"Family Guy: It's a Trap!" Review: Hilarious Fun For All Us Geeks

It’s not normal for a show to actually introduce itself by telling viewers to lower their expectations. But then nothing about “Family Guy” has ever been normal…

When “Family Guy: It’s a Trap!” the last in the show’s “Star Wars” spoofs begins, that’s exactly what the scroll on the screen encourages us to do. The introduction tells us that no one associated with the show wanted to do a third “Star” movie and FOX made them do it. And in the DVD commentary, creator Seth MacFarlane says that’s totally true.

But since we’re talking about MacFarlane here, it’s hard to tell whether it’s true or not. I’m just glad a third one was made because things wouldn’t have been the same without it…

Now, I will admit that I don’t think this one is as funny as the other two. And there are a few more inappropriate jokes than normal (including one about Leia in the gold bikini that will have “Star Wars” fans scratching their heads). But the movie is still hilarious as you will go back and forth between laughing out loud and saying out loud, “That’s not funny.”

As in “Blue Harvest” and “Something Something Dark Side,” each of the “Family” characters takes a role from the movie with the Griffins—Chris (Luke), Peter (Han), Lois (Leia), Stewie (Darth Vader) and Brian (Chewbacca)—taking on the major roles (Since there are very few female characters in “Wars,” Meg is once again reduced to playing a monster.). You’ll also see characters from “American Dad” and “The Cleveland Show” taking part to fill in the roles.

“Trap” is not as much of a scene-by-scene recreation as “Harvest” or “Dark Side,” but it hits all of the movie’s major parts. The real difference between this one and the others is that it takes more shots at the actual movie. Jabba the Hutt’s gibberish, the method used to destroy the Death Star and even Yoda’s death scene all get brought down to size. And, no surprise, the Ewoks take a lot of hits (Am I the only “Star Wars” fan that liked them?).

But my favorite target of “Trap” is George Lucas himself as several shots are taken at changes made for the special edition. And if I’m not mistaken, the movie even uses the original Ewok song for the ending that Lucas actually changed, only proving that Lucas should have left well enough alone.

Yes, “Trap” is inappropriate and sometimes just downright wrong. But that doesn’t make it any less hilarious. If you’re a “Family Guy” fan, you must own this one. And if you’re a “Star Wars” fan who hates the Ewoks, or Lucas’ changes or any other part of “Jedi,” you’ll want to see this one as well. It will make you feel like there’s someone out there who understands you…

The DVD also has some pretty funny extras. There’s a voice mail message from Darth Vader to Luke, a behind-the-scenes look at the drawing process and a commentary with the writers, director and creator Seth MacFarlane. But my favorite extra is “Star Wars Trivial Pursuit: The Ultimate Championship,” which shows an actual game of “Star Wars Trivial Pursuit” between the four writers and producers. It’s fun because you can actually play along with them. And I actually did pretty well.

Which only proves what I already knew—I am a geek. And maybe that’s why I really love “Trap.” It’s something created just for us by people just like us—big old geeks.

“Family Guy: It’s a Trap!” is available in stores and online Tuesday, December 21st. Also hitting stores tomorrow is “Laugh It Up Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy.”

Photo Credit: Fox Home Entertainment