RiffTrax Shorts Season 28 Episode 3 Flying Saucer Mystery

In this episode of RiffTrax Shorts season 28, titled "Flying Saucer Mystery," the Mystery Science Theater 3000 crew takes on an old educational film that tries to convince kids that flying saucers are real and that the government is covering up evidence of their existence.

As the short opens, two boys are reading a comic book about aliens when they spot a strange flying object in the sky. They excitedly report their sighting to an adult, who dismisses it as a weather balloon and tells them not to worry about it. But the boys are convinced they've seen something extraordinary and set out to gather evidence of their own.

Along the way, they interview witnesses who have had their own encounters with flying saucers. These stories are often comically absurd, with one man claiming that aliens abducted him and used him for experiments that gave him the ability to communicate with plants. The boys also do some investigating of their own, setting up a camera to capture footage of any flying objects that might appear.

But just when it seems like they've hit a dead end, the boys stumble upon a government conspiracy to cover up the existence of flying saucers. They sneak into a government facility and discover that UFOs are real and that the government has been hiding evidence of their existence for years.

The short is filled with plenty of cheesy special effects, melodramatic music, and over-the-top acting. The riffing from the MST3K crew is as sharp and hilarious as ever, with snarky comments and clever pop culture references landing fast and furious.

One of the things that makes this particular short so enjoyable is the earnestness of the filmmakers. Unlike some educational films that are deliberately cheesy and self-aware, "Flying Saucer Mystery" seems to genuinely believe in the existence of UFOs and the need to educate children about them. This makes it all the more ripe for mocking, as the MST3K crew gleefully pokes fun at the film's earnestness and naivete.

Overall, "Flying Saucer Mystery" is a classic example of the kind of short that made MST3K and RiffTrax so beloved by fans. It's goofy, charmingly naive, and just the right amount of absurd to make for a hilarious riffing experience.