The Show
Robot Chicken needs to be seen to be believed. I've directed countless friends to the brief (a 15-minute time slot, less commercials) sketch comedy series, part of Cartoon Network's edgy "Adult Swim" programming block, after failing to adequately explain the appeal of these well-written/acted pop-culture lampoons brought to life by stop-motion-animated toys. And everyone who takes me up on the suggestion comes away laughing... and rolling their eyes.
Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III is now the third extra-length special to focus entirely on a favorite subject for both the audience as well as the creators, who combine a keen understanding of George Lucas' mega-franchise with an uncanny knack for comedic timing and inspiration, right down to abundant subtle moments that a lot of people probably won't catch upon first viewing.
This time around it is a loosely chronological overview of all six films (and beyond) from the vantage point of the galaxy's snarkiest, funniest wiseass, Emperor Palpatine, voiced by Seth MacFarlane. Some bits last mere seconds, other, darker vignettes go on a tad longer, like Luke Skywalker's chance reunion with a certain one-armed wampa, told without dialogue. There's sure to be a gag for every Star Wars fan, just be prepared to laugh out loud. You can even rope in the older kids, as the program remains censored, with just a couple of choice words sneaking through.
The Picture
The 16:9, 1080i (@60Hz) presentation of this first-ever Robot Chicken Blu-ray is remarkably crisp, especially when put into the context of other TV BDs. The sharp, one-frame-at-a-time stop-motion animation process, combined here with some digital graphics and effects as well, looks great in HD. The various weaves of the real cloth miniature costumes have a reach-out-and-touch quality, and the sculpted/painted details of the scaled sets really pop. I even noted a tiny stray hair in front of the lens. Despite the short running time, the bitrate is relatively low, and so some modest noise and ringing is present as evidence of the compression.
The Sound
The Dolby TrueHD 5.1 soundtrack is also superior to a lot of what I've heard of television-originated content on Blu-ray, marked by smooth phasing between the five speakers, sometimes in a 360-degree spread. Add to this a subtle rear fill to enhance a given scene, discrete effects from time to time and enough bass oomph to be worthy of Star Wars and you have a winning complement to the HD video. I might have missed a line of dialogue or two, but once again I could pin that on the actors.
The Extras
Multi-hyphenate Robot Chicken creator Seth Green consistently loads his home video releases with fun bonus materials and he opened the floodgates once again for this latest disc. There are four audio commentaries (Actors 1, Actors 2, Writers and Crew), each uniquely expanding on the fun of the show itself. The "Chicken Nuggets" feature additionally allows us to access sketch-by-sketch video commentary when the chicken icon appears, then we hit the remote to branch away and watch appropriate musings from select creators.
Six short, specialized segments take us up close and behind the scenes with the crew, while longer vignettes reveal the Star Wars Celebration V Robot Chicken panels from last summer, the Robot Chicken Skate Tour from 2009, and an informal visit with The Man himself, George Lucas. (I'm guessing that he gets a huge kick out of all these parodies.) We can also tag along to the premiere of this third installment up at Skywalker Ranch.
There are 26 deleted scenes and animatics, in various states of completion, some with introductions. The gag reel is more self-conscious clowning than anything else, but the four stylized trailers (including one for Force Unleashed II) are worth checking out. Exclusive to Blu-ray are a time-lapse look at the rigors of stop-motion and animators' performance reference acted out by Mr. Green, for the benefit of the production crew. All of these appear to be in some form of HD.
Final Thoughts
The Robot Chicken: Star Wars Episode III Blu-ray is a must-own: It looks great, sounds great, is loaded with extras and--oh, yeah--it is an absolutely hysterical, quasi-officially-sanctioned tie-in to the Star Wars universe. Seldom can we snag this much entertainment for less than 20 bucks.
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