Plot: What’s it about?
Dr. Weird seems to hatch some new diabolical plan every minute and without fail, his creations escape his clutches too soon. So his devious monsters embark on missions of mass destruction, but not to serve his own needs. This frustrates him to no end, but after one of his creations escapes, he simply begins work on a new one. The monsters still ravage innocent people and demolish all kinds of stuff, which means someone has to wrangle them down. In a city low on heroes, that task often falls into the laps of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. This troupe of heroes makes sure the streets are safe, justice is served, and…wait a second, I must be thinking of a different team. No, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force prefers to lounge around, get into trouble, and trespass in their landlord’s pool, where they spend most of their time. The members of this crack team are Master Shake, a milkshake with the power to spray fluids, Meatwad, a meatball that change into all sorts of things, and Frylock, a floating order of fries that can shoot blasts from its eyes. Whenever evil strikes and they feel like leaving the house, these three are the sole hope. And most of the time, Shake winds up screwing it all up, but Frylock manages to smooth it over. But with a new creation out of Dr. Weird’s lab around every turn, can even this group handle all the pressure?
This is one of the original programs The Cartoon Networks runs in its Adult Swim hours, which means it is offbeat and aimed at an older audience. The episodes run about eleven minutes each, but there is enough entertainment packed in to rival most half hour shows. The show follows Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad, three friends who work as detectives, but spend most of their time getting in and out of outlandish situations. The storylines are quite good, but can be very strange and sometimes make no sense whatsoever. Even when you can’t make heads or tails of the plots, the humor is still present in massive doses. I’m not sure Aqua Teen Hunger Force would work in longer doses, but the eleven minute frame allows ample time for a bizarre chain of events, though not enough for the material to become tiresome. The episodes are quick, brisk, and never slow down even for a second. The total chaos of the episodes might turn off some folks, but if you like wild, madcap hilarity, then Aqua Teen Hunger Force is right up your alley. This two disc collection from Warner hosts a total of fifteen episodes. I am pleased to see the show released, but I think more episodes should have been crammed in. Even as it stands, fans of the show simply cannot miss this set, as the show is just too damn hilarious. I hope to see more Aqua Teen Hunger Force on DVD and of course, the sooner the better.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. This show has a simple, but excellent visual scheme, one which is well replicated in this presentation. The colors have a vivid, rich presence, with no signs of fades or oversaturation. This is good, since the vibrant colors really make the visuals shine. No worries with black levels either, as contrast remains stark and well balanced at all times. So no overly dark scenes or visual details obscured, though with this show, it would hard to obscure the simple visuals. No debris or grain either, which is expected, given the nature of this series and how it is created. So in the end, these episodes look terrific and even better than when shown on television.
Audio: How does it sound?
The show has some funk laden music, but outside of that, the audio is pretty basic and doesn’t need many bells & whistles. The sound effects are hilarious, but don’t need much juice, just enough to be effective. Even so, I do think a full on surround sound option would have opened up the elements, which could have been presented in a gimmicky, but fun soundtrack. The material is still well handed though, as no real flaws surface. The music has adequate kick, with a nice amount of bass and a strong overall presence. No worries on the dialogue side either, as the vocals sound clean and clear, with no problems to mention. This release also includes subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, should you need those.
Supplements: What are the extras?
The original version of the Rabbot episode is found here, as well as audio commentary tracks on three episodes and a featurette of never before seen material. The latter is mostly material from a convention, but it is worth a look.
