Family Guy Something, Something, Something Dark Side DVD – Win Yours Here

Fans of Family Guy rejoice, the recreation of The Empire Strikes Back is here with Family Guy Something, Something, Something Dark Side. The uniquely odd and caustic humor of the most popular family on television* takes aim at the classic sci-fi adventure, and things will never be the same.

Even mild fans of the show will find themselves sucked in when the Lucas world is put through the ringer.

The story of The Empire Strikes Back is retold.  Darth Vader (Stewie) is hunting the rebel
Luke Skywalker (Chris) and his troops relentlessly across the galaxy.  On the ice planet Hoth, Luke has a vision of his late mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi (Herbert), telling him to go to the Dagobah system to learn the ways of the Force under Jedi Master Yoda (Carl).  Meanwhile Princess Leia (Lois) finds herself taking a shine to the scruffy pilot Han Solo (Peter) and, against all odds, the two soon fall in love.  But an encounter with Han’s old friend Lando Calrissian (Mort) lands them in the clutches of the Empire.  Envisioning this, Luke chooses to forgo his Jedi training to save his friends.  It all comes to a head in a climactic confrontation with Darth Vader himself…

The show itself is really top-notch comedy, but the bonuses on the DVD go above and beyond, especially considering that this is not a giant budget release in anything like the realm of a major motion picture offering.

Obviously, the commentary track with Seth MacFarlane, Mark Hentemann, David A. Goodman, writer Kirker Butler, director Dominic Polcino, and actor Seth Green is going to be a mus for any fan. It's about the level you'd expect, and that's saying something. I'm not sure that there isn't a slight trade-off with having so many people involved, but this is one of those exceedingly rare commentaries that will be watched again. MacFarlane is perhaps one of those people who divide audiences into serious fans and those who give him a "meh," but anyone who enjoys the show generally is going to love listening to him watch the show with you. Seth Green, as may or may not be expected, is great as well.

Another great treat is the "Fact-Up" track. Something that is coming along more and more, this is a track that lets you view the show with "Pop-Up" factoids, whether they be little nuggets of obscure references, odd trivia, or whatever pops into the creative team's mind at the time. In this case, they are a great mix about how the scenes were put together and various trivia that is actually interesting.

You also get a featurette, The Dark Side of Poster Art, which is a fun look at creating the translation of the poster with the usual Family Guy spin on things.

If you really just can't get enough, there's also a full table read of the show. I'm not sure that this is the kind of feature that I personally would find all that appealing for any show, but it turns out to be rather fun. One wonders if everyone else in the room is laughing just a little too much, but there are moments of interest when you see people trying to figure out precisely how things should run. And, it's funny. There's is also a little tease of the read through for Family Guy-Episode VI: We Have a Bad Feeling About This.

Finally, there's a final version to animatic comparison which is fun and not overly long.

All in all, the thing simply sells itself. It's hard not to imagine the hilarity just on the face of the concept, assuming you are at all informed on the show generally. And, I feel I have to stress again that you don't necessarily have to be a huge fan of Family Guy to get a lot of laughs out of this one. This is a very different creature from buying a full season of the show, and just about everyone can pop this in and enjoy it.

Put together with a solid effort at putting in a lot of features that, I think, really show an appreciation of the fans, and this is a real winner.

Own it on DVD today!

Leave a comment below and include the word, "Win," and you are automatically entered to get your very own copy of the DVD. U.S. only. Winner will be randomly selected on January 30th.

Are You Screening?

*I have no idea if they are or not, or what that would even mean.

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About Marc Eastman

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. His reviews have brought him personal praise from the director of a major motion picture, and have been used as required reading in a course at a major University. These priceless rewards, along with just bags of cash, keep him from straying from freelance writing. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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