Aqua Teen Hunger Force colon Movie Film for Theaters — he said, she said — movie review
SHE SAID:
Chris and I love the Aqua Teen TV series so we were excited to see how their theatrical translation would hold up. Like so many television shows, taking it to the bigscreen = box office death, and because an Aqua Teen episode is a bizarre non-linear mishmash of random characters and conversations, it poses a worst case scenario. Not to worry, Aqua Teen Hunger Force colon Movie Film for Theaters pulls it together just enough to loosely track a central story in their signature casual frivolity.
The main motley crew consists of an oversized “Happy Meal”: whiny egotistical Master Shake, levitating sleeve of french fries and voice of reason Frylock, and a naïve little raw meatball named Meatwad. The TV series usually finds Shake antagonizing Meatwad while ignoring Frylock’s protests, and when that gets old, he goes to bug their neighbor Carl Brutananadilewski, a grotesquely obese and hairy yet balding guy. Originally (for like three episodes) the fast food trio worked together to save the world and in colon, they save it from an egg-laying exercise machine of Godzilla proportions who has kidnapped Carl. Along the way, they meet up with minor characters from the TV show and exchange a lot of immature insults and truly surreal adventures. Hey, they’re from Jersey, so you know it’s gotta be classy.
Highlights include Master Shake “flexing” when he has no arms and Meatwad’s morph into a gigantic kid with jean shorts to look more intimidating. They also crack a few unresolved enigmas such as discovering their real creator/father, the purpose of the jewel on Frylock’s back and the real reason why he’s so naggy; a worthwhile treat for fans. Also, squealing rapper MC Pee Pants is killed off rather quickly; another treat for fans. Also, there’s a tiny bonus bit at the end of the credits.
Bruce Campbell and Chris Kattan guest star as a big chicken fused from “millions of chickens” and a talking watermelon slice respectively.
HE SAID:
So, we were going to go see Grindhouse today, but then I realized Aqua Teen came out. Given my love for Aqua Teen and the sad fact that WWE’s new Condemned movie looks more genuinely “grindhouse” than Grindhouse, Tarantino and Rodriguez’s project will just have to wait.
So, yah, back to Aqua Teen Hunger Force colon Movie Film for Theaters. I had a great time. As with the show, there’s not much of a plot to be found, aside from a bit about Shake, Meatwad, and Frylock trying to assemble a personal exercise machine, crafted by Dr. Weird, and later the destruction of a Jersey suburb’s downtown. To be honest, if you’re not a Gen-Xer, have no memory of early 80’s cartoons, pop-music, sci-fi movies, or just don’t know Aqua Teen, you probably don’t belong at the show. For Aqua Teen fans, however, the film’s a treat. Sure, it drags a bit in places, but it delivers more laughs than most comedies these days.
One last thing: the opening song regarding proper theater-going conduct is frickin’ hilarious. That thing should be played before every movie.
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