film that made me laugh and not have to think about anything but enjoying the clever dialogue. It was clever, and it was funny. It was my first "cinematic titanic" watch, so it was a pleasant surprise. Of course I am huge fan of smart remarks and commentary. If you are wondering what "cinematic titanic" is, it is a film with some really funny people inserting comments as the movie plays. It wasn't distracting to me, just funny. I recommend it to anyone who needs a good laugh, just be careful with snacking as the first review suggested!

This was made to show in drive-ins. So we could make-out and not feel bad about not watching the movie.