Adventure Time: Islands Spoiler-Free Review

Adventure Time: Islands is an 8-part mini-series event, and the second such event after Stakes. Islands covers episodes 7-14 of the 8th season and is scheduled to air on Cartoon Network in the US January 30th to February 2nd (similar to the latest Stevenbomb event). However, those who want to watch it early can purchase the complete set now available for digital download on Amazon and iTunes. I, of course, watched this in advance, so here's a short, spoiler-free review.

Islands follows up the revelations shown in last season's two-part finale "Preboot" and "Reboot", in which other humans happen to exist outside of Ooo, and that Susan Strong is part cyborg.  Finn, Jake, Susan, and BMO went on a journey to find the islands where Susan Strong originated from, as well as to learn more about the rest of the human race.

Islands answers one of the biggest questions regarding the lore of Adventure Time - what became of the human race after the Mushroom War. The event also reveals in full detail Susan Strong's origins, as well as provide closure for her character. Finn for his part gets a revelation and a reunion of someone from his past (those who bought the official Adventure Time Cookbook will know who). All this while the tone of Islands is dialed back to the show's roots, with each episode being a really fun adventure for Finn and the gang. I actually watched Islands with my niece and nephew and they both enjoy the adventure and comedy Islands brings, even in scenes where they make references to The Matrix and Alien franchises.

It's nice to see Finn & Jake go back on adventuring, to which a lot of fans have missed seeing in this series as of late. At the same time, those who have heavily invested themselves in Adventure Time will have some emotional feels with regards to Finn and Susan, thanks to their major character development, and Susan's closure. However, the proggression leading to their resolve is fitting and is transitioned smoothly. I do commend the writers for a good job at that. Those who bought the Digital Download version or the upcoming DVD release will also get a treat that each episode has a different ending animation and tone, something you will never see in the broadcast version.

Kids will definitely enjoy the advetnures of Finn and the gang in Islands. But for adults, they cannot help but notice a relation between what is shown in Islands, and what we see now in today's world. In a way, Adventure Time: Islands is a subtle, metaphoric, cautionary tale of what our world would be if Finn, meaning us, do nothing about it.

In the end, Adventure Time: Islands has plenty to offer - science fiction, comedy, a bit of drama, and of course, plenty of adventure. It's quite a roller coaster ride that is so enjoyable, it's worth keeping the Digital Download, the DVD, or on your DVR when it airs on Cartoon Network. On a scale of 1 to 5, I give Adventure Time: Islands a 5 out of 5.