Angry Kid

Season 1 and 2 DVD Collection

Every now and again, we all want to watch a great film, but we simply can't be bothered with wading through two-hours of subtitles on the latest martial arts epic from Korea, or having to pay attention to narrative devices like plots and characterisation. No! Sometimes, all you want is to watch something that requires absolutely no effort: the kind of film that you can relax, put your feet up too, and enjoy a few cans of your favourite tipple with. This is one of those films.

Aardman Animations, the Bristol-based animation team who gave the world "Wallace And Gromit" and "Chicken Run", now unleash the unbearable, teenage tyke that is "Angry Kid".

Previously seen only on the Internet and on digital TV, here are all 50 of AK's adventures on one solid disc. AK is an irrepressible, teenage, arrogant, self-centered, ginger-haired git! He is every parent's worst nightmare, and he constantly does his best to entertain himself in ways many of us would rather not see. From verbal abuse of his parents, to ritual abuse of his little sister, and worst enemy "Specs", we meet AK getting on everyone's tits, and doing so in the most brazen manner possible! Each "story" only lasts about 90 seconds. Yet, whilst this may seem extremely short to many readers of SGM, I can assure you, that this is still worth the price of importing from Australia. If you enjoy Peter Jackson's early works, and find humour in Harry Enfield's teenage terror "Kevin", then this will be right up your alley. The mixture of claymation and live-action is an intriguing blend, (The behind-the-scenes documentary included on the disc, shows just how this is created.), and despite its odd combination, it works well.

The disc offers UK fans the first chance to see all Season 1 and 2 adventures,together. (The Region 2 release only gave us Season 1, and was overpriced for what amounted to less than 30 minutes of running time.) Personally speaking, I prefer Season 2. The character is better developed, and if you've ever been or experienced those teenage years, then you will find much hilarity in AK's warped scenarios. All the "stories" are great in their own ways. Especially worthy of recognition are Season 1 episodes "Buzz-Off!", "Road Hog", "Backwards Writing" and "Horror". In Season 2, I'd vote for "Wanker", "Puerile", "Tourettes" and "Bad News" as the best. However, all of them offer something that will appeal to the sicko in you. The animations do include plenty of foul language, some gore, and plenty of bodily fluids to be viewed at your pleasure. Some are funny on a puerile level, whilst others are more cerebral, but all are gut-busters. (Some of our non-British readers may not get all of the very-English based humour, but don't let that put you off.)

The quality of the disc is better than its Region 2 counterpart. Firstly, you get more AK for your money. On import, this shouldn't cost you more than about £12, which is a genuine bonus. You get Season 1 in its original 4:3 format, with Season 2 and the Making Of documentary in their correct Anamorphic Widescreen versions. The visual quality is very good, and has almost no pixellation or speckling. Aurally speaking, we have the original stereo soundtrack, which is nice and loud, with crisp, clear tracks for both the music and voices. Some fun background sounds are also added to this heady sound-mix, and it can be fun to listen out for them. Only the very first episode from Season 1 has any damage to the print, but this is extremely limited and won't spoil your enjoyment of the show. Whilst the repeatability of the show will be quite limited, it's still a disc you can return to every so often, even when you know what's coming up. If you're a fan of animated cruelty, or just fancy something different from all the live-action gore and grue, then it might be worth checking this disc out, for some light-hearted relief.

Review by "Pooch".