Good movie but grossly overrated

Best movie ever!

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Another power cut hits the Griffin household leaving them devoid of any form of media to distract them from one another. Faced with the horror of family conversation, Peter tells a story that follows on from his previous tale, following the young Jedi Luke and the Rebellion as they fight the forces of the Empire in a galaxy far, far away.As with Blue Harvest before it, this "film" was promoted on DVD in the UK despite being less than an hour long. With my experience from Blue Harvest (where it screened for free on the BBC a few days after DVD release) I didn't buy it but did watch it for free when I got the chance because I did find that the previous Star Wars episode was very funny indeed. Ironically (considering they contrast with it), "Dark Side" echoes the second Robot Chicken Star Wars episode by managing to be both very funny but at the same time not quite as good as their first attempt.The Family Guy special has the additional assistance of having the structure provided by Empire Strikes Back itself, rather than being all gags like RC was, and this does sustain it. Part of this is the value of Fox's FG being able to utilise the film and music as much as it does, so even if a specific moment isn't particularly funny, there is still the novelty value of it having the look and feel of the film itself. Of course this is not enough and it does help that, while not as rapid fire as Robot Chicken, this special is still very funny thanks to the usual Family Guy sense of humour and lots of clever gags at the gentle expense of Empire. Given that Family Guy does pop culture reference jokes, this is quite the partnership and does work well. I noticed more misses than in Blue Harvest, moments where I wasn't laughing, but the hits still outnumber these by quite some degree. The characters are well used as before and I was quite pleased that Herbert/Obi-wan had significantly less time here, since I thought he was overused in the first special.Generally the film (extended episode) works well because the target audience will love the film and also get the sense of humour with which Family Guy affectionately spoofs it. This does have more misses in it than Blue Harvest but it is still very funny and worth seeing (although not worth the full cost of a DVD). Biggest laugh is saved for the end, with a repeat of the ribbing of Seth Green (Chris) really hitting the mark.

So I'll pretty much repeat what many others have said in these reviews. In comparison to Blue Harvest (the first Star Wars Family Guy parody), this is actually quite bad.The plot basically plays out exactly like The Empire Strikes Back, expect shorter, and with Family Guy characters, and with some jokes thrown in that really aren't all that funny...sure there are some "ha ha" moments, but when I saw Blue Harvest, I was rolling on the floor and my sides were splitting with laughter. Every scene was set up perfectly, and the jokes just kept on a-rollin'. It was (and is) a classic. This sequel feels like a rush job and it feels like there is little enthusiasm, much like the most recent seasons of Family Guy. Either the writers have changed, or they've run out of steam, kinda like Led Zeppelin near the end.I bought this on BluRay and paid way too much for it. Don't waste your money. Get it on iTunes if you can...or rent it.

First of all, I'm not a fan of Family Guy. My brother keeps showing me episodes, trying to get me interested, and I've yet to find the show appealing.That said, I enjoyed Blue Harvest. Aside from the creepy paedophile that wouldn't go away, the show was full of humorous pokes at Star Wars, pointing out plot holes and inconsistencies.So, when Something, Something, Something Dark Side came out, I was looking for the same experience. Instead, what I got was an unfunny hour, filled with inside references and characters belabouring punchlines, as if the audience was too stupid to get the jokes without help.Too bad.

First of all, i'll admit I was going into this movie with a lot of expectations, considering how excellent Blue Harvest, and Family Guy in general is. If you also have these ridiculously high expectations, prepare for some degree of disappointment (Unless you like profanity and violence without context). There is just something wrong here, and longtime Family Guy fans are sure to see it (Oh dear God I hope). It's like they wanted to recreate the movie with their characters, rather than make a parody of it. Blue Harvest poked a lot of fun at some of the plot elements of A New Hope, yet Something x 3 Darkside seems to lack the same irreverent "haha wtf George Lucas" humour. There are of course, exceptions, like the "giant boob nipple gun" of Hoth, and the Bespin speeders. Peter/Solo's response to Lois/Leia before the freezing in carbonite just seemed unnecessary. Also, normally I don't mind the random violence on FG, but something about Peter's sudden punching out of Lois seemed off and unfunny as well. On the plus side, the Rocky training montage is awesome, the shot at Meg is spot on, plus the ending is a neat twist too. Overall, Something x 3 Darkside just doesn't take enough shots at the original, like Blue Harvest, to make it a good enough parody. Fingers crossed for the third.