Story: Needless to say, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm... started off action-packed and in crazy Aqua Teen fashion with Master Shake, Frylock, and Meatwad in space (dun dun duunnnn). They're fighting Carl in their opening scene after he turned into this spider-like alien creature. It was super creepy, and after taking on alien Carl and his babies, quick wits allow the team to come out on top.
The main film sort of began after that explosive intro. There's a bit of backstory that I'll leave to you to check out, and I'll... fast-forward to where the trio is today. Let's just say they're living very different lives. Frylock is working in tech, Meatwad works at a Kennel, and Master Shake is... homeless.
The story is centered around the Aqua Teens, but it also focuses more so on Frylock's interaction with his boss, Neil. Neil has a complex based on his height, and he's obsessed with being taller. He invested all sorts of money in his pursuit to be tall, but his head of R&D at Amazin continued to hit a wall, until... Frylock (aka Phoenix) stepped in. You can see the frustration mounting in Elmer as he continued to get belittled and ignored by Neil until things came to a head and he became a plant monster.
Even though the story is focused on Frylock's employment and how things play out in the film, you don't feel like Meatwad and Master Shake are being neglected. They have their own situations to deal with, but I thought it was awesome the way the story was written for them to come back together. They were sort of forced to come back together, but I didn't mind the reunion happening the way it did. Speaking of... reunions, familiar faces certainly make a return, and even Shawn Kemp appears in a few scenes.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and felt that it was weird but well-rounded for the most part. Most Aqua Teen fans will probably enjoy this one and expect the ending to play out the way it did, but I'll let you be the judge of that. If you're wondering if there's a good chunk of dark humor in this movie, it's safe to assume you're right! We don't recommend kids being in attendance to watch this film at all.
Visuals: Visually speaking, you can tell that the team added some oomph to this film. Animations are smoother than what I've seen on the standard show, plus you have shading here and there to show more depth and make the characters look a lot less flat. There will be some flat action going on here, but it will totally be intentional.
Audio: The audio is quite nice in this movie, and they make good use of the surround sound. You don't constantly get shifting sounds with the 5.1 Dolby Digital, but when it's done... you notice. When Markula arrived on the scene... when Carl was vandalizing his property, I looked around the office because of the bat sounds.
Price + Extras: Pricewise, Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm... comes in at $39.99 SRP for the 4K Ultra HD version and $29.98 for the Blu-Ray version. The 4K version comes with standard Blu-Ray + a Digital Copy, and if you luck up... you will also be able to get a copy that comes packaged with a poster of the cover art. Is this movie worth the price? For Aqua Teen fans? Heck yeah, but click the link and save at least $12... here! (What's crazy is that I'm not a huge Aqua Teen fan, but... I've watched this a few times because I like the movie and it flowed well.)
*If you end up getting it, you will save more by getting the 4K version, because it's only a few more bucks (check out both versions to see for yourself).
By the way, I can't forget about the additional extras:
- Deleted Scenes
- Commentary
- Music Video
- Alternate Cut
- Behind the Scenes
