MOVIE REVIEW: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters
I'll confess straight off the bat that while I was vaguely familiar with the Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," I had no inkling on what the premise or hype was about. When I got news that there would be a movie based on the seven-year-old Cartoon Network show, I had no clue that it had such a large fan base to qualify as worthy to be featured on the big-screen. So like a good reporter, I decided to do some research prior to attending a private screening of the lengthy titled "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters," (remindful of the Borat movie title, don't ya think?). Three episodes in, I completely understood the excitement, and thus began my own anticipation for the movie.
For those who are as unfamiliar with "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" as I was, the title can be misleading. First, and foremost, it has nothing to do with water! The three main characters are assumed to be teenagers, hence the "Teen" in the name, they are all a food item, which kind of explains the "Hunger," and they nonchalantly fight random crime in their hometown of New Jersey, so they’re a "Force" to be reckoned with. Get it??
The main characters: "Frylock" an intellectual set of fries (I can only assume super-sized), "Master Shake" a giant milkshake that isn't the sharpest dessert beverage in the fridge, and the cute "Meatwad" who makes your heart melt when he smiles and glances over with his puppy-dog, errr I mean, meat-ball eyes.
The opening of the movie is probably the best prologue I've ever seen. I will not give away details, since my description of it will do it no justice, but let's just say that it involves a heavy metal band with a pretzel in lead, and nachos with cheese behind drums warning the audience of the consequences of being loud during the movie.
Once the Aqua Teen trio appear, the first 15 minutes of their screen-time have absolutely no relevance to the actual premise. Randomly running away from CIA agents in Egypt with Abraham Lincoln, the entire thing makes no sense. Thankfully, the movie does pick up, but I still can't help but wonder what the significance of the Abe Lincoln chase-scene was (your guess is as good as mine).
The actual story - based around a disparaging exercise machine that begins to duplicate and destroy Downtown Jersey, which the Hunger Force attempt to stop - focuses on the development of the Force; where they came from, how they developed, and most importantly... why?
The delivery of lines is the thing to listen out for. Very reminiscent of the improvisation often done on the television show, the movie has some amazing one-liners that, even with the lack of punch lines, give rise to laughter.
And die-hard "Aqua Teen" fans have no fear, the following of the shows reoccurring characters make appearances in the movie: Carl, Dr. Weird, Steve, Ignignokt, Err, Oglethorpe, Emory, Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, and MC Pee Pants (reincarnated once)!
For the fans, the curious, and the superstitious who just do not want to invest in another awful cheese-fright fest of a horror movie on Friday the 13th (this Friday), please go see "Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters" instead. You'll laugh, you'll awe, and you'll crave for more.
Go school yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_Teen_Hunger_Force
