DVD Review - Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD

Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup of late-night programming offers a distinct brand of disturbing, absurdist humor. Occasionally their efforts result in brilliance (for example, "Home Movies," "Sealab 2021," and "Aqua Teen Hunger Force"); at other times, the results are brutally stupid (as in "Squidbillies" and "Super Milk Chan"). As Adult Swim's most recognizable feature, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" showcases the bizarre misadventures of three anthropomorphic fast food items - the scientist Frylock, the narcissistic idiot Master Shake, and the loveably naïve moron, Meatwad. Accompanied by their tank-top-and-sweatpants-wearing neighbor Carl, as well as various other dimwitted creatures, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force engages in destructive activities that often defy the conventions of the physical world. The show's bizarre characters and relatively unscripted dialogue are exceptionally performed, and the attention to detail in animation and backgrounds is impressive, juxtaposing the show's pretense of unprofessionalism.

The show is hardly sold to most demographics, however; generally, a special breed of younger male is required to appreciate "Aqua Teen"'s distinct humor. The show's limited appeal negatively affected the success of its big-screen counterpart, "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters", which opened in relatively few theaters to mostly unfavorable reviews. To someone acquainted with the show and appreciative of its humor, the movie is absurdity at its finest. It aims for and succeeds at amateurism, confusion, and parody. The movie's promise, therefore, to reveal the origins of the Aqua Teens utterly fails in the most puzzling manner possible. The first scenes somewhat establish an origin story as the plot's guiding force; there, Shake explains to Meatwad that they escaped from a sphinx's tomb and were assisted by a time-traveling Abraham Lincoln. This origin concept is revealed as false, but the movie's concluding gesture, which also attempts to explain the connection between the Aqua Teens, Dr. Weird, a hyper-advanced workout machine called the Insaneoflex, and a new character named Walter Melon, is ridiculous to the extent that it lacks any validity as truth within "ATHF"'s distorted New Jersey world.

Those who saw the movie without any prior knowledge of the show probably did not understand it, and those who saw the movie after an acquaintance with the show may not have understood it, either. But there is little to actually "get": both the show and movie offer a barely coherent plot strung together by an ADD-inducing array of bizarre jokes driven by a plethora of idiotic characters, from Carl's stereotypical New Jersey accent to Shake's complete egotism to Meatwad's childlike happiness and distorted voice. The movie's Insaneoflex storyline motivates the characters and ties their inane actions together, providing excuses for further absurdity to erupt and just enough cohesion to make the movie palatable. That the movie's premise is based on the nature of a hyper-advanced workout machine only adds to its absurdity.

The animation and backgrounds are incredibly detailed, and ultimately contrast with the plot's intended lack of quality. These small flourishes add to the rewatchability of the film; for example, when Frylock is being nursed back to life in a futuristic pod by Abraham Lincoln, Meatwad can be seen powering the device by butter churn. Ultimately, the movie is funnier on its second viewing because of the obscured jokes and unapparent details - a trait not uncommon in good movies, but one unexpected for a movie as unusual as "ATHFCMFFT."

The Presentation:

"ATHFCMFFT"'s packaging is immaculately absurd. The front cover parodies stereotypical B-grade fantasy/sci-fi novel covers, replete with exploding volcano, scantily clad women (one on a motorcycle), vicious dinosaur-like monsters, and the Aqua Teens fortifying a rock with crossbows, chainsaws, and lasers. Carl's pose, sword raised high, defines the art, and the striking detail matches the surprising attention to minutia found in the show and movie. The back cover is nothing special, though, featuring a standard menu littered by cross-outs, fill-ins, and doodles. The movie disc cover features a close-up of the woman on the motorcycle from the cover, and the second disc mirrors a standard writable DVD-R with marker scrawled title.

The first disc opens with a Meatwad serenade overtop an extremely poorly rendered, PlayStation One-like 3D CGI zoom from a blue-marble Earth view to a cartoonish sphinx. Inside the sphinx, atop a 3D version of the Aqua Teens, is the menu, written in a flashy block font that looks as though it was derived from a series of gaudy gold chains. More CGI and music accompany each of the menus. The second disc features various clips and sound bytes from the movie, including one from a deleted scene regarding the theft of Carl's hypno-rims, which were meant to entrance women into thinking the driver is desirable. This is played over a menu of fake endings; similar clips adorn the other sections.

Bonus Features:

The movie features an interesting DVD commentary that reveals little about the film but entertains through fairly witty banter. In true Aqua Teen fashion, the commentators have little to do with the film: Dana Snyder serves as an authority as the voice of Master Shake, Fred Armisen of "Saturday Night Live" chimes in as the voice of time-traveling Abraham Lincoln, Todd Hanson of The Onion is a fan and supporter of the show, and rocker Patti Smith claims she serves as the "token girl." A few interesting facts may be gleaned from the chatter, and the group points out background details not readily apparent.

Other extras on the first disc include the hilarious theatrical trailer and an alternative trailer, a behind the scenes, informative sequence that offers more insight than the commentary, a neat slideshow of the movie's various artworks and concepts, and a horribly funny 3D rendering of an Aqua Teen origin story.

The second disc features a "Deleted Movie," which is a letdown to anyone expecting an entirely new film, but is still interesting in its own right: it assembles the movie's deleted scenes, as well as some unfinished portions and even one animation-less recorded reading of the script, in order to present the movie's initial concept. Most of the deleted scenes, especially those used in the X-mas special and Cameo's scene, are great. The fake endings are mostly funny, especially those that are parodic of other movie endings, like the "An Inconvenient Truth"-style Earth destruction. The music videos are somewhat fun and entertaining, especially the recording sessions that produced the introductory jingle and the too-funky Cameo song.

The two discs are packed with great material. The buyer gets his or her money's worth.

Overall:

For fans of the series, you can't go wrong. The quality of the movie, presentation and bonus features make this DVD a great purchase. For those interested in absurdist humor but unfamiliar with the show, you'll probably enjoy the film, but you may wish to look into the episodes airing on Adult Swim in order to be introduced to the characters. All others need not apply.