Family Guy - The Freakin' Sweet Collection

Rating:
Summary: A true fan
Review: A true Family Guy fan wouldnt care about a $15 DVD. I dont, thats why im gunna buy it, i mean come on, $15 as opposed to $50! or since the nice people at amazon make it $30 - $40, not only does it have episodes that ae already on DVD but it has comentary and a sneak peak at season 4! id say that is Freakin' Sweet.

Rating:
Summary: "Freakin' Sweet", my - - oh, never mind...
Review: AAARRGHH!!! I hate this! I get both "Family Guy" DVD box sets, thinkin' I've got the entire uncut and uncensored original run of shows. But then this comes out, and I discover that one of the eppies ("Road to Rhode Island") had a little bit of footage (an eerily prescient pre-9/11 Osama Bin Laden gag) that was NOT restored in the DVD box set, but was put back in this release! It's yet another example of the Dreaded DVD Double-Dip Ploy (read about this annoying phenomenon at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/guides/guide-display/-/3CVFIEG84F2PF/ref=cm_aya_av.sylt_sylt/104-0488135-0118334 ) that has plagued us DVDphiles ever since we switched over from VHS! On the upside: the all-new commentary track featuring the Brian and Stewie characters that came with the restored eppie had its moments of mirth.

The four other eppies on this platter don't include any new footage, although three of `em feature commentary tracks by series creator Seth McFarlane and various "Family Guy" producers, writers, and voice actors. For the most part I didn't find the conversations all that interesting. But then, I didn't find the commentary tracks on the selected eppies in the full-season DVD box sets all that interesting, either...

Then there are the special features, which includes a six-minute-long segment from the upcoming Seth McFarlane-created `toon series "American Dad". Judging from the segment I saw, this new show doesn't look very promising; after I got a feel for the primary characters in the first couple minutes, I could see most of the punch-lines comin' from a mile away. There was one good bit at the end, but considerin' the whole deal with the U.S. government's crackdown on indecency that's been goin' down since last year's Super Bowl halftime show (more on this later), this DVD's probably the only place you'll ever actually see it.

Also included are a couple interview segments with Seth McFarlane as he discusses both "American Dad" and the upcoming resurrection of "Family Guy", and his plans for world domin-- er, I mean his plans for the shows. Personally, between the relative unfunniness of "American Dad", the major TV networks buckling under to the governmental indecency crackdown (if ya though the Fox network went crazy censoring "Family Guy" during its initial run, wait'll ya see what happens with the second incarnation!), and the risk of Seth & Co. splitting their efforts between two shows-- thereby lowering the overall quality of both-- I don't see either show havin' much longevity. Well, unless they switch `em over to Fox's FX cable network, where the FCC can't touch; then "Family Guy" has a pretty good chance of hangin' `round...

Now, back to the Dreaded DVD Double-Dip Ploy I brought up earlier. Call me crazy, but I have a feelin' that some time down the road Fox will re-release the full-season DVD box sets with the fully-restored "Road to Rhode Island" eppie complete with the Brian/Stewie commentary track on it, as well as the other episode commentary tracks that appear on this particular platter. They probably won't include the Seth McFarlane interview featurettes or the "American Dad" segment, though (no big loss). So needless to say, I think you should hold off on buying this. If ya simply MUST watch it, though... give it a rent.

`Late

UPDATE 2/7/2005: I caught the "American Dad" promo episode after the big game, and it actually had some fairly funny moments. Just about all of the scenes that are on this DVD were also in the eppie, with a few slight alterations here and there. Unfortunately, it didn't quite floor me like a decent eppie of "Family Guy" would...

`Later

Rating:
Summary: Purchase this?.............mmmmmmmmm.
Review: I am a DIE-HARD fan of "Family Guy", this is my favorite T.V. show and I own "Family Guy, Vol. 1 & 2". "Family Guy", but...is this item worth $15.00? I think the answer is: "no". I don't think this is worth it. This DVD contains all episodes of "Family Guy" that are included on Volumes 1 and 2, except the uncensored version of "Road to Rhode Island", I love this episode and to be honest: I haven't watched the "uncensored" one. So I would recomend instead of this DVD: "Family Guy, Vol. 1 and 2" so you will be able to live a whole "Family Guy" experience. Trust me.


FAMILY GUY RULES!!!!!!!!

Rating:
Summary: Only for die-hards
Review: I'm a big fan of the show, and bought this despite having both DVD sets on the shelf. Primarily, I was interested in the "Rhode to Rhode Island" commentary by Brian and Stewie. It's a great concept, but falls flat in execution.

The novelty of hearing Brian and Stewie use profanity wore out in about three seconds. What's left is just not that funny. There obviously wasn't that much effort put into this track, and that's a shame. Call this a missed opportunity.

The remainder of the extras are marginally interesting, but unless you're a die-hard, must-have-everything kind of fan, you can pass on this without fear of missing something great.

Instead, take that money and buy "Greg the Bunny" on DVD. Fox may have come to its senses by brining back "Family Guy", but they lost a gem when they killed off GtB.

Rating:
Summary: What a ripoff!!
Review: If FOX released just the uncensored version of "Road to Rhode Island" for $5.00 (as someone suggested), I might be willing to buy it.

Forcing someone to buy DVD for a restored scene is just ripping the fans off.

If you're a fan, you've already have the boxed sets. If you're not a fan, this DVD will not change your mind.

So, who is FOX trying to convert?



Rating:
Summary: What kind of idiot would buy this??
Review: Man, they really want your money. Seth Macfarlene screws you everytime, his commentaries are bland and just an excuse to say f--k a few times. And most of the people who are going to buy this already have the box sets. definetley a waste of money.

Rating:
Summary: Worth it?.................... I don't think so.
Review: Now listen. I am a very huge "Family Guy" fan, I bought the whole collection on DVD from amazon.com, except this one. And I think it is not worth fifteen bucks on this DVD, the only thing this DVD makes it worth SOME of the money is the uncut/uncensored version of the episode "Road to Rhode Island", which I love by the way, and the comentaries of the fourth season and "American Dad". It's not worth it. SORRY.

Rating:
Summary: Not really fully uncut
Review: There is still a scene missing in Road to Rhode Island with the marriage videos that still remains out of the episode, even though they say it is uncut and uncensored. I got this as a gift because I had wanted it, but it was a 3 second clip of Osama. Kinda dissapointed, wouldn't have spent [...] on it.

Rating:
Summary: Freakin' Sweet!
Review: This DVD is Freakin' Sweet. Thus, the title. If you are a owner of the season sets this DVD has five episodes from the season sets. The only new thing is an extended version of "Road to Rhode Island". It is only extended like three minutes. The special features are a Family Guy Season 4 sneak peak, a Sneak Peak for "American Dad", and a speech by Seth McFarlene. This DVD is over-all, OK.

Rating:
Summary: Worth the Price for Hardcore Fans
Review: Upon first glance, "The Freakin' Sweet Collection" could be seen as a waste of money for a Family Guy fan who already owns the first three seasons on DVD. Truth be told, it was a hard sell for me. But when I finally broke down and bought it, I realized that it was more than worth it.
This isn't for a casual Family Guy fan. It's for those of us who scoured the internet for that cut scene from "Road to Rhode Island", those of us who listened to all of the commentary on the season sets, and watched the Special Features more than once.
The "Road to Rhode Island" commentary by Brian and Stewie makes this DVD a worthy addition to anyone's DVD collection, though only the real collectors out there will appreciate this DVD in the long run.

The only real problem I had with "The Freakin' Sweet" collection was the inclusion of "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein". Although this is an episode that never aired on television, it seems redundant to include it here, since it is already available on the other DVD's. There isn't even any commentary provided, since it was already done on the Family Guy Vol. 2 [Season Three] DVD set. "The Freakin' Sweet Collection" would be a much better buy if a different episode, with commentary, had been added, but overall, this DVD is a must-own for hardcore Family Guy fans and collectors.