Walking into the Embassy, Walthams very own independent movie theater, with my best male and female friends (appropriately from New Jersey), I began to worry that cute little Stacey might not like the movie we tricked her into seeing. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters (or ATHFCMFFT) was, to say the least, hard to follow for even the most obsessive Aqua Teen fan.
This 87-minute mind-fuck is exactly what you would expect from the random comedy stylings of television show creators and writer/directors Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro. The quickly-cut style of raunchy late-night cartoon programs has been popularized by the Cartoon Networks Adult Swim, an attempt to reach the college demographic. The Aqua Teen television show has been recognized by fans and critics alike as a display of the random. Free of its normal eleven-minute viewing block, ATHFCMFFT also breaks free from the bounds of movies in general.
Its hard to write a review of a movie which is virtually unfollowable, yet after watching Stacey survive the movie still awake, I think it may be possible. The film, if we can call it that, opened with what I can only describe as the most amazing, and informative, go-get-a-snack-before-the-movie-and-dont-forget-to-turn-off-your-phones message which often appears before a terrible movie.
After being reminded that my money is now theirs, Willis and Maiellaro deliver the Aqua Teen dream: an hour-and-a-half-long episode of the show. Roomates Frylock (smart floating fries), Master Shake (incompetent jerk milkshake) and Meatwad (ball of meat with brain of limited use) build an unstoppable exercise machine, which will destroy the world.
Dont worry, it is not so much resolved as ignored. With its ensemble cast of fan-favorite characters such as the Moonanites, the German-accented Plutonians, the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past, Dr. Weird and their stereotypically New Jersey-esque neighbor Carl, Aqua Teen fans will be more then entertained.
The movie even back-asswardly answers random questions from the show: What is that picture of Frylock and Dr. Weird about? And what is behind Frylocks crystal? Fans will love the random references, hilarious subtitles and hundreds of exploding items, even if their wallets seem a little thinner than if they had watched TV. Even with the understanding that ATHFCMFFT was written for fans of the show, the less-than-diehard may still be disappointed or confused when leaving the theater. The film is for fans with fortitude, patience and a love of the show. Then again, fans who bring an extra dose of whatever theyre on will have just as good of a time, if not better;
this movie might actually make sense if youre high.
Gormans Grade:
B+ – Fans on Drugs
B – Fans not on Drugs
F – People who hate the show
