A few months back I asked a good friend of mine to review the 2nd volume of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” I did this because he loves the show and I doubted I would. I’m a pretty big fan of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim (which airs slightly more ‘adult’ animated shows late at night – and by ‘adult’, I don’t mean “ADULT”), and tune in from time to time to catch “Sealab: 2021”, “Home Movies”, “Family Guy” and the like. I had only seen a little bit of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, and for some reason it didn’t really appeal to me. He gave it a great review, so much so that it made me wonder if I was missing something. I thought I’d wait until Volume 3 came out to give it more of a chance, but as fate would have it, I didn’t receive a review copy until just a few days ago.

However, prior to its arrival, my friend and his wife came by the house, his copy of Volume 3 in tow and suggested I watch a few episodes. We all plopped down on the couch and took in a few episodes of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.”

Before I get to my review, I should perhaps fill you in a little bit on what exactly “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” is. After all, despite its huge fan base I’m sure there are a lot of you who haven’t a clue what it is. Admittedly, after I explain I doubt it will be any clearer. Here goes. The members of “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” (so named because they used to fight crime) include Frylock (a goateed bag of French fries), Master Shake (a large milkshake cup), and Meatwad (the name pretty much sums it up). They all walk (well… float or roll) and talk, and are for the most part the worst neighbors anyone could have. Just ask Carl, their next-door neighbor. At any given time, Master Shake is getting them into trouble, whether by taking bites out of a possessed sandwich or attempting to deep fry an entire cow. Frylock, on the other hand, offers the cool voice of reason, which is somehow always lost on Shake. Then there’s poor Meatwad, who is usually the one to suffer the most from Shake’s ill-conceived actions.

That is the most simplistic description I think can be written about the show. It covers the basics, but doesn’t even scratch the surface of (dare I say it?) the complexity of the humor. The only way I can explain THAT is to say there are two kinds of stupid humor… stupid stupid humor and smart stupid humor. “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” falls into that latter category. My opinion after watching the episodes on the Volume 3 DVD release? It’s a freakin’ hilarious show. I couldn’t believe I was actually laughing out loud. We ended up watching all 13 episodes in the set that night (they’re each under 15 minutes), and there wasn’t one that I didn’t find funny.

You probably couldn’t tell, but I have started and re-started this paragraph at least 6 times. I thought I might try and further my descriptive efforts by telling you about one of the episodes, but like the series itself, I don’t think any description would do it justice. Let’s see… in “Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary”, Shake writes a new Birthday song, meant to replace the original. He records it, having hired rock musicians Zakk Wylde (voiced by the real Zakk) and Geddy Lee (celebrity imbersonation by Matt Maiellaro) to perform it, and expects the royalties to come rolling in. The trouble is that it is horrible, he hasn’t paid Zakk Wylde, and it’s doubtful he ever will have the money to. Wylde shows up to collect and all hell breaks loose.

Yup, I was right. No amount of description could possibly do justice to everything that makes that episode so funny. Hmmm, maybe if I offer you the lyrics to the song… “Deep within the wall of time, a creed shall thus be born. See the mighty united with the egg of tyranny. Check this force within the womb of life for three-quarter but night yeah, A creed shall thus be born. A creed shall thus be born. [guitar solo] And every year rain-eth down the celebratory tears. A celebration of the years from the immortal sky. A year of ye-e-ears... [The number of years] bells will chime when the heavens open up and drink from the silver cup. A creed shall thus be born. A creed shall thus be born. And blow the magic horn...” I didn’t think that would help. You just gotta watch it.

The new 2-disc set for “Aqua Teen Hunger Force” gives fans their moneys worth when it comes to extra features. There are commentaries on four of the episodes and several deleted scenes, as well as a look at the making of “The Cloning.” (I will mention that this featurette is comprised mostly of the creators of the series sitting around writing it… if you can make it through the entire video, you’re a better man than I…) It also offers up script pages from some of the episodes and music videos for Shake’s Birthday Song (including a Karaoke version you can sing along to… heck, I did!). You’ll also find a most unusual extra feature in the form of answering machine messages that you can use on our phone. They’re pretty funny, even if you’re not all that familiar with the show.

I never in a million years thought I‘d be recommending DVD sets for “Aqua Teen Hunger Force”, but it’s honestly a much funnier show than it seemed to be. I will admit that the humor won’t appeal to everybody as it comes at you so fast you might miss some of it, and it is often gratuitously disgusting. A style of humor I love, but a lot of people abhor. You might try watching an episode or two on Cartoon Network first. If you don’t get the jokes, I’m so sorry… you’re not as smart as you thought you were. If you end up laughing like I did, grab the DVD sets, they’re well worth the money.

Episodes:
Frat Aliens
Total Recarl
Kidney Car
Revenge of the Trees
The Cloning
Broodwich
The Dressing
The
The Cubing
The Last One
The Clowning
Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary
The Shaving

Extras: Commentary on 4 Episodes, Deleted Scenes, Making of “The Cloning”, “Spirit Journey Formation Anniversary” Music Videos, Schooly D Music / Art Gallery, Script Pages, Answering Machine Messages, Promo Spots
Specifications: Full Screen
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 11/16/2004
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Volume 3 an A.