We’re going to try something a little different with this review…we’re going to take it seriously! But, much like the Mechazord in Power Rangers, the four of us will be combing our individual reviews into one bigger, stupider, clunkier affair.

We’ll be splitting all these mini-reviews off into their own sub-sections so you can get a feel for what everyone here thought about the movie.

Derek & Zach

Alright, shut up. Yes, we’re reviewing this together, but the only reason we’re doing that is because we watched it together. That translates to: we’re lazy, get over it.

We’re assuming you’ve already watched Static Cling, it’s been a week which is basically a millennia in internet time. If you haven’t already seen it, don’t say we didn’t warn you about

SPOILERS

Let us start by saying we, much like the rest of the internet full of 20 somethings, have been waiting for this movie for quite some time. 23 years to be exact. That’s a lotta years to hold a candle for a friggin cartoon. So when we finally sat down last Friday night to watch this thing, I think its an understatement to say that we were pissing ourselves with excitement…and also piss (lots of Twisted Teas). We decided the smartest move would be to watch the final episode to lead us into Static Cling, as we knew that the new movie was picking up right where the series ended all those years ago. Let me say, we were right, and its certainly our DemBoys approved way to watch this movie.

Static Cling starts off incredibly strong. The animation style tries it’s hardest to be a modernized version of what was being put out during the show’s original run. It looks surprisingly beautiful in HD, and translates incredibly well to a widescreen format. We found ourselves marveling at how good the cartoon looked, and were also stupefied once the characters started talking. The voice actors haven’t missed a beat and sound nearly identical to how they did back in 1996. This is always a concern when revisiting old cartoons (I’m looking at you Beavis and Butt-Head 2011) but luckily, Tom Kenny and crew nailed it.

Spanking the monkey is everyone’s favorite pastime.

The movie opens with some familiar visual gags - including a broken “Spank the Monkey” board game floating through space. These call backs to the original series are scattered in the background throughout the entire special. You can tell a lot of love was poured into this revitalization, but at the same time, the overall message seemed to end on a cynical note. The central theme of the entire story seems to be “times change, get over it.” While there’s nothing wrong with that message, it feels a bit hamfisted in it’s execution at times. But, at the end of the day…that’s kind of just what the series has been about since the beginning. It’s always been a satirical take on what’s happening in our modern lives (cough cough) and this special seeks to do the same. The difference being that this time they’re pointing their satire guns directly at you, the viewer. It has quite a bit to say about the culture that has risen up surrounding the nostalgia over things from our childhoods. It covers every aspect of it from the soulless, profit seeking reboots, to creators that have moved on with their lives, to ungrateful fans that bitch and moan when the reboots aren’t EXACTLY what they wanted.

Overall, the message seems to be that things change, and change is good. Unfortunately, due to the semi-rushed ending, the message gets a bit muddled. On the initial viewing, it left us a bit perplexed. It certainly wasn’t what either of us were expecting, and we weren’t sure if we actually even liked what he had seen. We knew we didn’t hate it, but we were cautious to say that it had in fact, been worth the lengthy wait. What we’ve decided after digesting it for a few days, is that Static Cling is a bittersweet return to O-Town. It’s weird seeing a proper return of something you held in such high regard, especially when it was done with so much care and thoughtfulness, only to have it almost scold you for wanting that very thing back. Would we recommend it? Yes, but only if you go into it with the right mindset. You’ve grown in the last 23 years, and so has this world. It’s a lot smarter than the children’s cartoon that you remember, because they expect their original audience to have grown with them. So if you think you’re ready, give it a watch.

Optimus Grime

What do I love about Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling? Well, let me count the ways. 1. It picks up right where it left off with the rocket taking Rocko's house with it in the official last episode entitled "Future Schlock." 2. Upon seeing our friend Rocko for the first time in years, a throwback to orange Nickelodeon VHS tapes can be seen which is VERY cool to me. 3. Seeing Rocko, Heffer and Filburt experience obvious and fun pokes at popular 2000's items (OPhones, Schlam-O energy drinks, Buzz Bucks, 3D movie theaters, food trucks and even dubstep), it felt good to see them react to how things are now days. 4. The artwork is stunning! One thing I always look forward to with these cartoon to movie situations is how they tackle making it feel like a movie and not an episode. The beginning scene in space is a thing of beauty all on it's own. 5. Hearing the B-52s back in a blaze of glory that is the Rocko's Modern Life theme song and seeing all the little nods to the opening sequence of the cartoon..... absolutely beautiful. To be clear, this movie has a lot going on with it to bring the nostalgia up front and I feel that's what the fans wanted most. It even pokes fun at the fans and addresses how not ok with change we are. Even though the Fatheads VHS is the only tape they have in space, I can imagine that they'd still be stuck on it had they not been in orbit with no other VHS tapes to choose from. Now, to get a little serious, I thought I'd see a lot of hate and negativity surrounding this movie. If you haven't heard or watched by now, they address transgenderism. The Bigheads son, Ralph Bighead, quits the cartoon scene and leaves home in hopes to find himself. When Rocko, Spunky, Heffer and Filburt find Ralph to start making more Fatheads cartoons, they find he has transformed himself to Rachel Bighead. So far no angry "they're warping our youths minds" posts in site and if that isn't a positive thing, I don't know what is. I hope it opens a gate to more Nickelodeon revivals.

Team Up

This special from Nicktoons and Netflix honestly feels like it aged with its audience while still staying true to its roots as a kids cartoon show. Not once did I feel while watching it that I was not its target audience but at the same time I felt that I could have showed this to a younger cousin and they would find it as funny as I did (especially the classic fart noise when Mrs. Bighead opened the fridge). The name alone, Static Cling, was the perfect play on words for what the story was really about. All Rocko wants is to cling to his static life but what he needed to realize was that the world moves forward and he needs to move along with it, nothing can stay the same forever. If this is the beginning of a great slew of movies from Netflix and Nickelodeon, then I can’t wait to see what comes next.

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