Gorillaz Album: “Phase One: Celebrity Take Down [DVD]”

Gorillaz have created an oddly bizarre, but really, really funny DVD! This DVD is titled Phase One: Celebrity Take Down- for some unknown reason, Damon and Jamie can come up with quite a bit of a few really wierd stuff, and that's one reason why this DVD's so great!

This DVD is only a few minutes shy of three whole hours of running content, and comes with a CD Rom for your computer, which includes a "Geep" ride game, about 10 cool wallpapers for your computer, and 8 great and wonderful screensavers, even one with Murdoc in the "Rock the House" video, you yourself might know how hillarious that video is! If you do not, just purchase the DVD, it includes several videos, such as, Rock the House (really funny), Clint Eastwood (great animation, award winner EMAs 2002), Tomorrow Comes Today (Gorillaz first "big hit") 19/2000 (very catchy tune, even better video!), and some clips of many videos before they got finished! If you have seen the 19/200 video, you have probably never seen it before it was really finished, it was really funny, and Murdoc pretty much creamed 2D at the end blaming him for the "Geep" wreck, but I guess they decided not to use that version- even though it's laugh out loud hillarious, and that's another reason you should buy this if you are a fan, you get to see some things that you never get to see anywhere else- not the Internet, not Gorillaz.com, and no, not Rayley's, so come on, what are you waiting for?

THIS DVD INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING:

1. PROMO VIDEOS, STORY BOARDS AND ANIMATICS FOR TOMORROW COMES TODAY, CLINT EASTWOOD, 19/200 AND 5/4 (a video must see, not on Gorillaz.com)!

2. MULTI ANGLE LIVE AT THE BRITS PERFORMANCE INCLUDING MANDARIN VERSION (Clint Eastwood)

3. 5 GORILLA BITES (Hey, Our Toys Have Arrived, Jump The Gut, The Eel, Game Of Death, and Free Tibit Campaign) ALL VERY FUNNY!

4. GORILLAZ GALLERY

5. WEBSITE TOUR

6. LIVE SHOW VISUALS

7. INTERVIEW WITH 2D

8. DR WURZELS WINNEBEGO

9. THE CHARTS OF DARKNESS DOCUMENTARY

and hidden extras!!!!! I hope I have written a good review, I think it would certainly tell you enough about this DVD, and I really hope that if you read my review as one of them to affect your purchasing desision, I hope that you bought this, and go to their website, it's really as fun as this DVD. PURCHASING FOR A KID UNDER 13? I hope you bought this video, although, if you are searching for a child under 13, I advise against it strongly, it is kind of mellow and has no content that has to do with- well, you know, but it has some profanity, and Clint Eastwood has to do with weed, and there is some unpleasant animated content, but that's why it has a PARENTAL ADVISORY EXPLICIT CONTENT label on the lower right hand corner, so keep that in mind and enjoy!

This DVD is very very very good it contains every video all the storyboards and animatics it has the amazing ground breaking Brits performance (in 3-D) and a nice little secret section and many live clips and the unfinished video for 5/4(very good to) i personally dont see how anyone can not want this it is simply the sexiest piece of plastic with booklet on the planet

This dvd is awsome! it has every music video,and every short made in the first years. the docmentry is very funny and enjoyable to watch,and the awards scences are so neat looking! (they are cool in 3-d) oh, if you wait too long in certain rooms, surprises will happen, well that's all I have to say.

This really is a great disc. All 4 promos, 'Tomorrow Comes Today, 'Clint Eastwood', '19/2000' and 'Rock Da House' are here plus the added bonus of the rough animation work in progress unreleased '5/4'.

Each lavishly produced promo is accompanied by storyboards, animatics and computermatics, a fascinating insight into the whole animation process.

Each promo is 'unlocked' by navigating through Kong Studios (home of the Gorillaz) to each band member's bedroom. The design and interaction of the menu is beautifully designed and is also familiar to anyone who is a regular at their web site, also a must for any fan.

Also to be found in the labyrinthine Kong Studios are four Gorillaz 'bites', short animated sketches, which appeared on MTV, 2 live performances of 'Clint Eastwood' (the Brit Awards and Mandarin Concert), an interview with 2D, a Gorillaz documentary, and animated graphics to accompany the live concerts.

To complete the package (as if there could be more!)guides to the web site, stills, a CD Rom, screensavers, sticker sheets and a lavish, beautifully (Jamie Hewlett) illustrated 52-page history/biography guide to all things Gorillaz. PHEW!

I personally wait with baited breath to see what this band will do next, but if it generates another dvd as good as this one, I'll be the first in the queue to sign up!

If I had to have one criticism, and I struggle to find one, it would be that I would have liked to have seen a credit list of the people involved in the production of the material. An awful lot of work has gone into the animated pop promos and the disc in general, yet no where is there any mention (apart from Jamie Hewlett) of who was involved in the production of any of the material. A small gripe I know.

So in summary.... a must, must have!!

Being a huge Gorillaz fan, I was a little disappointed with their DVD release.

The upside- It's great having a way to access all the Gorillaz music videos, even their planned-yet-never-made video for "5/4" which is essentially storyboards synced to the music. The animated skits are cool and the illustrated booklet has a lot of great artwork, not to mention notes on how the "band" was formed

The downside- While there's also live show clips, I quickly lost interest in it. The interview included wasn't as informative as I had hoped. The aforementioned animated skits aren't even a minute in length each. Several of the music videos have storyboarded and animatic versions, which don't serve much of a purpose. A lot of it just seems to be filler. But the main problem is the navigation. It would have been nice to access clips and videos from the usual DVD menus. Instead it all uses icons and I had to constantly look at the map included with the DVD to figure out where I wanted to go. It also would have been nice to have all the music videos and animated skits grouped together instead of spread out to the different areas.

Celebrity Take Down is still a good Gorillaz DVD to own, but I can't help but feel it was only put out to sate Gorillaz fans and nothing more.