This is one of my favorite episodes of the new seasons of MST3K, if not my ultimate favorite of The Return or The Gauntlet and it is also among the higher rated episodes in The Return, for good reason. Yongary feels MUCH more like an episode from the original run of the show to me than any of the others which I think is why I like it so much. I enjoy bad monster movies which have always been a huge part of MST3K, and this entry seems to have a lot fewer wasted jokes/jokes made just for the sake of filling time than the other episodes (it still has them, just not quite as bad). It also has more of my favorite things than the other episodes by which I mean the crew genuinely laughing at one another's jokes, chuckling, and doing sound effects. Those touches make a big difference to me and I have always loved them! Sometimes a very simple silly sound effect ends up being one of the funniest things to me.
As for the movie itself, it's pretty silly. Yongary was apparently created as an answer to Godzilla, and it has unconvincing effects and a very rubbery looking monster, etc. Even so, at least this movie doesn't feel grimy or particularly low-budget. The actors are attractive and everything is polished and clean (I guess I point that out because I just watched The Christmas That Almost Wasn't and everything and everyone in that movie just looks dirty, unattractive and gross).
Bottom line: this is one of the best episodes of the new seasons. Fans should check it out and although I usually recommend starting with a classic episode to introduce newbies, this episode would be an okay place to start as well. :)
