Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (Warner/Adult Swim DVD)
Picture:
B- Sound: B- Extras: B- Episode: A-
The crew
over at Robot Chicken has tapped
into that last 40 years of pop culture so well that they almost have down to a
science. Their comedic portrayal of
anything from TV, to film, to music is so hilariously spot-on that it is
astounding to watch the things they come up with. With a decades worth of back catalog material
and there being no end to new media, the hilarity seems unending.
In the
same vein as the rest of their television series, Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III delivers the same chaotic
hilarity, but solely focuses on the world of Star Wars. Given that this
is their third run through on the classic saga people may think usable material
is running thin, but the cheap stop motion gags keep on coming.
The jokes
are all in line with the previous episodes, poking fun at the ‘day to day’
activities of the Star Wars universe
that we were not made privy to in the film saga. The are dancing Emperors and Vaders, the
daily exploits of Boba Fett, Ewok smashing/splattering, endless escalators, the
untimely end of stormtroopers, and plenty more of the most mundane, yet
intriguing Star Wars moments.
All in all the feature is more than entertaining and can be watched
again and again; this is not mentioning the over 3 hours of extras.
The
technical features are a mixed bag n terms of picture and sound. The picture is a Widescreen presented in
letterbox format presenting the ‘scope aspect ratio of its original television
exhibition enhanced for widescreen TVs. With
that said the colors are bright and the image is mostly clean, though here on
DVD an element on graininess remains.
The sound is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, which pops nicely but nothing
all too dynamic or thrilling; but I am unsure how well this stop motion venture
is put together in terms of sound.
The
extras include:
Special
Appearance by George Lucas
Sketch by
Sketch Video Commentary
Skywalker
Ranch Premiere
Star Wars
Celebration V Panel
6 Behind
the Scenes Featurettes
26
Deleted Scenes and video intros
4 Audio
Commentaries
Trailers
I imagine
the Blu-ray is much better, but have not had the pleasure of viewing such.
With even
(king) George Lucas impressed with the talents of Seth Green and fellow Robot Chicken alum, you know there is
an overwhelming amount of imagination and talent that goes into this series.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
