Regular Show: Slack Pack DVD Review - IGN (original) (raw)

A generous helping of bizarre and hilarious from Cartoon Network.

It's hard not to love the folks at Cartoon Network. They continually green-light projects and shows that push the creative envelop to new and exciting places. There's a miss every now and then, but more often than not, their shows develop critical acclaim, and a loyal, dedicated cult fan base.
Such is the case with Regular Show, a zany, absurd series (now entering its fourth season) about two slackers, a blue jay named Mordecai and a raccoon named Rigby, who work as groundskeepers at a park, and attempt to keep themselves occupied by any means other than work. With snappy dialogue, odd characters and clever stories – each more irreverent than the last – Regular Show never ceases to tickle the funny bone.

The series comes to DVD courtesy of Warner Home Video and Cartoon Network. Instead of getting a season-by-season release, Regular Show has arrived on home video with a compilation disc titled Regular Show: Slack Pack. The set pairs popular episodes from the show's first and second season. Episodes include "The Power," "Just Set Up The Chairs," "Death Punchies," "Grilled Cheese Deluxe," "Mordecai And The Rigbys," "Rage Against The TV," "This is My Jam," "The Night Owl," "Over The Top," "Prank Callers," "Brain Eraser," and "A Bunch Of Baby Ducks."

Regular Show is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. Unfortunately, the series doesn't exactly receive the most stellar treatment. Rather, the show appears a bit faded and lifeless, lacking sharp colors, depth and detail, and almost representing 360p instead of the general 480p standard definition. It's hard to peg why the presentation is so fuzzy, but compared to Regular Show's HD broadcasts, this disc is a pretty big disappointment.

Audio is mixed in English stereo 2.0 (with optional English subs). Again, it's nothing too impressive. Sound design is certainly not what fans of Regular Show come for, so that's not too surprising. Mixing is decent, but a few tweaks and a quick redesign and this could have easily been a more lively 5.1 track. But as it is, the mix is good, stacking up against the broadcast version.

Extras are annoyingly thin, with only one goodie – a two-minute clip from the show ("Rah-ha Ring Tone"). It's a pretty funny clip, of course, but why not include a Comic-Con panel discussion, or an EPK making-of featurette, or even some promo materials? Bonus features can be costly at times to produce, but something that's already available, or easy to produce, would help sell the disc to fans. It's already a bit frustrating we're not getting a season-by-season release. Give us some incentive. Perhaps Warner and Cartoon Network will rectify this in the future with a full season release, similar to Adventure Time. Fingers crossed.

Regular Show is a pretty awesome slice of refreshing off-the-wall comedy. It's humorously animated, brazenly silly and almost always funny. The DVD, quite sadly, is a bit of a mixed bag. No real bonus features to speak of and a mediocre transfer drag things down. If you're a hardcore fan of the series and can find the disc for cheap, it might be worth owning. However, if you've got iTunes, the show is available for purchase in complete seasons there, in slightly better quality, too.

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Regular Show: Slack Pack DVD Review