Review: Todd and the Book of Pure Evil: The End is the End

The long wait is over for the conclusion to Todd and the Book of Pure Evil.

 

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Todd and the Book of Pure Evil was a Canadian comedy series that aired from 2010-12 and was cut short at two seasons.  The creators of the cult hit television show felt a duty to complete the story.  An Indiegogo campaign was launched soon after the series cancellation asking for $75,000 to create an animated film that would round out the series, and give fans a conclusion.  Five long years after the last episode of Todd and the Book of Pure Evil aired, the animated movie, The End of the End, was finally released in limited Canadian theatres and was released on DVD on December 12, 2017.  The 80-minute film is a compact storyline of the planned third and fourth season.

Overview (Spoilers):

At the end of the television series, Todd had faced his evil guidance counselor, Atticus, ending with the faculty member locked inside the Book of Pure Evil, and Todd banishing the book.  The End of the End begins with Todd’s rival, Elliot, traveling to the ends of the world to find the book, and revive his evil mentor.  Atticus, after seeing inside the darkness of the book puts aside his wicked ways and pursues a life of good.  Frustrating Elliot to the point he takes the powers of the book for himself, becoming a sweater vest monster (which is a lot cooler than it sounds).

Todd is reconnecting with his friends Curtis and Jenny, after he was blamed for the death of their other party member, Hannah.  As the gang comes together to defeat Elliot and his new powers, they are surprised to find Hannah alive and well but, with no memory of how she returned.

The story seemingly returns to the norm that was the TV series, with the gang facing the monsters the book creates one after another- like a boy with exploding acid acne.  Atticus has returned to the school as the janitor and has stuck to his word about being good.  Meanwhile, Todd is cursed with erectile dysfunction, which he attributes to the news that he has been replaced as the Pure Evil One, despite him never wanting that mantle.

Hannah meets another untimely death, and it is revealed that she was a clone.  An eviler Hannah clone is released, who devises a plan to become the new Pure Evil One.  She seduces Todd and returns his erections, much to the anger of his girlfriend, Jenny, which breaks the gang apart.  Hannah is then able to capture Todd and put him in a device to suck the ‘evil’ out of him.  Just in time, Todd’s friends come together and fight the evil Hannah clones to save him.  The film ends with the gang making a vow to fight evil, as long as the book is still out there.

Our Take:

First, I have to commend these creators.  It takes dedication to see a story finished.  After having the show canceled they could have easily walked away but, they saw it through, no matter what.

When I first heard that this film would be a mash-up of the two unconcluded seasons I was rightfully worried that it would feel rushed, or sloppy.  To my surprise, the movie held a solid plot and was composed well as a standalone- with the exception of a couple of cameos you would need to know the series to understand.

That is not to say the film is without flaws.  I mean, we could have done without the multiple musical numbers from a cast that should not be singing.  The humour carried much of the same tone as the series, which is okay but, they had an opportunity with the animated media to step it up.  The only good lines came from Jason Mewes character, Jimmy.

My expectations were not high for this movie, and I am happy to report it is better than I hoped for.  The themes of Canadian high school, pot, Satanism, and metal are all carried over from the original content.  Sure, there may be fewer laughs and action that fans have grown accustomed to from the title but, ultimately, The End of the End delivers on its promise to give the conclusion that they missed out on after the show was canceled.

Score
6.5/10