Videogame Theater (Power League Productions/Uproar/MVD DVD)
Picture:
C- Sound: C+ Extras: C- Episodes: C
The
premise of Video Game Theater is not
hard to grasp. The creators took some
classic video game characters, turned them into puppets and placed them in odd
roles; as if to create an atmosphere of spoof, irony, or satire. The series, however, is problematic off the
bat as it sacrifices quality and originality for quick potty humor and sexual
innuendos. Each episode casts the
classic game characters into odd roles like Pac-Man as a pretentious drug
addict or Q-Bert as a mentally handicap James Bond; leaving the reviewer
confused and dissatisfied. This reviewer
can take a joke as well as the next video game junky, but this show is just a
waste of good characters.
The
series is one big toilet joke that deserves to be flushed. It overflows with nostalgia with its numerous
appearances from the likes of Pac-Man, Mario, Donkey Kong, Joust, Space
Invaders, Frogger, Q-Bert, Laura Croft, and more; but besides the fact that the
creators used the likeness and perhaps a general connection to the
aforementioned character, the skits had little to do with the beloved, classic
game series and certainly were not funny.
I honestly sat there and starred, waiting for each sketch to get funny;
but nothing ever came. It was more
exciting to see the likeness of the character than anything; making me realize,
why watch this junk when I can just play the game? Video
Game Theater has used and abused classic game heroes; with the series
shooting for humorous satire, but instead delivering stupidity of epic
proportions.
The
picture and sound on Video Game Theater
are all over the place and the extras are barley worth watching. The picture is presented in a lackluster 1.33
X 1 full screen that ranges from passable to horrid as the quality comes and
goes. The video overall is inconsistent
with bland colors, weak blacks, and a continuous haze about the image making it
seem soft and the strong edge enhancement stand out even more. The sound is only slightly better than the
picture as the Dolby 2.0 Stereo does project crisply, but other than that has
little to offer and at times even sounds distant.
The
extras feature a useless and frustrating German Interview (made for German TV)
with the creators of the show that might be a joke, but is certainly not funny
and a waste of time. There is also a
Photo Slide Show and a brief Behind-the-Scenes look that offer little as far as
content and even less as far as holding a viewers’ attention.
In the
end, this reviewer thought Video Game
Theater had great potential, but in the end fell flat. There are a ton of nostalgic moments that may
suck fans in, but truly the whole series is a waste of time that is barely
humorous and mostly appears to be a BAD Crank
Yankers knockoff. What is even
sadder is that Crank Yankers itself
is a horrible series! If you need a dose
of nostalgia, load up your Nintendo, Sega or Atari; but don’t waste your
valuable time on this series. GAME OVER.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
