Review of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End (2017) by Martin G — 05 Sep 2017

This is the conclusion to the live action Canadian Show, Todd & The Book Of Pure Evil that wasn't renewed after two seasons due to ratings, despite getting favorable reviews, including an award. (The Canadian equivalent of an Emmy.

The show is summed up as a Stoner comedy Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets Evil Dead and sprinkled with metal music with "out there" plots that include a large French accent monster penis, twin lesbian gang warfare and cat humanoids with dicks. Dick jokes are very common. The last episode was left on a big cliffhanger as well.

This initially crowfunded animated closure retains the spirit of the show and brings back the voices of the original cast. There is a bit of a Saturday cartoon vibe but that may be due to the animation which is a lot better than expected. Proper animation instead Flash-like animation (Metalocalypse, Archer). Not being live action and on cable TV had also allowed them more creative freedom and push things a little further which may be a good or bad thing depending on the sensitivity of the viewer. I also felt that for a movie that was going to sum up season 3 & 4, which was already in the planning stage before cancelation, the movie didn't feel disorganized and they focused on the important stuff and only put a couple of sideplots that the series is be known for.

As much as I want to give it five stars, it's not without some flaws, which may or may not be an issue for viewers. With the exception of a Dio inspired one, the musical numbers aren't stuck in my head like the ones from the show. They might grow on me after repeated viewings. I also looked forward to listening to the licensed metal songs on the show but given the movie's lower budget, it's understandable to cut those out. Cramming in two seasons, while a good job, would've been nice if a little more time was spent to flesh out the story better.

If you like the show, you'll like this movie. It just feels a little off. Maybe it's due to the animation not having as much of the spontaneous and improvisational opportunities that live action would present. Perhaps recording lines in a sound booth takes something away from it compared to acting face to face. Some of the voices do sound a little different than before despite the same actors.