Robot Chicken and Family Guy have a lot in common. They're both animated, they feature the talents of Seth Green and the creators of both shows are absolutely obsessed with Star Wars.
However, there is one crucial difference between the two: Robot Chicken is funny. This becomes abundantly clear when one watches Robot Chicken Star Wars III on Blu-Ray. The third tribute/parody of That Galaxy Far, Far Away, it lovingly skewers the day to day living that occurs between adventures.
Warner Home Video Presents Robot Chicken Star Wars III, Created by Seth Green and Matthew Senreich
The Emperor Palpatine is hurtling down the shaft towards his death when he starts to wonder, "How did I get here?" Cue The Who's 'Baba O'Riley' as Papa Palpatine reviews the decisions he made that brought him to this point. At the same time, we see the misadventures of Gary the hapless Stormtrooper: whether it's starting a fire in Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru's bathroom, trying to drive the Death Star or riding a borrowed speederbike to a gruesome conclusion.
This being Robot Chicken, we also see Luke joyriding in the Jawas' sand crawler, Vader trying to go to the bathroom while wearing his armour, the adventures of Boba Fett, and Padme tormenting Anakin in her living room.
What bears repeating yet again is how much the Robot Chicken gang adores the Star Wars universe: even when they're going all out (the Emperor riding a never-ending escalator is priceless) it's clear they love the movies. That respect gives the special that generosity of spirit that's gone missing in a lot of so-called "comedies" these days. The viewer never knows what's going to happen next, whether it's Boba Fett's homage to Risky Business in Jabba's palace, Darth Vader disco-dancing or the adventures of the least-respected member of the Jedi Council. It's comedy with ADD, but nearly all the jokes hit their mark; mission accomplished for any comedy.
Robot Chicken Star Wars III Blu-Ray Extras
The gang really packed in the extras for this Blu-Ray, but many of them (the commentaries, Chicken Nuggets, gag reel) were clearly more fun to make than to watch. That said, the deleted scenes feature some brilliant moments that hopefully will make it into another special. The visit to Skywalker Ranch - featuring a blink-and-you-miss-it shot of George Lucas himself - is touching mainly for the devotion the Robot Chicken crew have for Lucas. And the Star Wars Celebration V panel featuring Green, Senreich and other senior staffers is a riot.
Robot Chicken Star Wars III Blu-Ray a Lot of Fun
After reviewing some pretty crap DVD's this week, I wondered if I had forgotten how to laugh. Luckily, Robot Chicken Star Wars III reminded me of how fun a good comedy can be. An affectionate parody in the best possible way, this Blu-Ray gets a 4.5/5.
Dominic von Riedemann - Dominic is the Animated Film Feature Writer, and winner of 11 Suite 101 Editors' Choice Awards.
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