DVD Corner

Adventure Time Season 2 DVD Review

Fans of Jake and Finn will dig the second season of “Adventure Time.”

In the 26 episode season 2, Jake and Finn are back for more surrealistic adventures in the fantastical post-apocalyptic magic land of Ooo. In this batch of episodes, expect to see plots about: the devious Ice King, a splinter, Marceline and her father, a staring “horse,” storytime, a giant snail, an evil gnome, a crystal dimension, Jake and Lady Rainicorn, a lock of Princess hair, tart delivery, bean watching, Finn becoming the Goblin King, Finn trying to become smarter, game bosses, Susan Strong, an alleged murder mystery on a train, a movie outing between Finn and Princess Bubblegum, a party in a giant’s stomach, a maze, movie making, violent ghosts, and a two-parter involving a search for the Lich and Princess Bubblegum in danger.

After several DVD releases of random episodes, the second season set has finally been released. The verdict? If you’ve seen “Adventure Time” before, there’s nothing remotely surprising here. If you’ve read my past reviews of “Adventure Time” titles, you’ll know I’m decidedly mixed on the show. This is the type of cult series that I really don’t understand the fuss about (much like “Arrested Development”). Can the show be funny? Sure. I found myself chuckling at the weird family dynamic in “It Came From The Nightosphere,” the staring horse in “The Eyes” and the evil gnomes in “Power Animal” (one of which is voiced by Paul “Pee Wee” Reubens). The rest of the episodes, however, are often silly and downright grating. There’s only so much bizarre lingo, impromptu songs, and seemingly made up jibberish a person can handle after all. Sometimes it feels like the show is weird and original just for the sake of being weird and original. As a result of the “weird and original” elements, the storytelling tends to suffer. If the writers placed less of an emphasis on the attempts at humor, the show might be more consistent in the long run.

Video/Audio:

Presented in widescreen, the wacky “Adventure Time” looks very colorful in standard definition. It should be noted that seasons 1 and 2 are finally available on Blu-ray now as well.

The Dolby Digital 2.0 audio track is fine, but I’m still puzzled by the lack of a 5.1 track. No one can deny that this a pretty audibly active animated series and a 5.1 track would certainly be beneficial to the show and its fans.

Extras:
* “Adventure Time,” “Regular Show,” and “The Amazing World Of Gumball” ads.
* Commentary on all 26 episodes featuring creator Pendleton Ward and storyboard artists Kent Osborne, Adam Muto, Jesse Moynihan, Ako Castuera, Tom Herpich, Rebecca Sugar, Ian Jones-Quartey, Cole Sanchez, Steve Wolfhard, and Benton Connor. While fans will be happy with the abundance of commentaries to listen to, they aren’t the most exciting tracks. There’s not much depth here as the gang mostly joke around. It would have been nice to hear non-storyboard artists and or voice cast members included on these tracks.
* “The Crew Of Adventure Time Interviewed By Pendleton Ward”- Pendleton interviews various crew members about everything from animatics to storyboard art.

Summary: “Adventure Time” has a devoted fanbase that will undoubtedly want to purchase this second season set. For casual fans or those wanting to see what this show is all about, I’d recommend giving it a rent to see what you think.

June 7, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Adventure Time Blu-rays, Adventure Time Season 2 DVD Review, Finn and Jake, Ice King