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Venture Bros, Metalocalypse Finale Films Bring Bittersweet Closure

The film finales of Metalocalypse and The Venture Bros. bring bittersweet closure, redemption, and their signature brands of comedy.

Fans of metal, pop culture, and animation should rejoice over the releases of Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar and The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart, which bring bittersweet closure, redemption, and their own signature brands of comedy back to their respective franchises.

Releasing on Digital and Blu-ray on August 22, 2023, Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar wastes no time picking up after the events of Metalocalypse: The Doomstar Requiem with all the brutality, intrigue, comedy, and black-hearted emotion fans of the series have come to know and love.

Despite the 10-year interval between the two movies, it feels like almost no time has passed for the Metalacolypse team as they deliver a satisfying finale to the Doomstar Saga on a more massive scale than ever before. In addition to the bigger budget and wider scope of the movie, creators Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, along with co-writer Andrew Kevin Walker, bring even more band pathos to the Dethklok as they try to find their place in a doomed world after their own forced hiatus. Part of the charm and humor of Metalocalypse has always stemmed from the deeper insight Small has into the band experience (as Guitar Hero sagely put it, "A band is the dysfunctional family you choose").

Musicians may find "Army of the Doomstar" to have more depth than expected while keeping the over-the-top gore and extreme metal blanch coming. Some fans may have preferred a full series instead so that some of the character development and plot threads could have been expanded upon, but fans will be happy to spend time in the world of Dethklok if only for a brief but extreme tour through a metal hellscape. A behind-the-scenes short feature rounds out the Blu-ray release and is well worth the time to visit with the creators, art directors, and celebrity voice actors. Hopefully, we'll get more movies in the future, but if not, the Metalocalypse team leaves us in a good place (along with a new Dethklok album and tour, no less!)

The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart is also out on Blu-Ray and digital, bringing to a close the loose ends of the series while setting up a possible future for more stories in the Venture Bros. universe. Castle of Horror team member Tony Salvaggio has often described Venture Bros. as "pop culture weaponized for maximum enjoyment," and the series' new film continues this weaponization. Despite life-changing events and a long wait, Doc Hammer and Jackson Publick bring home a solid comeback movie that artfully ties up the series. It's a bittersweet end for now, but time in the Venture Bros. universe always feels well spent and all too brief. One of the top highlights on the Blu-Ray is the Q&A commentary track with the creators that lends detail, personal stories, deeper context, and humor to the movie and the world they have created. Fans of Team Venture– or those ready to explore the series for the first time– are in for a treat.

Listen to a Castle of Horror discussion of the releases here:

Check out the trailers for Metalocalypse: Army of the Doomstar and The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart below:

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