Saul of the Mole Men is Bad . . . but not all bad. This Sid & Marty Kroft parody has it's moments. Like when Saul talks to the Wise Man, or when he's thrown into prison and forced to fight a giant worm. It's not all good. There are scenes in nearly every show that seem tacked on filler. Buta lot of the Bad is Good. Like the deliberately cheap sets, costumes, FX, etc . . . Saul's wig and mustache are particularly bad. But the best part is his Chicago/New Yawk accent, and listening for what words he's going to mispronounce next -- like calling Rocks, Racks. "Da Bears..." After a while it gets to be like Super Milk Chan. The more you watch the more you want. Eventually you wish you had it on an endless loop! Trey Parker of South Park wrote the opening theme. Look for Alex Winter as the King Of The Mole Men.
12 Reviews
Land of the Magic Shrinker Bugaloos
mannix-62 September 2007
This show is brilliant. Never have I seen this era spoofed so well. I've seen many unfunny improv parodies of old 70s shows lately but this show hits it all just right. The likes of Land of the Lost, the Kroft Supershow, Bugaloos, Sigmund the Seamonster, Dr Shrinker, Magic Mungo, WOnderbug! They are all here. Every bad-acted, soap-opera-music, scary costumed, teens-in-trouble one of them.
I love the cast. There are a few onenote performers but some hilarious standouts. And the furry suits with big eyes are the best! As a child I was terrified by these kinds of suits in those children's shows on Saturday morning and this show brought that fear back! Run Away! Run Away!
...and that theme is so catchy! Johnny Tambourine is such a funny character. I laugh my a$$ off every time I see him. Even the name is funny.
This show can take the parody even further with more seasons. There is a wealth of material for them.
I love the cast. There are a few onenote performers but some hilarious standouts. And the furry suits with big eyes are the best! As a child I was terrified by these kinds of suits in those children's shows on Saturday morning and this show brought that fear back! Run Away! Run Away!
...and that theme is so catchy! Johnny Tambourine is such a funny character. I laugh my a$$ off every time I see him. Even the name is funny.
This show can take the parody even further with more seasons. There is a wealth of material for them.
had potential but the final product is crap
subterraneancannibal13 February 2007
I loved the idea of this show... having the schlub survivor of an expedition explore a subterranean realm filled with comically cheesy special effects. And overall I thought the show was pretty good visually. But the writing was just plain lazy. Unlike the sets and costumes, the writing did little to evoke the feel of those old live-action Saturday morning kids' shows. Plus, there weren't many jokes as other reviewers have noted... just deadpan whining by Saul. Apparently the writers thought to themselves, "This resembles something people will remember from when they were ten but with some blood, a naughty joke and a bit of whining.. so it's funny!" Well, no it's not.
I Understand the premise, but poor execution
scltspider11 February 2007
Plenty of times I have watched and enjoyed movies and TV shows that where more about the script than the production budget. Saul of the Mole Men tries to act as parody and farce of shows like Land of the Lost, but falls short in the following area: It's not funny.
There are no discernible jokes, just an attempt to make people laugh because of how absurd it is that a show is made this bad. Long shots with bad special effects of an actor obviously running in place, acting that would embarrass a middle-school musical production, and idiotic decisions on the part of main characters are what the writers HOPE will amuse the audience.
Unlike shows such as Sealab 2021 and Venture Brothers who also take jabs at their source material, I have to assume that SotMM is hoping that it's viewing demographic is either high or VERY easily amused.
There are better things to watch on a late Sunday night, and I hope other people realize that also.
There are no discernible jokes, just an attempt to make people laugh because of how absurd it is that a show is made this bad. Long shots with bad special effects of an actor obviously running in place, acting that would embarrass a middle-school musical production, and idiotic decisions on the part of main characters are what the writers HOPE will amuse the audience.
Unlike shows such as Sealab 2021 and Venture Brothers who also take jabs at their source material, I have to assume that SotMM is hoping that it's viewing demographic is either high or VERY easily amused.
There are better things to watch on a late Sunday night, and I hope other people realize that also.
Unique and sometimes amazing (and occasionally dumb)
kreniigh12 February 2008
Sometimes a show comes along that's so different from anything else, so warped in all of its details, that it only finds a niche audience and is rejected out of hand by a lot of people who just don't get it. Invader Zim was one such show, and Saul of the Mole Men is another.
The intentional low-budget cheesiness is a huge part of the show's charm and humor. It may take a while to get used to the blue-screen, computer background style, but once you get used to it, it's gorgeous -- the scenes with the fire people, and the flood scene, are amazing.
The plot clips along at a fast pace, the weirdness is unrelenting, and most of all, it's not just the same old tired jokes and routines. Yeah, there's a certain level of lowbrow humor, but everything else more than makes up for it. I hope this gets released on DVD, or better yet, brought back for a new season. For everyone who says it's just stupid and that no one should like it, go back to watching Everyone Loves Raymond or something equally as tired and predictable, and leave Saul alone.
The intentional low-budget cheesiness is a huge part of the show's charm and humor. It may take a while to get used to the blue-screen, computer background style, but once you get used to it, it's gorgeous -- the scenes with the fire people, and the flood scene, are amazing.
The plot clips along at a fast pace, the weirdness is unrelenting, and most of all, it's not just the same old tired jokes and routines. Yeah, there's a certain level of lowbrow humor, but everything else more than makes up for it. I hope this gets released on DVD, or better yet, brought back for a new season. For everyone who says it's just stupid and that no one should like it, go back to watching Everyone Loves Raymond or something equally as tired and predictable, and leave Saul alone.
Weak imitations, boring parodies
sonny_chiba_lives13 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I enjoyed Gardner's previous effort "Wanderlust," mostly because it had a fine sense of timing (i.e., editing) and the benefit of exotic locales. Had it been a cartoon, say, or done on soundstages, it certainly wouldn't have held any appeal.
"Saul of the Mole Men" holds almost no appeal for me. It's a pastiche of several tried-and-ruined Adult Swim gags, including campy parody of ancient children's shows, overdrawn pauses, boring puerility, self-consciously poor sets (it's the live-action equivalent to the ridiculously deconstructive "12 Oz. Mouse"), and the comically fearful murder of a friendly alien species.
In short, Adult Swim really needs to stop fetishizing the children's programming with which its employees/creators grew up. If you can imagine a show even more heavy-handed and reliant on its production to overcome the weak jokes than "Moral Orel," this is it. The only positive I could find was the second-long appearance of Dana Snyder. This is a one-note show that doesn't deserve the chance to improve to mediocrity, but Adult Swim's got just the people to do it.
"Saul of the Mole Men" holds almost no appeal for me. It's a pastiche of several tried-and-ruined Adult Swim gags, including campy parody of ancient children's shows, overdrawn pauses, boring puerility, self-consciously poor sets (it's the live-action equivalent to the ridiculously deconstructive "12 Oz. Mouse"), and the comically fearful murder of a friendly alien species.
In short, Adult Swim really needs to stop fetishizing the children's programming with which its employees/creators grew up. If you can imagine a show even more heavy-handed and reliant on its production to overcome the weak jokes than "Moral Orel," this is it. The only positive I could find was the second-long appearance of Dana Snyder. This is a one-note show that doesn't deserve the chance to improve to mediocrity, but Adult Swim's got just the people to do it.
A brilliant parody
fandalaar22 June 2007
Remember those god-awful Krofft Brothers shows you watched as a kid back in the 70s? Of course you do--Land of the Lost, HR Pufnstuf, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters--the works.
It would seem the folks at Adult Swim, in a fit of nostalgia, threw this affectionate little spoof together, complete with the bad costumes, green-screen, and horrible acting that you remember all too well.
I can, of course, see how people wouldn't like it--it's very much "over the top" in its deliberate badness, but it seems like, to me, that's half the fun.
Overall, an absolutely hilarious parody.
It would seem the folks at Adult Swim, in a fit of nostalgia, threw this affectionate little spoof together, complete with the bad costumes, green-screen, and horrible acting that you remember all too well.
I can, of course, see how people wouldn't like it--it's very much "over the top" in its deliberate badness, but it seems like, to me, that's half the fun.
Overall, an absolutely hilarious parody.
I don't mind low budget...
diesixdie11 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
...as long as there's something there, maybe a good script, an interesting story. This show has the tiny budget, but, but, it's just not funny. The riff seems to be on the old 70's Sid and Marty Croft live action adventures, but none of the jokes score a hit. You can see what they were _trying_ to do, but it all just falls flat.
I like the idea of killing all the heroic characters, up front, and just leaving the unheroic to deal with the adventures, but the "leftovers" have to be interesting or likable, to some degree.
It's obvious that Adult Swim is getting greedy and wants to see high viewership numbers on this with minimal budget, and that might be possible if there was actual cleverness or humor.
Oh, well. I'm basing this on only the first episode. Maybe the show will improve.
I like the idea of killing all the heroic characters, up front, and just leaving the unheroic to deal with the adventures, but the "leftovers" have to be interesting or likable, to some degree.
It's obvious that Adult Swim is getting greedy and wants to see high viewership numbers on this with minimal budget, and that might be possible if there was actual cleverness or humor.
Oh, well. I'm basing this on only the first episode. Maybe the show will improve.
granted, not high brow humor. but hilarious in its own right.
timjritter31 August 2008
you have to be in the right frame of mind for this show. if you start watching expecting to be moved by profound insights and thrilled by the special effects then your definitely going to be disappointed. my recommendation? just sit back, relax, and watch. part of the charm of this show is the actors have to be masters of their craft to come off as such poor actors. (the camera holds on Saul's face, he is seen to look away from the camera and his face is set in his signature, slack expression)to me, thats funny. a nice contrast to the arrogance of so many other programs that take themselves so seriously. there are so many shows out there that i suspect the creators of think they are doing something important. television is not important, it is not deep, it is entertainment. and Saul of the mole men is entertainment in its purest form.
i don't know why the creators of this show made it like this,obviously they weren't trying to excel at anything. but the net result is a program that because of its creativity and ability to laugh at itself i would prefer to watch over anything out there. i'm actually frustrated because i've only watched half of the season. and i hear they are not going to have a second season. that would be a tragedy.
i don't know why the creators of this show made it like this,obviously they weren't trying to excel at anything. but the net result is a program that because of its creativity and ability to laugh at itself i would prefer to watch over anything out there. i'm actually frustrated because i've only watched half of the season. and i hear they are not going to have a second season. that would be a tragedy.
Simply awful...
dougdodge7 December 2007
I could give you a hundred reasons not to watch this horrible crap but it's not worth the time spent to do it. Yeah, it's that bad. Might be funny for kids who still smoke dope; the mentality and level of humor is that low. The obvious low budget look is meant to add to the funny factor but it fails miserably. It has a 1970s "Sigmund and the Sea Monster" meet "Shazam" type production quality. Unfortunately for this show, writing also plays a big part in comedy which this has none of. It doesn't help much that the main character looks so completely stupid that most people wouldn't give him the time of day if met on the street. Adult Swim struck out with this "gem". This ranks with Assy McGee as far as watch-ability. Twelve minutes of this tripe is fourteen minutes too long! A complete waste of air time!
Awesome
sherwojo12 February 2007
OK....first off disregard the comment above from Abe Kwiatkowski this saying that this show isn't very good, this guy obviously does not understand the humor and writing of Josh Gardner. You see, to truly appreciate this show you need to watch a few episodes of "Gerhart Reinke's Wanderlust" which also features Josh Gardner as Gerhart. You tube it please, its ashame wanderlust did not see more than 6 absolutely hilarious episodes. The cancellation was probably due to the high production cost of traveling to different countries, but those 6 episodes are gems. However this post is not about wanderlust. Where Wanderlust left off Saul Of the Mole Men takes over. This show is REALLY REALLY low budget (but it adds to its humor) and is nothing more than hilarious (to comment on Abe Kwiatkowski post, I wish I had been high last night, because I would have sh*t my pants). But like I said before you have to be a fan of Josh Gardner's work other wise you just might not get it like my friend Abe Kwiatkowski.
Good show and a pretty accurate homage to Sid & Marty Kroft
ghoolsby17 September 2018
It's unfortunate how much worthwhile programming gets shelved. Saul might night have been rebroadcast much but it's worthwhile even though a lot of the show's humor is lost on the younger audience.
Saul of the Mole Men has a pretty decent story and is funny. It also does a pretty excellent job at honoring / parodying shows like Land of the Lost and the other live action 70s TV shows that Sid & Marty Kroft produced.
The guy who played John Henry sites the role as one of his favorites, and he actually gives a surprisingly good performance. Also surprising that Saul and Johnny Tambourine was played by the same actor.
The whole show is free on the Adult Swim site and is definitely worth checking out.
Saul of the Mole Men has a pretty decent story and is funny. It also does a pretty excellent job at honoring / parodying shows like Land of the Lost and the other live action 70s TV shows that Sid & Marty Kroft produced.
The guy who played John Henry sites the role as one of his favorites, and he actually gives a surprisingly good performance. Also surprising that Saul and Johnny Tambourine was played by the same actor.
The whole show is free on the Adult Swim site and is definitely worth checking out.
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