No one has more experience making fun of movies than “Mystery Science Theatre 3000” alumni Michael J. Nelson, Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy, who are back cracking jokes at the expense of movies that truly deserve it as “The Film Crew.”

The DVD series from Shout! Factory retains the sharp but gently funny film commentaries that made “MST3K” a cult hit in its 11-year run on cable TV in the 1990s. While the framing sketches have been changed—there are no robots here, just three blue-collar guys who create snarky commentary tracks for old B-movies—the brand of humor remains the same.

“It’s like a band that comes back together and hasn’t played in a while,” Nelson says of the reunion. “But within an hour, you’re back to the old rhythms and it feels good.”

“The Film Crew” launched in July with 1968’s “Hollywood After Dark,” starring future “Golden Girl” Rue McClanahan as a stripper (!); followed by “Killers From Space.”

The latest title, “Wild Women of Wongo,” spoofs a 1958 clunker about a primitive tribe of sexy women who are tempted to ditch their unsightly husbands after a visit from a group of hunky men.

The strange gyrations of the leopard-skin-clad Wongo natives evoke a commentary that’s only slightly more risqué than was the norm on “MST3K.” Nelson says that had less to do with the freedom to say things they couldn’t on cable TV than with the content of this particular film.

“There’s a warning bell that goes off in my head when I realize I’m either being clever—just clever—and not funny, or when it’s just mean-spirited,” he says. “Just because we have the freedom doesn’t mean we have to use it, and I don’t want to turn anybody off with that ‘just because we can’ thing,” he says.

While the quips Nelson, Corbett and Murphy throw out seem almost effortless, the show is tightly scripted. Every film goes through multiple viewings, with each member of the Crew constantly throwing out potential gags and reviewing different sections of the film.

“It takes a lot of work and a lot of attention to detail,” Nelson says. “It’s hard to spend 20 minutes on one joke, but I think it’s important.”

It’s also difficult to find just the right material to make fun of. Nelson says it’s become increasingly difficult to find films that are both clearly in the public domain and bad in just the right way.

“There’s just a lot of bad stuff, but it’s really dull or there’s nothing about it that’s goofy enough,” he says. “You have to find one that has an element that makes you laugh and makes you react to it.”

According to Nelson, doing the series on DVD offers several advantages over cable. “You’re just specifically reaching the people who want to see it, so you’re not subject to the network kind of watching over your shoulder and suggesting things that you’ve already tried and just thought didn’t work,” he says.

Doing more of “The Film Crew” will depend on how well the DVDs sell, and Nelson has yet to hear anything official. A fourth disc, sword-and-sandal epic “The Giant of Marathon,” is due Oct. 9.

In the meantime, Nelson keeps busy with Rifftrax, a web site featuring humorous commentaries for popular movies and TV shows such as “Heroes,” “300” and the “Star Wars” prequels. Corbett and Murphy frequently contribute to the audio tracks, which sell for a few dollars and are downloaded and played along with the DVD.

Nelson says he was initially surprised to see that fans wanted to see such popular films made fun of, but now he understands. “It’s fun to see what somebody else’s reaction to a movie you’re familiar with is.”

But still, nothing quite compares to the usual brand of films Nelson makes fun of. After all, Hollywood doesn’t make “Wild Women of Wongo” everyday.