Reviewed by Neil Davey
Stars Dana Snyder, Carey Means, Dave Willis,
Andy Merrill, Mike Schatz, Matt Maiellaro
Written by Matt Maiellaro & Dave Willis
UK certification 15 | UK RRP £11.99
DVD Region 2 | Runtime 90 minutes
Directed by Matt Maiellaro & Dave Willis
There comes a point in every critic’s life where they must, inevitably, question if they’re just too damn old for the job. Tastes change, society moves on, something else becomes the new black and the new rock’n’roll. And as soon as incomprehensible stuff like Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie etc becomes the norm, well, that’ll be the day I take my DVD collection, big TV and go and find a nice little island somewhere.
Fans of the cult cartoon show seem to be overjoyed that nothing about the thing makes sense. That, they claim, is the biggest joke of all. However, there’s a big difference between not making sense and being funny — see most of Vic Reeves' early output for information — and not making sense and, well, not serving any purpose whatsoever. Aqua Teen Hunger Force’s big screen outing is, like the series, all crude animation and crude dialogue. It’s also proof that what might be chucklesome post-pub for five minutes does not necessarily translate to 90-odd minutes of hilarity. Particularly if you’re sober.
Things start in excellent fashion, with a fake advert for snacks and movie etiquette. This starts as a suitably scratched and jerky 1950’s-style jingle before it degenerates into a death-metal version of the same. And then the film meanders into a number of nonsensical, unfunny and just plain dull scenes and, save for something about an exercise machine having some sort of religious significance, the story is a complete mystery. Beavis & Butthead — which ATHF resembles in style — and South Park — which ATHF wishes it matched in tone — were / are subversive, smart and funny. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is like watching three people whose lives revolve around a series of bizarre, inexplicable in-jokes. It’s not big, it’s not clever and it’s certainly not worth 90-minutes of your life.
EXTRAS ** A making of, a fake ending, a bonus episode of the TV show, deleted scenes and more.