22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Nothing can kill The Grimace!", May 13, 2003
This review is from: Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored (DVD)
Ah, remember the summer of 2000? Reality TV dominated our sets. Whether it be Survivor or Big Brother, there was certainly an abundance of it. And lost in the midst of it all was this treasure. Clerks, the failed animated series based on the Kevin Smith film of the same name, lasted a mere two episodes on the ABC network before having it's plug pulled. But alas, they had more than just two episodes, there were six all together, and all six of them are right here, uncensored, on DVD, for your viewing pleasure. A lot of Smith fans questioned if the transition from an R-rated "potty humor" movie to a nationally syndicated primetime animated series was logical, or even funny. Well, rest assured, it is. The witty writing, the clever pop-culture references, the odd usage of celebrities, it's all here. No Kevin Smith fan will be disappointed. The animation on the series is flawless and all 6 episodes are hilarious and diverse. If this show had been given it's fair chance, we'd still be watching it today. All 6 episodes come with commentary by Smith and friends, where towards the end, Smith vents about his distatse for a certain thin-mustached lawyer. We are also given a few animatics (animated storyboards) and some little "making-of" featurettes. A definite must-buy for any Kevin Smith fan.
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17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting animated series...Why was it cancelled?!, July 16, 2001
This review is from: Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored (DVD)
First of all, I've never been a huge fan of Kevin Smith. I did enjoy Mallrats, and viewed Dogma, as well as Clerks, and found them interesting, but nothing that I would really get into. When word hit of an animated series, the shows were put on the air for two episodes, before ABC television decided to cancel the series. After this, KEvin SMith and his creative team decided to get their version of revenge, and released this DVD set, featuring all six episodes. Yes, ALL SIX EPISODES! What's great is that the series had some funny yet creative parodies, everything from Japanese animation, Star Wars, The Matrix, Indiana Jones, The Last Starfighter, the original Batman TV series, and much more.
The basic premise of the series revolves around Dante Hicks, the down-on-his-luck clerk at the local "Quickstop" convenience store, and his annoying and troublesome chum Randal Graves, who usually succeeds in getting Dante into more trouble than he needs. Along for the ride are the fast-talking Jay, and his long-time companion Silent Bob.
The episodes are as follows: Episode 1: This TV pilot episodes was never shown, because the people who saw it were Hollywood suits who did not get it. The plot basically stems around the fact that in the city where Clerks is based (LEonardo, New Jersey), the town founder's relation Leonardo Leonardo, has returned to stay, and plans to open a new convenience store (Quickerstop), which could pose a risk for Dante and Randal.
Episode 2: After getting locked in the storage freezer at the "Quickstop," Dante and Randla begin to reminesce about their past adventures (which doesn't amount to much considering it's only their second show, but it is still funny!).
Episode 3: After a new pet store opens nearby run by Patrick Swayze (though voiced by Gilbert Gottfried), Randal gets the idea that a monkey in the store has infected the entire area with a virus, just like the movie "Outbreak." His idiotic overreaction causes the government to quarentine the Quickstop, and call for the extermination of the town to keep the virus from spreading. Side note: the voice of the leader of the government group is played by James Woods, great casting!
Episode 4: One of only 2 episodes that aired on TV. After Jay slips on some spilled orange soda in the "Quickstop," Randal idiotically manages to coax Jay to sue Dante for $10 million dollars. It doesn't look good when the NBA all-stars take the jury, and Randal does nothing to help the case (how can calling George Lucas and Steven Spielberg as witnesses help? Watch and see!). The episode also has a surprise animation ending, that just gets funnier everytime you watch it!
Episode 5: After Dante is berated by the fact that his high school baseball team does not remember that he was their team manager, Leonardo Leonardo gives Dante the chance to coach his little league team, and slowly, the team wins their way to glory! Meanwhile, Randal finds an old video game from his past, and after beating it, is recruited for a secret government operation, but it's not what he thinks!
Episode 6: After hearing from fellow fans that the entire Clerks cartoon series seems nothign like the film, Dante pledges that the cartoon will be more like it's predecessor. The entire episode then goes on to include everything from Matrix references and Chuck Jones cartoon jokes!
Along with all this, the DVD also has commentary by the people involved (and crude language is used, A LOT!!), as well as storyboards for each episode. The discs had me watching for several hours, and I still keep watching them! Buy this DVD, and experience cartoons that aren't for kids, and not quite for grown-ups.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Oh my God, Bear is driving! How can that be!?!?", October 5, 2004
This review is from: Clerks - The Animated Series Uncensored (DVD)
These cartoons of Kevin Smith's critically acclaimed "Clerks" are hilariously funny. Dante and Randall play off of each other's words and thoughts brilliantly, much like the movie. The characters in the film are very animated to begin with, so making a cartoon series from it's basis makes sense, along with a lot of laughs. They tackle much of the same type of topics as they do in "Clerks", pushing the jokes much further in comparison, creating original and unique ideas untouched by your basic adult cartoons.
Fans of "Clerks" will find these 6 cartoons very entertaining. The same actors are used as voices, and they did an excellent job of matching up the animations with each characters personality. These cartoons move very fast, rattling jokes off, one after another, much like other comparable adult cartoons.
It's just too bad they stopped after 6 episodes. If they continued making them, "Simpsons", "South Park", and "Family Guy" would have some stiff competition on their hands. If they would have kept making them, they would have only gotten better with time, much like many cartoon series.
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