AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW - 'FAMILY GUY - IT'S A TRAP!' BLU-RAY

FAMILY GUY: “IT’S A TRAP!”

Released on Triple Play edition Blu-ray/DVD from TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT (also available as a separate DVD)

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Note: this review contains adult material!

“We’re doing JEDI aren’t we!” So says a drolly disinterested Stewie as the third power cut in Quahog launches Peter Griffins re-telling/parody of the final (and they mean final, truly, truly final!) homage to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy: IT’S A TRAP!

The FAMILY GUY writers and producers have always been wickedly and painfully accurate on the laughs front, and always ready to poke fun at both themselves and their FOX backers, but we’re sure that there’s more than a hint of truth within the words they've this time imparted during their now classic re-interpreation of the saga's main title crawl for the episode. With IT'S A TRAP they literally flat out, upfront apologize for the overall quality of this new adaptation, claiming that they’ve been burned out by the almost back to back behind the scenes work they’ve been doing in bringing the STAR WARS saga to animated comedy life and rushed into making this finale. Looking at the final product on screen, there may be the occasional time when they have a point, but overall I think they’re being a little too hard on themselves. There's not as many belly laughs in IT’S A TRAP, but when they come they sure do hit the spot well (one great example being Leia/Lois’s Alderaan moment during the Speeder Bike chase- an absolute gem of a scene!), still making this wrap up endeavour a welcome conclusion to a brave, already humour packed and ultimately very successful comedy spin on George Lucas’s timeless classic.

Family Guy It's A Trap Trailer HD 1080p - YouTube

Interestingly, with JEDI having had some negative press in its original 1983 release, i.e. many critics considering it a toy/marketing commercial rather than a movie (hey, if you’re gonna say that, what about all the blink and you miss it stuff in EMPIRE?!), FG deliberately don't capitalize on such comments make any such gags or go in that direction-which is great- and instead keep to the story and the continuity they have established in their own "unique" adaptations for comic inspiration. Some might also say that there’s enough comedy, both intentional and unintentional, already in the finished film that it didn’t need to be adapted by FAMILY GUY, and you occasionally get that feeling being presented by the shows writers during varying points, but then that’s equaled with scenes where you can tell that any issues they have with the finale doesn’t stop them from loving the entire saga in general. JEDI’s selected plot deficiencies and holes, as with the previous classics, are brilliantly sent up but it’s never done nastily, with its script, at its core, being an affectionate all round win win situation to the audiences who already know this stuff, and that it’s okay to poke fun at the original film. And as for JEDI’s 1997 SPECIAL EDITION, well that certainly doesn’t get a reprieve from the FG team, with their cruel but ultimately spot-on attack on the films unnecessary extra CGI creatures-the sock puppet “add on” in Jabba’s the Hutt’s Palace is brilliant!

IT’S A TRAP certainly shows how big a universe the STAR WARS saga had become by JEDI, with so many characters and aliens to show, that the need to satisfy the audiences demands to have them involved in the plot became noticeably challenging when the Luke/Vader plot was ultimately so important. And FAMILY GUY’s conclusion obviously shares similar problems. Ultimately, of all the members of the Griffin family who have become their STAR WARS alter-egos, this really is the couch potato, alternate reality counter-part plonker Chris’s turn to shine as Luke, who was aforementioned always central to the success of JEDI (I’d love to know what Mark Hamill thinks of these parodies!). Totally avoiding the how the hell is he your father?Question from its predecessor, the script writers (Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and David A. Goodman) brilliantly make the most of JEDI’s dramatic core between Luke and the Emperor/Vader and truly milk from it some superb comedy gold, the standout being Luke/Chris getting angry when the baddies start verbally destroying Seth Green’s career, building further on this in the finale when he takes on Vader/Stewie (who wants a press release stating that he’s moved onto other worthy career ventures rather than just being killed off at the height of his popularity!).

Yep, that lovable little Sith horror Darth Stewie remains as brilliantly conceived as ever (look out for his hilarious apparition scene during the Ewok celebration finale!), and backed with Emperor Palpatine (Mister Pewterschmidt in perfect casting) where make a fun oddball couple to rule the galaxy! I liked the scenes where the Emperor spewed lighting bolts every which way and loose on Luke and, prior to that, when he fried several annoying children in the Death Star II swimming pool-and you never know, there may well have been a recreational area like that on the space station in the films but we just never saw it!

The rest of the Griffin family’s part in the proceedings is not as strong but they do have a few fine moments here and there. Peter as Han sadly doesn't have as many great moments in the finale, though special mention of the scene in the Endor Bunker when he starts complaining that things are getting way too cuddly for him what with the Ewoks and all, and immediately has the captured Human Imperial troopers go out and start digging their own graves with their helmets! Priceless! Also disappointingly, after his classic "Fuck Off" response to Leia/Lois before being carbon frozen in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING DARK SIDE, the princess (who looks good in a slave girl outfit, too!) ultimately never gets to the chance to say it back to Peter, as the similar “I love you” scene between the Rebel lovers had done in JEDI. A bit of a wasted opportunity, I thought.

And as for those Ewoks…well, over the years they have obviously been a great annoyance to MacFarlane and his team of writers, but I have to say that I think I like these animated versions (led by Wicket, as played by THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s Tim the Bear) a lot better than the ones in the actual film! They’re ultra violent (their battle against the Imperial Stormtroopers has some serious bone crunching moments!), cannibalistic and totally feral! Oh for an alternate JEDI with these guys in!

Other FG supporting characters cameos equally prove all too brief, though Joe as Jabba the Hutt proves fun, as does the unlikely appearance of the maid Consuela within his court! Plus there’s the return of Carl as Yoda who gives us a uniquely disinterested and quick death after he tells Luke important info about his sister, whilst Quagmire as Threepio, though he has more to do here than in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, sadly isn’t as rude and crude as he was in the first STAR WARS (and I thought with all the Ewoks about there would be some sick bestiality stuff coming from his lips!), the same with Brian who really only has memorable AT-ST ground battle moment (though thankfully there’s no swinging TARZAN moment here for him to partake in!). Amongst the episodes fine comedy moments I loved the nodding scene prior and during the Skiff battle - though no fight for Peter/Han against the Boba Fett/chicken? Aw man…I really wanted to see that! Finally, old boy pervert Herbert’s return as the ghostly Obi-Wan is an absolute classic- one of those superb, below the belt comedy moments that only FAMILY GUY can get away with!

And as for poor Meg, now the ultimate clawed beak vagina as the Sarlaac. Surely, it was destiny for her to be that creature, wasn’t it?

There’s also great use of some welcome cameos linked to other sci-fi greats like LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and, to add to the general lunacy, there’s the return of Seventies US music favourite Conway Twitty, but with a new cgi twist! Yaayy! Plus, extended contributions of popular characters from some of Seth MacFarlane’s other output, too, like the aforementioned AMERICAN DAD, with Klauss the Gold fish (as always voiced by THE CLONE WARS Dee Bradley Baker) as Admiral Ackbar, and Roger the Roswell alien as Moff Jerjerrod, whilst THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s young Rallo Tubbs is hilarious in his interpretation of Nien Nunb (loved the scene where he and Lando (Mort Goldman) observe the Death Star’s prime weapon in action! And adding a bit of official STAR WARS ness to the project is the fun return of Carrie Fisher, this time playing Rebel leader Mon Mothma: “the second woman in the STAR WARS galaxy!”

Plus, as usual, and always fun, there’s the obligatory 80’s references from music and films, Adam West (an institution in his own right!), carbonite fart jokes, and launches into other TV realms. All blended together with the STAR WARS universe once more as its superbly realized by the shows animation teams in this third labour intensive love sonnet.

The Blu-ray presentation, as with the previous releases, is absolutely first class and is the greatest way to see it, and special note must be made within the programe of the official use of some of John Williams alternate music cues for JEDI that didn’t make the original final film: primarily used here for the Speeder Bikes chase (of which the original film’s vision of the action sequence never had any music) both they and Ben Burtt’s sound design are wonderfully crisp and evocative to hear-I hope the new six film Blu-ray movie set of the real STAR WARS sounds as good when they’re released in September!

Rounding off the presentations are the obligatory tongues firmly in cheek audio commentaries from the crew, and some fun extras including a short but sweet phone message from Darth Stewie to Chris, an easy to copy guide on how to draw STAR WARS FAMILY GUY characters by one of the series lead artists, (who also directed IT’S A TRAP): the very talented Peter Shin, sock puppet animatics and making a scene, and the STAR WARS TRIVIAL PURSUIT: THE ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Eagerly awaited by fans and LUCASFILM staff alike (George Lucas even bought a copy of it in a Florida mall the day of release! My brother and his family, on vacation in the Sunshine State at the time, have the proof!), IT’S A TRAP, despite its makers fears (and perhaps there should have been a little bit more time allowed to the FAMILY GUY team to refine the script further), ultimately has more laughs and belly laughs in abundance in one hour than most other comedy shows have in a twenty episode run season. Like JEDI, it’s occasionally flawed but its still overall an enjoyable finale to the saga, and well worth having as part of your DVD collection, be it for STAR WARS or FAMILY GUY. 

I know that MacFarlane and his team don’t plan on doing the Prequels (joking that they’re saving them for THE CLEVELAND SHOW instead!), but the idea of Stewie as Anakin Skywalker has potential to be very funny. Perhaps they could do it someday as one episode covering all three films…? C’mon, guys and gals at FUZZY DOOR productions, think about it!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out of 5

CLASSIC REVIEW: 'FAMILY GUY - SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, DARK SIDE' BLU RAY

FAMILY GUY: STAR WARS-SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, DARK SIDE

Now available on triple play edition DVD / Blu-ray from FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“GET READY TO SUCK SOME DACK!”

We haven’t even reached next year’s milestone thirtieth anniversary of THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK and yet the celebrations have already gotten off to a tremendous start with not one but two comic forays into the STAR WARS universe and its second film in the Original Trilogy. Despite EMPIRE’s serious, follow us into the pits of despair/we’ve been soundly defeated by the Imperials mindset, Seth Green’s ROBOT CHICKEN had already brilliantly mined great comedy gold from the films darker situations earlier in the Summer. And now, with Christmas unleashed upon us bigger than ever, its time to enjoy the grand humour of “the other” Seth-MacFarlane that is!!- in his own unique, twisted way with the DVD prior to TV transmission release of his second opus linking STAR WARS to his FAMILY GUY universe: SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, DARK SIDE. Be warned, all you young children and Irvin Kershner’s out there, this goes beyond anything you remember in 1980!

Though a lot of great scenes from this episode have already been witnessed in the two advance trailers for the DVD release-a serious but unavoidable problem with today’s we’ve only got a short time to hit you modern publicity machine-there’s still plenty more golden nuggets for fans of both STAR WARS and FAMILY GUY to savour within its fifty two minute duration. The episode starts with another power outage affecting theGriffin families domesticized TV viewing, sparking Peter’s second oratory helping within George Lucas’s universe. With a proceeding title crawl that goes beyond the previous films musings/fixations on Angelina Jolie as Gia, with words this time that apparently caused some controversy with the suits at TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX (leading to it needing special approval from the highest echelons of the FOX management before it made final release- it’s nice to know these guys still have a sense of humour, though, especially linked to STAR WARS!), the talented writers and production team at FUZZY DOOR PRODUCTIONS take the classic scenes and dialogue of this universal, eternally popular landmark sequel and literally sends it into outrageous new realms with totally fresh perspectives in which they are more than happy to poke firm and sometimes below the belt adult humour into it (as only FAMILY GUY knows how). And let’s not forget their clever, consistently funny swipes at some of EMPIRE’s noticeable after a few watches plot holes, too! 

New worlds, new dangers for our heroes.

FAMILY GUY without the crude humour, occasional sick visual gags and its mandate of “don’t worry, we’re an equal opportunities offender” consistency just wouldn’t be the same without it, so it’s nice to report there’s been no compromises even in this adaptation of general family fare and nostalgia, though perhaps this effort, made for DVD release first, feels a little bit more edgier in some regards as an opposite to the first STAR WARS transfer. Regular FG scripter Kirker Butler’s adaptation stays rigidly within the confines of the film, but perhaps it may be a little bit too faithful in some respects, in that some of the comedy he and the rest of the team creates feels a little restricted and could have been expanded on for even more laughs-SSSDS sadly has no classic running gag scene like the one with Peter and Brian getting the used couch onto the Millennium Falcon from the previous STAR WARS edition and I missed touches like that. On the plus side, though, there are still some great inspired creative peaks that continue to keep the show fresh and unique, including a homage to the best of bad early 80’s US advertising, especially in one scene following Peter’s rescue of Chris on Hoth.

All of our FG main characters return to their previously successful, wonderfully transferred STAR WARS counterpart roles – the force of nature that is Peter Griffin is back as Han, Lois is a defiant Leia, and an always waaay out of his depth Chris is Luke, etc. Brian as Chewbacca sadly gets very little to do this time around, though there are a couple of notable lines. And, despite the woeful lack of substantial material for Quagmire in this episode (a bit like Threepio in the actual film), we’re hoping that the sexual innuendo and dirty practises of the golden droid character will be back in a big way with the characters greater prominence in Jabba’s Palace and with the Ewoks for the upcoming EPISODE VI. Nice to see Mister Herbert as Kenobi, too, bringing a few priceless moments to contribute, even in spirit form!! As for Meg… well, I feel for her, I really do-first she was a Dia-noga in STAR WARS and now… as to what she’s become in EMPIRE, aw man, it’s just plain hilarious! It is a noteworthy cameo-after this, we’re wondering if the writers will be cruel enough to take it one step further and make her play Jabba the Hutt...

The original 1980 film’s greatest strength saw the further development of its previously established core characters, and especially the relationship between the scoundrel space pilot and the beautiful Princess. FG’s adaptation also explores that classic turf-though Lois and Peter’s turn as Han and Leia goes off into a larger tangent of male versus female spite than the film version, which is very funny- the scene between them in the Hoth medical centre being a particularly good travesty of the original’s humorous moment- and involving varying degrees of violence. We think that the behind the scenes relationship between Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher in 1979 was probably pretty similar to FG’s unique interpretation, too (Carrie Fisher, who also occasionally contributes voice over work to the show, has occasionally recalled times in which she would quite willingly have liked to have slapped Harrison when she thought he was being rude!!). A hilarious new take by Peter on Harrison Ford’s “I know” brings their relationship to a premature close that left my belly aching (I really hope Harrison Ford gets to see this scene one day!!), and will remain etched in viewers minds forever. And his subsequent visage in the carbonite block is equally priceless.

Don't upset Darth Stewie!

On the darkest diaper side of the Force, Darth Stewie has never been so bad-but I have to say it’s bad in the “I’m enjoying this like a kid in a candy store” type of way rather than a “I’m going to bash Brian to a bloody pulp” way. Certainly, being in control of the galaxy suits him well, after all his failed attempts outside the STAR WARS universe in Quahog-it must be all the black leather and the big helmet!!- and he obviously, and quite deservedly, has some of the best material in this episode, from his constant sniping with Consuela the cleaning lady on his Star Destroyer, in eager lightsaber combat with Chris (“Come on, Luke, join the Dark Side. It’s really cool!"), to letting loose his Dark Side farts within the ice caves of Hoth, his reputation as the uber star of the series, at least to me, remains undiminished. And watch out Leonard Nimoy, you’ve made a new enemy today!! As for the films shocking revelation, that now world famous and almost indestructible “I am your father” scene, well…FAMILY GUY’s version is good but ultimately kinda sidesteps the issue (though I can’t wait to see how this pans out in the next one). Credit here to the other Seth, the Mister Seth Green, as I think ROBOT CHICKEN’s take on the moment, with the original voicing of Mark Hamill, has the edge on FAMILY GUY in the humour stakes.

Past the regulars, FAMILY GUY’s SSSDS surprises and delights with its new array of characters, too. There’s the blink and you’ll miss ‘em appearance of the Bounty Hunters (with a few new striking additions!), which includes Peter’s nemesis, Ernie the Giant Chicken, as Boba Fett (who we hope will get some serious action against Peter in EPISODE VI), but it’s Yoda who has the most screen time, here portrayed by Carl the convenience store manager, and is not quite the character you saw portrayed by Frank Oz-this re-imagining sees him as someone who uses the Force, and trains Luke/Chris in it, against the backdrop of a myriad of eighties pop culture references and ideology (brilliant stuff, especially the intercutting with scenes of Dolph Lundgren in training from the abysmally iconic ROCKY IV) as well as an appreciation for the acting talents and films of Ryan Reynolds and Jon Favreau. Go figure! There’s also welcome appearances from Holden “That’s a Phoney!” Coulfield, and the usual occasional nice cameos from the likes of the two James’s – Caan and Woods. Heck, even the Beatles manage to make a quick shoe-in appearance. Sadly, there’s no sign of our other faves like Adam West (he may be previously dead on the DEATH STAR but he could always have an evil twin/clone!!) or our newsreaders Tom and Dianne in this edition, unless they had material that was cut out.

No aliens, weapons, ships, vehicle or action sequence loved by STAR WARS escapes the FAMILY GUY conversion. No stone is unturned and they mine it for everything they can comedy-wise, from Peter/Han’s Tauntaun having the head of Don Rickles, whilst dear old wheelchair Joe plays the Probot (though his ultimate fate is never seen on screen). And then there’s the return of the SESAME STREET cookie monster. Only this time as the Wampa-truly inspired re-casting! And, by episode’s end I guarantee this, you’ll never be able to look at the Rebel Ion Cannon on Hoth in the same way again.

As ever the animated/cgi movie scene recreations are first rate, and the way they’ve recreated the look and feel of the movie is amazing-kudos to all the art teams involved for their continuing love and dedication to the saga and FAMILY GUY- the AT-AT Walker battle (of which the writers show no mercy to the  lumbering beats, including the now infamous scene of one of them collapsing and painfully grasping his knee in the ultimate homage to Peter’s misfortune back in Season Two) and asteroid field chase being particularly impeccable (in fact, there were a couple of non-humorous visual moments in the Walker battle that I wished had actually been in the film). And John Williams music has never sounded better-there may even be a few cues from the original recordings in there that may be longer than I remember from the score’s record/CD releases.

With the rebel fleet reorganized in space and Chris’s new robot hand now able to hold a sausage, SSDS ends on a slightly revisionist and more crowd pleasing note than the original film’s conclusion, which left people like me back in 1980 hanging on impatiently for three years for a resolution – FAMILY GUY’s unique solution provides a cute link to another film trilogy that was equally famous and heavily pop culture influencing!! And then there’s that little matter of Lando (now in the guise of a black Mort Goldman) wearing Han’s clothes. Sacrilege!

Things are going to get quite weird!

On the bonus features side of things, there’s more than enough substantial material to take it to the top of the grade, including an excellent behind the scenes/trivia info commentary on the episode, voice commentaries from “all the usual gang of idiots” that make FAMILY GUY (including the ever versatile Seth MacFarlane, Seth Green, and Kirker Butler), a fun animatic scene to scene commentary by director Dominic Polcino, and a mini documentary charting artist Joe Vaux as he paints the ultimate FG homage to Roger Kastel’s much loved EMPIRE theatrical painting GONE WITH THE WIND inspired art from 1980 (with some nice little contributions to the short film from the great artist himself). Additionally, we see FAMILY GUY beyond the animation, as we are taken into the table reading of the EMPIRE script, which intriguingly reveals all the stuff that didn’t make it to the final cut, as well as showing just how darned funny the voice actors are even without their animation guises. I could easily have just watched the whole read through.

And the FAMILY GUY STAR WARS SAGA will continue, as, also amongst the bonus features, is a clip from the read through (which included at the table a certain Mister Dee Bradley Baker from THE CLONE WARS/AMERICAN DAD no less!) for the script of EPISODE VI: WE HAVE A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS. Just by watching the few minutes of this, it looks like it has the potential to be even funnier than the first two instalments.

Surely FG creator Seth MacFarlane is both the luckiest guy and the luckiest STAR WARS fan (whose love for the saga is genuinely infectious) in the whole world-and he gets paid for doing all of this, and having a great time, too!! It’s obscene, but good luck to him. And hey, it could be worse-it could be Jonathan Ross doing all this instead of him! Now all I have to do is find some way to become Seth’s unknown English brother or his secret lovechild and then I’ll be laughing all the way to the bank. Don’t worry, Seth, I’m just kidding. Or am I…?

I’m more than happy to report that both FAMILY GUY and STAR WARS get the excellent treatment they deserve in this UK release that’s also available in a special triple pack containing a Blu-ray version (of which, as per usual with this format, the picture and sound is so crisp and striking, bringing out the best in the animation), a standard high quality DVD version and a digital copy edition, of which the guys and gals at FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT have come up with the ultimate stocking filler present for fans of both series. Cheers!

Now if only we got this kind of superb quality with the actual STAR WARS films themselves!

AFICIONADO OVERALL RATING-PROGRAMME AND EXTRAS: This is a worthy sequel to the first FAMILY GUY STAR WARS edition, which gets even better with repeated viewings. This release is the must have STAR WARS Xmas present of the year. Get it now, or I’ll send Stewie over! 9 out of 10

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'STAR WARS - ROBOT CHICKEN' DVD

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS – THE DVD

Released in the UK by REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

“YOUR TONGUES CAN’T REPEL FLAVOUR OF THAT MAGNITUDE!!”

I had originally discovered ROBOT CHICKEN through the wonders of YOUTUBE, and their classic sketches lampooning the original, and in my opinion best, STAR TREK-sadly, these were take down from the site due to copyright violations, but if anyone has the chance to see ‘em at some point they’re classic. Then I saw the Emperor talking to Vader parody which I loved (“Oh no, he’s crying!”), but I had no idea that was for ROBOT CHICKEN, either. It was when the first rumbling that further STAR WARS material had been appearing in the programme, and there was an article on STARWARS.COM about RC, that I was able to discover it was on British cable television. When I read that it was from the ever reliable writer/actor/comedienne Seth Green (Scott Evil from the AUSTIN POWERS films!) I was intrigued to find it much funny than I ever thought it would be-in fact, I found much of just laugh out loud funny, with the use of home made and bought in figurines of people on the show being brilliant. Though short and sweet, is was a daring, and often downright naughty, slice of comedy/parody that greatly appealed to my sensibilities (especially when you like things like MAD magazine!)...and with their parodies there was also a feeling and genuine love and enthusiasm for certain subject matters (especially on films/TV/celebs that I had grown up with, as they had, over the years) that I found very appealing, plus the way they managed to find faults in things that we had all been noticing for years and never said anything about. ROBOT CHICKEN has the ability to connect in a great way with its audience, with its subtle winks and playful, often downright brutally funny humour. Now, after its highly successful US airing, the STAR WARS special finally comes to the UK on DVD.

The DVD, which is mostly all new material with a mixture of STAR WARS gags (35 sketches in total) that had appeared in previous RC episodes, is a true winner for any fans DVD collection. Like FAMILY GUY, this STAR WARS tribute affectionately lampoons the film series-but there’s nothing nasty or derogatory-just very funny stuff… In fact, whoever thought that so much comedy gold could be tapped from a film series that was so predominantly serious!

Once past the opening titles, suitably EPISODE III re-imagined so that the illustrious Robot Chicken of the title is turned into Darth Vader (who looks suspiciously like Gonzo as Dirth Nader from the 1980 MUPPET SHOW STAR WARS Special!!) we’re right into the opening scene with Luke and the Walker from EMPIRE, faithfully recreated in almost every detail with models and the puppets (pity any Imperial AT-AT pilot who has to go the lavatory at the wrong time!!), and its comedy gold sketch after sketch for the most part, from the new infamous Emperor’s rant on Vader, “that was soo wrong” (you’ll know what that sketch is when you see it!!), to the dancing Lobot, to Admiral Ackbar’s cereal advert, a day in the life of Ponda Baba, the Death Star orientation day, a wicked what happened next scene linked to THE PHANTOM MENACE with Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan trying to break into the command deck of the Neimoidian cruiser, and the now infamous EMPIRE ON ICE-what’s scary about this sketch to me is that, one day with all the film and TV series that have been transformed to ice show spectaculars, I wouldn’t bet it past someone to approach LUCASFILM with an idea of doing it!! And let’s not forget the little running gags like the floor sweeper having to constantly brush away the remains of dead people from the Saga!  Plus, there’s George “Dubyah” fighting Abe Lincoln-a real Duel of the Fates if ever I saw one!

A couple of sketches may run a little bit too long (like the TONIGHT show parody hosted by Zuckuss, and the Han Solo “Boring conversation” gag) but they are still enjoyable and still funnier than a lot of other stuff out there. One of the most consistent characters to appear in the gags is that of the Emperor-I wonder if Ian McDiarmid has seen any of them? I’d love to know what he thinks of it.

Sadly, one of my favourite sketches, which I recalled seeing on either YOUTUBE or STARWARS.COM previously, involving what happened when Han, Chewie, Lando and the Princess had dinner with Vader and Boba Fett at Bespin, didn’t seem to make the episode’s final gag selection. I was so looking forward to seeing it again as well! Perhaps in Volume Two?

Adding to the fun, though, is the fact that it’s great to see (well, hear...) some of the actual STAR WARS actors partaking in the gags, such as Mark Hamill, for his very fun alternate EMPIRE scene as Luke, with Vader on the Cloud City gantry from EMPIRE, where the pair go through a list of revelations that Luke finds more and more implausible, an amusing gag scene with George Lucas (who it’s nice to see being relaxed and having a good time about it all!), playing himself, and being besieged by frenzied fans at a STAR WARS convention, and a stellar comedy moment involving Ahmed Best (nice to have you back-please come back to STAR WARS fandom and do some more signings!) once more as everyone’s favourite (for either love or hate reasons-please tick the appropriate box) gangly Gungan, Jar Jar Binks, in what has to be one of the best STAR WARS comedy sketches ever, in which he is re-united with “Annie” now in his Darth Vader guise-hopefully this sketch will go a long way to healing any wounds that certain fans out there have about Jar Jar, especially when he’s in such a ROBOT CHICKEN sketch as worthy and memorable as this!! And, hey, let’s not forget, Joey Fatone’s in the show as well.

The extras on this disc may not be as comprehensive as those for FAMILY GUY but this is a cheaper release and you kinda get okay value on that front-though they are of a variable quality, and some of them are only there to bolster up the running time and justify the cost of buying it. To me, personally, the deleted scenes don’t work all that well as they are voiceovers to very basic animatics on scenes that were never completed in the first place), the making of is okay (but is pretty brief-you want to hear more from all the people who worked hard at bringing the amazing puppets and sets to life, recreating classic STAR WARS scenes brilliantly in this medium) and Seth Green’s describing the sketches are woefully too short. To compensate, there’s also the bonus of an extra generic episode of ROBOT CHICKEN, which is cool, but I would have preferred an extra two more of the series episodes than the other individual ADULT SWIM programmes that were also included (part of an introduction to the channel as a whole).

On the plus side, though, the edited section of Green and his RC colleagues at the panels of CELEBRATION IV is nice to see, as we at AFICIONADO had missed those due to time constraints- it’s great to catch up on a portion of what we missed. There’s also the obligatory trailers and promotional materials, a stills gallery, a Light Speed Time Lapse of the entire production, and the opportunity to hear an audio commentary with Seth Green on the individual sketches and how they were conceived, which is also good fun and lively to listen to.

The behind the scenes sequence where Seth takes the completed RC episode to SKYWALKER RANCH and meets George Lucas is intriguing but sadly all too brief- I would have liked something along the lines of his FAMILY GUY compadre Seth MacFarlane, when he did that interview with Lucas-that would have been cool, especially as Lucas gave Seth a tour of the companies Archives. Perhaps we’ll get something like that with the next batch of STAR WARS homage madness coming from ROBOT CHICKEN in the near future...

Until then, this disc will keep me thoroughly entertained…

AFICIONADO REVIEW RATING: FOR THE ACTUAL PROGRAMME, 9 out of 10, BUT FOR THE MIXED BAG OF EXTRAS, 7 out of 10

AFICIONADO CLASSIC REVIEW: 'FAMILY GUY - BLUE HARVEST' SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Experience STAR WARS - the FAMILY GUY way! All images: FOX.

FAMILY GUY: BLUE HARVEST - SPECIAL EDITION DVD

Released by TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX DVD

Reviewed by Scott Weller

The Griffin clan are unleashed in the STAR WARS universe!

In the sixties you were either a BEATLES person or a ROLLING STONES person. The same can be said in the area of humorous animation these days, with legions of fans dedicated to either THE SIMPSONS or FAMILY GUY. For me it was THE SIMPSONS, as I’d never had enough exposure to FAMILY GUY. But now, having seen the latter’s 2007 season opener dedicated to spoofing the first STAR WARS, I plan to have a look at further previous episode box sets.

Darth Vader has plans for the Princess.

With a very nice introduction, especially for the BLUE HARVEST DVD release, to the characters before the episode starts (in case you hadn’t seen the show before), all of the FAMILY GUY regulars effortlessly slip into the familiar parts played by the original actors (i.e. Lois as Leia, Chris as Luke, etc), but obviously with a whole new, and sometimes perverse slant on them. One of the highlights is the very dodgy grandad Herbert, as Obi-Wan, whose directed interest in Luke is a little bit more than casually normal. Believe it or not, the character shines in the episode, but in a much different way, I have to say, than Sir Alec Guinness ever did as Obi-Wan Kenobi (what a shame Sir Alec isn’t alive to have a chuckle at what they did with the character!!). Stalwart Peter Griffin as Han also shines out like a bright star and is terrific-a worthy piece of re-casting- as is Brian the dog as Chewbacca-loved that sofa moment, the scene in the Falcon gun pit, and where Han takes on Greedo in the Cantina.... and he shoots first! Quagmire as Threepio has some very funny innuendo jokes that Anthony Daniels would never have gotten away with! And let’s not forget Cleveland as Artoo-absolutely inspired (loved the scene where he pulls out a handgun and shoots at the TIES). Stewie as Vader has been a fan favourite from the start, but I thought he was a little (no pun intended) under-used here as Vader (plenty more scope for the EMPIRE spoof, I’m sure). But what happened to Meg…well, in a first STAR WARS film that had so few women roles in it anyway, having her as Aunt Beru would seem a little odd. Instead, the writers have given her a great cameo as.... no, I won’t spoilt it for you if you haven’t seen it, but it’s priceless...

On their way to Alderaan...

The writers and artists on this episode truly know, and love, their STAR WARS, and it’s destined to be a classic I’ll always be able to quote a line from it type of icon. The way the story is compressed into the hour is also very well done..yet the humour never slates the movie, and is very affectionate- laughing with us, not at us, at the films legendary scenes and characters. This is comedy homage at its best and warmest. Once past the very long, but belly achingly funny title crawl (Almost as long as Lucas’s original third draft one before being changed by Brian De Palma in early 1977!), involving Angelina Jolie and her red-hot movie GIA, there are comedy moments from this programme that really will live on in my mind forever…the Red X-wing fighter call ins moment was priceless-I really laughed out loud at that scene. As I also did on MAGIC JOHNSON'S TIPS ON ATTACKING THE DEATH STAR...Herbert’s dance moment with the very camp Stormtroopers, to the “I’ve had the time of my life” song from DIRTY DANCING brought happy (or unhappy?) memories of the DONNIE AND MARIE 1977 special hauntingly back-though this was actually far funnier!

Things have gone a bit limp for Obi-Wan!

The comedy moments continue, in the best FAMILY GUY tradition, with John Williams and the London Symphony Orchestra, Denny Elfman, references to other STAR WARS films, as well as other classic film/TV, and a quirky cameo from at least one Prequel character as far as I can see-and there are obviously visual background gags that I haven’t noticed yet that will require further viewing..

The film is beautifully rendered with its universe of characters, the production designs by John Barry, Ralph McQuarrie and Joe Johnston transfer beautifully to this new animated world and the attention to detail by the artists, who must have been beyond thrilled to have worked on this project, clearly shines through (as can be seen in the making of documentary). Just check out the detail in the background art plates on theFalcon, the Death Star corridors and the Cantina-priceless. They even use the scene wipe process and other little tricks that Lucas likes to use in the films.

Our heroes in danger...again!

The attention to details goes beyond the programme itself, and the DVD special features are terrific. The detailed interview with Lucas by FAMILY GUY creator Seth MacFarlane at the ILM facilities in San Francisco is very enjoyable and of a nice length-laid back and amusing, but Lucas looks quite ill and tired during the interview-I have never seen him looking so unwell...hopefully, having seen the episode, we hope he had a nice big smile on his face afterwards. There’s also some fun behind the scenes material, including clips of other STAR WARS related gags in the shows regular episodes, an audio commentary (which reveals that Mark Hamill wasn’t happy with Peter Griffin’s line about only Harrison Ford being the actor to make it successfully from the films), and an Easter Egg.

The DVD box set also comes with some nice gifts- a terrific booklet that shows you some of the great conceptual art, storyboards, and character sketches used for the creation of the episode, a T-shirt that is supposed to be large but is really for someone whose waistline is a little larger than Brad Pitt’s, rather than my own expansive girth sadly, though it’s nice to look at!!, the 3D glasses for the funny but rather pointless clip on the disc, and the lovely TOPPs recreated cards-I always adored those first set blue star background card spines-my favourite and most nostalgic set of the original releases, from when I was a kid doing swaps at school and of course there was that lovely smell of bubble gum that wafted out of the packs when you opened ‘em (but it was always annoying when the card you really wanted tin the pack always had the bubble gum slate actually stuck all over it!)..

So, all in all, a terrific package-a super episode of FAMILY GUY and great extras-what more could you want? Well, more FAMILY GUY STAR WARS episodes for a start. And that’s exactly what we’re gonna get-as their EMPIRE spoof, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING, DARK SIDE, will soon hit the screens (of which there is a brief, very brief, trailer on the DVD). They’ve set the bar with this first spoof. Can they top it? If many people believed EMPIRE did over the first film in 1980, then Seth and his gang have a pretty good chance of doing so for FAMILY GUY as well.... 

AFICIONADO RATING: A “FRICKIN’ SWEET” DVD release. If you haven't already got it, go, go, go get it! 9 out of 10.

CLASSIC REVIEW: 'ROBOT CHICKEN - STAR WARS EPISODE II' DVD

ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II

ROBOT CHICKEN created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich

As seen on the US ADULT SWIM cable channel

Distributed in the UK by REVOLVER ENTERTAINMENT

Reviewed by Scott Weller

THE DARK SIDE OF THE CHICKEN IS UNLEASHED!!

Seth Green-actor/comedian/writer/director/uber-geek and all round nice guy (with an imagination continually fertile, yet also ultimately perverse at the same time!!), and his “usual gang of idiots” (I mean that affectionately in the way that MAD magazine used to refer to their staff!!!) from the ADULT SWIM stop-motion comedy-verse, are back with more absurd hilarity and movie continuity what-if’s within the STAR WARS universe for ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II, and George’s Lucas’s epic creation is all the more richer for this new programme’s many moments of light hearted, downright belly aching insanity towards it!!

Green’s knowledge and enthusiasm for STAR WARS within the series had already been shown in the first ROBOT CHICKEN release and here he takes it to the next step. Here is someone who pokes fun of it but actually does so in that affectionate and wonderfully nodding “we’re fans, too, and we want to have fun with it in a way that everyone will share the joke in” tradition-surely one of the best forms of fan love you can get, though still splitting your sides from all it’s brilliant humour at the same time.

And many of the sequences in this second edition are just as ambitious and funny (the Stormtrooper’s “take your child to work day” being particularly memorable!!), if not better, than the previous volume.

I prefer the extended edition of RC: SWE II a lot more than the broadcast one, obviously, as it’s longer and has some super new comedy sequences added to the mix. It all kicks off to a brilliant start by fulfilling the dream promises of so many fans boys from twenty six years ago, as the Ewoks, in a truly priceless opening sequence, get a seriously bad time of things from a certain bucket headed Bounty Hunter. We always wanted to see Boba Fett make it to the end of JEDI for a clash with Han Solo. He doesn’t quite do that here but gets to perform some super-cool badass-ary towards the little fur cuties instead, or “Purple rain”, as only he knows how!! Quite simply, the Ewoks are toast in a variety of spectacular and priceless demises from Fett, and his vast array of weaponry, which we all wished had actually been used in the original movies!!

Breckin Mayer’s (yes, that really is his name!!) interpretation of Fett as a supercool “gangsta” type badass is inspired and his later sequence in the Sarlaac pit (another fine example of the series model work-specially constructed as a moving set around the puppets)) is both genius and belly wrenchingly funny, especially its final scene.

Being mostly EMPIRE-centric, Seth and the crew get to make the most of that film’s new characters, of which the ever popular Bounty Hunters take deserved precedence, especially Bossk (who, in his off duty hours, wears a white tuxedo and carnation ala Indiana Jones in a wicked piss-take of TEMPLE OF DOOM’s opening sequence), whilst Dengar is the ultimate in space high-campery!!

There is still room for some meaty stuff linked to the Prequels, too, as the running gag involving Owen Lars teasing joke about Anakin soon comes back to haunt him with deadly consequences, whilst another hilarious sketch involving Anakin and the Jedi Younglings is sidesplitting, especially in the end moment with Padme coming home with the groceries!!

Don't forget the other comedy regulars (where would we be without Admiral Ackbar sketches!!) and more notables including Dr. Ball M.D.-the torture droid (a vocal hybrid of STAR TREK’s Leonard McCoy and the most cliched screen doctors from film and TV over the years) who makes a floaty appearance all over the place offering his over bearing and unwelcome sage advice to all the characters of the STAR WARS universe!!, the AT-AT Walker derby on Hoth (“They’re beautiful!!”), and the Geonosian smack down commercial-all inspired stuff. I’ll also never be able to quite look at the Tauntauns, IG-88 or the Ugnaughts in the same way ever again!!

Her voice may sound older, but Carrie Fisher returns to play Princess Leia Organa and is hilarious in her scene with Luke after the death of Ben Kenobi!! Whilst Billy Dee Williams has fun mocking his super cool performance as Lando Calrissian from THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK (“This deals getting worse all the time!!” being a notable example).

Also returning once more after his previous star turn is FAMILY GUY’s Seth MacFarlane. There may be a little bit of an imperious Stewie in his voice at times, but he truly is the Emperor now. His moment with Alfonso the Ithorian hairdresser, his dressing down of Vader, and his later tempting of fate sequence on the DEATH STAR II had me almost choking from laughter.

However, it’s Ahmed Best who almost steals the episode once again with another hilarious turn as Jar Jar Binks-a further step in the positive theraputic cure by TV programmes like ROBOT CHICKEN in helping fans get over their Prequel nightmares from the last ten years.

Sadly, the chance of getting Mark Hamill back to voice Luke have probably been shot down forever due to some words made about the actor in the 2007 STAR WARS FAMILY GUY skit, which he apparently took offence to. Let’s hope that things can be rectified in the future, and that he gets the chance to return to voice his iconic character in future RC comedy sketches.

As well as hearing the original STAR WARS actors once again, equally special to me, one of my favourite moments from the first CHICKEN, which didn’t make the previous DVD (having been saved for this one), finally appears-the dining room scene on Bespin between our Lando Calrissian betrayed heroes and Vader/Fett.“Alderaan chunks everywhere!!” Classic. I really love Vader when he’s like this!!

And rounding things off, let’s not forget the invincible double act of Obi-Wan and Yoda who manage to sneak in a musical number about the importance of having a “certain point of view”, then pretty much going on to destroy any possibility that Luke will ever have a happy life once and for all!!

There are a lot more sketches I could rave about (the couple buying an apartment on Bespin being one such moment), but I don’t want to spoil things anymore...

Green and his writing team bring a unique kind of cool absurdity to the STAR WARS universe which is very funny and endearing at the same time!! Their love of the saga’s story and characters-and its strengths and limitations (i.e. occasional unusual logic and plot holes) - are brought out for moments of pure comedy genius.

Equally, one cannot fault the meticulous production values, amazing, highly detailed set design (like the Star Destroyer bridge and theMillennium Falcon hold) and the awesome stop motion figures of the characters used in the programmes-special nods to all the creative people that worked so faithfully and so hard to produce this further piece of comedy gold.

Some fun background extras accompany this quality DVD-like the cast and crew screening of the completed episode at LUCASFILM (with Lucas himself being present), a look at the aforementioned excellent production design and construction for the programme by the dedicated team of STAR WARS fans, the usual trailers, Chicken Nuggetts, animation features and time lapse behind the scenes filming. And there’s a few other little surprises. There’s also the warm bonus of several other generic ROBOT CHICKEN episodes which are equally very enjoyable.

The previous ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS release has proved a big success for REVOLVER, selling a massive 13,000 DVDs in the first week in the UK alone. It’s well deserved. They, alongside Green and ADULT SWIM, have certainly delivered the kind of quality that a sequel package deserved, and one that STAR WARS fans will greatly enjoy.

Here’s to four more STAR WARS ROBOT CHICKENS!

AFICIONADO RATING: ROBOT CHICKEN: STAR WARS EPISODE II, like the first programme, is well worth the time and investment, and it will always make you laugh when you watch it. 9 out of 10

And don’t forget Bob Goldstein, the personal injury claims lawyer- if you’ve got a severed limb from fighting a Jedi, he’s standing by to take your call!

CLASSIC REVIEW: 'FAMILY GUY - IT'S A TRAP' BLU-RAY

It was inevitable. The Griffin STAR WARS universe returns in It's A Trap!. Images: FOX

FAMILY GUY: “IT’S A TRAP!”

Released on Triple Play edition Blu-ray/DVD from TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENTERTAINMENT (also available as a separate DVD)

Reviewed by Scott Weller

Note: this review contains adult material!

“We’re doing JEDI aren’t we!” So says a drolly disinterested Stewie as the third power cut in Quahog launches Peter Griffins re-telling/parody of the final (and they mean final, truly, truly final!) homage to the STAR WARS Classic Trilogy: IT’S A TRAP!

The FAMILY GUY writers and producers have always been wickedly and painfully accurate on the laughs front, and always ready to poke fun at both themselves and their FOX backers, but we’re sure that there’s more than a hint of truth within the words they've this time imparted during their now classic re-interpreation of the saga's main title crawl for the episode. With IT'S A TRAP they literally flat out, upfront apologize for the overall quality of this new adaptation, claiming that they’ve been burned out by the almost back to back behind the scenes work they’ve been doing in bringing the STAR WARS saga to animated comedy life and rushed into making this finale. Looking at the final product on screen, there may be the occasional time when they have a point, but overall I think they’re being a little too hard on themselves. There's not as many belly laughs in IT’S A TRAP, but when they come they sure do hit the spot well (one great example being Leia/Lois’s Alderaan moment during the Speeder Bike chase- an absolute gem of a scene!), still making this wrap up endeavour a welcome conclusion to a brave, already humour packed and ultimately very successful comedy spin on George Lucas’s timeless classic.

Interestingly, with JEDI having had some negative press in its original 1983 release, i.e. many critics considering it a toy/marketing commercial rather than a movie (hey, if you’re gonna say that, what about all the blink and you miss it stuff in EMPIRE?!), FG deliberately don't capitalize on such comments make any such gags or go in that direction-which is great- and instead keep to the story and the continuity they have established in their own "unique" adaptations for comic inspiration. Some might also say that there’s enough comedy, both intentional and unintentional, already in the finished film that it didn’t need to be adapted by FAMILY GUY, and you occasionally get that feeling being presented by the shows writers during varying points, but then that’s equaled with scenes where you can tell that any issues they have with the finale doesn’t stop them from loving the entire saga in general. JEDI’s selected plot deficiencies and holes, as with the previous classics, are brilliantly sent up but it’s never done nastily, with its script, at its core, being an affectionate all round win win situation to the audiences who already know this stuff, and that it’s okay to poke fun at the original film. And as for JEDI’s 1997 SPECIAL EDITION, well that certainly doesn’t get a reprieve from the FG team, with their cruel but ultimately spot-on attack on the films unnecessary extra CGI creatures-the sock puppet “add on” in Jabba’s the Hutt’s Palace is brilliant!

A different variation on The Gang's all here!

IT’S A TRAP certainly shows how big a universe the STAR WARS saga had become by JEDI, with so many characters and aliens to show, that the need to satisfy the audiences demands to have them involved in the plot became noticeably challenging when the Luke/Vader plot was ultimately so important. And FAMILY GUY’s conclusion obviously shares similar problems. Ultimately, of all the members of the Griffin family who have become their STAR WARS alter-egos, this really is the couch potato, alternate reality counter-part plonker Chris’s turn to shine as Luke, who was aforementioned always central to the success of JEDI (I’d love to know what Mark Hamill thinks of these parodies!). Totally avoiding the how the hell is he your father?Question from its predecessor, the script writers (Cherry Chevapravatdumrong and David A. Goodman) brilliantly make the most of JEDI’s dramatic core between Luke and the Emperor/Vader and truly milk from it some superb comedy gold, the standout being Luke/Chris getting angry when the baddies start verbally destroying Seth Green’s career, building further on this in the finale when he takes on Vader/Stewie (who wants a press release stating that he’s moved onto other worthy career ventures rather than just being killed off at the height of his popularity!).

Yep, that lovable little Sith horror Darth Stewie remains as brilliantly conceived as ever (look out for his hilarious apparition scene during the Ewok celebration finale!), and backed with Emperor Palpatine (Mister Pewterschmidt in perfect casting) where make a fun oddball couple to rule the galaxy! I liked the scenes where the Emperor spewed lighting bolts every which way and loose on Luke and, prior to that, when he fried several annoying children in the Death Star II swimming pool-and you never know, there may well have been a recreational area like that on the space station in the films but we just never saw it!!

The rest of the Griffin family’s part in the proceedings is not as strong but they do have a few fine moments here and there. Peter as Han sadly doesn't have as many great moments in the finale, though special mention of the scene in the Endor Bunker when he starts complaining that things are getting way too cuddly for him what with the Ewoks and all, and immediately has the captured Human Imperial troopers go out and start digging their own graves with their helmets! Priceless! Also disappointingly, after his classic "Fuck Off" response to Leia/Lois before being carbon frozen in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, SOMETHING DARK SIDE, the princess (who looks good in a slave girl outfit, too!) ultimately never gets to the chance to say it back to Peter, as the similar “I love you” scene between the Rebel lovers had done in JEDI. A bit of a wasted opportunity, I thought.

And as for those Ewoks…well, over the years they have obviously been a great annoyance to MacFarlane and his team of writers, but I have to say that I think I like these animated versions (led by Wicket, as played by THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s Tim the Bear) a lot better than the ones in the actual film! They’re ultra violent (their battle against the Imperial Stormtroopers has some serious bone crunching moments!), cannibalistic and totally feral! Oh for an alternate JEDI with these guys in!

A priceless speeder bike re-imagining.

Other FG supporting characters cameos equally prove all too brief, though Joe as Jabba the Hutt proves fun, as does the unlikely appearance of the maid Consuela within his court! Plus there’s the return of Carl as Yoda who gives us a uniquely disinterested and quick death after he tells Luke important info about his sister, whilst Quagmire as Threepio, though he has more to do here than in SOMETHING, SOMETHING, sadly isn’t as rude and crude as he was in the first STAR WARS (and I thought with all the Ewoks about there would be some sick bestiality stuff coming from his lips!), the same with Brian who really only has memorable AT-ST ground battle moment (though thankfully there’s no swinging TARZAN moment here for him to partake in!). Amongst the episodes fine comedy moments I loved the nodding scene prior and during the Skiff battle - though no fight for Peter/Han against the Boba Fett/chicken? Aw man…I really wanted to see that! Finally, old boy pervert Herbert’s return as the ghostly Obi-Wan is an absolute classic- one of those superb, below the belt comedy moments that only FAMILY GUY can get away with!

And as for poor Meg, now the ultimate clawed beak vagina as the Sarlaac. Surely, it was destiny for her to be that creature, wasn’t it?

There’s also great use of some welcome cameos linked to other sci-fi greats like LOST IN SPACE, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION and, to add to the general lunacy, there’s the return of Seventies US music favourite Conway Twitty, but with a new cgi twist! Yaayy! Plus, extended contributions of popular characters from some of Seth MacFarlane’s other output, too, like the aforementioned AMERICAN DAD, with Klauss the Gold fish (as always voiced by THE CLONE WARS Dee Bradley Baker) as Admiral Ackbar, and Roger the Roswell alien as Moff Jerjerrod, whilst THE CLEVELAND SHOW’s young Rallo Tubbs is hilarious in his interpretation of Nien Nunb (loved the scene where he and Lando (Mort Goldman) observe the Death Star’s prime weapon in action! And adding a bit of official STAR WARS ness to the project is the fun return of Carrie Fisher, this time playing Rebel leader Mon Mothma: “the second woman in the STAR WARS galaxy!”

Plus, as usual, and always fun, there’s the obligatory 80’s references from music and films, Adam West (an institution in his own right!), carbonite fart jokes, and launches into other TV realms. All blended together with the STAR WARS universe once more as its superbly realized by the shows animation teams in this third labour intensive love sonnet.

Epic visuals brilliantly recreated.

The Blu-ray presentation, as with the previous releases, is absolutely first class and is the greatest way to see it, and special note must be made within the programe of the official use of some of John Williams alternate music cues for JEDI that didn’t make the original final film: primarily used here for the Speeder Bikes chase (of which the original film’s vision of the action sequence never had any music) both they and Ben Burtt’s sound design are wonderfully crisp and evocative to hear-I hope the new six film Blu-ray movie set of the real STAR WARS sounds as good when they’re released in September!

Rounding off the presentations are the obligatory tongues firmly in cheek audio commentaries from the crew, and some fun extras including a short but sweet phone message from Darth Stewie to Chris, an easy to copy guide on how to draw STAR WARS FAMILY GUY characters by one of the series lead artists, (who also directed IT’S A TRAP): the very talented Peter Shin, sock puppet animatics and making a scene, and the STAR WARS TRIVIAL PURSUIT: THE ULTIMATE CHAMPIONSHIP.

Eagerly awaited by fans and LUCASFILM staff alike (George Lucas even bought a copy of it in a Florida mall the day of release! My brother and his family, on vacation in the Sunshine State at the time, have the proof!), IT’S A TRAP, despite its makers fears (and perhaps there should have been a little bit more time allowed to the FAMILY GUY team to refine the script further), ultimately has more laughs and belly laughs in abundance in one hour than most other comedy shows have in a twenty episode run season. Like JEDI, it’s occasionally flawed but its still overall an enjoyable finale to the saga, and well worth having as part of your DVD collection, be it for STAR WARS or FAMILY GUY. 

I know that MacFarlane and his team don’t plan on doing the Prequels (joking that they’re saving them for THE CLEVELAND SHOW instead!), but the idea of Stewie as Anakin Skywalker has potential to be very funny. Perhaps they could do it someday as one episode covering all three films…? C’mon, guys and gals at FUZZY DOOR productions, think about it!

STAR WARS AFICIONADO RATING: 3.5 out of 5