Rocko's Modern Life: Static Cling

Rocko's Modern Life was an amazing show back in the 90's that many people including myself loved. The show has never aired on TV for over 20 years and fans have been begging the Network to bring back the show with it's original creator. Eventually the Network decided to do just that, by releasing a TV special made by the creator.

Now replace the title Rocko's Modern Life with The Fatheads (Rocko's favorite show) and you pretty much get the plot of Static Cling, and where the creator got his inspiration from.

This TV Special is pretty much about change, and how we must always embrace it and we must accept it and for the most part I feel this TV Special does a decent job at giving that message in it's short 45 minutes. And it's quite fitting cause there is no doubt a ton of Rocko's fans going into this TV Special made by the original creator thinking its gonna be exactingly like the 90's Classic only to be confronted by the truth that blind fantasy is impossible (unless time travel). Because much like in the TV Special even the original creators never stay the same.

I do wish the special was much longer (90 minutes maybe), but as a fan of Rocko's Modern Life, this TV Special was great and I'm happy to see one of my favorite 90's cartoon return from a 20 year absents even if it might just be this one little special. In the end I accept the change.

Even though I wasn't born yet when the original series was airing, I did enjoy watching reruns. This special still captures the weirdness that I liked about the show. It also addresses change and I liked how self aware the episode felt. For nostalgia purposes, this is a fun little send off to watch. Because we don't need a full blown reboot or remake of every nostalgic thing. Looking at you Disney....

This was my favorite show as a kid. when I heard about the reboot, I honestly was dreading it. I wasn't one of the people desperately wanting this show to be re booted in the least, I thought it would turn out awful. But it wasn't bad and definitely better than I anticipated. I appreciated the references to older shows and was glad to see all the names from the original cast and crew in the credits, especially Joe Murray. Was a little disappointed they didn't even acknowledge Steven Hilenburg who has since deceased (rip), as a means of respect. I also would've liked to have seen more of the hippo lady, and more time with more of the other characters on the show in general. I think most people watching this are those who actually did watch it on TV when it was on so I think more time on various other characters and quirky references would have been appreciated by most.

I think it would have been a bit better if it were longer by like 10 or 15 minutes. That way you have more time to appease those looking for nostalgia and also more time for the storyline without both of them seeming a bit mismatched and rushed. It also would've made the message being brought across seem less blunt and preachy. I don't disagree with the message in the least but I do see where people who didn't rate this special too highly are coming from. They didn't want a lecture or to be preached to or to have a particular message thrown in their face. They just wanted to have some laughs and remember a show they enjoyed.

I liked how it worked out in a way, kind of like a funhouse mirror to reality. But I think that was always the point of the show to kind of mock the audience, either that or to be so ridiculous they got thrown off the air.

There were parts of this special that really had me laughing and almost forget it was just made within the last couple years, but there were also parts that made it painfully obvious it was made within the last couple of years.

All in all however I enjoyed it. It was true to itself and it did have a new storyline, wish there was more time to spend with the characters and the story however.

Even though this show won't appear familiar to people who haven't watched the original Rocko's Modern Life, it managed to exceed my expectations as a standalone film, actually. This was a hilarious movie, and it never once felt like it was just made for the sake of reviving an old show. All of the jokes and characterization of the old show is still there, but it has a message to tell about accepting change, in a world where everything in our lives change rapidly.

It's recommended to check several episodes of the show out first before seeing this special however, as most of the special would be lost without certain context. Regardless, this was one of the best things Nickelodeon has ever decided to green-light and I'm so glad I was able to sat through it the whole way, laughing along with my favorite characters from 20 years ago. If Rocko doesn't get revived in the future (which I doubt), this is the perfect conclusion to wrap the show up in a perfect bow.

In general, this show and this movie are a must watch.

The people at Nickelodeon who are bringing their old cartoons back like Rocko, Hey Arnold and Invader Zim deserve all the praise in the world. Static Cling does what Rocko has always done, satirising and tackling modern society, and I'm tempted to say it may work better in the 21st century than it did in the 90's. Obviously that's just my preference, but I ADORED this special, it's honestly like Rocko never left! It has the same witty humour and raunchy moments that made the show so unique (and controversial) in the first place, tackles modern issues amazingly, has a ton of heart and includes a great commentary/message on change. Even if you aren't a fan of Rocko, give this special a shot, I think you'll probably like it.