Hey gang, Valkor here. Ever since it came to exist, I’ve always been and I I'll forever will be, a huge fan of The Cartoon Network; save for a few pre-emptive and sometimes unexpected cancellations (I’m looking at you DC/WB and Young Justice), plus the live action stuff, which I don't care for, I’m still in it for the long haul with all of its original cartoons, airings of classics, and, of course, the anime. Speaking of original cartoons, I've gotta give it up for “The Regular Show”, which is about to enter season 7. I'm a big fan of the series and I'm always down for the antics of Rigby, Mordecai and the rest of the crew; and to hold us over for future adventures, we have “The Regular Show: The Movie”. And I have to say that it’s the finest and funniest 70 minutes to grace the small screen!
In this extended episode of a film, Rigby (William Saylers) and Mordecai (J.G. Quintel – also the series creator), are having a typical day in Tucker, Georgia (so sayeth the Wiki – please correct me if I’m wrong), slacking off as usual and running late for work. Suddenly, what appears to be a meteor, crashes nearby. And when the gang go to investigate they see that it's a spaceship and inside is another Rigby, who looks scruffier and is also badly injured. He states he’s from the future and that the crew must go back in time to stop a past event from happening. When asked about his wound, Scruffy Rigby claims that Mordecai (from his future) shot him, because whatever happened in the past, totally messed up their friendship in the future.
What incident was that you say? During their senior year in high school, both Rigby and Mordecai were looking to go to the same college; only Rigby seemingly is accepted but Mordecai didn’t get in. In an attempt to fix things, the two mess around with a time machine created by their science teacher Mr. Ross (Jason Mantzoukas), however it blew up the whole science department and the duo wound up getting expelled, hurting their chances of going to college and leaving them with the dead-end job they have now. But with Skips (Mark Hamill), Muscle Man, Benson, Pops (all three voiced by Sam Marin) and Hi-Five Ghost (J.G.), together with the twosome, they'll attempt to put right what went wrong and uncover an even more sinister plot that’ll threaten time itself and the world as they know it.
The Good:
Outside of its 30-minute runtime, I’d never expected The Regular Show to work; however The Regular Show: The Movie is a damn good time filled with all the laughs you’d expect from the show plus a buttload of action that makes this 70-minute trip an entertaining experience. The story is nothing more than an extended episode of the show, but if you’re gonna go feature then you gotta go big. And this one does go pretty big as the film is time travel heavy (both past and future), deals with the power of truth and friendship, plus it has a little edge to it (some characters die) as well a couple of predictable twists, but there’s nothing here that’ll bore you. The animation gets a bit more polish from the show with the addition of some CGI. And if you’re a child of the 80s, you’ll get plenty of references such as music and objects throughout. Finally, if you enjoyed the voice acting from the show, then expect nothing less as the original cast bring their vocal A-game to this one. Kudos on giving Jason Mantzoukas a bigger role to play in the form of volleyball coach/science teacher Mr. Ross, who adds just the right amount of sinister this film calls for. I’m glad The Regular Show: The Movie worked out as well as it did and if you’re a fan, then this is one you shouldn’t pass up.
The Bad:
N/A
The Ugly:
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The Regular Show: The Movie is available now on DVD and digital formats; and if you’re up for some laughs centered around a well crafted and fun story, then you don't need to look any further. The film does an excellent job complimenting the television series for fans and non-fans to enjoy. And out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving The Regular Show: The Movie, 4.5 stars.
