When The Venture Bros. debuted on Adult Swim in 2003, it came off as a fun spoof of the classic Jonny Quest cartoon about a semi-clueless scientist/inventor, his tough bodyguard and two kids. The dog was MIA in the update. But very quickly as the first full season debuted in 2004, the series went from a spoof to its own universe. Which is why it has stuck around for 16 years while other Adult Swim shows have risen and fallen. Although a secret of the show’s longevity appears to be taking its time to release season as The Venture Bros.: Season 7 arrives on DVD and Blu-ray.
The show became instantly addictive with the tale of Dr. Venture (American Splendor‘s James Urbaniak). He was once a boy genius although it was his father Jonas who created all the genius devices of Venture Industries. He has two sons Hank (Christopher McCulloch) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas) are like rather clueless Hardy Boys although not quite as clueless as dad. They have no idea who their mother was. Brock Samson (Seinfeld‘s Patrick Warburton) is bodyguard who can handle any weapon and doesn’t mind killing attackers. There’s is a world of high tech future visions and future villains. Their main enemy is The Monarch (voiced by Christopher McCulloch) who is dressed up as a monarch butterfly with butterfly henchmen. Dr. Girlfriend (Doc Hammer) is his deep voiced partner in crime and life and that’s when she becomes Dr. Mrs.
The seventh season consists of 10 episodes that show Hank and Dean growing up a bit while Dr. Venture stays the same. “The Venture Bros. & The Curse of the Haunted Problem” has Hank faking being a mobster so he can continue daring Sirena. Her dad doesn’t want her with a non-gangster. Dr. Venture reunites with his father in a appropriately bizarre fashion. “The Rorqual Affair” explores deeper into what happened to Jonas Venture in space. There’s also Blue Morpho on the rampage as everyone wants to shut him down. “Arrears in Science” reveals the true origins of Vendata. Also turns out that Jonas was not that great of a guy. “The High Cost of Loathing” allows the Monarch to get reinstated as a villain, but there’s a price. “The Inamorata Consequence” has The OSI, Guild of Calamitous Intent and Venture family sign the Treaty of Tolerance to make things “normal” again. “The Bellicose Proxy” has the Monarch train a future villain in order to move up the ladder at the Guild. “The Unicorn in the Captivity” plays off Stanley Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. In the original broadcast version, the naughty party scene spoof had the attendees censored with bars blocking the view. Well the home video lets you see it all including most of Dr. Mrs. “The Terminus Mandate” has the gangsters not want to pay any funds to the Guild. There’s an underworld vs. arch villains war brewing. “The Forecast Manufacturer” buries Manhattan under a blizzard caused by a weather machine that’s been hijacked by the Guild. “The Saphrax Protocol” wraps up the season with Hank dressed as Lando Calrissian and wandering through a Barbarella world.
Even after nearly two decades in production, The Venture Bros. is still brilliantly weird on so many levels. The battles between the characters go beyond good and evil. They seem to be about failure and last minute fixes or creation of well meaning excuses. The show has gone beyond its poking fun at Jonny Quest roots simply because Quest original run was merely one season. The Venture Bros.: Season 7 keeps the series as fresh its original pilot.
The video is 1.78:1 anamorphic. The resolution beings out the details in the background art. The audio is Dolby Digital 5.1 so you get to hear family action from all sides of the room. The episodes are subtitled.
Show Creator Commentary has Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer break down the episodes. They point out locations they used.
Deleted Scenes (5:40) has finished animation going to animatics for the moments that weren’t finished.
Ghost in the Pro-BLEM (0:33) is an eyeful.
Sirena Goes Off…(5:35) is when Cristin Milioti goes off the script for amazing takes.
Promo (2:21) hypes the season.
Adult Swim and Warner Home Video present The Venture Bros. : Season 7. Starring: Christopher McCulloch, Michael Sinterniklaas, James Urbaniak, Patrick Warburton, Doc Hammer, Steven Rattazzi, Dana Snyder & Cristin Milioti. Rated: Unrated. Boxset Contents: 10 episodes on 2 DVDs. Released: June 4, 2019.
