Family Guy Presents: Blue Harvest – DVD Review

A long time ago, but somehow in the future…

First things first, if you are not a fan of both Star Wars and Family Guy, you will probably not enjoy this film enough to warrant buying it. That being said, if you are a fan of both and are properly armed with a healthy knowledge of 1970’s – present pop culture references, this DVD is a must own.

As hugely conspicuous Star Wars Fans, Seth MacFarlane and the crew at Family Guy have created what may be considered the ultimate Star Wars parody, going farther than Space Balls and Robot Chicken before them. This film is not a clip show or quasi-homage, Blue Harvest is a complete reimagining of Star Wars: Episode IV (the first film if you are keeping track). The reimagining takes the characters of Family Guy and places them in the roles of Star Wars characters, while maintaining much of their original personality traits. In addition, the plot is maipulated to allow for the inclusion of the Family Guy humor many have come to love. From the pedophiliac Mr Herbert as Obi-Wan to Peter as Han Solo to Stewie as Vader, the laughs don’t stop. The movie is absolutely hilarious and takes shots at many of the memorable scenes from the original film. After watching this film, one can see the effort and dedication that true Star Wars fans put in to the design and execution of this piece.

The film would be enough on its own but the DVD comes fully loaded with extras. Included is a making of feature, animatic material, a clip compilation from the regular show, a digital copy of the film (that can be loaded onto iTunes and uploaded to a portable video device like an iPod) and an interview with George Lucas. What’s George’s favorite TV show? Watch the DVD and find out.

My advice is to run to your nearest video store, buy Blue Harvest and prepare to geek out. (Grade: A)

– Chris Williamson