Laser Time – The Best Movies Based on TV Shows: Live-Action Edition!


Hollywood has mined the medium of television for decades now, but these films are the very best according to pure science…


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23 thoughts on “Laser Time – The Best Movies Based on TV Shows: Live-Action Edition!


    Half the list is Star Trek and the other half is Muppets.

    I feel like you should have limited it to one movie per franchise, just for the sake of variety.

    1. I know, I know. That’s why I cut further sequels, because then there’d be two MORE Star Treks in there. I tried to keep it to one movie per show, but then The Muppets was SO much about the show, it didn’t seem fair.

      If I cut it down to one movie per franchise, by, say, cutting the reboots, the next two movies would’ve been State of Play and Serenity. Who saw State of Play? Literally no one. If I kept it to absolutely just one movie for all Muppets and all Star Trek series, The Untouchables and Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie would be next. And you don’t need to hear me rant about my love of MST3K nor my hatred of Brian de Palma.

      The Worst Films episode has only one sequel, and it’s not Star Trek, Muppets or Pigs in Space.

    2. I came to voice the same complaint. And Muppets are my favorite thing in all the universe. At the very end Diana blows through a bunch of movies that didn’t make the list and those were the ones I wanted to hear about. Untouchables at least.

      I guess some of the ones I want to hear about will be in the Worst List

  2. So I’m not sure it actually would qualify, but I can’t believe Get Smart wasn’t on that list. Its a movie with one of Steve Carells best performances and based on the amazing show by my comedy deity Mel Brooks. A show that is a classic and a pretty great movie.

  3. The best part of the HBO funding of Sesame Street is that the shows will still air on PBS just on a delay. Its a public service and should keep going.

  4. P.S. I have watched the first two episodes of The Muppets with my son, he’s 5 years old, and he has enjoyed them, with several big laughs for him, and completely different ones for me. Turns out he LOVES the Swedish Chef!

    1. i’m plannig to get my nephew into them when he’s old enough. good to see theres kids that still like them. a new generation of fans there will be.

  5. Diana being on more episodes should be a new patreon stretch goal. i always love when you guys do music and movies they are always the most fun, had a blast with this one.

    1. especially big thanks for keeping me entertained while being in line at the social welfare office during signing day. tough times call for laser time.

  6. Okay, Rant incoming:

    Here’s my problem with Rotten Tomatoes in general: RT reduces all forms and styles of movie reviews into what is essentially a black and white, pass/fail system. Movies are either good or bad (fresh or rotten). It’s a gross oversimplification of movie reviews that leaves no room for nuance or gray areas. Critics grade movies in different ways for different reasons. They also use a wide range of scoring systems, be it 1-10, four star scales, five star scales (with or without half-stars), letter grade scales (A+ to F), or even 100 point scales.

    So what about a movie review score that is neither good nor bad? How does the “it was okay” review figure into RT’s system? Well they count them as Rotten. Which means it is much easier for a movie to get a Rotten grade than a Fresh grade, because the scale is weighed heavier on one side because it includes “bad” and “average” review scores. This is how you see some movies with horrible RT scores, yet you never heard of it as being a “bad” movie – that’s because it might have tons of average scores like 6/10 or two-and-a-half stars that are all counted as negatives and then drag the score way down. Like I said, this leaves no room for gray area. For instance, I thought the movie Black Mass was just okay. I would give it a 6/10, but I in no way would call it a bad movie. There were plenty of elements that were worth watching. But RT would consider my score Rotten, and that’s just not a true reflection.

    Finally, there is the Freshness rating itself, which is total bullshit. A movie has to have a 60% score to be considered fresh. Once again, this puts a heavier weight on negative reviews and makes it harder for a movie to get a positive score. If RT truly boils all scores down to pass/fail, fresh/rotten, liked it/didn’t like it – then the dividing line should be 50%. If you asked 100 people if they liked Movie X, and 58 said yes while 42 said no, then that should be an over all positive score: more people liked it than didn’t like it. But RT would call it Rotten. Even if a movie falls right down the middle where half the people liked it and half the people didn’t like it, why do we only focus on the negative side? Should the fact that half the people who saw it DID like it count for something? Especially considering that a chuck of the “Rotten” reviews aren’t even bad but just average?

    Anyway, the fact that Star Trek 09 is rated higher than Star Trek II should be a perfect example of how RT is bullshit and stupid.

  7. Diana episodes are always great! Only halfway through but I’m loving this one so far and look forward to the 2nd part. I also really want to watch Naked Gun again..

  8. I echo the sentiments of Diana being an always welcome guest on the show. I do love her enthusiasm and knowledge of films and culture in general. I still want a shame songs episode with her on it!

  9. This episode was indeed a funyun, and I was surprised three Star Treks made it on, but Wrath of Khan and First Contact are the only films anyone really needs. The Voyage Home is good fun and I’m actually in favor of Search for Spock and Undiscovered Country, but nothing can beat Ricardo Montal-Khan.

    I think I’m fired for that pun. However, I do agree with WDS that Star Trek ’09 should in no way be higher than WoK, but give it a few years and the scores could shift. The first new Star Trek was okay, though, unlike how Into Darkness was too lazy to think of an ending and just ripped off WoK instead.

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