(2-disc set) Since I was silly enough to pay to see this movie twice in theaters, it makes sense that I would impulsively buy the DVD and check it out. Surprisingly, this is a somewhat reverent package – no cruel jokes on the viewer, no throwaways, no easter eggs. But Hunger Force fans should be in hog heaven.
The big addition is the deleted 80-minute movie, presumably tossed when it tested badly. None of the animation is finished (no moving mouths, for example), but it does give you some idea of what went wrong. While the basic plot is similar to the finished film, there is entirely too much of it. Everything is linear, and everything is explained. As a result, this cut is missing all the throwaway jokes that make the show (and the finished movie) so special.
Interestingly, fans have probably already seen much of this deleted footage, which was later finished and edited into a TV episode. That episode is included here, along with other deleted and extended scenes which are somewhat amusing but were rightfully tossed. Pacing is essential to comedy, and these would slow things down just enough that audiences would start to think about how ridiculous the plot is.
Speaking of ridiculous, check out the group assembled for the audio commentary: rocker Patti Smith, who has nothing to do with the film; The Onion editor Todd Hanson; comedian Fred Armisen; and Master Shake himself Dana Snyder, who pretty much always sounds like Master Shake. Smith dominates the conversation, throwing pop references and criticism left and right. It's fun but not nearly as informative as "The Thing We Shot Wednesday Night," an exhaustive behind-the-scenes documentary which goes into the script reading, the sound effects, and the animation, which I was surprised to learn is actually all hand-drawn before it goes into the computer.
An excellent photo gallery not only explores this animation process, but also includes most of the excellent CD soundtrack. Fans of the music will delight at the videos and making-ofs included, from Nashville Pussy to Mastodon to the lobby singers. It's a great set, even if it doesn't answer the question, "Where's Frylock?" Carey Means appears nowhere on the soundtrack and only makes a brief appearance in a voiceover segment, and his absence is the only fault of this excellent set.
© TLA Entertainment Group
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