Adult Swim In A Box - Cash Grab [Sealab 2021:
Season 2 + Metalocalypse: Season 1 + Robot Chicken: Season 2 + Space Ghost Coast to Coast: Season 3 + Morel Orel: Season 1 + Aqua Teen Hunger Force:
Volume 2 + New: Pilots] + Xavier: Seasons 1 & 2 (Cartoon Network/Adult Swim/Warner DVD)
Picture:
B/B-/B-/B-/B/B/B- Sound: B- Extras: B Episodes: A-/B-/B-/B/B/A-/B-
We have
reviewed quite a number of Adult Swim series here at FulvueDrive-in, but oddly enough none (with the exception of
Metalocalypse: Season 1) that are included in this new Adult Swim in a Box – Cash Grab set. The set overall is wonderful as it features
some of the best series to ever appear on the network and leaves out the other
junk like Tom Goes to Mayor or 12oz Mouse. It took me a while to figure out why the box
set was arranged as it was; looking above you can see the sets included are a
random assortment of seasons. In the
end, I believe the creators of the set chose the best seasons of the series to
include here. Not only are fans new and
old getting a taste of what the network has to offer in one foul swoop, but
also in a manner that picked out the cream of the crop. I won’t bore readers by reiterating all the
sets listed above, but just know these are the best the series had to offer; or
I could be completely wrong and it was whatever was stock piled in the
warehouse *shrug.*
I have
sung the praises of Adult Swim time and time again; and nothing has changed to
date. Whereas the series on the network
have theirs highs and lows, overall I am consistently impressed and
entertained. Adult Swim delivers the
type of laugh til you cry creative entertainment that is unlike anything
else. The series are each edgy in their
own unique way; none of which are the same.
If I had
to rank the series in this set from best to worst (though all are amazing) it
would be as follows:
- Aqua Teen Hunger Force
- Sealab 2021
- Space Ghost Coast to Coast
- Moral Orel
- Metalocalypse
- Robot Chicken
This
ranking system is mainly being based on rewatchability, creativity and artistic
direction. Adult Swim is surely not for
everybody, with its odd and offbeat humor, but I have to say I have not found
many people who have given the series a creative chance not love it; young or
old, male or female.
The set
would make a great gift and whereas some may be off put by “not starting from
the beginning,” no set included here truly has a continuous storyline that
requires consecutive episode viewing. I
would imagine that the studio should be more worried that fans who already
bought these series (as they were previously released) would not be willing to
repurchase the large set here just to obtain the original pilot episodes (never
before released).
I
understand that putting arguably the best seasons of each series into this set
was a good choice; but perhaps the network would have been better releasing
Adult Swim volumized sets that included the first season or volume of each
series; also including exclusive extras.
That would have looked much better on fans shelves and made the urge to
repurchase much more compelling.
Sealab 2021: Season 2
Sealab 2021 is a series that (like other
Adult Swim series) utilized recycled footage from an older series entitled Sealab 2020. Oh what a difference a year makes; as the
multi-ethnic crew of Sealab have seemingly lost their minds, each episode
usually revolving around the exploits of the insane Captain Murphy (voiced by
Harry Goz). Harry Goz sadly passed away
a few years back now and in turn left a huge void in the series; ultimately
leading to its cancellation. Goz was the
heart and soul of the series as his voice talent propelled each creatively
designed episode.
Season Two was clearly the best Sealab 2021 had to offer as it featured
such classic episodes as “Bizzaro,” “Tinfins,” and “Fuse Box.” Each episode was
unique and will have you buckled over laughing.
A great
series that I am sad to say is no more.
Metalocalypse: Season 1
**Follow
the links listed below
Robot Chicken: Season 2
Robot Chicken is the brainchild of Family Guy alum Seth Green; who
admittedly is obsessed with collecting and making action figures. Robot Chicken I find enjoyable, but I feel
the short segments are extremely hit or miss and lack a rewatchable quality. I enjoy the series more from a nostalgia standpoint;
as I love classic action figures and many of the 70’s-90’s references. I just hate to think how many action figures
were destroyed for the production of all these episodes.
For those
who are unfamiliar with the series, Robot Chicken essentially creates short
clips of classic characters and real life personalities getting into odd
situations that are beyond insane. It is
done in a stop-start animation technique that is very creative, but not my
favorite as much of the time the sketches are ‘misses,’ because like series
such as SNL where for every 1
classic scene there are 20 ‘blah’ sequences.
Worth a
watch, but not the best Adult Swim has to offer.
Space Ghost
Coast to Coast: Season 3
Space
Ghost is absurd insanity and I can’t get enough of it! The series ran from 1994-2004; with the
Season presented here being 24 of its most hilarious episodes. The series was completely unpredictable and
you never quite knew what to expect as old stock footage was utilized and guest
stars ran rampant.
The guest
star interview segments are brilliant exercises in editing; in which seemingly
normal statements are taken out of context in post-production to give Space
Ghost his nonsensical edge. Space Ghost was the starting point for
all Adult Swim insanity as Space Ghost’s unhinged persona unleashes on his
guest stars, fellow cast members and anything within reach of his laser.
The
series has great writing, a solid voice cast and a premise that has been a
launching point for other great series such as Harvey Birdman and Sealab
2021. Season 3 is the epitome of what Space Ghost has to offer and fans will surely not be disappointed.
Moral Orel: Season 1
A series
canceled before its time, Moral Orel originally
aired on December 13, 2005 and ended its run on December 18, 2008. The series only lasted 3 satirically dark
seasons, but left fans wanting more.
Viewers were caught so off guard by the sometimes subtle and sometimes
blatant messages the series had to offer that it was suspected to be an Adult
Swim joke. The series quickly caught on
and each week fans were treated to a trip to Moralton where values were skewed
and life was never as peach as the townspeople would liked it to appear.
The show
was a brilliant mix of deep satire, creative writing, stop-motion art and dark
comedy. The series most likely failed in
the end because it was too edgy and smart; even the open to anything Adult Swim
initially banned several episodes, only to later air them without trouble.
Season
One generally focused on Orel
hearing a church sermon and taking it way too much to heart; causing him to
have a variety of misadventures that were not only obscene, but offensive to
the faint of heart. Moral Orel never attempted to do blatant gross outs or crude for
the sake of crude (contrary to what many have suggested), but rather each
segment was strategically planned to conduct a commentary on modern society as
well as the religious right that has often plagued the media with its demands
and absurdities.
As long
as you aren’t unnecessarily or easily offended Moral Orel is a fun exercise in exploring our world in a somewhat
barbaric and crude manner.
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 2
The
2002-2003 Season of Aqua Teen Hunger
Force is once again the height of what the series has to offer and is by
far one of my favorite series runs. I
have sung the praises of Aqua Teen time
and time again and can be viewed in the links listed below. As previously mentioned this is Aqua Teen at its best and after Volume 3 OR 4 I can see the series showing a bit of wear, though it is still
wonderful.
The band
of nonsensical food products seem to get themselves into trouble constantly,
always ending up worse than could ever have been imagined; somewhat like the
cast of Its Always Sunny in Philadelphia…bad
ideas, gone worse. The show is creative,
concise and baffling. There is never a
dull moment and you will often find yourself quoting the series inadvertently.
Pilots (never before released)
Consisting
of:
- The Best for Totally Teens
- Like the now canceled Wonder Showzen; this series takes
the “after school special” to an odd place that for the most part is
boring and uninspiring.
- Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge
- A computer animated creation
by the guys over at Aqua Teen
that follows around the delusional and slutty Cheyenne; the series is quick and
forgettable.
- Korgoth of Barbaria
- WOW! How was this series not
picked up!? Adult Swim missed out and so did viewers as this insanely
inventive, violent and well designed series takes off like a rocket. A must own for sure as it is a lost
treasure for sure.
- Perfect Hair Forever
- A series that had a short
run (unlike the others here, which are only a pilot), but was ultimately
a failure as it desperately tried to be Aqua Teen without the creativity or charisma.
- Welcome to Eltingville
- From the creative minds of
Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dryer the series never had a chance, though it
deserved one. I feel the series
(based on the couples comic Dork)
started off here quite dry, but given time it could have developed into
something great. Guess we will
never know.
The pilot
episodes listed above are for series that have failed or have yet to be
released on DVD. For the most part I
will say, I can see why these series have never been released; as they fall in
the same vein as the idiotic nature of 12oz
Mouse or Tom Goes to Mayor. There are a couple of gems, but for the most
part like “deleted scenes” from a film, nothing is lost here.
The
picture, sound and extras for these sets all follow a common Adult Swim format
and for the most part are very well done.
According to how the series are produced and their age the quality
varies, but all in all they are great presentations. The stop-motion animation styles of Moral Orel and Robot Chicken’s causes the image quality to suffer a bit (due to
the manner in which it was filmed), but not by much. The picture on each of the
sets is presented in a clear, crisp, and bright 1.33 X 1 full screen and though
this reviewer would hope for eventual anamorphic widescreen releases, the full
screen is nice enough since it is the original aspect ratio. The only image that differs is Metalocalypse (originally broadcast in
widescreen) is shamefully presented in chopped down letterbox format, taking
away from the careful design of the series. The sound is also clean and crisp in its
Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereos and treats the series well. Aqua
Teen gets a slight upgrade over the other series with its nice Dolby
Digital 5.1 Surround track that is only a minor upgrade. It would have been nicer to hear a surround
on Metalocalypse.
The
extras are the same on all the sets as they were originally released; each with
varying amounts of commentaries, interviews, deleted scenes and featurettes.
For a
look back at previous reviews this site has done on Adult Swim series, please
follow the links below:
Robot Chicken: Star Wars – Episode
2
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8906/Robot+Chicken:+Star+Wars+Episode
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 5
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6573/Aqua+Teen+Hunger+Force:+Season+5
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 6 +
Metalocalypse: Season 2 + Frisky Dingo: Season 2
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/8027/Aqua+Teen+Hunger+Force:+Volume+6
Metalocalypse: Season 1
http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/6098/Metalocalypse+–+Season+One+(Anima
Once
again, I feel this is a wonderful set and an even better gift for someone who has
yet to experience the brilliance of Adult Swim.
Each series has something new and uniquely stunning to offer. Even with some episodes or series being
better than others, you will never be disappointed and always entertained.
Finally
on our docket for today is a newer Adult Swim series entitled Xavier: Renegade Angel, which is pure
horrible from beginning to end. The CGI
designed series is a disgrace to host the Adult Swim tag and is by the creators
of the equally awful Wonder Showzen (now
canceled).
The dark
comedy follows the narcissistic and oblivious Xavier as he travels the
countryside in hopes to better humanity as a philosopher; though that story
arch seems to change episode to episode.
The self absorbed, childlike beast is a conglomeration of many animals,
yet is humanoid at the same time.
Overall I would call the series confusing and uninspiring; often leading
me to change to channel in search of something, ANYTHING better.
The
picture and sound are similar to the Adult Swim series listed above. The CGI is a bit rough, but has brilliant
colors as the 1.85 x 1 letterbox presentation truly pops. The audio is a Dolby Digital Stereo that gets
the job done, but is far from special as it projects solely from the front.
The
extras include features that are just as idiotic as the series with Disc 1
hosting “Fanmentary” tracks on 2 episodes where the commentary speakers are
unknown and Disc 2 repeats the same type of commentaries, but the speakers are
identified. On Disc 2 there is also a
Fan Film section and an idiotic/wasteful workout video.
I would
have to say the series does not develop far from its original premise and I
can’t wait for it to be canceled.
- Michael P. Dougherty II
