Absurdity in full force

The first time I saw Aqua Teen Hunger Force on the Cartoon Network, my reaction was pretty much: WTF?! Not much has changed over the years—the strangely brewed humor is still strong with this one.

For those who are already enamored with the shenanigans associated with Frylock, Master Shake and Meatwad, it kicks ass—and the movie explains where the freaks came from! The unfamiliar moviegoer, however, might leave the theater saying, “WTF?!”

That said, here goes. The plot, as usual, is piecemeal—though considering the show is typically confined to 15-minute blocks, it’s fairly impressive that creators Matt Maiellaro (who voices Err, the Cybernetic Ghost and Satan) and Dave Willis (Meatwad, Carl and Ignignokt) managed to put together a more-or-less cohesive 80-minute flick.

The story basically revolves around a magical workout machine, the Insane-o-Flex. First everyone wants it, then everyone tries to find its missing piece, then when it’s put together everyone tries to stop the darn thing. And by everyone, I mean the Aqua Teens, the trio of talking fast-food items; Carl, their grumpy, hairy human neighbor; the Plutonians, who are basically big blobs; and the Mooninites, who look like they came out of an old-school video game. The aptly named Dr. Weird and a tiny Neil Peart (yes, the Rush drummer) add to the craziness.

In the meantime, Frylock has an identity crisis complete with flashbacks of his creation—including a lost member of the Hunger Force! And by the end we get at least a small idea of where the three—who live in a shabby house in New Jersey—came from.

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters breaks no animation barriers, its storytelling is scatterbrained at best (isn’t that the best part?), and it’s safe to say its target audience is small. (The latter is evidenced by the fact that an ad campaign for the movie sent Boston into a state of emergency.) But for those of us fans out there who don’t mind giving our brains a rest once in a while, it’s not one to miss.