A film for adult cartoon fans who need no instructions to know how to rock.
While the initial guerilla advertising campaign proved to Boston that Moonanites and Lite-Brites can be more emotionally destructive than previously thought, the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is exactly what you'd expect.
After all the hype that veered off in a direction series creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis never could have imagined, this essentially hour and a half long episode of the traditionally fifteen minute show has them flexing their more relaxed censor standards without abusing the privilege.
Frylock, Meatwad, Master Shake, and their unfortunate neighbor, Carl, take on the expanded world of swear words and varying animation techniques with their usual preoccupied charm in Maiellaro and Willis' first chance to be almost limitless in their creative efforts. The film attempts to explain the origins of the main characters and invariably gets distracted along the way, in favor of exercise equipment and amusement park rides. My favorite parts were the way innocuous details that have been present the entire series were finally used, something fans of the show will have fun trying to pick out, and the participation of the more famous reoccurring line up of nuisances from space. While the film doesn't take too many chances or step very far out of it's usual pattern of plot and delivery, in the case of a series that already has such an established style, this may be a good thing.
In the history of animated television series that have made the leap to the silver screen, ATHFCMFFT, while in my mind can never hope to compete with South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, it certainly at least has the Family Guy straight to DVD attempt licked. If you're a fan of the series, other [Adult Swim] classics, or absurdest humor in general, I recommend taking a trip out to the theater for this one. Make sure to bring a group of friends for the maximum laugh factor. If on the other hand your only experience with cartoons lately has been rediscovering your old Disney standards from childhood, you may want to steer clear of this world of super science gone wrong and ironically gaping plots that may not really be for you.
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NOTES: A film review for The Daily Illini's entertainment blog, "On the Town."
