DVD Corner

Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil Season 1 DVD Review

“Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil” starts out well, but soon becomes too repetitive.

A pot smoking, heavy metal loving teen (Todd) discovers an evil book that grants one any wish they desire. Wanting to impress his dream girl Jenny, Todd wishes to be an amazing guitar player. Unfortunately for Todd, it also turns him into the evil one that is destined to destroy the world. Thankfully, Todd has a few pals (Curtis, Hannah, Jenny, and Atticus sort of) that not only keep him in check, but help stop the destructive path that the book creates with its wishes. In the 13 episode first season, expect to see plots about a homunculus, zombie rock stars, every male student turning gay, a fat monster, smoke that makes every student stupid, a twin conflict, a giant male genatalia, a giant baby, a ghost possession, a “Phantom Of The Opera” spoof, a cult group, Atticus and the Satanists and a deadly new arm for Curtis.

“Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil” can be best described as a raunchier and more violent version of “Buffy The Vampire Slayer.” The main difference between these two shows, however, is that ‘Buffy’ has a variety of story arcs. While ‘Todd’ starts out as a fresh, fast-paced, and funny horror comedy series boasting a great cast, you realize the show’s limited, book victim of the week premise quickly gets old. Granted, the episode plots are clever in the way they deal with high school problems/themes, but you start wishing the show had more to offer than Todd destined for evil and the book preying on someone’s weakness.

As I mentioned before, the cast (and the casts’s chemistry) is the show’s strong suit. Alex House as Todd, Maggie Castle as Jenny and Billy Turnbull as the one armed Chris are all perfect in their roles. The real highlights here are Melanie Leishman as the brainy redhead Hannah and Jason Mewes as the amusing, scene stealing, wise janitor Jimmy. The only cast member that doesn’t fit here is Chris Leavins as the weasley guidance counselor Atticus who has alterior motives. Leavins tries so hard to be funny that it just comes off as nothing more than irritating. The show comes to a halt whenever he is on screen which is unfortunate.

Summary: “Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil” is worth a rent. If you don’t mind formula shows, you might really enjoy it.

Video/Audio:

To keep it short and simple, the series both looked good (in 1.78:1) and sounded good (in Dolby Digital 5.1).

Extras:
* E One show trailers.
* Commentary on “Monster Fat” by Charles Picco, Alex House, Craig Wallace, Billy Turnbull, Andrew Rosen, Maggie Castle, Melanie Leishman. Talkative, informative, laid back, funny. In other words, it’s a track worth listening to.
* 20 short promo clips and 11 “next time on…” ads.
* “The Bowels Of Hell: Extended Musical Scenes”- 6 extended music numbers from “The Phantom Of Crowley High” episode.
* 8 outtakes and deleted scenes from episodes 1, 2, 8, and 11.
* “Pure Evil Is All S***s And Giggles: Blooper Reel”- Despite Leavins annoying moments, there’s some amusing stuff in this 5 ½ minute gag reel.
* “Q&A With The Cast”- Alex House, Maggie Castle, Melanie Leishman, Bill Turnbull, Chris Leavins, Jason Mewes, talk about high school, characters, the Book, the show, etc.
* “Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil: The Original Short Film”- The short film the show is based on. It’s interesting to compare the series to this short, but it’s nowhere near as good  as the series.
* Commentary on “The Phantom Of Crowley High” by Chris Leavins, Charles Picco, Shawn Pierce, Bill Turnbull, and Craig Wallace. A few interesting set stories here.

*Commentary on “A Farewell To Curtis’ Arm” by Alex House and Craig Wallace. A few interesting behind-the-scenes stories here.

March 18, 2012 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Alex House, Jason Mewes, Todd And The Book Of Pure Evil Season 1 DVD Review