8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
It's one crazy adventure after another in Cartoon Network's #1 hit comedy show and Emmy-nominated series. Follow the post-apocalyptic adventures of Finn, a human boy with a funny hat, and his friend Jake, a magic and mischievous dog. They're out to have the most fun possible and they sure do find it exploring the Land of Ooo.
Starring: Jeremy Shada, John DiMaggio, Tom Kenny (I), Steve Little, Ron PerlmanAnimation | 100% |
Comedy | 88% |
Family | 79% |
Fantasy | 55% |
Dark humor | 24% |
Adventure | 22% |
Surreal | 22% |
Short | 20% |
Imaginary | 19% |
Action | Insignificant |
Video codec: VC-1
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: Dolby Digital 2.0 (192 kbps)
English SDH
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
UV digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region free
Movie | 4.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 2.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Before diving into the Blu-ray releases of Adventure Time and The Venture Bros' latest seasons, let me try to put one prevailing criticism to bed. I'm sure you've heard it. It goes something like this... usually in a high-pitched whine: I can't stand *insert modern animated series title*. It isn't funny. The animation is terrible. The jokes are stupid. The episodes don't make any sense. It's all random references strung together with ridiculous characters. Cartoon Network needs to get back on track and produce quality shows! Sound familiar? I promise you fans of Adventure Time and The Venture Bros. -- each one successful enough to not only survive but to thrive -- have heard it countless times before, typically from a loud but irritable minority that's eager to complain without ever having properly sampled the goods. Inevitably, some series devotees stand proud and mount spirited defenses when attacked; others simply bite their tongues, knowing full well no argument, no matter how impassioned, will convert the unconverted. But here's the thing: dig into any cartoon junkie's Top Five and the same criticism can be leveled at almost any animated show. Old or new, well-known classic or obscure oddity. Adventure Time and Venture Bros. are no more random than a show about four underage, shuriken-slinging, skateboarding reptiles with a taste for pizza and a penchant for '80s slang; no more out there than SpongeBob SquarePants and its pineapple under the sea, Transformers and its clunky, chunky robots, Scooby-Doo and its talking, crime-solving dog, Looney Tunes and its anthropomorphic antics or Tom and Jerry and its mouse-house mayhem.
When did we all lose our minds, grow old and crotchety, and forget we're dealing with cartoons? If one isn't for you, find another. If everything Cartoon Network releases gets under your skin, maybe it isn't the style, the humor, the writing, the show or the channel you're on. Maybe you're just getting too old for cartoons, or at least cartoons that aren't fueled by childhood nostalgia. Or maybe, juuuust maybe, you aren't the target audience. Maybe the fact that Adventure Time and Venture Bros. have healthy audiences annoys you to no end, and for no good reason other than it means you're not a card-carrying member of a particular club. After all, if there's one thing the internet hates, it's someone who find joy in something someone else doesn't. Me? I'm a fan of both. I'll take Adventure Time and Venture Bros. over a variety of other animated series, some with sizeable fanbases. But I'm also not afraid to say, "You know what? I just don't get such-n-such series. It's not for me. But I'm happy you love it. Moving on." So give cool, calm and collected a try. Scratch Adventure Time and Venture Bros. off your stress list. Or here's a thought: actually take the time to try each show. Watch more than a single episode. See what all the fuss is about. You might be surprised how quickly they grow on you...
"I'm gonna go manhandle those guyses banandles!"
Adventure Time's third season and The Venture Bros.' fifth season Blu-ray releases feature reliably and commendably encoded 1080p/VC-1 video presentations that share similar strengths and weaknesses. And fortunately, the good far outweighs the not so good. Both excel in color, contrast and clarity, with bright, punchy palettes, vibrant primaries, inky black levels and crisp-to-a-fault line art. Hardly a scene goes by that wouldn't make its creators proud, and each BD edition blows its DVD counterpart out of the water in terms of power, proficiency and raw visual oomph. What few issues there are trace back to each series' animated source. Adventure Time exhibits slight, intermittent aliasing and some softness. Again, though, the animation, not the encode, appears to be the culprit, and fans will have no problem shrugging off most every eyesore. All told, the show's high definition presentation delivers.
Adventure Time falls short in the audio department. While The Venture Bros. earns a TrueHD lossless 5.1 surround track, Adventure Time's latest season, much like the previous two, is presented with a lowly 192kbps Dolby Digital stereo mix. The results aren't all that terrible; just terribly average. Dialogue and the series' fantastical soundscape never sound all that crowded, and each element is given decent support. Of course, LFE output and rear speaker presence would have been greatly appreciated, meaning The Complete Third Season isn't all it could be. Is it a deal breaker? Absolutely not. Shrug your shoulders, let out a little sigh, and get on with the deliriously infectious 26-episode delight that is Adventure Time's latest.
Fans will find The Venture Bros.' fifth season and Adventure Time's third season Blu-ray releases are well worth picking up. Are they perfect? Nah, but then neither is either series. The shows' latest seasons are funny, though, and those who've been with the Ventures or Jake and Finn from the beginning will have a blast with each crew's newest adventures. Adventure Time: The Complete Third Season is a bit of a problematic release. Its video presentation is striking and its supplemental package is a great deal of fun (with 26 audio commentaries!), but its audio options amount to a lossy Dolby Digital stereo track. Is The Complete Third Season still good enough to add to your collection, though? You bet.
2010
2010-2011
2012
2012-2014
2014-2015
2020-2021
2010-2011
Australian Import
2013-2019
2014
Collector's Edition
2022
2013
1985-1991
20th Anniversary Edition
2001
Collector's Edition
2012
2012
Power Up Edition
2023
2010
2011
2014
20th Anniversary Edition
2000
2019
2014
2008
2019
2008