The Most Epic Fantasy and Sci-Fi Website

Adventure Time Islands Miniseries DVD Review- It's Objectively Interesting!


Adventure Time Islands Miniseries DVD Review- It's Objectively Interesting!
9 out of 10

Adventure Time has become such an essential part of Cartoon Network that I had a hard time believing it’s ending soon. But this miniseries really drove it in for me- the end is near.

I wondered if the Islands miniseries was going to have a meaty enough storyline to devote eight episodes too. The idea of Finn, Jake, Susan and (possibly) BMO going on an adventure to find the surviving remnants of the human race had a lot of potential, but would it be as major as it was hyped up to be? It turns out the answer was yes.

This miniseries was positively packed with new information and tied up a lot of the loose ends and hanging questions of the show- more than I ever expected it to. Ienjoyed the previous Adventure Time miniseries, Stakes, and thought it had a lot to offer in regards to world-building, but this one was definitely feels a lot more like essential viewing.

From Adventure Time: Islands

click to enlarge
+ 3

 A lot was revealed throughout this storyline and things got real, but Adventure Time still retained its quirky and humorous tone throughout. There were a lot of laugh-out loud moments in these episodes and the characters were at their most lovable and charming.

There will be some mild spoilers ahead- I’m going to refer to some of the questions that were answered in this miniseries without really telling you what the answers were. If you don’t want even want to know that, then turn back now and read when you’ve seen the miniseries for yourself.

Ever since it was revealed that the world of Adventure Time took place in an earth that had been devastated and mutated by a nucleur war, the question has been: what happened to the other humans besides Finn? Where did he come from? This miniseries answers that question definitively and logically. What’s more, it adds a lot of depth to the character of Susan Strong, giving her a meaty and rather tragic backstory.

And we finally get to know what became of Finn’s mom. I was glad to see that- so often in stories about young boys we only see a focus on their fathers and its as if their mothers don’t exist. They’re considered to be unimportant, an afterthought. But the show gave us answers about Finn's Mom and it made his story richer. Seeing the ways she was like and unlike Finn and seeing that she had her own personality, goals and story was gratifying.

click to enlarge
+ 3

From Adventure Time: Islands

We also got to see a little of Finn’s father and how Finn came to be abandoned- he’s made a little more sympathetic than previously, but he still remains somewhat of an ambiguous figure, which is refreshing. It’s hard to tell how much of him is sincere and how much is an act and the show seems willing to let viewers draw their own conclusions.

If I were to talk about the series flaws, I’d have to point out that some things in it are pretty predicatable. There’s a lot of tropes and story beats here that are reminiscent of lots of other post-apocalyptic sci-fi, which isn’t a bad thing. But Adventure Time doesn’t really put as much of a unique spin on it as it usually does.

To be fair, there’s not many options when it comes to depicting a post apocalyptic human society. The dystopian elements we see there are just the logical extension of what humans might do if put in a certain situation. However, Adventure Time could have stood to mix up the formula a little more. It was incredibly obvious what the deal with Finn’s mother was as soon as Finn set foot on the island and what happened from there one was all pretty expected. The ending also felt a little rushed and didn’t give viewers enough time to get invested in the relationships with the new characters.

But as predictable as the ending got, what these revalations meant for the characters and the development they went through offset it. Susan’s relationship with her friend was really sweet and ended on a great note (and though that may be wishful thinking, I felt like there was some romantic subtext there I really appreciated). The character's casually funny reactions to the bizarre situations also helped keep things a little unique and unexpected.

click to enlarge
+ 3

From Adventure Time: Islands

The episodes in the middle of the miniseries were the pure unpredictable Adventure Time wackiness we’ve come to know and love with the VR episode being especially weird, but still fairly easy to understand and full of funny, cute moments. Jake referring to BMO as his and Finn’s “son” and the subsequent argument they got into about them may be one of my favorite Adventure Time moments.

The DVD itself is solidly made and not a bad purchase if you want a complete collection of episodes. There’s not much in the way of extras though, just some fairly lengthy storyboards, song demos and the like.

All in all, Adventure Time: Islands is a must-watch for any fan of the show. I feel it answered a lot of questions satisfactorily and did so in a way that gelled with what fans already knew. There were a lot of great character moments sprinkled throughout, a huge amount of world building and it was just generally a good time. It will be interesting to see how Adventure Time wraps up. With this miniseries, it’s well on its way to coming to a fulfilling conclusion. 

For more articles like this, take a look at our Anime and Reviews page.