Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:



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Movie
I’ve got to give credit where credit is due. Most studios generally write off canceled series as part of business, and very few allow the creative teams behind the shows/movies to send off a canceled show with some fanfare. However, Warner has been on a binge the last year of taking fan favorite animated shows and allowing them a final movie to wrap things up, or give one last hurrah by the creators who actually helmed and giving the fans at least a modicum of wrap up they really wanted. I mean, how many of us would ever have believed that Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Venture Bros, and now Metalocalypse would EVER been given the green light to finish things up. Yet, here we are, with Brendon Smalls and his crew wrapping up the hastily canceled series Metalocalypse in one final over the top end of the world confrontation with the upcoming end of the world.

Metalocalypse ended back in 2012 after 4 seasons and a really hasty cancellation that really REALLY ticked off the very loyal fanbase. The series wasn’t for everyone, but it was a hilarious take on the old 90s Death metal/Deathcore genre in comic book form. Never taking itself too seriously (as a metalhead, taking the genre too seriously is where things go wrong. Humor is the mainstay of the musical genre), it garnered quite the rabid fanbase, only to get the axe in 2012 without even a warning. Luckily for us, the new feature film (while lite in content by modern day standards) is a heartwarming and fun tongue in cheek conclusion to the events that season 4 setup over a decade ago.

Picking up right after the events in Season 4, heavy metal band Dethlok’s Nathan Explosion (voiced by series creator Bendon Small) is going through a sorto existential crisis just before the start of their latest world tour, only to come face to face with the fear and doubt holding him back, as well as going out on a quest with the rest of the band in order to find the redemptive “song of salvation” that will save the world from the impending Metalocalypse that has been hanging over their head for 4 seasons.

Yeah, if you think you’re heard the basic plot line before, then you have. The main idea of a “song of salvation” is ripped directly from the Bill and Ted’s playbook, but done so with a cheeky sense of humor and a lovingly humorous look at all things metal in the process. While I give them a 1 star for creativity of direction, I give them 5 stars for understanding the metal genre so much and infusing the show with so many various tropes and cliches that pretty much make up the entire overly visual musical genre. It’s nicely paced, and has a really great heart at the core of the narrative, with Nathan and his band finally being at peace with their place in this world, and their place as a band itself.

Much like how Farscape’s 5th season was transformed into the miniseries sendoff, Army of the Doomstar is pretty much ripped from the ashes of what was going to be season 5 (which was already in pre-production when the show was literally canceled without warning) and the benefits of having an already specced out season really shows here. It’s polished, smooth as it can be for an 83 minute film, and allows the fans of the show to finally see the world bending consequences of the band’s adventures. Which is something that most series fans don’t have the luxury of have happen.

To round it out we also have a superb set of celebrity voice contributors to the show, with metal legends like Kirk Hammett of Metallica, Scott Ian of Anthrax, and Amy Lee of Evanescense all contributing their own flavor and love to a series send off that honors the very genre that many of these legends pioneered. Is it perfect? Of course not. This would have been better fleshed out with a 5th and final season, but it’s too late for that, and Brendon Smalls and his crew have done a great job at creating the finale they wanted with the limited resources at their disposal, and as such, it is a very solid feat.




Rating:

Rated R by the MPAA




Video:

While I would have loved a 4K UHD like Babylon: The Road Home or Aqua Teen Hunger Force got, the Blu-ray is not bad. It’s got some banding issues and some some mild crush, but overall the WB animated film looks quite spectacular. The deep red and black tones are accented with some wild greens and golds (their metal hideaway, or the final confrontation with the evil god) adding some colorful touches. Fine details are more than fine, but the shows limitations with animation style means you can only do so much with what we’re given. Overall this is a fine looking disc with just a few issues.









Audio:

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA track sounds a little bit better than the TV show, but not by a whole lot. Although, it still is not as amazing as the show’s premise would really have one hope for. The series is VERY talky, with a very narrow band up in the front of the room, and even the powerful metal music is still very limited in a more 2.1 channel environment. We get some bleed through to the rear channels with some ambient effects, but this is much more a 3.1 channel track with some light support from the rears. It sounds good, but never really great, and I can’t really be shocked as that’s the very same structure that the TV show had for 4 seasons.












Extras:

• Behind the Metal Curtain (Featurette) – Dive deep into the making of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar with interviews with show co-creator Brendon Small and his team of writers, animators, and musicians as they share the inspirations behind turning the hit Adult Swim series into its first feature film.

Final Score: ​

Brendon Smalls and Tommy Blacha’s Metalocalypse finally comes to a long awaited end thanks to Warner Brothers green lighting their swan song. The show will always have a special place in my heart due to being a died in the wool 90s Death-Metalhead to the core (shhhh, my little secret. I cut my long hair in the mid 2000s and have lost a little bit of my metalhead powers), and while it’s not a show for everyone, diehard rockers will love the tasteful pokes at classic metal imagery, quirks, and general “fun” of a hardcore version of Bill and Ted. The Blu-ray looks and sounds very good, though sadly there is only a single extra on the disc. Fans will definitely want.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brendon Small, Malcolm McDowell, Jon Hamm, Mark Hamill, Amy Lee
Directed by: Brendon Small
Written by: Andrew Kevin Walker
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 5.1
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Warner Brothers
Rated: R
Runtime: 83 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: August 15th, 2023

Recommendation: Fans Will Love It

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed the series. Will check it out.

By the way, have you seen "Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal"? if not, check it out. highly recommended.

 

[Michael Scott]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed the series. Will check it out.

By the way, have you seen "Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal"? if not, check it out. highly recommended.

lol, I reviewed both seasons on here

 

[tripplej]

Great, thanks, will look for it.