‘The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart’ Review: Return of the Glorious Weirdos
Cartoon Network’s nighttime block, The Venture Brothers, has aired for seven seasons on Adult Swim. Bringing a fantastical world full of absurdist humor to the small screen, rooted in pop culture and presented in the style of old-fashioned adventure comics. Inside this animated brain-candy paradigm lived many brilliant weirdos. His goofy, death-prone sons, Hank (Chris McCulloch, aka Jackson Public) and Dean (Michael Sinterniklaas), whose deaths were easily recovered by a clone-filled basement. their Sex and Death Machine bodyguard, Brock Samson (Patrick Warburton); and Mrs. Monarch (Public), Dr. Venture’s equally sulky antagonist, and Mrs. Monarch (Doc Hammer), the wife of a gravelly-voiced bombshell.
When the series was unexpectedly canceled in 2020, its creators Hammer and Public told NPR They hoped to bring the gang back to the screen at least once, and that wish was fulfilled with Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart. Directed by Public, this film picks up where the show left off. Hank embarks on a dissociative traverse in search of himself and his mother. The monarch was irritated by the Guild of Calamitus Intent’s constant restraint on mischief. Dr. Venture is once again facing financial catastrophe. And a new villain, Mantilla (Nina Arianda), makes her presence felt.
Hummer and Public provide fans with countless Easter eggs to play with (but for newbies and less enthusiastic fans, wrap up before viewing). More importantly, the film presents the landing both figuratively and literally. Towards the end, the Ventures skyscraper is flung towards the moon and then returns to Earth. A bit of reckless gaiety is nicely scored by composer J.G. Thirlwell. Even if we never see The Ventures again, “Radiant” allows us to proudly say goodbye to them, but we hope this end is only the beginning.
The Venture Brothers: It’s the Blood in the Baboon’s Heart that Shines
R-rated for potty heroes and villains, frontal gasps and threatening kicks to the flesh in the throat. Running time: 1 hour 23 minutes. Available for purchase on most major platforms.
