The Venture Bros.: Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart is a 2023 American direct-to-video adult animated science fiction action adventure film based on the Adult Swim animated series The Venture Bros., where it serves as the series finale. The film is directed and co-written by the series creator Jackson Publick and writer Doc Hammer, who serves as the film's executive producers and features the voices of the show's returning principal cast, James Urbaniak, Patrick Warburton, Michael Sinterniklaas, Publick and Hammer. The film centers on a nationwide manhunt for Hank Venture, which leads to a coming darkness from the past that involves the Venture Family, the Guild, and the Monarch themselves.

Originally envisioned as a potential eighth season of the series, the film is the second of Adult Swim's line of straight-to-video movies after Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm, and was released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on digital on July 21, 2023, and Blu-ray on July 25, 2023, followed by its availability on Max (known during the film's production as HBO Max) 90 days later.

Plot 

Three days after Hank's disappearance, the O.S.I. is distracted with a low-level Guild villain attacking one of their labs with powerful technology supplied by new organization ARCH. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch and Red Death are assigned to investigate. The Monarch is forbidden from attacking Dr. Venture until their relationship is confirmed, and VenTech's "HelperPod" virtual assistant is laden with a bug that makes it levitate while playing music.

Driven by guilt over sleeping with Hank's girlfriend, Dean goes to Orpheus for help, who goes with Jefferson to find him. Acting on advice from his imaginings of various characters he enjoys playing, Hank makes his way back to the compound. The Monarch is approached by his ex-girlfriend and ARCH's invisible leader Mantilla, who promises to let him arch Dr. Venture if he joins them. Hank encounters Dermott upon his arrival at the compound, who reveals he found a picture of "Bobbi St. Simone" signed to Dr. Venture amongst his collection of stolen Venture memorabilia.

Jefferson is attacked by blaculas in Chicago, where Dean is seemingly bitten by one and tries to hide it. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch is framed as ARCH's leader, but Red Death helps her escape. The Monarch and 21 are abandoned by ARCH upon breaking in to VenTech Tower. Mantilla uses 21's phone to hack into the HelperPods and use their levitating bug to uproot the tower, sending into orbit. Hank arrives at Bobbi's animal sanctuary, who explains that she had a brief tryst with Jonas after he gave her invisibility powers for a movie. She was recruited by the O.S.I. as a Guild mole, but fell in love with Force Majeure and had a daughter, Mantilla, running away with her after The Sovereign killed her father. Hank, overwhelmed by his head injury, falls back into purgatory.

Billy and Pete advise Rusty to individually destroy the HelperPods to slowly lower the tower back to earth. He, Hatred, The Monarch, and 21 are nearly killed by their gravitational field when they try, forcing them to hide in the air ducts. Dr. Mrs. The Monarch breaks into Mantilla's apartment, where she is waiting for her and explains that she wants to run ARCH with her. She mentions that Dr. Venture gave her Bobbi's invisibility in exchange for her eggs (implying that she is technically Hank and Dean's mother) and that she is the rightful heir to the Guild. She turns off the HelperPods in exchange for Guild immunity, causing the tower to start falling at a lethal speed. Orpheus comes to purgatory to rescue Hank, who is moved by the fact that Dean is the one who led his rescue.

Dean accidentally transports himself to purgatory and is attacked by the physical manifestations of Hank's characters. Orpheus pulls them out and Hank forgives him. Hatred discovers Ventronic inside the tower. They get inside it and grab the tower, though The Monarch accidentally ejects his part of the robot in the process. Aided by the O.S.I.'s mothership, Ventronic safely lowers the tower into the ruins of the compound, while The Monarch is crushed by the fallen statue of Jonas after leaving the arm. Dean nervously reveals his bite to Jefferson, who explains that he injured himself on Jefferson's tooth necklace.

Ben arrives on the scene and saves The Monarch's life by using Dr. Venture’s blood for a transfusion, and Ben reveals that they are not related—The Monarch is actually Dr. Venture’s clone made for his infertile parents. Ben gives Hank Jonas's old watch, telling him that "blood doesn't make a family, loves does." A weakened but impassioned Monarch declares his determination to hate Dr. Venture and leaves in triumph. In a post-credits scene, a young Dr. Venture reveals Hank and Dean to H.E.L.P.eR., who are growing in an artificial womb attached to his chest.

Cast

James Urbaniak as Dr. Thaddeus "Rusty" Venture, Phantom Limb
Patrick Warburton as Brock Samson
Michael Sinterniklaas as Dean Venture
Chris McCulloch as Hank Venture, The Monarch, Sgt. Hatred, Pete White, Gen. Hunter Gathers, H.E.L.P.eR., Colonel Gentleman, The Action Man, The Pirate Captain, Dragoon, Dr. Z, Watch
Doc Hammer as Dr. Mrs. The Monarch, Henchman 21, Billy Quizboy, Dermott, Shore Leave, Red Mantle, Ward
Nina Arianda as Mantilla
Clancy Brown as Red Death
John Hodgman as Snoopy
Hal Lublin as Clayton
Jane Lynch as Bobbi St. Simone 
Charles Parnell as Jefferson Twilight
Jay Pharoah as Nuno Blood
Steven Rattazzi as Dr. Orpheus 
J.K. Simmons as Ben 
Dana Snyder as The Alchemist

Production
After the conclusion of the seventh season in October 2018, the series was announced to be renewed for an eighth season. On September 5, 2020, one of the show's illustrators, Ken Plume, tweeted that The Venture Bros. was cancelled. Jackson Publick confirmed two days later that the show was cancelled. The script for Season 8 had been partially written at the time of its cancellation a few months before the public announcement.

Following the announcement, Adult Swim stated via Twitter that "We also want more Venture Bros. and have been working with Jackson and Doc to find another way to continue the Venture Bros. story". On November 13, 2020, HBO Max general manager Andy Forssell tweeted that HBO Max was "working on" reviving The Venture Bros. On May 12, 2021, it was announced that a direct-to-video film was greenlit for production from Adult Swim, which will conclude the story from the series, and air on HBO Max 90 days after its home video release. In April 2023, it was announced that HBO Max would re-launch as Max on May 23 that year.

Production for the film was finished in March 2023.

Release 
Radiant Is the Blood of the Baboon Heart was made available on digital platforms July 21, 2023 and released on Blu-ray on July 25.

Reception 
The film received highly positive reviews from critics and audiences. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 89% approval rating based on reviews from 9 critics. Nick Valdez of ComicBook.com said that the film was an "emotional finale" to the series, stating that "It's the kind of ending that leaves you wanting more. Not because the film itself was lacking, but because it leaves you with such a warm feeling that you don't want it to ever end. And for those who've watched The Venture Bros. for all this time, it'll likely hit a hundred times harder." Danielle Dowling, writing for The New York Times, also said that the film ended on a high note and said that "If we were never to see the Ventures again, “Radiant” lets us part with them on a high note, but hopefully this end is just the beginning."

References

External links

2023 films
2023 animated films
2023 black comedy films
2023 action comedy films
2020s American animated films
2020s monster movies
American adult animated films
2020s English-language films
American black comedy films
American action comedy films
Adult Swim films
Warner Bros. direct-to-video animated films
Animated films based on animated series
Films based on television series
The Venture Bros.