It's been more than four years since Rick Wolf and his robot friends TopsyBot, Johnny Cylon and Flux Namtari battled a zombie apocalypse and a bigger threat...bad movies.
It was expected that "Bad Guys Wear #000000" would be done a whole lot sooner, but it was explained in an insert in the DVD that technical problems and lost footage caused a LOT of delays.
Finally, though, the DVD was sent out to fans this month. Aside from the main plot where Rikk and the boys are now dealing with computer problems and a new zombie religion, it also faces two shorts (including one familiar to Rifftrax fans).
The host segments, which run for more than hour, may seem to be tedious to those who come for the riffed shorts. However, ICWXP tries to be different with a major arc about Rikk and the boys hoping to get out of the Cine-A-Sorrow Theater, where they've been trapped to protect themselves from the zombie hordes. Sure, there seems to be "news" there are safe sections including downtown Kansas City, but they won't know until they get out.
However, they have to deal with the Order of Mortuus, led by some guy who thinks the zombies are the future and should be worshiped. They also have ninjas that teleport but that's about it. Rick is told via their mysterious Ludovico informant they have to get to the basement of the theater to escape, but first they have to get around a force field installed by the Order.
There's also those two henchmen from Ludovico, Berkin and Spencer, following the gang. They're not in good shape, since one of them thinks he sees the Crimson Executioner from Bloody Pit of Horror and has to grease him up. Ewwwww.
It would have been a good idea to trim about ten or 15 minutes from the host segments, but the story is still pretty interesting. At least they have more to worry about than lousy short films. Much of the delay is due to the extensive special effects, especially how the scene changes to a 16-bit video game to show how Rick escapes. The new MST3K only wishes it was this fancy, and might be once a new season is approved.
Speaking of which, the influence of MST is strong with the show. When Rick snoozes, it's to the sound of Joel Hodtriani playing "Tublar Booblar Joy" from his album, Idiot Control. Also, one of the zombies is a former CORPS solider named Corbett, and someone says "let me be Frank about Frank".
So, what about the riffs? The first short is "Safety: In Danger Out of Doors", featuring Safety Woman, This is already available on Rifftrax, and it shows the world's only Super Traffic Guard saving two dumb kids from a boating accident and a girl from being hit by a van. The style of the riffs is a bit sharper than Rifftrax. For example:
We get the origin story about how a free-lance architect gets super powers
She was bitten by a radioactive stop sign
From her house, she hears the kids calling for help
By the power of Numbskull
The second short is interesting. It's called "Linda's Film on Menstruation", which features two teenagers discussing what happens when a girl gets her first period. The boy is a dope about it, of course, There's also strange animation that attempts to explain menstruation, not to mention interviews with women who talk about it, too. The weirdest parts include a doctor who talks about menstruation....in a bowling alley, and a girl who dreams of a game show that talks about why getting periods freaks out men.
The gang also deal with those old pre-movie and intermission ads for popcorn and drinks...and even a cold pickle that'll never replace M&M's. There's even a couple of car ads from the '60s.
Not enough? How about this: the boy in the short is played by Johnathan Banks of Breaking Bad. He actually talked about this with Conan O'Brien a couple of years ago.
The DVD also has nice extras including a riffed short from Josh Way's Fun With Shorts, Flux meeting fans at Planet Comicon in Kansas City, a special video from Patreon, and even a special motion comic from Sugar Ray Dodge.
It's great to see the ICWXP crew back in action. However, creator Rikk Wolf says they're taking a break. Hopefully, they will get to the second season finale eventually. Massive sales should help, so here's a link to the show.
They're taking a break for now, but let's hope Rikk will get one more episode done. ICWXP is one of the best successors to MST3K out there, and it should be supported.
Who knows, maybe Rikk can get a new job: head of security at Moon 13 and possible future boy toy for Kinga Forrester. That'll thrill Max to no end (if Max is still around, that is)
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