Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (2007) User Reviews

Best that could be done

[jake_adams-1 · 7/10 · 16 April 2007]

Given the unique ironic brand of post-modern absurdist style humour that the TV show essentially is--how then does one turn it into a 90 minute movie? I was almost hoping for a series of stories, but they did one big story. It's certainly more a treat for the fans than for the unitiated. Some things work, but it does start to drag after a while. The refreshing thing is that the movie doesn't care--it's an outright F-you to the audience and as they tell you (hilariously) at the start you can leave cause they have your money already. How many movies would do that? Aside from all that, the characters are truelly amazing and they stayed true to them. Not sure how I feel about some of the revelations--but whatever.

Fun, if you like the show. God knows what you'd make of it if you haven't seen it.

[zetes · 7/10 · 23 April 2007]

Hmm… what to say about this movie? The first question one must ask is why they bothered to release it to theaters. Perhaps to make the title make sense? That is, if you can make any sense out of the title. The people I feel most sorry for are all the film critics with unwarped minds who were forced to sit through it. Fortunately, my mind is warped and, while I certainly acknowledge that a cartoon that usually runs for 11 minutes an episode stretched out to 80+ minutes is way too long, I still enjoyed it. It's hilarious often enough, and always at least giggle-worthy. The best part comes right at the beginning of the film, with a parody of the old "Let's all go the lobby!" ads. The nice snack food items are interrupted in the middle of their song by unruly, death-metal thrashing snack items threatening the lives of the audience if they talk or try to pirate the movie. And they promise that all the money the creators of this film made will be going to drugs. That I don't doubt.

almost as good as watching 6 episodes of the show

[browndc-1 · 8/10 · 16 April 2007]

I saw this in a packed theater full of ATHF fans, which was great. The intro alone (which I won't spoil) was amazing - I'm not much of an out-loud-laugher and I was laughing so hard I was out of breath. They kept the momentum going with some great fun with subtitles.

The first half of the movie was hilarious all over the place. The only problem began when they actually got the plot moving. ATHF is not about plot, and when too much plot happens, the hilarious non-sequiturs go away. Also, the plot involved incapacitating Carl for far too long, and he's such a great character that I wanted to see more of him.

If you're not familiar with the TV series, it's not necessary to watch it first. Sure, you won't know anything about the characters going into it, but the movie tells you everything you need to know about them anyway. The thing to understand is that nothing from past episodes affects the characters in the movie, and vice versa, just like most other animated comedies but more so (not even death is permanent).

All in all, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is a hilariously fun time, and it's a shame theaters didn't show it in enough places.

Does well to extend the surreal weirdness to a full length film

[bob the moo · 16 November 2007]

Mystery surrounds the roots of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. However when Master Shake steals a piece of exercise equipment from neighbour Carl all this threatens to change with revelations galore. Despite online warnings that the exercise equipment must not be assembled ever, Frylock, Meatwad and Shake set out to do just that, which first involves recovering the missing part from the original owner but, unbeknownst to them they are not the only ones looking for it.

I have not seen a huge amount of Aqua Teen Hunger Force because adult swim is on Bravo in the UK and it just isn't a channel I spend much time on. Normally I only watch it and several other of the adult swim shows when I am in the US, although my interest in Master Shake etc was increased as a result of the MF Doom / Danger Mouse album heavily featuring them the other year. I do enjoy them more than many of the other shows I have seen but I did wonder how it would work in more than small doses. The answer was "pretty well" and the film is pretty true to the weird and wonderful world of ATHF and other adult swim characters and has enough laughs across the running time to make it work.

That the plot is nonsense is not really a surprise and isn't fair to criticise it for this because this is part of the appeal. I hate to use the word but the "craziness" is imaginative and funny throughout the film. The downside is that it is easy to tire of it because whenever you're not laughing for longer than a minute, you do start to wonder what the point of it all is. Fortunately there is enough surreal humour to hold the attention and the range of characters is a bonus. Master Shake, Meatwad, Frylock and Carl are all great but the Mooninites are my favourites. The voice work from Snyder, Means, Willis, Merrill and Maiellaro is all solid and the cameos from Bruce Campbell and Neil Peart were funny.

It isn't a brilliant film of course and if you don't like ATHF then you won't like this but for those that even like it in small doses there is enough here to just about fill the running time. An acquired taste perhaps but it is hard not to enjoy the sheer uncaring weirdness of it all.

Did they pull it off? YES! ...and no.

[keyser27 · 7/10 · 15 April 2007]

With ATHF running 11 minutes per episode on adult swim, a lot of fans were simply afraid that the movie would either 1) not be able to sustain for 90 minutes, or 2) be too much to handle. ATHF:MFFT answers both questions as a yes and a no.

Part of the genius behind the show is the lack of knowing the origin of the characters... people who watch the show for the first time immediately start asking veteran viewers questions that haven't been addressed ever. The show is what it is, pop culture references surface and disappear but are (wisely) pop culture references from 70's, 80's and 90's. As an example, in the movie Meatwad talks about "getting pythons like Chief Wahoo McDaniel." Saying "pythons like Hulk Hogan" or someone more current and recognizable would be more expected of another show, but its part of ATHF's brilliance. Family Guy is immediately dated and will have no legacy because of it's incessant dependence on pop culture, while ATHF's pop culture references are either sardonic or constructed in the creator's minds.

The movie opens with a very clever musical number that is certainly meant to be viewed in theaters for best effect, and proceeds immediately into origins... kind of. After the revelation of that origin's source, another opening occurs and reveals into a more straightforward story... kind of. Dr. Weird and Steve play huge roles in this one, as well as providing a central point to the movie... kind of. I will say that if you like the TV show and "get it" then you will not be disappointed, but if you have friends that don't care for the show or have never seen it, DO NOT MAKE THIS THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF ATHF. Anyone curious about this movie should watch a few episodes on Adult Swim and see if you appreciate the humor before seeing it.

I personally was afraid for the running time. I did not think the movie would be able to handle a 80+ minute runtime; but I am happy to say when I thought it started to drag a bit. I looked at my watch and was 50 minutes in instead of the 20 minutes I was afraid I was going to see. Not bad. It picked right back up mainly because they used the randomness of the show to their advantage without making it too random. Plot lines do run their course in 5-10 minutes and concentrate on another bit of plot. The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future is used heavily to interject plot line and create new branches, but can get a little old in places. Still, Cybernetic ghost, Oglethorpe and Emory, (the plutonians) and Igniktnot and Err (the Mooninites) form one faction, Steve and Dr. Weird another, and of course the Aqua Teens form the third. There is a monster running amok with a kidnapped Carl and a master villain running around (Walter Mellon) with a miniature Niel Peart in tow. Hilarity ensues. When the climactic showdown occurs between the Aqua Teens and Dr. Weird, you are treated to some origins and some other surprises that can be believed or discarded just as easily as anything that occurs in any episode of the show.

Sitting through the credits will award you with a 5 or 6 second bit that may or may not be worth your time. If you love it stay and see, if you hate it you probably left long ago. Just like the show, the movie is not for everyone. The language isn't terribly bad compared to how bad I thought it would be, but there were some f bombs if you care about that sort of thing. It's got the humor of roughly 6 episodes stuffed into the running time of 8 episodes, so they could've reasonably included more jokes, but the jokes they use require more setup, so it's a fair trade off. Special points for including a special thanks to Jim Samples (the president of Cartoon Network who resigned after the Boston marketing terrorist scare) in the credits.

Could've been better

[sias-programming · 6/10 · 14 April 2007]

This was an awesome movie! I've been a big fan of Aqua Teen for a while and this movie, funny and random (like most Aqua Teen episodes), could've been better. I thought there were some really hilarious scenes but I suppose certain randomness was just a little too much. Personally, I liked the older episodes since they weren't all about sex and making out. It was more of just the Aqua Teens and Carl doing something silly or stupid. The movie was funny and the plot did seem quite random, which was good, but I suppose they didn't have to come at such an angle with dirty jokes or sex scenes. There are a million movies out today that already do that. I don't want to watch another that does the same. The Aqua Teens are already hilarious without all of that. One thing I particularly liked was that the main characters were still the same as they have been. Not like Family Guy where all the characters are written around a script and not the script written around the characters. I thought the characters did still have their same traits and personalities which was great since cartoons (after a while) have their characters changing personalities. This is a funny movie and I liked it very much. If they just took out so much cliché cartoon antics of the 21st Century, they'd have my 10 stars.

Loved it!

[ballantyne46 · 10/10 · 21 April 2007]

I'm 51 years old -- a suburban housewife. My son, now 11, introduced me to ATHF 4 years ago. At first, I tuned out. Then I got hooked. Now we have almost all of their videos and the show is my favorite on TV.

My son and I just got back from seeing the film. It's brilliant. I laughed out loud almost the entire time and it's not easy to get me to laugh out loud at the movies.

Like some have said -- one either gets Aqua Teen or one doesn't. I feel lucky to be among the former and am proud that my son is astute enough to appreciate the humor also ... The show is a terrific send-up of just about everything imaginable -- including trite movie conventions -- and the film did not disappoint. That being said, you have to let yourself get ready to trip, and I did have to assure the young man selling me the tickets that my son and I knew what we were getting into. Honestly, it's not that shocking and the vulgarities are delivered so deftly and speedily that one hardly has time to focus or dwell.

You Have To Have Seen The TV Show

[editor-299 · 6/10 · 11 April 2007]

Okay, here's the plot of this newest animated feature from Williams Street Productions: A mad scientist convinces aliens to design an exercise machine so powerful it bulks up a Mexican homeowner, Carl, to amazing proportions.

The scientist then removes those muscles so that he can fight his creations – a human-sized milkshake, box of French fries and a meatball.

That's about it. Oh, there are visits from other, smaller outer space beings (Moonites, the same creatures some people in Boston assumed were incendiary devices), as well as more bizarre creatures from this off-color cult late night 15-minute Cartoon Network (shown on Adult Swim) series. Even the popular Space Ghost makes a guest appearance.

Having seen the program before, some things made perfect sense (in the slanted reality of "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," I suppose). Those who have not seen it (like most of this country's newspaper critics, for instance) are probably not going to get it at all. In other words, you'd have to be really big fans of this show or really, really high to understand what's going on.

This is a fact. At the screening I attended, the fans of the series loved it; while the mainstream media critics had no clue what was happening. "Aqua Teen" the movie speaks well and appeals to its fan base (mostly 18-24-year old males who spend as much time on the computer as they do in front of the TV late at night). This is the dual nature of such niche films.

What most people will probably enjoy, however, was the opening sequence in which we're treated to those cute little animated hot dogs, popcorn, ice cream and soda characters marching in line and urging us all to "go out to the lobby" for a snack or two.

Unfortunately, for them, a more unruly group of treats (a beer, a wilted pretzel, a moldy hamburger) interrupts this parade and begins singing a heavy metal warning about talking during the film or other annoying cinema-going experiences. It's an absolutely hilarious parody.

Whether the rest lives up to this opening really depends on one's comprehension of this barely-intelligible program.

True To Itself and HILARIOUS

[Harbinger70 · 10/10 · 16 April 2007]

This is the official Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie...and it delivers only as Aqua Teen can. Master Shake, Meatwad, Carl, the Mooninites....everyone's here, with a couple fun cameos here and there.

Non-fans take note - if you've never seen the show, this movie will likely make NO SENSE WHATSOEVER. Here's something you might not know either: it's meant to be that way. The movie is as random and inappropriate as the TV show, and I loved every minute of it.

There are a few times when the movie slows down, but you have to admit that it has one of the most catching opening sequences. You almost HAVE to watch it after that...and chances are, you'll probably love what you see.

The Show Has Been Much Funnier

[jzappa · 7/10 · 8 September 2008]

It would be futile to mention anything of what this film is about, aside from its characters, which are a carton of French fries, a milkshake and a meatball, a trio of superheroes who never do anything super or heroic. Furthermore, I must say I am hugely entertained by the TV show upon which this film is based. It is hilarious, and it is indisputable that the creators and writers are stoned when writing the 15-minute episodes, one of my personal favorites being one where the three wreak havoc on the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus after stealing a magical t-shirt once owned by an Egyptian Lord of the Dead. Another example is my other favorite, in which Frylock, the French fries carton, creates a genetically mutated dog for Meatwad, the little meatball, named Hand Banana, who soon begins to periodically rape Carl, one of the funniest characters on TV, a fat, sweaty, bald, loud, easily perturbed guy who lives next door and always manages to be victimized inadvertently as an effect of some stupid thing the three fast food superheroes are doing.

This movie film for theaters is basically an epic version of a plot in that vein, and by epic, I mean a mere hour and twenty minutes. However, I found myself to be underwhelmed by this big-screen episode. In the two episodes I just mentioned, there are draining, therapeutic belly laughs that amount to about twice the amount of laughs in this film, which is as long as five episodes. A character announces that he will now demonstrate some spectacular feat of great consequence. He does. It's silly and non-sequitary. The other character(s) stare glacially. This is 90% of the exchange in this movie. It eventually tapers off the movie's steam and it becomes stale before it's over.

What I admire about a movie like this is that even though it only made five million at the box office, it turned its budget seven times. This is a great achievement in thwarting the state of the present film market. Hopefully movies of more significance than this will prevail similarly. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is much better in the small doses it is used to.

A mediocre movie based on an otherwise great show.

[DannyD1997 · 5/10 · 9 May 2020]

Don't get me wrong, I love Aqua Teen Hunger Force. It's one of my favorite Adult Swim cartoons. However, in all honesty, I don't like the movie as much. I was kind of disappointed by the movie. It's just nothing but a feature length episode of the TV show instead of a project that can stand on its own. I don't think the movie is bad either. What I do like about the movie is that it stays true to the original series it was adapted from. I like how it was the second time Cartoon Network had involvement with a theatrical feature film after the Powerpuff Girls Movie. The voice acting is pretty good, the animation is decent, some of the jokes did make me laugh, the soundtrack is pretty cool, the art is nice, introduction to Chicken Bittle, and I like how it's the first time Adult Swim had involvements with a theatrical feature film. What I don't like about the movie is that it acted way too much like the show it was based on. The characters are not as memorable as from the show, the writing is weak and offers nothing, most of the humor is stretched out and didn't make that much sense, how the ending just felt contradicting, how they sometimes almost censor the f word, judging by the fact that the movie is Rated R, how the story is on and off, and worst of all, how the movie was promoted with the infamous Boston Bomb Scare that ruined Cartoon Network in 2007.

They could've done so much more with this movie. You shouldn't try to copy Disney, yes, you should be your own thing, but Movie Film for Theaters just felt weak. It's honestly not as fun to watch as movies like Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, or even the Simpsons Movie. Then again, it's not the worst movie I have ever seen.

I understand that there are fans of the show that enjoy the movie, and there's nothing wrong with that. I just believe Aqua Teen Hunger Force works better in 10 minute shorts rather than a feature film.

Surrealistic Masterpiece of Epic Proportions

[WhenHesOnADrunk · 10/10 · 20 April 2007]

From the days of Bunuel and Dali to the years of Fellinni and Lynch to be followed by the genius that is The Aqua Teen Hunger Force.

"If you do not understand, you should not be here," we're warned.

For those who attempt to make sense out of the abstract mess that is life, avoid. For those who can appreciate the nonsensical absurdity that it holds, view and love. It's just so goddamn beautiful and anybody who criticizes the 'pointless' nature of this film, try finding anything of an otherwise nature.

Please.

A vital attack on censorship, the senses, and sense itself. With animation so beautiful in it's simplicity, voices that could not fit better (specifically the Master Shake), and the freshest thing since Darwinism.

A cinematic meditation.

Fans Only

[tikiroomfan · 7/10 · 4 June 2007]

If you are not an uber Aqua Teen fanatic, stop reading this review, because you will NOT enjoy this movie, so I wouldn't even waste your braincells on reading this. Aqua Teen Hunger Force is just TOTAL fans-only. If you can't name the three main characters, you really will never get what the hell is happening on screen. For those of you who do appreciate the pure brilliance of the off the wall, random yet still kind of plot driven nature of Aqua Teen, you're in for a treat. Movie Film is a haven for fans and among the best TV-shows to movies ever, though that's not really saying much. Overall, the plot doesn't make a whole lotta since, nor does it have to, this is Aqua Teen were talking about, in episodes you're lucky if you get an ounce of actually thought out plot. Here, we have an evil exercise machine. Sounds weird, but it works surprisingly well. Dr. Weird is also somehow in on the whole thing, but don't ask me how. This brings me to the thing I liked most about the film, the excellent use of supporting characters. I was worried that due to the offbeat nature, great characters like Dr. Weird and Carl would be omitted to just a few brief cameos, this is not the case. Basically, any character that has appeared more then once on the show is accounted for brilliantly, each have their own great little scenes and memorable moments. The Cyber Ghost of Christmas Past was a highlight. The Aqua Teens themselves were also handled brilliantly. Nothing was lost in translation here. Frylock is still a genius, Meatwad is still not bright but well meaning, and Shake is still an ego maniac. And unlike TMNT, all three characters have a pretty equal amount of screen time. Overall, there's really not much that separate this from the TV show, which I like, but at the same time, I didn't like. In the South Park movie, they went WAAY over the top and did a totally epic plot that could never be squeezed into the show. Not the case here, the bizarre plot could easily be trimmed to ten minutes. Not that the extra 80 minutes weren't brilliant, but I'd love to see a more epic plot line. Despite some faults, fans of the show will NOT be disappointed, my semi-low score is ONLY because of my harshness as a critic, but make not mistake, if you are at all a fan, seek this out, it's well worth the effort. Score: 7.5/10

meh.

[trimetrov · 5/10 · 21 April 2007]

A lot of shows are turned into full-length movies. Most of those shows are at least twenty minutes to an hour long already, not fifteen minutes. And ATHF is an awesome show, don't get me wrong, but part of what makes it great is the randomness. The credit sequences don't have anything to do with the show; sight gags and random explosions scattered around each episode; and most end abruptly without any closure.

That being said, the movie doesn't offer any more than the show, and in my opinion ruins some of the weirdness-slash-randomness with a ludicrous "back story" sub-plot. It had its moments of hilarity for sure, but compared to some of my favorite episodes it was very mediocre. No spoilers here, but the writers tried to stuff as many characters as possible into the film, and it doesn't always work. I don't know anyone who enjoys the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, why he shows up for as long as he does I don't know either.

See it for the opening sequence, which is hilarious, and for the occasional joke that goes right.

And a note to TV-cum-movie writers: Adding profanity can be fun for you and funny for us...but sometimes bleeping and having Meatwad say "fart you" is funnier.

Insane Machine On A Kill Spree Against French Fries, Paper Cup and Meatwad

[Chrysanthepop · 7 June 2009]

I have never watched the Aqua teen series and I wondered whether it would be wise to watch the movie first. It was a gamble and I chose to watch it. 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters' starts off hilarious but somewhere later on a some of the jokes fall flat and I thought it could have used more humour but gradually it picks up and the last half hour had me laughing out loud. These adorably weird characters, especially the paper cup, the meatwad and the french fries are quite a team. It is quite obvious that 'Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters' is not for everyone. Yes, the jokes are adult and can be described as vulgar (I wouldn't recommend taking kids to this movie) but there is hardly enough time to dwell on that because the pacing is good and the events unfold quickly. For me it's a good cheer up movie but I doubt that would be the case with many. I say just roll with it and see what happens.

For the fans.

[nintendofanof1993 · 6/10 · 13 February 2011]

This is purely a fan made movie, as it offered very little to anyone else but their fan base. It had its funny moments, it was stupid, but stupid funny. The main plot was the main characters Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad. It starts off in a bizarre desert setting and then begins with a bit of weird back story about the origins of the characters. I doubt the idea that the creators of this movie had were continuation. The ideas and history does not make sense at all and even to the true blue fans the plot is still hard to understand. However it was a fun little movie that had plenty of stupidity for teenagers to enjoy. There really is not much I can say about this movie, but it is worth a watch if you enjoy crude humor. The main idea of what I have come to understand is that the three characters have banded together to stop the Insano-Flex, and then to find their creator. More random and absurd characters find their way into the scenes as the level of organization just goes all down to hell. There is not really much justice I can do this movie, it is just one of those movies that you either like it or hate it. A movie in which you need to see to believe, and a movie in which is really made for the fans and a homage to the fans of the show. Overall it gets a 60% because its humorous but really made for the fans, so if your a fan I definitely recommend it, but if your not a fan just rent it off of Netflix for a night boredom and crazy stupid movements.

Even though I don't like the TV show I found this very funny

[dbborroughs · 7/10 · 24 December 2007]

The Cartoon Network series goes to the big screen-or in this case the DVD. Its a strange rambling tale about the groups origins and he quest to stop the Insano-flex exercise machine from destroying the world. Rambling wildly from thing to thing in a logic that can only be described as ADD inspired, this is actually a funny movie. Yes, I who can't watch the the TV show for more than five minutes, has found this foul mouthed expansion of the series quite funny and clever. To be certain its not for all tastes since its the sort of thing that makes off beat seem common place, but for those with a slightly skewed sense of humor this movie is a funny romp. I don't know what else to say beyond that. If you have any interest in the series give this a try, its so scattershot odds are you'll find something to laugh at.

This movie is great!

[psxtradr · 9/10 · 25 March 2007]

There are two types of people, those who get Aqua Teen Hunger Force and those who just don't understand its appeal. Having said that, I am of the former. I have always loved Aqua Teen Hunger Force. For those like me, you will not be disappointed. This movie is great! Sure, the movie goes all over the place and has a zany plot that really goes no where, but thats what makes the movie so good, it follows the same crazy storyline style of the show. Without giving too much away, from the old school 80s style death metal intro on to the end, the movie is hilarious. Any fan of the show MUST see this movie, it is in my opinion the best piece of work to come out of Williams Street to date.

Completely pointless fun with a bite

[oneloveall · 6/10 · 24 January 2008]

Amongst feature length, theater-shown film's more bizarre entries, this cartoon network freakish staple gets twisted and tormented into a 90 minute schizophrenic rabbit hole of nearly no overall coherence. Obviously this type of extreme stream-of-consciousness type humor paired with the under-funded, crudely implemented animation will remain an acquired taste by far, but those that are adventurous enough with alternative jokes may find themselves consistently amused, even if they do not follow the cult show mainly aired at young male druggies.

For better or worse, Aqua Teen Hunger Force tears through it's runtime with reckless abandon, each minute more freaky and less rational then the last. Gut-busting laughter may be father spaced apart then what should be the norm, but the pace remained consciously wacky throughout. If off-off-kilter comedy is your thing, take a chance with these fast food idiots.

The Height of Absurdist Cinema

[cortbassist89 · 10/10 · 14 April 2007]

This movie was the funniest movie I've seen in a long time; in fact, I can't remember a single movie that literally made me laugh out loud the entire movie.

Whether you'll like this movie or not will depend on if you enjoy absurdist humor, such as the ATHF TV show. If you do enjoy absurdism, I guarantee you, this movie is the absolute pennacle in absurdist hurmor and cinema.

Rest assured, Aqua Teen fans, this movie will definitely fulfill and surpass all your expectations for an Aqua Teen movie.

Oh, and don't bring your babies. Not because it's bad for them but no one likes a goddamn crying baby in a movie theater.

Pretty much what you'd expect from an Aqua Teen movie

[Mr-Fusion · 7/10 · 28 April 2015]

"Thousands of years ago, in the future . . . " I couldn't help it, and the fact that the cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past plays a larger role in this movie just tickles me. Best way to describe "Colon Movie Film for Theaters" is . . . well, asinine; just unbelievably silly. The writers had to be throwing at a dartboard to come up with this. And the budget must've gone to the bit-part name actors, because the production values don't see an upgrade proportional to the jump to the big screen. The kitchen sink mentality really hits home when tiny Neil Peart shows up (I mean, how random can it get?).

But all I know is that I laughed.

A lot.

7/10

About What I Expected

[view_and_review · 4/10 · 29 March 2021]

Some shows just don't convert well into feature length films. "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" is cool in 15-minute spurts as it was showed on Adult Swim. ATHF the movie is more or less a 15-minute segment stretched to its breaking point of 80 minutes.

It's been some years since I've watched the show, but I believe they threw in every character. I guess you can say that they stayed consistent. The show seems like some dudes got high and came up with it. Well, for the movie they got higher.

An Attempt at Left Brained Analysis of Absurd Comedy

[Thunderbunny71 · 9/10 · 5 May 2008]

CONTAINS SPOILERS

Based on the original reviews of this film, I was expecting extreme randomness and the essence of simply four episodes strung together. That's not what it was at all. The entire show was quite coherent throughout, although I will concede only if you had the mental makeup to appreciate absurdity as a vehicle for comedy.

One of the characteristics about great sci-fi is the ability to take complex social issues, apply them to a different world altogether taking any personal biasness out of the equation, then re-examine the problem in a way that simplifies the problems and makes more sense out of them. This wasn't great sci-fi, but it did include this characteristic and was Douglas Adams-esqe in it's capacity to think completely outside of the box.

The movie features the Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They are unique in appearance and therefore stuck together with a familial relationship. Frylock is the logical and responsible one, Master Shake is abrasive and aggressive yet lacking common sense or intelligence (very much like a teenager who thinks jackass is brilliant programming and deems himself intelligent for knowing good TV when he sees it) and Meatwad, who is naive and irresponsible, but otherwise good hearted and just along for the ride. They know not where they come from, but are making the most of life in New Jersey and have a nextdoor neighbor who is a Ron Jeremy wannabe named "Carl" (who also owns a pool which makes him 'better' than most).

For those that deem themselves of higher intelligence, you should at least be able to appreciate the manner in which characteristics of the stupid are brought out to play in this world. The rest of the cast are very lifelike in the fact that the less intelligent they are the more aggressive and greedier they are. The Moonites are two dimensional and resemble atari figures and have lame 70's technology to match, yet are full of smack talk. I knew a 5'4" drummer just like this. The Plutonians consist of Oglethorp, who is also quite dumb but yet has an apparent leadership role, and his compatriot Emory. Emory is obviously more "with it" yet he just goes along with the ride much like the employees in "The Office". Finally there is the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, who comes onto the scene as one of great capability including the apparent ability to look into the past, present and future. Although he speaks authoritavely and confidently as one with this knowledge, in truth he knows as little as everyone else and just likes talking. He is the great uncle you try and avoid at reunions. "A thousand years ago I ran for treasurer of the student council..." I'm still laughing at that.

The team tries to put together a piece of exercise equipment (ne'er an easy thing to do) even though they are warned not to, which leads to the potential destruction of mankind to the tune of a one-line techno song, which I found extremely poetic (the manner in which it moved was likewise hilarious). All of this perpetrated by a talking watermelon slice who is lucky enough to have Neil Peart, the drummer for the greatest rock group on Earth, to have as a compatriot.

Is it as funny as the "Knights Who Say Ni"? I certainly think so.

Admittedly, Walter's rational for creation was a little lame, but one could say it gives tribute to those who wonder if life on Earth was created simply to provide entertainment to our creators.

Another brilliant aspect of the show was the timing. Space Ghost C2C (which many of the ATHF producers worked on before this) was brilliant for it's pauses...something ludicrous and somewhat inane would be said and there would oftentimes be a pause as everyone stood perfectly still with perhaps a blinking or two before any kind of response. The ATHF movie introduces another dimension of this...Character 1 would say something inane (often times the hilarious Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past), then there would be a humorous pause, then a 2nd character would reply in an attempt to make sense of what Character 1 said and instead of a return pause, Character 1 would answer immediately and crisply although even more inane in order to support the first statement.

Finally, a note about the beginning. After the beginning musical sequences, there is a story set in New York thousands of years ago at 3 PM in 1492 which appears to take place in Egypt. Many are confused by this, but you should know this not part of the greater plot. It is simply Master Shake telling a story. He is not a procurator of the Truth, nor is he intelligent, but he tries to make up for it in aggressiveness and stubbornness. Therefore, everything is made up on the go and loosely strung together. What follows is the opening theme of the movie, THEN the actual movie begins.

In short, this movie is not stupid. In fact, this movie patronizes the irresponsibility, greediness and shortsightedness of the majority in today's world. Shake, Meatwad and most of the minor characters will rely on Frylock only to the extent they get what they want, then once again cast reason aside until the next "high". Shake even goes so far as to shoot Meatwad in the head while clowning around and not considering anything about the consequences of his actions. Once again, it is the Wise to the rescue in the form of the Professor (Mr. Peart). Never once do Shake, Meatwad or Oglethorp give credence to other's ability but instead try to take credit for the work of others. Inane? Yes. Absurd? Definitely.

But stupid? I don't think so.

Hi 'Friggen Larious

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 8 December 2007]

Let me preface this review by simply stating that as much as I loved (and still do) the Auqa Teen Hunger Force adult swim show it had lost a bit of it's luster in the forth season on was seemingly on a decline, so I approached this film with trepidation that it would be of the same diminished quality.

Boy, was I glad to be proved wrong, as the movie pretty much rocked and in my eyes, at least, went far to redeem the franchise to the former glory. Of course causal movie watchers who haven't been inducted into Hunger Forces particular brand of lunacy won't get as much out of the movie, but this one is strictly for the fans anyway. And the fans are in for a real treat indeed with this tale of ATHF spanning into the past, present, & future that features most of the more memorable villains that the team have come up against in the past seasons. The movie itself plays out like an extended episode of the show (and at times overly stretched) But those aforementioned times are relatively few and don't really take away from the film as a whole.

My Grade: B+

Great TV show. Terrible movie.

[JohnESausage · 3/10 · 13 April 2007]

Let me first say that I have a huge fan of the Television series. I have seen every episode at least five times and some of the better ones near twenty times. The show jumped the shark after their greatest episode, Space Gate World aka Carl. They followed it up with the Boost Mobile episode and it hasn't been the same since. If you like these later episodes, there is a chance that you will enjoy the movie. I was hoping that these episodes were churned out because they were using all the good jokes in the movie. Boy, was I wrong. The film is a regurgitation of the series, except the jokes aren't funny. Maybe if I wasn't a fanatic of the show, the jokes would have been funny, but there wasn't anything new to see. Oh how could I forget about hearing your favorite characters belt out expletives. I could go on and on about why this movie should have been different, but I will tell you the biggest disaster. The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past From the Future, the most annoying character of the series has a huge role in the film. Minus one flashback of young Carl at Christmas and his experience with carpet, I hate the episodes that feature him. The same boring ramblings in the TV show now occur even more in the movie.

Ever since I heard about a feature film coming out three years ago, I couldn't wait for this day to come. It was without a doubt the most disappointing movie experience I've had to date. I had faith in you Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro and you let me down. IN A BIG WAY!