I will start this review with a disclaimer: I am a big admirer of the Aqua Teen television show, and was predisposed to like this film. My only hope going in was that the filmmakers managed to fill the running time without any dull stretches or prolonged tangents. Otherwise I was looking forward to a larger dose of Aqua Teen weirdness; the tv episodes usually fill about eleven minutes, and each one leaves me wanting more. I also wanted to see what the creators did with the freedom that a feature film allows.
As of this writing, I have seen the film three times: once in the theater – where my friend and I counted among the few present – and twice on DVD. With each viewing, I like the film more. The character development that has occurred amongst the three "heroes" over the last four seasons is maintained: Master Shake is still an ass, but he gets away with less; Meatwad stands up for himself more often, and hands out his fair share of insults; and Frylock is less impressed with the antics of his roommates, showing more irritation than he does outright anger. The antagonism between next-door neighbor Carl and the Aqua Teens has become a ritualistic exchange of put-downs and demands and schemes. Other characters, like the Mooninites and the Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future, are now familiar faces rather than weird foils. Character has always been the strongest part of the Aqua Teen series, and this tradition is carried over to the feature film incarnation.
The story that the creators have brought to the big screen is less effective. I can re-cap the plot in a sentence: the Aqua Teens and their cadre of strange acquaintances come across a piece of exercise equipment that threatens to destroy all of New Jersey. There are hints of an origin story throughout, but nothing definite is put forward: the Aqua Teens could be the result of Dr. Weird's "genius", or the reverse could be true; they may be the progeny of yet another food product, or pawns at the mercy of a different food group. The first time I saw the film, I left it feeling confused: are we supposed to believe one version above the other? By the third viewing, I decided that it didn't matter; the highpoints of the adventure provoke laughter, some memorable lines are committed, and none of it amounts to any revelations or conclusions.
In fact, it occurred to me during the third viewing that the film is structured around a series of nearly episode-length arcs. The first is a fantastic adventure from the narcissistic mind of Master Shake; the second introduces the supporting cast and the dreadful exercise equipment; and so on. Whether this structure resulted from a conscious decision or accident, it does explain the film's lack of momentum: situations and gags unfold without contributing to a greater narrative, and the mood of the story remains flat. Not that the series has produced much tension or conflict in the past. Even the growing friction between Master Shake and Meatwad in the early episodes was more of an excuse for irrational behavior, rather than dramatic impetus.
I like this film, but I also recognize that it is not a good one. The story is shallow, the character development limited, and the pacing uneven. Anyone who does not know of the Aqua Teens will be unimpressed; anyone who dislikes them might as well leave the room. Even adherents may be put off: the transition to film does not add to the series in any sense other than running time and profanity. Unlike Beavis and Butthead, South Park, or Wallace and Gromit, the Aqua Teen film is more of a prolonged tv episode than a maturation of material. The animation is better by but a few degrees; the story, as I have said, is serviceable; and the structure is unimaginative.
It is this last quality that informs my only complaint: I would like to have seen a more creative adaptation of the weirdness that Aqua Teen brought to Adult Swim. Initially, it appears that the creators have done just that: the opening scene is hilarious, the credit sequence is a beautiful mess, and the heroes' introduction is fun and exciting and random. Then events return to New Jersey and familiar backgrounds, and the story brings everyone together so that they can be involved. I did want to see most of the cast thrown into the mix; I also hoped to see some of the same zest the creators demonstrated through the Foreigner Belt; the Love Mummy; Master Shake's (disastrous) attempt to be a superhero; the riffs on Atari games; and my personal favorite, the Broodwich.
The Aqua Teen film did fulfill my hopes: it fills its running time without lag, and offers a host of one-liners and exchanges to laugh over, memorize, and re-live with other people who are into this sort of thing. It is more of a series that I like, without the constraints of tv. Other adaptations may be more successful, but none of them have sentient fast-food products that consistently ream each other and the weirdoes around them. Gentlemen, I give you: Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film; "don't talk, watch it!"
9/2/07
