Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
ALRIGHT, ALREADY! JUST AIR THE DAMN THING!! LET ME SEE IT ALREADY, AND STOP TEASING ME, FOX!!
Julius Funkenstein Has Seen The Tick!!!
Written by Ben Edlund
Directed by Barry Sonnenfeld
Executive Producers: Ben Edlund and Barry Sonnenfeld
Starring: Patrick Warburton, David Burke, Liz Vassey, Nestor Carbonell
"The life of a superhero is a lonely one. Filled with hardship and danger. The few who answer the call must leave comfort, safety, and often sanity behind, but someone gotta stand the heat and stay in the kitchen. Someone's gotta don the ovenmitts of all thats right and strangle the red hot throat of all thats wrong. This is that someones story."
...and this is The Tick.
This is the opening narration for the probably massively reworked pilot for THE TICK.
Good evening folks, JF here with a special report on my thoughts of the THE TICK pilot.
To be completely honest, I almost NEVER watched The Tick animated series when it was on. It just never seemed funny, I caught a couple episodes for this review...something about a bunch of evil Santas (but then again I'm Jewish, so Santa is already evil to me)...
So, I got the pilot and didnt expect much...(continued after plot info)
The Plot...
We begin at a bus station. Someone is having problems with the coffee machine...and our hero appears! He beats the machine until it gives up and churns out some coffee. It seems THE TICK has chosen to help those less unfortunate at the small bus station rather than those who need his help in the big city. After the coffee machine incident, the Tick "remembers" he bought a bus ticket (for some reason...) for the city. "Well, it looks to me like you finally freed us from the tyranny of the coffee machine." After that sarcastic comment from the "bus station guy", The Tick sets off for the big city.
Meanwhile, back in the city, Mr. Fishladder, played by Christopher Lloyd, discovers that one of his employees is interested in becoming a super hero. He pleads with Arthur to reconsider, but he doesnt...
After stumbling out of a bar (after losing his job), and seemingly giving up on being a superhero, Arthur discovers a plot by a group of Russians to destroy the US postal system. Before, he gets the shit kicked out of him, The Tick appears and saves him. In a very cool and cheesy scene, reminicent of the old Batman series, The Tick takes care of the whole gang of Russians by himself. Then...as he is getting ready to take off and celebrate his victory, our hero accidently activates the long dormant Red Scare, a Soviet secret weapon from 1979 as he walks away... and this brings us to the main plotage (sweet...new word) for the episode.
The Review...
This is my favorite pilot in YEARS! Years....years I say! It is funny everywhere. It shouldnt it be funny to a person such as I, but it is. I laughed out loud...and I seldom do such a thing.
THE TICK is unoriginal and groundbreaking at the same time. It takes Malcolm In The Middle and the old Batman series and throws 'em in a blender o' fun.
THE TICK is like Batman (Adam West baby!!!)...except in a very sarcastic, smart ass way. I love it the mixture of sarcasm and cheese works perfectly. THE TICK feels like a spoof of the superhero genre. Well, except for The Dark Knight...nothing cheesy about that.
To establish a connection between the new series, I sought out the old comic and a couple episodes of the animated series. If you are a fan of the comic or the cartoon, then you will not be dissapointed. The pilot perfectly follows the tone of its parents, as the pilot was written by Bed Edlund, creator of THE TICK... lots of oddball, abstract humor.
"Look this whole thing was a mistake, apparently superheroes are just a bunch of egotistical, self centered, sexually frustrated kindergardeners. No offense intended."
"None Comprehended"
Speaking of Batman...this is a VERY cheesy show. Very POW and BIFF and ZORT without actually being POW and BIFF and ZORT. I guess the whole cheesy feel of the show lies with The Tick himself. He is really Adam West-like/Superman-like in the sense that he acts like a fucking boyscout ALL the time.
Lots of fun speeches from The Tick. This my one of my favorite parts of The Tick...lots of spreading his creamy justice on your toast and such. Very cool...and it never seems to get old or out of place.
Interesting fact that I actually didnt know, since I havent been keeping track of the show...Barry Sonnenfeld is listed as Executive Producer and Director. Yeah, I can see that. His sig. style is evident in a couple scenes...I wasn't expecting much when I saw his name in the credits, but he delivered this time around.
Great acting all around...
Patrick Warburton (Seinfeld's "Puddy") IS The Tick. I never imagined that he could convey the character so well. He owns "stupid confidence."
The rest of the cast also checks in with excellent performances. Liz Vassey, as Captain Liberty, doesnt really appear in the pilot for too long so she doesn't count. David Burke, Arthur, has what may be the best performance of the episode...he plays with perfection the frustrated nervous not-so superhero. Nestor Carbonell, as Bat Manuel, is fucking hilarious as the hispanic superhero with the VERY thick accent who spends half the episode making out with Captain Liberty.
On To The Critique...
WHAT I LIKE
-Very, very funny
-Faithful to the animated series and the comic
-Excellent comedic acting
-Cheese/Sarcasm factor
WHAT I DONT LIKE
-FOX will give it the boot after 5 episodes.
Finally...
I loved THE TICK. I watched it three times in a row. It's the funniest half hour of television that I have seen in years. Its the abstract, black comedy that only us geeks will enjoy that will be the undoing of THE TICK. So, catch it while you can. Last I heard, it will be airing sometime in late-October. Enjoy...
The Funk Factor
9.3 out of 10
Julius Funkenstein...the friendly postman
Send your scripts, your girlfriends, your self respect to...
juliusfunkenstein@hotmail.com
DAMN YOU, FOX!! MY MUSTACHE... IS TOUCHING... MY BRAIN!!
"Moriarty" out.
