Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End of the End (2017) Reviews

• Never Quite Peaks, But Still a Welcome Return

  gavin69422017-11-06

  The animated conclusion to the live action "Todd and The Book Of Pure Evil" series. Todd (Alex House) tries to mend his friendship with Curtis after killing his girlfriend. The book has returned along with Hannah and there is talk of a new Pure Evil One. "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil" is one of the greatest horror-themed television series of all time. In its simplest terms, it could be seen as a heavy metal, juvenile, Canadian form of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". But that really would be putting it too simply, because despite a few similar themes and a possible overlap in fan base, they are two entirely different shows in tone. Despite the greatness of the series, however, it somehow failed to find its audience and was canceled after two seasons when there had been four planned. Admittedly, I had not heard of the show until it surfaced on Netflix, which is a bit of a surprise given the inclusion of Jason Mewes, which should have made it an instant cult classic. Like myself, many others found the show after it was canceled and it took on a new life. What should have happened is Netflix investing in the final two seasons (like they have with "Arrested Development") but that was not to be the case. While moving on to directing the first season of Chiller's "Slasher", creator Craig David Wallace did not give up on Todd. There were some crowd funding attempts, and we ultimately end up with this film: "The End of the End". While a new season would have been better, or even a live action film, animation seems to be what was possible given the limited budget. And any Todd is better than no Todd. What we get is a nice summation of some of the series' better themes. We have a random student using the book and having it work in an unexpected way. We have some new musical numbers (though none as memorable as "Horny Like the Devil"). And we get the return of my favorite insult, not once but twice. I cannot say what that insult is, but it involves excrement and a feathered barnyard animal. The animation does capture the likenesses of the characters well, though it is hard to perfectly recreate the raw physicality of Atticus or Jimmy the Janitor. In some ways it might offer an advantage in the "special effects" department; the show had always had great effects, but it is likely easier to draw an endless stream of melting faces than to create them practically. Fans of the show will enjoy the film. Although it seems like they pushed the genital humor to new heights (or is that depths?), which was unnecessary, everything you loved about the show is here. The humor, the interesting mythology, and all the original voices. People who have not seen the show might be a little lost, but that is rally their own fault for coming in at this point.

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• Fans will enjoy it but sensitive newcomers may be turned off by this unfiltered conclusion to the criminally underrated TV show

  mrfeliz2017-09-04

  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 cancellation, the movie didn't feel disorganized and they focused on the important stuff and only put a couple of side plots 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.

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• Finally :D

  Bored_Dragon2018-05-30

  "Todd and the Book of Pure Evil" was TV series that was broadcast from 2010 till 2012, and I already wrote about it: "This is simply awesome. Combination of high-school show, comedy and horror, that packs cliches of '80s and '90s into catchy 20 minutes portions of pure fun. All accompanied with lots of weed and heavy metal. Plus, in main supporting role we have Jason Mewes, Jay from legendary Jay and Silent Bob duo. The only flaw of this show is that it was canceled after two seasons, so main story is left incomplete. However, every episode has own rounded plot so they can be watched separately. Also, animated movie that should finish the story is announced and it's expected very soon. Recommendation for everyone who love metal, weed, '80s horrors, teen comedies, things so stupid that they're ingenious and good fun. I saw all 26 episodes in just a few days and I yearn for more. 9/10" At the time show was cancelled, authors had scenario prepared for total of four seasons so, for the story not to remain incomplete, they announced that they would pack the remaining two seasons into a full-length animated film. I was eagerly awaiting the day when they will finally release this cartoon, but eventually I made peace with the fact that it will not happen. And then, six years after the cancellation of the series, "The End of the End" really appeared. The animation of characters very faithfully mimics actors from the series, and the voices are given to them by the original cast. The story continues in the same manner as in the first two seasons but, due to the shortening of the entire two seasons into a 80 minutes film, the decline in the quality of the story is more than obvious. And the cartoon simply can not replace the atmosphere of the original show. It does not make sense to watch this movie if you have not watched the series, and it is pretty much lousy standing alone, but for a big fans of the series, such as myself, it's great, on the one hand because I finally learned how the story ends and on the other because of nostalgia. Objectively it doesn'tt deserve such a high grade, but love is stronger than reason and I rate it 7/10

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