Product Description

An inspired spoof of 1960s action cartoons such as "Johnny Quest" The Venture Bros. follows the bizarre mis-adventures of Hank and Dean who believe themselves to be an unusually gifted team of "brains" and "braun" while actually possessing very little of either. The boys travel the world with their renowned scientist-father Doctor Venture -- and treat even the most mundane situation as a bold new adventure. As a result they often find themselves in danger with a host of oddball villains -- but rarely find their way out. The rely instead on their body-guard/undercover government agent Brock Sampson voiced by Patrick Warburton of "The Tick" and "Seinfeld" fame to save them.Running Time: 295 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/ADULT SWIM UPC: 053939781625 Manufacturer No: T7816

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #307 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2007-04-17
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .40 pounds
• Running time: 295 minutes

Amazon.com
How do you launch a second season of a series when you concluded the previous one by murdering the title characters in cold blood? As is often the case on The Venture Bros., Adult Swim's hilariously funny poke at '60s adventure cartoons like Johnny Quest, the answer comes down to: weird science. It would be a crime to reveal how Hank and Dean Venture's beleaguered dad, Doc Venture (voiced by James Urbaniak) brings his hapless offspring back from the grave, but suffice it to say that the boys are back by the end of Episode One ("Powerless in the Face of Death") and making life miserable for their dad and bodyguard Brock Sampson (Patrick Warburton) shortly thereafter. But Team Venture's exploits share the spotlight this season with the misery of their main antagonist, the Monarch, who struggles to reclaim his lady love, Dr. Girlfriend (voiced by series co-creator Doc Hammer) from the suave Phantom Limb (also Urbaniak). Over the course of the sophomore season's thirteen episodes, the Monarch endures countless humiliations in the name of love (not the least of which is a disastrous double date with Dr. G and Limb in "Victor. Echo. November), while the Venture boys encounter countless historical figures (not the least of which is a thinly disguised Scooby-Doo and friends), screw up their own dates, and generally make a mess of things in their own cheerful but ridiculous ways. Meanwhile, the Ventures' neighbor, the overwrought Dr. Orpheus (Steven Ratazzi), also gets his own story arc, in which he re-assembles his "team" of vampire hunter Jackson Twilight and sexually ambiguous monk The Alchemist (voiced by Dana Snyder of Aqua Teen Hunger Force), with disastrous results. Exceptionally sharp writing that's rich with pop culture references and excellent voice performances make this series one of the smartest and funniest in Adult Swim's anarchic stable; here's hoping the network doesn't allow another two years to pass before they greenlight a third season.

The two-disc set offers raucous commentary by Hammer and co-creator Jackson Publick on all 13 episodes (Urbaniak and Michael Sinterniklaas, who voices Dean Venture, join them for several commentaries), as well as a barrage of deleted scenes from each story, and an amusing mock behind-the-scenes look at Astro-Base Go, the orbiting moon station where Hammer and Publick create the series with the help of SoulBot, a big-hearted robot which also lends its bloops and bleeps to the Ventures' mechanical assistant, H.E.L.P.E.R. Praise should also go to the exceptional packaging art and menu design (which feature Publick's character sketches), which evoke the series' retro feel with style. -- Paul Gaita

Customer Reviews

Love it, love it, love it!
I have to admit that I was wondering how the 2nd season could trump the first. It's a common problem with great series where all of the good ideas are used in the first season, or they fold to pressure & create ridiculous triangles or use cliche plot devices. Not so with the Venture Bros. Any plot cliches or triangles are used as either a parody device or something to actually further the plot along rather than something to spin wheels with.

This season sees the fleshing out of the Monarch & Dr. Girlfriend's relationship, as well as showing a little more of all the characters you've grown to love.

The DVD set is pretty nice, and I love the feel of the cover art. Since most of the jokes are brought from old series & movies, it's highly suitable to make the poster for the cover have an aged feel to it.

Insanely hilarious
Prepare for an even more hilarious season of the greatest cartoon on TV - better than 'Aqua Teen' because it's more intelligent, otherwise that would be the sentimental favorite - as the episodes follow a season-long story arc involving the Monarch's attempts to win back Dr. Girlfriend.

As Dr. Venture, Brock and the boys continue their misadventures, they manage to parody Scooby Doo, 'Oz,' 'The Manchurian Candidate' and even Henry Kissinger. Add to that Dr. Orpheus trying to get his old super-hero team back together (hint: one's a homosexual monk, and the other is a 50-something version of Wesley Snipes' Blade character with a crackhead-like addiction to Nik-L-Nips... you remember, the syrup in a wax bottle?). If you DON'T remember, the Venture Brothers may be lost on you. Constant pop-culture and old-school cartoon references keep quick heads laughing the entire season long.

As always, Hank and Dean Venture's complete lack of any practical knowledge provides much of the humor, but the interaction between each of the neurotic characters and how they all deal with the fact that they're basically running around playing superhero continues to delight.

It's Venture Bros. Nuff said.
The second season of the Adult Swim show, The Venture Bros., is a purchase you'll thank yourself for making. My wife and I watch an episode nearly every day, and we find a new reason to laugh ourselves silly each time.
This is what a cartoon should be.