To say that Cartoon Network's Aqua Teen Hunger Force full-length, ""Colon Movie Film for Theaters"" appeals to a niche audience would be an understatement. A huge understatement.
Those unfamiliar with the late-night ""Adult Swim"" program that spawned this movie might as well stop reading now, because it requires generous patience for the spastic, plotless absurdity that saturates the 11-minute show. In fact, at 79 minutes, the film asks for seven times the patience.
However, those bearing acquaintance with the show will find much to love in creators Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro's bizarre and sometimes disturbing sense of humor. To try to describe the movie's ""plot"" would be an exercise in futility. The plot feels more like several stories mashed together, with a wispy thread linking them in a half-assed attempt at consistency. This is not necessarily a fault of the movie, just a fact. For fans of the show, it may even seem a rational translation to the big-screen and a longer format.
The wispy thread connecting the mini-plots is the mystery behind the origin of the movie's heroes: a floating order of french fries, a milkshake and a rolling wad of ground beef. Though strange, the characters are lovable enough, with Master Shake's inflated ego and Meatwad's incalculable stupidity balancing Frylock's role as the voice of reason. The movie never gives a straight explanation of the Aqua Teens' origin, but offers several conflicting stories. A casual moviegoer might find this frustrating, but it is clear that each of these stories is merely a vehicle for more craziness and non-sequiturs.
The strength of the three heroes allows Willis and Maiellaro to surround them with situations that are ridiculous beyond belief and supporting characters that are even more insane.
Show regulars like the Mooninites and Plutonians deliver much of the movie's humor, and the Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future also plays a prominent role. The Aqua Teens' neighbor Carl is tragically underused in the film, spending much of his time in the Insanoflex workout machine, not really doing much of anything. Unfortunately, the movie offers Aqua Teen rookies no proper introduction to these characters, and much of their comedy requires a working knowledge of the show.
For those who ""get it,"" the movie offers quite a few moments of hilarity mixed in with an equal share of the bizarre. Some moments are so strange that they don't even approach funny, and the viewer must sift through these to get to the more entertaining parts of the film. Whether the sporadic but hearty laughs are worth waiting through the sometimes tedious events of the movie is hard to say.
""Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters"" leaves the viewer confused, trying to piece together poodles in ancient Egypt, skin-melting gases and the Drum Solo of Life. Those who aren't already a part of the show's cult following will likely find themselves confused and pissed off after a viewing, while cultists should be able to stop trying to make sense of it all and just enjoy the occasional laugh.
