Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III (Warner/Adult Swim DVD)

 

Picture: B-     Sound: B-     Extras: B-     Episode: A-

 

 

The crew over at Robot Chicken has tapped into that last 40 years of pop culture so well that they almost have down to a science.  Their comedic portrayal of anything from TV, to film, to music is so hilariously spot-on that it is astounding to watch the things they come up with.  With a decades worth of back catalog material and there being no end to new media, the hilarity seems unending.

 

In the same vein as the rest of their television series, Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III delivers the same chaotic hilarity, but solely focuses on the world of Star Wars.  Given that this is their third run through on the classic saga people may think usable material is running thin, but the cheap stop motion gags keep on coming.

 

The jokes are all in line with the previous episodes, poking fun at the ‘day to day’ activities of the Star Wars universe that we were not made privy to in the film saga.  The are dancing Emperors and Vaders, the daily exploits of Boba Fett, Ewok smashing/splattering, endless escalators, the untimely end of stormtroopers, and plenty more of the most mundane, yet intriguing Star Wars moments.

 

All in all the feature is more than entertaining and can be watched again and again; this is not mentioning the over 3 hours of extras.

 

The technical features are a mixed bag n terms of picture and sound.  The picture is a Widescreen presented in letterbox format presenting the ‘scope aspect ratio of its original television exhibition enhanced for widescreen TVs.  With that said the colors are bright and the image is mostly clean, though here on DVD an element on graininess remains.  The sound is a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, which pops nicely but nothing all too dynamic or thrilling; but I am unsure how well this stop motion venture is put together in terms of sound.

 

The extras include:

 

Special Appearance by George Lucas

Sketch by Sketch Video Commentary

Skywalker Ranch Premiere

Star Wars Celebration V Panel

6 Behind the Scenes Featurettes

26 Deleted Scenes and video intros

4 Audio Commentaries

Trailers

 

I imagine the Blu-ray is much better, but have not had the pleasure of viewing such.

 

With even (king) George Lucas impressed with the talents of Seth Green and fellow Robot Chicken alum, you know there is an overwhelming amount of imagination and talent that goes into this series.

 

 

-   Michael P. Dougherty II