Review: ‘Aqua Teen Hunger Force’ 6
Growing up, my animation was largely the Saturday morning variety, the Hanna-Barbera output where kids never questioned a talking penguin and walrus on globe-trotting adventures, receiving wisdom from a human professor with a magical chalkboard. As I grew up and animation evolved, I realized the kinds of cartoons were splintering for the variable demographics, a change largely brought about my the advent of cable television.
Today, there is the most basic of animated fare for the wee tots all the way to sophisticated anime for adults. And in between are the shows for teens and young adults, the very life blood of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block of shows. Among the most popular has been [[[Aqua Teen Hunger Force]]], a show I have managed to miss since its debut in 2000 before there even was an Adult Swim.
I finally had a chance to sample the series when Warner Home Video sent me Aqua Teen Hunger Force Vol. 6, containing nine episodes from the current season plus four unaired stories.
I don’t get it.
Even the most absurd of concepts has some sort of logic to hold everything together. This show is a series of random character types held together with atrociously limited animation. Anything and everything happens in these stories with no internal logic per episode and a tremendous amount of poor humor. Considering this spun off from [[[Space Ghost: Coast to Coast]]], which was “smart” in its inanity, ATHF just makes no sense.
Watching these stories was actually painful given the lack of story construction, characterization or anything rising above smutty humor. The “[[[Sirens]]]” story, for example, featured three sirens, two sexy nymphs and former Philadelphia Phillie John Kruk. Huh?
I prefer smart, literate humor but am not adverse to absurdist or slapstick humor. A steady diet of this without any rhyme or reason leaves me cold.
If this is what passes for popular teen humor and animation, then I’m pretty pleased to be too old for this stuff.
The DVD comes complete with “I’m Pissed” Carol Sports Blogs; Outtakes from the Midway video game; “Terror Phone”, an original short; A behind-the-scenes featurette that doesn’t explain the humor any better; Commentary; and Promos.
If your going to judge Aqua teen Hunger force, then you chose the wrong season to review. The humor in season 6 was so poor that the fans of the show have declared it to be the worst season ever. The show seems to be going down hill since season 4 or 5 and fans are eagerly awaiting the show to get back to its original humor, if it does at all. If you are to judge Aqua Teen hunger force then watch one of the first 3 seasons, they were the best and are the only way that you can truly judge it.
why hate on aqua teen hunger force…. its clearly the best show on adult swim and yes the last season might have been pretty lame but it still is a really good show and very funny if u really watch it. i have seasons 1-4 on dvd and everytime i watch it its still funny and i find stuff that i dident catch before. please dont judge this show based on one season
You chose the wrong season to review. Hell, jump into the sixth season of ANY series (The Simpsons being an exception) and you're not going to be impressed. Watch the first two volumes and then get back to us. You'll love 'em.
I have made this review generic, so now this reviewer can just plug in the title of any DVD he wants to review in the future and stay home from work."I used to watch __________ as a kid. I really identify with _________ when I was growing up. Now I only watch stuff like __________ and _________. I have never seen an episode of ___________ before. I have no familiarity with the characters or the structure of the ____________ series. I hated ______________. I don't get the humor in ____________. If this is what passes for entertainment these days I'm glad I only watch_____________. If you like ____________ you must be an idiot."
It seems like you just dismissed the show without ever giving it a real chance. You wrote the same thinig that just about everyone says about ATHF when they first see it.."I don't get it". Thats just it, there is nothing to get. Obviously the humor in an 11 minute show doesn't come from a well written story. In this case it comes from the characters and the sarcasm and having a real sense of humor.
Horrible review. You suck. Stick to the Simpsons, old man.
Sorry, but some of these comments are just as bad as your review. The humor of ATHF doesn't lie in its story, and only slightly in its characters. It lies in the utter lack of sense the show makes — it's like watching somebody's train of thought while they're on acid, and you are too. The point of ATHF is to push the boundaries of humor. It's not going to give you a nice belly-warming classic chuckle. It is a new level of awkward humor. It is edgy, unique, and it will pave the way gor a new school of comedy. Too bad you'll be too shallow to appreciate it.
You all fail, but for different reasons. Yes, almost no story WAS the point of ATHF. But it used to be executed WELL, not horribly. The only episode from this season I've seen where I knew the title (probably seen more on TV) was Bible Fruit. If that is indicative of the rest of the season, WHAT WERE THE WRITERS THINKING?! I love seasons 1 2 and 3, and this is one of my favorite animated shows. But season 6 of ATHF is exactly like season 3 of Sealab 2021. If you were to review that without seeing 1 and 2 you would find it awful! And it still was! Just like ATHF season 6. By the way. I love the Simpsons more than any other animated show. Except seasons 12ish and beyond. Oh yeah, I'm 22 years old. Implying The Simpsons are for old people? You're dumb as hell, boy. Dumb!
Who cares about the price of eggs in china. You dont like it, dont watch it!!!! I dont care about your opinion mine is most important to me. That show makes as much sense as my drive by body piercing shop, and I LOVE IT!!!!
Season 6 of ATHF is not very good, in my opinion. Sure, it has it's moments, but they are few and far between. I own all of the seasons so far, and have been a fan of the show since it began, but, season 6 is the worst of the bunch so far. I found a lot of it to be just plain boring, and or excessively vulgar, with very little of the strange, silly and absurd kind of humor that the first few seasons were chock-full and loaded with.