Review: The Aquabats Super Show

[jeriendhal]

Summary: Fighting evil monsters, rocking out at birthday parties, traveling the nation in their Battletram, and dressing in embarrassing costumes, the heroic rock band The Aquabats finally get their own TV show, which resembles a love child conceived between Sid and Marty Krofft and a super sentai series.

Review: After co-creating the popular Nick Jr. show "Yo Gabba Gabba", Aquabats founder Christian Jacobs set out to gain forgiveness for his sins create a series for his musical group, the Aquabats, built on found childhood memories of live-action Saturday morning TV. Not that it's actually for kids (just look at the fake commercials for everything from edible scabs to sushi flavored drinks) but it is gloriously silly, just like some of the more cracktacular moments from S&M's TV history. A talking magic flute from "H.R. Puffinstuff" has nothing on Aquabats guitarist Eaglebones Ravenclaw's invisible magic bird (granted to him by the Sun Spirit, as portrayed by Lou Diamond Phillips).[1]

Actually counting the celebrity cameos is half the fun, from Matt Chapman As Strongbad, portraying a evil carny magician (imagine Mandrake the Magician crossed with a Mexican wrestler), to Rip Taylor as a genie, to Weird Al as President Stuncastin.

Anyway, it's all incredibly silly and self-referential and something kids can enjoy without thinking about it and adults can smirk at in fond memory of Saturday mornings past.

Recommended.

[1] No seriously. Well, not seriously, but it happened.

Comments

[jblum.livejournal.com]

Hey Royce -- if you're grooving on Aquabats, you really should see if you can check out "Danger 5" on DVD! It's to Sixties action shows what Aquabats is to Seventies kiddie action shows... Here's my review, with a link to the web-series prequel!

We showed it to Jim Vowles while we were Up Over, and now he's desperate to find a copy...