All Rise...

Judge David Johnson wants out of Superjail! Call his lawyer! He'll talk! He'll talk!

Editor's Note

Our review of Superjail! Season One, published February 22nd, 2010, is also available.

The Charge

More of this?

The Case

And so we return to Superjail!, the understated animated series telling the story of a maximum security prison stocked with maniacs and run by a psychopathic warden (voiced by David Wain, Wanderlust). The warden and his cronies treat Superjail as their personal test area for all manner of insanity, most of which ends with the inmates getting chopped up into small pieces.

As was the case with Season One, this 10-episode installment (12 minutes each) looks to grind out laughs and entertainment by piling on the gore and sporadic boob shots. Yes, it's that kind of cartoon, one that swaps genuine wit for envelope-pushing visuals…and it grows old pretty quick.

In my review of Season One, I compared Superjail! to Happy Tree Friends, a famously gore-soaked cartoon. The comparison still stands. Both are essentially one-trick ponies. If you tire of seeing crudely hand-drawn carnage, I'm not seeing how this disc will hold your interest.

The one high point continues to be David Wain, who injects delirious energy into what is easily the most entertaining character of an otherwise a shallow and unfulfilling Adult Swim series.

The DVD: standard definition 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, Dolby 5.1 surround, episode commentary, animatics, an animated music video, pencil tests, and a live 10-song set from the band Cheeseburger.

Manic, id-fueled animation for fans of migraines.

The Verdict

Guilty.

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