 Anchor Bay // Buy from Amazon.comTripping The Rift: The Movie is the saga of a bunch of derelict mutant misfits who live, work and play on the starship Jupiter 42, which is controlled by a neurotic A.I. known as Spaceship Bob. Bob's neuroses are kept in check by the verbally abusive pilot T'Nuk while the ship's inner workings are tended by Gus, the melancholy robotic chief engineer. No one's really sure what job is performed by teen slacker Whip, but everyone has a definite idea of sexy android Six's specialties. Captain Chode, a walking purple blob of rancor, hates his crew and they hate him right back. As Chode and the crew work on their latest money making scheme in the space Princess protection business they are unaware that a cyborg killing machine, know as the "Exterminator," has been sent back in time by the evil Bobo to eliminate their copulating captain, a mission that isn't as easy as it might seem. With the voice work of McCarthy, Stephen Root (Office Space), John Melendez ("Tonight Show"), and the extraordinary mimic Maurice LaMarche ("Pinky and the Brain") this is easily the most star powered starship in the universe! Fascinating - I'd somehow never heard of this tv series before, yet apparently this "movie" is really a spliced-together collection of episodes from a cult classic, CGI-generated series that was equal parts scathing commentary and sexual innuendo. (What's not to love?) Admittedly, the animation seems pretty dated, and clearly they didn't have big bucks to throw around for this production, but what it may lack in polish it more than makes up for with its hard-hitting, pull-no-punches and very much in-your-face brand of humor. I found myself actually guffawing many times, sometimes because I couldn't believe they got away with the on-screen antics (or innuendo), and others because of the sheer hilarity/stupidity/sheer enjoyment of what was transpiring on the screen. Not sure what happened to the series, but if this "movie" is any indication of the overall entertainment factor that can be expected, I may just go pick up the full season sets to get more of this wacky bunch of space travellers. Good times. Video The 16x9 anamorphic widescreen transfer seems very solid, with sharp detail and nice coloring in this CGI film. Audio An impressive Dolby 5.1 surround mix is included, delivering a crystal-clear sonic experience. Extras Closing Thoughts Goofy, fun, very adult-oriented animated fun + minimal extras = well worth checking out for some hearty yuk-yuks Labels: review |
