What's it about?
An animated series based on the hit film, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE follows the comic adventures of America's most awesomely awkward teenage and his offbeat family and friends as they navigate small-town life in rural Idaho. Whether he's facing down bullies or discovering the meaning of friendship, Napoleon proves that true heroes follow their own path - especially when they have secret ninja skills from the government.
You should watch if...
• you loved the movie so much that you still watch it at least once a week.
• you are perpetually stuck in 2004.
So, how was it?
Meh. That was pretty much my reaction to the first episode of this animated series written by the writers of the movie and starring the voices of the whole main cast from the movie. Now, I have to get it right out there at the start that I've never seen the original NAPOLEON DYNAMITE movie. I know, I know. Whatever. I think that in some ways that makes me uniquely qualified to review the TV show, as it should not only aim itself at fans of the film if it wants to achieve any sort of longevity.
As a non-fan of the movie, it did nothing for me. My impression of the film was that, for some reason or other, it managed to hit a cultural nerve of loserdom back in 2004, but actually isn't all that great. It had a cult following for about twelve seconds and then disappeared into our collective memory of the early 00s. It seems to be one of those movies that's funnier to quote than to actually watch. So why, eight years later, anyone thought the world was clamoring for an animated spin-off, is beyond me. The fact that every single person involved in the film is on board for the show makes me feel like none of them had anything better to do and therefore went back to the one at-least-marginally-popular thing they'd ever done. And now we get to sit through repetitive non-jokes about acne cream and pioneer wrestling. Hooray for us.
Maybe I don't "get" it because I haven't seen that movie. I'll totally admit that that's a possibility. But the show will not survive by having its audience solely be made up of people who not only saw the movie, but a) are still amused by it and b) have the time or mental space to add another show to their schedule every week. I'll be very interested to see what kind of life this show ends up having. If any.
Rating:
* Atrocious. I will never watch this show again. Ever.
Okay, it may be slightly unfair of me to give an Atrocious rating to a show that is based on a movie I've never seen, but if I'm being honest I have no intention of ever watching it again. So that's what it gets.
What did you think, Fellow Addicts? Did you like it? If so, have you seen the movie or not? And if you haven't seen the movie and still liked the show, what did I miss? Vote in the poll below and then hit the comments!
(For the complete rundown of when all the new shows are premiering, check out my 2012 Midseason TV Preview.)
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