Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.5
Audio		3.0
Extras		4.5
Overall		3.5

Robot Chicken: Star Wars III Blu-ray Movie Review

A rare misstep by the Robot Chicken crew...

Reviewed by Kenneth Brown July 12, 2011

At some point between Optimus Prime's prostate cancer diagnosis and Ted Turner's globe-trotting, blue-slathered, pollution-kicking turn as Captain Planet, I fell in love with Robot Chicken, co-creators Seth Green and Matthew Senreich's home-brewed stop motion animated Adult Swim series. Six years later, Robot Chicken has come a long way; all the way to Skywalker Ranch, and three times at that. The first two Robot Chicken: Star Wars specials were nothing short of irreverent, hilarious, Lucas-endorsed fun; parodies born from a deep love of all things Star Wars. The same could be said of Robot Chicken: Star Wars III... except that Green and Senreich's third stab at the Saga to End All Sagas isn't nearly as sharp, refined or side-splittingly funny as its predecessors. Don't misunderstand: you'll grin, you'll crack up, you might even burst into tears. And it tries. Star Wars III really, really tries. It tries so hard, in fact, that it overextends itself, overplays its hands and overstays its welcome, making it the lesser of the series' three Star Wars specials.

"I'm hooking you up with a super suit! Life support, new gams! My boy gets the finest leather you've got!"

But it's fifteen minutes longer? What's not to love? While Green and company's third Star Wars special is indeed fifteen minutes longer than their first two saga outings, the sketches are longer, the quick-hit channel-flipping shooting sprees are minimized, and an overarching story now presides over the proven Robot Chicken formula. It begins at the end: Emperor Palpatine (voiced by Seth MacFarlane) reflects back on his life and sinister career after his star apprentice, the constant disappointment that is Darth Vader (Abraham Benrubi), chucks him down a shaft in the soon-to-be-destroyed second Death Star. For whatever reason, though, Green and his co-writers seem just as disinterested in the story they craft. They step away from the Palpatine narrative throughout the special to indulge in the sort of madcap, rapidfire hilarity Robot Chicken does best... only to return to his rise to power, almost begrudgingly so. It's almost as if the writers' room is growing bored with their own material as it appears on screen. The special not only runs out of juice at several points along the way, it lurches forward with refreshing bursts of inspiration, then suddenly slows to a crawl, investing its all in derivative gags and long-coming jokes that go nowhere fast.

Oh, there's still plenty of highlights. Gary the Stormtrooper (Donald Faison) deserves his own special; his visit to the Lars homestead and his encounter with an injured Ewok are, hands down, the two best sketches Star Wars III has to offer. (I'd go so far as to say they're worth the price of admission on their own.) Boba Fett (Breckin Meyer) deals with life in the belly of the Sarlaac, young Anakin (Zac Efron) tries to resist temptation, Max Rebo sets out across the Tatooine desert to make a gig, Prune Face lends his services to the rebels, and Yarael Poof (Dan Milano) tries to find his place in a galaxy and Jedi Council run wild. But Palpatine and Vader earn too much screentime, and rarely deliver the goods. Most of it is still amusing -- to a degree at least -- but it starts to feel all too familiar and, strange as it may sound when criticizing a Robot Chicken production, excessively juvenile. Bringing Palpatine to the forefront (narration and all) robs his smarmy appearances of their impact, and reveals how one-note the parody surrounding the Chancellor-turned-Emperor really is. Meanwhile, Han (Keith Ferguson), Chewbacca, Leia (Eden Espinosa) and R2D2 are often relegated to the Falcon's cargo compartment and spared the hot seat. Worse, Green and Senreich lure Billy Dee Williams and Anthony Daniels into the recording booth and then neglect to give them any defining sketches.

But, lest you mistake my disappointment for a dismissal, let me say this: if you enjoyed the series' first two Star Wars specials, Robot Chicken: Star Wars III is worth watching. It isn't as consistent -- it's terribly uneven actually -- and it doesn't feature as many gut-busting sketches, but buried within its 45-minute runtime is a fantastic 20 or 25-minute special. Had Green and his team paired down Star Wars III to its bare essentials, it would be on par with the first two specials. Had they cut down (or jettisoned) some of the sketches that slowed its pace, it would be a more vicious, unpredictable beastie. Instead, they downplay the sheer random thrills of the series and inadvertently deprive the special of its potential for shock and awe. There's a place for long sketches (Gary's Ewok encounter simply wouldn't work if it were any shorter), but too much of a good thing... well, you get the idea. Star Wars parody fans could certainly do worse than Robot Chicken: Star Wars III -- look no further than the lazy cash-in that is Family Guy: It's a Trap! -- but, not to state and restate the same point ad nauseum, Robot Chicken: Star Wars and Robot Chicken: Star Wars, Episode II reign supreme.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars III Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

If nothing else, Warner's 1080i/VC-1 Star Wars III presentation settles one debate: Robot Chicken belongs on Blu-ray. The boost in clarity alone will eliminate any doubt. That said, the series' high definition debut isn't perfect. Contrast is a bit inconsistent, black levels falter every now and then, and banding, artifacting and other anomalies prove to be frequent distractions. None of it derails the encode, thankfully, but the presentation will fall short of high expectations. It still looks pretty good, though; far better than its standard DVD counterpart. Colors are strong and stable on the whole, the image is generally bright and clean, and detail is outstanding. Tiny strands of Ewok fur, the fibers of Palpatine's robes, the creases in Boba Fett's jumpsuit, the slightest wear and tear on the action figures' ball joints, grains of Tatooine sand, every wrinkle in Prune Face's... erm, face; edge and texture definition are fantastic, and make it that much easier to overlook the encode's numerous shortcomings. I wouldn't go so far as to label the presentation hit-or-miss -- some will no doubt award it a higher score -- but there are a few too many issues to warrant a wholehearted recommendation.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars III Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Robot Chicken's Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround track isn't quite as notable. Flat and fairly front-heavy, it lacks the sort of energy, power and immersiveness that would take it to the next level. The rear speakers are anything but aggressive; effects and music trudge across the soundfield, but don't do very much when they reach their destination. LFE output is serviceable but restrained; the hum of the Death Star, explosions, Sarlacc groans, Ewok abuse, rocket boosters, slamming doors and the venture into the low-end of the mix, but don't exactly go in for the kill. Directionality? Adequate, but unconvincing. Dynamics? Less than impressive, but decidedly decent. The soundtrack? Lively, effective and reasonably engaging, but just as front-heavy as the rest of the track. In fact, the only things worthy of outright praise is the special's crisp, clean and consistently clear dialogue and its smartly prioritized sound effects. It all sounds a bit too much like the DVD's lossy mix, truth be told, making it the relative low point of the release.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars III Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Don't be fooled by Robot Chicken's low price. The Blu-ray edition of Star Wars III packs serious supplemental heat. Four audio commentaries, a video commentary track, multiple featurettes, deleted scenes and a barrage of additional extras... more than five hours of content in all. It's enough to satisfy any Robot Chicken fan and, in many ways, the special features are far more entertaining than the special itself.

• Audio Commentaries: Four full-length audio commentaries are available. The first features voice actors Abraham Benrubi, Ahmed Best, Keith Ferguson, Seth Green, Matthew Sereich and Billy Dee Williams; the second features voices actors Green, Senreich, Bob Bergen, Donald Faison and Brecklin Meyer; the third features writers Matthew Beans, Mike Fasolo, Dan Milano, Tom Root, Hugh Sterbakov and Zeb Wells; and the fourth features crew members Cameron Baity, Christopher Covel, Trisha Gum, Alex Kramer, Cam Leeburg, Chris McKay, Jeanette Moffat and Rob Ronning.
• Chicken Nuggets (HD): This interactive mode allows fans to access sketch-by-sketch video commentary "nuggets" featuring co-executive producer/co-writer Tom Root and writers Zeb Wells and Mike Fasolo. Simply press enter whenever a chicken icon appears on screen and you'll be treated to a host of production tidbits.
• Featurettes (HD, 23 minutes): Six fun and informative featurettes are included -- "For the Love of Toys," "For the Love of Star Wars," "For the Love of Filmmaking," "Behind the Scenes: Writing," "Behind the Scenes: Voice Acting" and "Behind the Scenes: VFX."
• Deleted Scenes and Animatics (HD, 25 minutes): Root, Seth Green, Senreich, Milano, Sterbakov and a number of special guests introduce a number of deleted and extended scenes and animatics; some dull, some amusing, some genuinely hilarious.
• Robot Chicken Skate Tour '09 (HD, 22 minutes): Didn't have a chance to be a part of the 2009 Robot Chicken Skate Party bus tour? No worries. Go behind-the-bus with Green and his cohorts as they travel across the country in what can only be described as the world's first mobile coast-to-coast Star Wars convention.
• Star Wars Celebration V Robot Chicken Panels (HD, 8 minutes): Green, Root, Senreich and random voice actor Joey Fatone take questions from the audience at SWCV. Just be sure to stick around to the end. Director Todd Grimes stops by to discuss the new, still-under-wraps animated Star Wars comedy he and Green are helming.
• Time Lapse (HD, 8 minutes): Watch the stop-motion animators do their thing in this time-lapsed montage.
• Animation Reference (HD, 8 minutes): Green provides animation reference for several scenes.
• Skywalker Ranch Premiere (HD, 4 minutes): Robot Chicken: Star Wars III premieres at Skywalker Ranch.
• Gag Reel (HD, 3 minutes): These are not the outtakes you're looking for.
• Sunday in the Boardroom with George Lucas (HD, 8 minutes): Green and his team laugh it up with Lucas.
• Trailers (HD, 3 minutes): Four promos round out the package.

Robot Chicken: Star Wars III Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I'm sure someone will find Robot Chicken: Star Wars III to be just as funny as the two specials that preceded it. But I'm not that guy. I laughed. I had a good time. But I couldn't shake the sense that it could have been so much more. Warner's Blu-ray release isn't exactly either. Its five-hour supplemental package is, hands down, the high point of the disc (never a good sign), its video presentation is problematic and its Dolby TrueHD surround track lacks power, precision and immersiveness. At such a low price, though, Star Wars III is worth picking up. It may be uneven, it may not be everything it could be, but it has at least twenty minutes of great material and a series of extras that are often more entertaining than the special itself.