The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart... Reviewed!

Before I jump in, I'd like to thank WB for supplying us with a copy of 

this movie for review. My opinions are my own.

The film starts off with Brock and his OSI (Office of Secret Intelligence) squad searching for Hank who was last pinged in Queens, NY. Despite the serious intro, it wasn't long before humor was inserted. Next thing you know... bang (action) an explosion occurred down the street that Brock and his OSI squad ran to investigate... that left Dean concerned about Hank as the attention shifted. This was before the intro, but it served up two of the many scenarios you will experience in this film. 

Does 'The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart', deliver enough oomph to hold my interest from beginning to end? Let's find out!

Story: This all-new original film is clean and serves up a solid storyline with multiple moving parts. One of the cogs in this film is the situation between Dr. Venture & the Monarch. The Guild of Calamitous Intent is giving the Monarch a cold shoulder because they're questioning his relationship with Dr. Venture. They want to make sure they aren't close, which makes me think back on the show and something that occurred. Let's just say the Monarch's wife (Sheila) had to get DNA from Dr. Venture for verification of sorts. That's a smaller cog, but it still matters because they're bumping heads based on her being a... councilwoman for the Guild. It's a busy film, so you will have to pay attention, but... the machine that makes up 'The Venture Bros: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart' has multiple cogs that will keep you interested from beginning to end.

Another cog includes Arch, a competing organization for baddies... being led by someone close to... (Malcolm) the Monarch & Dr. Venture. There is another cog related to this cog too, that represents the Monarch, and it's connected to the Guild & Arch. Speaking of Arch, the leader's outfit gives me G-Force vibes to a certain degree (I like it).

Hank & Dean have a few shared cogs as well, but I'll let you experience those yourself. Going back to Dean being concerned about Hank, Dr. Venture isn't concerned because it's typical for him to run off. The Doc is more concerned with his product line that's about to launch in order to pull his company back from the brink of going belly up. The writers found a way to connect Dr. Venture's cog to Arch also and the results are... out of this world!

There wasn't a part of this film that I had an issue with, and I enjoyed each side story (I'm telling you, there was a crap load of cogs in this machine). I think one of my faves is Dean's and his side story with Jefferson & Dr. Orpheus (man)... badass... badass... badass (shout out to Wesley Snipes and to the writers). Hank's adventure was solid too, which was a very smart approach based on what occurred to him.

Fun fact: Wesley Snipes is on my list of favorite actors.

You will see Hank in more ways than one... just remember that he's on a journey to find himself, but even someone on his path is a huge cog in more ways than one. This doesn't even serve up everything that occurred and what was said regarding one-liners + the finale... with a twist wrapped up in true Venture Bros. style. You will figure out the title of the film once it's said and done... and it doesn't x future movies off the list, so they should keep em coming (why not?)!

By the way, watch past the credits.

Visuals: Visuals are solid and look polished. I didn't look at this and get the feeling that I was watching a 'Made for TV' movie. They did a great job, see for yourself:

Audio: When it comes to the audio in this film, it gets two thumbs up. It's served up via DTS-HD Master Audio in 5.1 surround sound, which you hear right off the bat with Hi-Res headphones and surround sound systems. Do you know how some films and movies require you to really listen out for spatial audio? That's not the case here and it makes it even more lively (even the car scene with Mr & Mrs Monarch made me feel like was in the vehicle with them... especially while wearing the headphones). I used 1More SonoFlow headphones with DTS Surround enabled, as well as Logitech 5.1 Surround Sound. Both are solid options for this film (I've watched it several times).

Price + Extras: Pricewise... The Venture Bros.: Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart comes in at $19.99 SRP for Digital and $29.98 SRP for Blu-Ray + Digital (which is the better option). We always try to get you the lowest price possible, so click the links and save. I don't have a problem with the Blu-Ray+Digital price, but I'd suggest taking $5 off the digital (luckily you can save even more for either at the links).

Special Features:

Commentary by co-creators Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer

Jackson and Doc Answer Fan Questions (Commentary)

Hodgman and Friends (Featurette) - John Hodgman digs deep with Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer to learn more about the making of Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart and untold tales about their series. Fans will eat this up.

By the way, you see the poster, right? That's included, but... back when I did the review of The Venture Bros.: The Complete Series, I complained that there should have been something like a poster added as a plus to sweeten the pot. I presented it to the team (shout out to Jamie for sharing my thoughts), and it might be a coincidence... but a poster's included with this. Either way, it's a win for the fans!

The Digital version drops today & you can grab it on Blu-Ray... July 25th!

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio 5

Price 5 (this is based on the Blu-Ray+ Digital we received)

5 out of 5 Cool Points (Easy 5)

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The Venture Bros: The Complete Series... Reviewed!

Before I jump in... I want to thank Warner Bros for supplying us with a copy of this product for review, my opinions are my own.

Grab your adventurer's hat, bookbag, and a bag of popcorn, it's time to dive into... The Venture Bros: The Complete Series. This is one of the shows that I watched whenever I had the chance to tune in during the early 2000's, and what actually grabbed my attention way back when was that it gave me that... Johnny Quest vibe. Come to find out... it's actually meant to be a not-so-serious Johnny Quest parody, so I was spot on. I love the art style of this 20-year-old action-adventure sci-fi comedy drama.

Fun fact: The show was on the air from August 2004 (the pilot was in 2003) to the swan song of October 2018!

Story: Regardless of it coming from a parody angle, I've always appreciated the characters, their dynamic and the overall adventures they have in this show. They take Ls and take unexpected turns in regard to those Ls that are generally served up in a comedic way, including an episode where a ninja was suspected of trying to steal a device from Dr. Venture. When you see it, you'll know what his overall goal was (totally left field).

Dr. (Thaddeus "Rusty") Venture is the Dr. Quest of this show, and while he's brilliant, he lives in his father's shadow. You will see his father featured throughout in terms of flashbacks. You will see adventures based on Dr. Venture trying to pursue objectives related to his father, whether it's to recover or further his dad's pursuits.

Dean & Hank Venture are fraternal twins, one can go for a bootleg Johnny Quest, and... the other I guess fills the role of Hadji Singh (so that there are two boys instead of one). Dean & Hank are still on the immature teen side of things and their innocence is on full display as they react to certain situations in an oblivious way that adults can identify clear as day. Which... reminds me, this show is not for the kids.

Brock Samson... is the Race Bannon of The Venture Bros, and just like Race, he's the hired muscle with a love for action, danger, and... the ladies. He jumps in head-first into life-threatening situations... which cranks up the action even more.

So you have this team dynamic to enjoy... episode after episode, and I don't want to leave you with the impression that Johnny Quest is the only influence you see in this show. The parody is packed with all types of themes and characters that feel familiar, you have characters that resemble the Fantastic Four (i.e. The Human Torch, but in a way that makes a ton of sense), themes like A Christmas Story, etc.

I have a number of episodes that I enjoy, and there are 82 to choose from... but S2 E5: Twenty Years to Midnight is a fave along with: 

S3 E6: R. Quymn, Medicine Woman

S1 E7: Ghosts of the Sargasso

S4 E2: Handsome Ransom

S1 E1: The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay

S4 E16: Operation P.R.O.M.

S4 E17: From the Ladle to the Grave: The Shallow Gravy Story

The Venture Bros... flows well, which has always made it something easy to watch, you're drawn in by what goes down during the misadventures. If you're wondering, there is advancement in the story regarding the characters, including Hank & Dean getting older with increased differences regarding their personalities (Hank is more the extrovert bad boy, and Dean is more of the soft-served prep). It's not just them, the relationships between characters (including Villains like the Monarch) become more defined as well. I began looking at the Monarch's rivalry with Dr. Venture differently as the seasons progressed (nearing the end of the series), but I won't go into detail.

I think that the overall story will be something you can appreciate, even if it changes up a bit and gets a little more serious towards the end, luckily the comedy is still present.

Visuals: Visuals for The Venture Bros. are vibrant and borrow from the retro look of yesterday's animations, including the way the backgrounds are colored. It might not make sense to some of you, but I describe the art style as billabong.

As the seasons progress, you will see the art become a bit more refined... even if the primary look of the characters is still maintained for the most part. The class touch in the background fades away and the modern look sets in. It definitely lost that billabong'sh look, but at the same time... it didn't lose it's touch. The characters are still recognizable, but it feels like it was the plan all along or something (don't quote me on this but) to take it from that old-school look to a modern feel as the seasons progressed over the years. Jeez, I was almost fresh out of high school when this thing came out, that's crazy.

Speaking of visuals, The Venture Bros: The Complete Series has... uncensored content.

Audio: In terms of audio, I didn't mind it, but... there was nothing that stood out to me beyond the intro. There could've been a bit more oomph for The Complete Series release.

Price: The Venture Bros: The Complete Series comes in at $79.99 for the digital version, and $134.99 on DVD with bonus content included. There isn't a Blu-Ray version yet, but... if there is one, they need to consider format and audio enhancements. I would've brought this in at maybe... $100, which we give you the hook-up anyway... so just click here, but at $134.99 at least include a badass poster!

Even a holographic cover or something for the skull would've been sweet. I just think it's a missed opportunity for a show that they put time and effort into for two decades.

Special Features include:

Show Pilot: The Terrible Secret of Turtle Bay (as mentioned above)

A Very Venture Christmas Bonus Episode (as mentioned above)

Deleted Scenes

Behind the Scenes of the Venture Bros Live-Action Movie

Cast & Creator Commentaries

Tour of Astro Base

Comic-Con Promo

"Lost" Open

All This and Gargantua-2

and more!

Overall, if you're in the market for an adult cartoon that's equal parts hilarious and clever, you need to check out The Venture Bros. The show has a great art style, an enjoyable story, and serves up laughs in each episode.

Story 5

Visuals 4 (It was the format for me)

Audio 5

Price 3 (The overall package could've been a bit... better with a poster or something at this price.)

4.25 out of 5 Cool Points

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Poker Night 2... reviewed!

This game is great for… a non-multiplayer Poker experience.

Poker Night 2 delivers a… (hmmm) neat NPC experience for poker fans, people simply learning how to play (for whatever reason), or seeking DLC for other games.

You get to enjoy the company of Borderland’s Claptrap, Sam (& Max) from… Sam & Max, Brock Samson from The Venture Bros, and… Ash Williams from Army of Darkness as fellow players (without overlooking the dealer, aka GlaDOS the robot from Portal).

You get to earn different chip, card, and table designs… in addition to the DLC for Borderlands 2 and Team Fortress 2, which help stand out in those games (so if you don’t like looking like the standard characters in the game, you have more options thanks to this game).

Poker is poker, there isn’t much to explain beyond what the game already lays out in the “How to Play”, but I really like the way the NPC’s interact according to the hands played and stories discussed (they aren’t just sitting there lifeless during games, their personalities are on the table just as much as the cards and chips).

The bounties add another element that can be appreciated also, and you get various objectives that include winning showdowns between multiple players, and so forth. So you aren't just playing standard poker (even though you're playing poker)... because it then becomes objective based poker that goes beyond winning hands (if you wish to play that game. Get it? Okay, now that I've added some cheese to this review... I'll get back to it). 

Speaking of winning, I won’t even tell you what this means, but when you “unlock” and select 3 of a kind… something will happen.

Overall, for the price of $4.99… it’s pretty good because you have this chill poker experience for the days (or nights) you want to just kick back and play something that doesn’t require fast reactions, and if you have Borderlands 2 and/or Team Fortress 2... the DLC is good reason alone to give this game a shot if you're cool with a stand-alone poker experience. This game has been out for a while, and of course I have a few concepts that come to mind with this game that would be great for updates or… a new Poker Night 3.

Since were no strangers to contacting game developers… this too shall pass. :p

Overall the game does what it does… well, visually nothing is expected (from me with a poker game), but… they made it happen anyway (because it is a poker game that lacks the multiplayer experience). This is in addition to the comedy, and actually taking the time to explain what poker actually is because… it makes sense to actually be able to play the game if you’re trying to enjoy it (I think it’s a great tool to teach future pros how to play… in a way that’s not drop dead boring).

Fun factor: 4

Visually: 5

Replay value: 5

Price: 5

4.75 / 5 Cool Points