Mystery Science Theater 3000 has been around long enough for several anniversaries. Naturally, before there was the 25th Anniversary Edition, there was the 20th Anniversary Edition. While this doesn't have quite as many extras and movies as the later anniversary edition, this is still a quality collection of movies lacking in quality -- with two very nice extras.
As with most MST3K collections, the 20th Anniversary Edition has four episodes of MST3K. This time around, viewers will join the folks on the Satellite of Love as they watch First Spaceship on Venus (the only episode here with Joel Hodgson), Laserblast (the final MST3K episode on Comedy Central), Werewolf (one of my favorite episodes ever) and Future War (which has forced-perspective dinosaurs, a cheap Jean-Claude Van Damme copy, and an odd amount of theology). This is a fine collection of episodes, and the jokes are flung at and inspired by these movies with great results.
As for extras, there are two big ones here. "The Oral History of MST3K" is a series of interviews, spread over three of the DVDs, with most of the actors, writers, and producers from the show. This covers everything from the very first episodes through the end of the run. Then there's the 2008 Comic-Con MST3K Reunion Panel, which has most of the actors and some producers and writers discussing the show -- with Patton Oswalt hosting. "Variations on a Theme Song" is a lesser but nice extra, featuring all the different openings and theme songs from MST3K's entire run.
While the 20th Anniversary Edition doesn't have as many episodes as the 25th Anniversary Edition, it does have four terrific episodes and two very good bonus features. Mystery Science Theater 3000: 20th Anniversary Edition is another collection that should make any MST3K fan very happy. (Folks can also shell out more money for a set in a tin box with a toy Crow.)
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