The folks at Williams Street bring to the big screen 86 minutes worth of something best digested in 15 minute increments. The humor was the same that you’d expect for the series, but the funniest parts of this movie were spent after the intro had finished playing.
This was a problem I worried about before even seeing this film. The Aqua Teen Hunger Force cartoon does a good job of lumping together a very quickly spun web of unlikely circumstances. There are outlandish characters and a barrage of different plots in every episode. Suddenly everything is ended with explosive force… whether it makes sense or not! The idea is, one part shock for every two parts random humor. With virtually no time to actually think about what you are watching, you are only left with enough time to laugh and move on to the next moment.
Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this movie. The problem was I’ve been conditioned by the show to have a very short attention span for this series. Fast paced, low brow, wham bam and thank you ma’am has become a staple for the show’s demographic. The end result was a very slow feeling, very long episode of something that I normally watch without paying a movie premium.
Basically, this is a niche DVD; if you love the series you’ll probably like the movie. If you’ve never heard of it, well, you probably aren’t reading this review.
Aqua Teen’s plot isn’t anything special, considering the epic adventures seen weekly by Aqua Teen viewers. Master Shake, Meatwad, and Frylock are pitted against a crazy self replicating robot that will eventually destroy the world unless they stop it. Along the way you run into many familiar faces, as well as a few new ones. You also get a little insight into the creation of the Aqua Teens and some history between Frylock and the professor. (Did any of you wonder why they had a picture together sitting in Frylock’s room?)
You can’t expect character development in this series. You can’t expect an epic movie or a sensational script. You can’t expect any academy awards for animation quality or acting. Why would you? This is a movie about a wad of meat, a milkshake and a talking box of french fries!
You can however expect non stop action, horrible one liners, loose plots with more twists than a pretzel factory and an hour and a half of nonsense guaranteed to make you glad that the real world doesn’t suck nearly as much as the Aqua Teen world. (Although it would be cool if everything I threw to the ground exploded!)
Presentation
This movie is well packaged for what it is. Adult Swim productions always carry a suburban white kid appeal that makes them fun. There is no pretension about the Aqua Teen movie; it doesn’t pretend to be anything it’s not.
In fact, the first 5 minutes of this DVD explain what you should expect through one of the funniest introductions I’ve ever seen. The band “Mastodon” sets moviegoer’s expectations with such statements as “Don’t talk, watch!” and, “you came here, watch it. Don’t like it? Walk out.”
The flippant, ‘we don’t care if you don’t like it; it is what it is’ attitude defines the Aqua Teen Hunger Force franchise. If you aren’t offended you are either very crass, very inattentive, or you don’t speak English that well. Everyone is a target, but it accomplishes a very disrespectful tone with a level of equality that makes it ok to not be appropriate.
The special features of this DVD are pretty cool (mostly). You have the option of watching deleted scenes, alternate endings, and footage of the contributing bands that helped the soundtrack of this movie. There is also a music video that makes me remember why MTV stopped playing music videos, a discussion of the film with producers and talent, and various behind the scenes tidbits ranging from cool fun to crap filler.
One interesting thing I saw was the animation panes before they were animated. Watching this was very cool; it shows the animation process behind Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Fans of the series will really like the features on this disc.
Value
This DVD had a pre-sold number of fans and patrons before it was ever stamped. You won’t want it and won’t like it if you don’t like the show. You might not like it even if you did enjoy the show.
I don’t think it has much replay value, as it ultimately insults your intelligence with every minute that it’s on the screen. If you like mindless slapstick, or if you just really enjoy this show then go out and get this DVD. If you find the show funny, rent it. Otherwise, you may want to pass this up.