Directors:
Dave Willis & Matt Maiellaro
Voices:
Dana Snyder….Master Shake
Casey Means….Frylock
Dave Wills….Meatwad/Carl/Ignignokt
Matt Maiellaro….Err/Cybernetic Ghost/Satan
Martin Croker….Dr. Weird/Steve
Bruce Campbell….Chicken Bittle
Chris Ward….MC Pee Pants
Cartoon Network and Warner Home Video presents Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters For DVD. Screenplay by Dave Willis & Matt Maiellaro. Running time: 85 minutes. Rated R. Theatrical release: April 13, 2007. DVD released August 14, 2007.
The Movie
If you can’t handle 11 minutes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force on Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim, you’re not going to appreciate the genius of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theater For DVD. This film is 85 minutes for the devoted and the criminally insane. If your bedtime is before 11 p.m. on Sundays, you probably haven’t experienced this animated series that stars an anthropomorphic milkshake, french fry box and a ball of meat. They’re known around the world as Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad. Imagine Milk and Cheese without the drinking problem. While the trio are supposed to be solving crimes, they mostly pester Carl, their neighbor. For those who love the series, this two DVD set will become a prized possession like a Biff Pocoroba rookie card. For haters, this will be evidence that the Golden Age of Animation is dead and buried. For those in Boston, this film will cause trauma as you remember the day the Mooninites shut down the town like a Patriots Superbowl parade.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters For DVD starts off with a bang as they spoof the “Let’s Go Out to the Lobby” concession stand promo. The old fashioned snack selections of popcorn, hotdog, soda and popsicle met up with a death metal quartet featuring a pretzel, an extreme gum drop, a box of Icecaps and a huge nacho playing drums. The edible band promises to break into your house and tear your wife in half if you try to bootleg the film. If you can’t take care of your crying baby, the theater management will take it to the parking lot and use it as a speed bump. This segment should be run before other films around Oscar season. The introduction sets the deranged tone for the film. A sophisticated critic would compare this movie to the Dada, the Surrealists, Jean-Luc Godard and William S. Burroughs. Why reference such sources when it seems that ATHF:MFFT owes most of its creative juice to airplane glue and Aristocrat vodka.
The action kicks off with the ATHF fighting a giant poodle by the Great Pyramids of New York. It’s exciting and thrilling as the trio kickass in prime super hero mode. We also find out the connection between the trio and Abraham Lincoln that’s been part of the TV show’s end credits. While at Lincoln’s cabin, Master Shake plays a tasteless Civil War video game with a winner screen that won’t be coming to a Playstation 3 anytime soon. Quickly we discover that this isn’t real in the unreality of this film. This is just Master Shake’s imagination running wild. His outrageous tale is no match for the imaginations of evil beings plotting against the ATHF.
Like the Batman movie with Adam West, the major villains from the series have teamed up to challenge the ATHF. What sort of devious plan can come from the Mooninites, the Plutonians, the Cybernetic Ghost and Dr. Weird? They seek to control an evil exercise machine called the Insanoflex that can destroy the world. The doomsday device is being used as a coat rack at the ATHF’s house in New Jersey. The trio is clueless to this danger in the living room. They are more concerned about Meatwood’s outdoor concert that includes kittens in cannons. They think they’ll get groupie love after the show. The film also exposes the truth about Chicken Bittle, the fourth member of ATHF. There’s even a subplot involving Neil Peart of Rush with a talking watermelon slice. The freak action never stops spilling off the screen. The plot can be summarized, but it’d take longer to read it than watch the film.
ATHF:MFFT rarely goes beyond the extremely limited animation standards of the series. A few moments are peppered with CGI and there’s a sequence that looks hand drawn, but they didn’t go Hollywood with the budget. This will not be mistaken for a classic Disney cartoon. Most of the film plays like an ATHF episode that went into overtime. They didn’t water down the weirdness to appeal to a wider audience. They didn’t try to glitz up the production values and cut back on the tasteless humor so that ATHF:MFFT could end up on a McDonald’s Happy Meal. This movie is an all-you-can-eat feast for fans of the show. You’ll have to watch it a second time to figure out what the hell happened.
The DVD
VIDEO:?The picture is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The transfer is extra clean even with the unsanitary subject matter.
AUDIO:
The soundtrack features English 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1. The subtitles are in English, Spanish and French. The sound levels are good especially during those dead silent moments when the folks on the screen are as confused as the audience. The commentary track features Dana Snyder (voice of Master Shake), Fred Armisen (voice of Lincoln), Todd Hansen (editor of The Onion) and Patti Smith. Don’t adjust your ears. That is the voice of Patti Smith, Rock and Roll Hall of Famer. The singer of “Because the Night” is an amazing conversationalist. She enjoys chatting with Dana Snyder about aspects of his performance and the film. She’s a major fan of the series and it shows as she keeps up the chatter for the length of the film. She’s also critical about stuff that didn’t work for her. There should be more commentary tracks featuring Patti Smith.
EXTRAS:
Theatrical Trailer (2:30) has them hype the film like it was a major blockbuster with all the elements exposed including “a mythical kingdom.” The flaming chicken is the focus of the tease.
Alternate Trailer (1:33) has a little kid giving us the score over clips from the film.
Sizzle Reel (3:46) is a longer version of the first trailer with the “ancient wizard” and “a child with a secret” taglines.
Thing We Shot on Wednesday Night (26:14) is the behind the scenes documentary. We see the table readings and post production. There’s plenty of interviews with the creative team. They joke about how long it took to get the movie into the theaters.
Art & Music Gallery (16:25) is a montage of various sketches for the film with music from the film to spice it up.
Jon Schnepp 3D (2:56) tells us the story of how Abe Lincoln freed the ATHF from the Sphinx and sent them to the moon in a wooden rocket. Clips from this are used in the menus.
Deleted Movie (1:19:53) has the first rough version of the film. None of the mouths move. Wish they’d done a commentary track to let us know why certain elements in this version were dumped.
Fake Endings has 10 alternate final scenes that mock those endless bad alternate endings given to us on major motion picture DVDs. There’s three separate endings dealing with the ATHF members turning up as zombies. There’s also a touching send off about “Blood Mountain” that riffs on Stand by Me. We learn why Wonderman never returned to Earth.
Deleted Scenes:
Star-Studded Xmas Spectacular (22:56) is the two part movie promo that ran on Adult Swim. Master Shake shows off clips including some that didn’t quite make the film.
Cameo (3:02) has Cameo’s cameo in the film. He’s wearing his red codpiece while their song tells us about the impending dangers.
Phone-Answering Machine Fight (0:58) gives us the complete battle between the phone and the answering machine on the Plutonians spaceship.
Dorm Room Extended (2:24) gives us more time with the Plutonians college days. Messy dorm rooms are universal.
Meatwad Concert Extended (2:58) spends more time with the entertainment spectacular of the year. Forget Bruce and Bon Jovi, Meatwad is the hottest rocker in New Jersey.
Pushing Insanoflex Box Extended (0:48) has Meatwad pushing Master Shake in their new car.
Mooninites & Plutonians on Rollercoaster Extended (0:24) shows us what happens when a Mooninite gets queasy.
Shake “Who Created Us? I’m the One….” Extended (0:27) has Shake confess that he’s behind the ATHF’s creation. Nobody buys it.
Promos:
Dana Man-On-The-Street Promos (2:05) is Dana Snyder interviewing people at the movie theater. Nobody has a clue about the film in the four ads.
Overhead Projector Presentation Promos (2:06) has the classic Adult Swim way of inspiring you to see the film with tempting pie graphs and graphics.
Dana Snyder/Bob Odenkirk Interview (4:25) has Odenkirk playing the incompetent host of a local TV station show called “I Love Movies.” Dana does the best impersonation of a frustrated guest. Dana Snyder rules this DVD package.
Music Videos include Nashville Pussy & Master Shake’s “Face Omlet,” Brass Castles’ “Bookworm Resin (Live), Nine Pound Hammer’s “Carl’s Theme (Live)” adn Unearth’s “The Chosen (Live).” There’s also Behind the Scenes videos of studio work from Nine Pound Hammer, Mastodon, Lobby Singers, Nashville Pussy and Cameo. No actual sightings of the codpiece, but Cameo does get funky around the mixing board. The live videos were recorded at a premiere party for the film.
The Inside Pulse
For those that are hooked on Adult Swim’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force, this DVD is loaded with more than enough goodness to keep you busy for the next few weeks. There’s two different versions of the film packed onto the 2 DVDs.
