With ATHF running 11 minutes per episode on adult swim, a lot of fans were simply afraid that the movie would either 1) not be able to sustain for 90 minutes, or 2) be too much to handle. ATHF:MFFT answers both questions as a yes and a no.
Part of the genius behind the show is the lack of knowing the origin of the characters... people who watch the show for the first time immediately start asking veteran viewers questions that haven't been addressed ever. The show is what it is, pop culture references surface and disappear but are (wisely) pop culture references from 70's, 80's and 90's. As an example, in the movie Meatwad talks about "getting pythons like Chief Wahoo McDaniel." Saying "pythons like Hulk Hogan" or someone more current and recognizable would be more expected of another show, but its part of ATHF's brilliance. Family Guy is immediately dated and will have no legacy because of it's incessant dependence on pop culture, while ATHF's pop culture references are either sardonic or constructed in the creator's minds.
The movie opens with a very clever musical number that is certainly meant to be viewed in theaters for best effect, and proceeds immediately into origins... kind of. After the revelation of that origin's source, another opening occurs and reveals into a more straightforward story... kind of. Dr. Weird and Steve play huge roles in this one, as well as providing a central point to the movie... kind of. I will say that if you like the TV show and "get it" then you will not be disappointed, but if you have friends that don't care for the show or have never seen it, DO NOT MAKE THIS THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF ATHF. Anyone curious about this movie should watch a few episodes on Adult Swim and see if you appreciate the humor before seeing it.
I personally was afraid for the running time. I did not think the movie would be able to handle a 80+ minute runtime; but I am happy to say when I thought it started to drag a bit. I looked at my watch and was 50 minutes in instead of the 20 minutes I was afraid I was going to see. Not bad. It picked right back up mainly because they used the randomness of the show to their advantage without making it too random. Plot lines do run their course in 5-10 minutes and concentrate on another bit of plot. The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future is used heavily to interject plot line and create new branches, but can get a little old in places. Still, Cybernetic ghost, Oglethorpe and Emory, (the plutonians) and Igniktnot and Err (the Mooninites) form one faction, Steve and Dr. Weird another, and of course the Aqua Teens form the third. There is a monster running amok with a kidnapped Carl and a master villain running around (Walter Mellon) with a miniature Niel Peart in tow. Hilarity ensues. When the climactic showdown occurs between the Aqua Teens and Dr. Weird, you are treated to some origins and some other surprises that can be believed or discarded just as easily as anything that occurs in any episode of the show.
Sitting through the credits will award you with a 5 or 6 second bit that may or may not be worth your time. If you love it stay and see, if you hate it you probably left long ago. Just like the show, the movie is not for everyone. The language isn't terribly bad compared to how bad I thought it would be, but there were some f bombs if you care about that sort of thing. It's got the humor of roughly 6 episodes stuffed into the running time of 8 episodes, so they could've reasonably included more jokes, but the jokes they use require more setup, so it's a fair trade off. Special points for including a special thanks to Jim Samples (the president of Cartoon Network who resigned after the Boston marketing terrorist scare) in the credits.
Part of the genius behind the show is the lack of knowing the origin of the characters... people who watch the show for the first time immediately start asking veteran viewers questions that haven't been addressed ever. The show is what it is, pop culture references surface and disappear but are (wisely) pop culture references from 70's, 80's and 90's. As an example, in the movie Meatwad talks about "getting pythons like Chief Wahoo McDaniel." Saying "pythons like Hulk Hogan" or someone more current and recognizable would be more expected of another show, but its part of ATHF's brilliance. Family Guy is immediately dated and will have no legacy because of it's incessant dependence on pop culture, while ATHF's pop culture references are either sardonic or constructed in the creator's minds.
The movie opens with a very clever musical number that is certainly meant to be viewed in theaters for best effect, and proceeds immediately into origins... kind of. After the revelation of that origin's source, another opening occurs and reveals into a more straightforward story... kind of. Dr. Weird and Steve play huge roles in this one, as well as providing a central point to the movie... kind of. I will say that if you like the TV show and "get it" then you will not be disappointed, but if you have friends that don't care for the show or have never seen it, DO NOT MAKE THIS THE FIRST IMPRESSION OF ATHF. Anyone curious about this movie should watch a few episodes on Adult Swim and see if you appreciate the humor before seeing it.
I personally was afraid for the running time. I did not think the movie would be able to handle a 80+ minute runtime; but I am happy to say when I thought it started to drag a bit. I looked at my watch and was 50 minutes in instead of the 20 minutes I was afraid I was going to see. Not bad. It picked right back up mainly because they used the randomness of the show to their advantage without making it too random. Plot lines do run their course in 5-10 minutes and concentrate on another bit of plot. The Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future is used heavily to interject plot line and create new branches, but can get a little old in places. Still, Cybernetic ghost, Oglethorpe and Emory, (the plutonians) and Igniktnot and Err (the Mooninites) form one faction, Steve and Dr. Weird another, and of course the Aqua Teens form the third. There is a monster running amok with a kidnapped Carl and a master villain running around (Walter Mellon) with a miniature Niel Peart in tow. Hilarity ensues. When the climactic showdown occurs between the Aqua Teens and Dr. Weird, you are treated to some origins and some other surprises that can be believed or discarded just as easily as anything that occurs in any episode of the show.
Sitting through the credits will award you with a 5 or 6 second bit that may or may not be worth your time. If you love it stay and see, if you hate it you probably left long ago. Just like the show, the movie is not for everyone. The language isn't terribly bad compared to how bad I thought it would be, but there were some f bombs if you care about that sort of thing. It's got the humor of roughly 6 episodes stuffed into the running time of 8 episodes, so they could've reasonably included more jokes, but the jokes they use require more setup, so it's a fair trade off. Special points for including a special thanks to Jim Samples (the president of Cartoon Network who resigned after the Boston marketing terrorist scare) in the credits.