Criticman12
The Amazing Screw-On Head, is based on a one-issue comic book from Mike Mignola (Creator of, Hellboy). After watching this, I was really surprised how great it was.The story is about a robot head with the ability to control any robot body.What make's this really great is the animation and the voice acting. The animation has a nice comic-book feel and the cast with Paul Giamatti as the title character and David Hyde Pierce as the evil Emperor Zombie was great.But sadly, this was a T.V. Pilot and the reason why the show didn't continue is because the Sci-Fi channel didn't want to continue the series.But even though it's twenty-two minutes long, it's still worth your time.If only the show continued.
jzappa
I was not so excited to watch The Amazing Screw-On Head because I was visiting a friend from out of town and he insisted that I sit at the computer and watch this online rather than other things we were planning to do. But I was fascinated by it. The animation, firstly, seemed like it would not draw me in, however it is perfect for the noncomformist comic tone of the cartoon. There are so many pitch-black shades of definition in the images and at times, it's as if over two thirds of the screen consists of shadows. The creatures are watered- down Gothic with a coating of the physical presence of sci-fi and anime-loving, computer- savvy quasi-Goth-dressing teenagers. The colors are never bright or positive, always swampy, antiquated, and moody. Mike Mignola's visual style is carried through motion by director Chris Prynoski, who creates a grungy little onslaught.It begins as if it were a serious cartoon, violence preparing to break out, but then there is a hilarious German accent, played very incidentally. The show progresses into a very offbeat farce with a witty, creative sense of humor that grows elementally out of the material.The material is founded by terrific comic book concept, a robotic head that screws onto compatible bodies who works as a secret agent serving under Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and fighting battles that lead to points in history in completely different ways than how the nation believes. America having two histories is not something so far-fetched, and it latently satirizes the self-secrecy of this country's history.It's very troubling to think that network heads (no pun intended) didn't find this pilot worthy of a series, because there are many less intelligent and imaginative cartoon shows that have been turned into successful series, and that actually may be the reason why this show was turned down. However, in a sense, it may not be so bad that The Amazing Screw-On Head never grew beyond this twenty-two-minute passage. Perhaps the impact of such ideas that seem so fresh coming straight out of left field is greater and will stay as great rather than becoming old hat after awhile as the creators scramble to concoct more premises and build on the show's substance. The animation, like with many cartoon shows, might have scaled up the ladder to smooth, state-of-the-art, computer-assisted animation, and with a style like Mike Mignola's, it must be preserved in the grungy sketchiness that is present forever in this maintained little cartoon.
orlando_nudels
SPOILERS: Err.. OK well, it's all really made up, but a metal head that hops around and interfaces to different robot bodies, that helps Abraham Lincoln battle ancient alien technologies during the Civil War era? His arch-enemy is a zombie king whose fetish is to murder ASOH's man-servants? Just the simple fact that a metal head has a man-servant? And top voice talent to execute it all? Pure genius. Mike Mignola was an unknown to me up until this time, but not anymore, I am a follower and put him in league with Joss Whedon and Peter Jackson in talent and imagination.I accidentally stumbled across the first viewing of this on Sci-Fi when I was skimming another channel in the guide to record for the upcoming week, and the title alone made me go "hmm... sounds interesting enough to DVR", so I did. I eventually got around to watching it a few weeks later and I thought WOW! I have to DVR the series! Sadly, it was shown one more time and then nothing. I'm glad they made a DVD of it, this way I can have a copy forever.If they don't make this a full blown series then i'll have to say poppycock!
freffer2000
This was the best show I've seen all summer. I didn't really know what to expect, and then managed to sit in some peace and quiet and watch it.Wow.A perfect 1/2 hour of television, no matter what the medium. The story moved, the look was unique, the dialogue, the framing, the voices... were all perfect. TV has come a long, long way....I sure hope this becomes a series.Kudos to Mike Mignola, Dark Horse, the team that did this gem, and sci-fi channel.Now...give us ...MORE :)