‘Red vs. Blue: Restoration’ Gives Rooster Teeth a Final Send-Off

Red vs. Blue: Restoration Review

August 3rd, 2016- an episode of one of my favorite web series, Screwattack’s DEATH BATTLE!, aired a crossover episode with another popular web series, Rooster Teeth’s Red vs. Blue. That episode, which pitted Agent Carolina against The Meta, was my first introduction to Red vs. Blue. Curious, I spent the next few months binge-watching most of the series. By the time I finished the rest, I was a firm fan of Rooster Teeth and Red vs. Blue. And since the (then) current season was written as an anthology, I had to wait patiently for the next one to continue the story. In hindsight, though, I had joined the fandom when the show was starting to enter its decline. The next few seasons felt like the show had declined in quality, culminating in 2020’s Red vs. Blue: Zero. That season proved so unpopular it all but killed the show almost overnight. 

Fast forward to Summer 2023, and Rooster Teeth made a significant announcement. The next season of RvB, Red vs. Blue: Restoration, would mark the end of the show. Then, in March 2024, came the news that Rooster Teeth would cease operations in May. This meant that the final season, now transformed into the show’s first and only movie, would not just be the finale to Red vs. Blue. It would be the last project Rooster Teeth would ever produce. As a fan, this was a moment of mixed emotions. While Rooster Teeth’s other IPs sought new homes, the show that birthed the company would be the one to close its doors. The question that loomed was: would it be a fitting end?

The short answer is yes. While not perfect, Red vs. Blue: Restoration is a satisfying send-off to the long-running series and the company it helped to create.

OH NO, THE META IS BACK!

After (mostly) surviving the events of Season 13, the Reds and Blues return to doing what they do best: living in opposing bases and arguing with each other. However, everything changes when they get messages from their late AI comrade, Epsilon, AKA Church. Church fragmented himself to power Tucker’s new suit to ensure the Reds and Blues could make it out of the war on Chorus. The problem is that this led to the return of Sigma, AKA the AI fragment that created their greatest enemy, The Meta. With Tucker turned into a new Meta, the Reds, and Caboose, the only Blue left, have to team up for one last fight to save their friend before he destroys everything.

Even if this wasn’t the final project released by Rooster Teeth, Red vs. Blue: Restoration had to face an uphill battle. The mixed and negative reception to the Shisno Trilogy and Zero had significantly damaged the once-popular show’s reputation. Restoration would be Rooster Teeth’s last chance for the show that gave it life to stick the landing. Thankfully, the film had a secret weapon. Series creator and lead writer, Burnie Burns, returned to write the film, and it showed. The writing was tighter and did a better job of mixing comedy with drama than the post-anthology seasons did, and the characters felt more in line with what fans knew and loved. 

In addition, despite its modest runtime of 80 minutes, Burns filled the film with enough callbacks and easter eggs for longtime fans to drool over. Not to mention that it’s not afraid to call itself out on how old and played out the show has become. They do say being able to laugh at yourself shows humility. However, even that humility might have had its limits, given how the film handles the show’s later Seasons.

Restoration De-Canonized Seasons 15 of RvB Onwards

Like I said before, Seasons 15 onwards of Red vs. Blue did some serious damage to the show’s reputation, with Zero being the worst offender. Burns’ solution, while one of the best aspects of the entire film, is also the most controversial: he makes them non-canon. Everything from the Shisno Trilogy and Zero gets retconned into being simulations run by Church in his final moments. And I’m calling this controversial for a reason. On the one hand, it retcons the seasons that arguably had the weakest stories from the canon and absolves the show of them. On the other hand, it feels disrespectful to those who worked on them. Not to mention, it erases the character development that multiple characters underwent, such as Doc and Donut. 

Speaking of which…

Not an Equally Balanced Use of the Cast

Let’s cut to the chase: not all of the Reds and Blues get equal treatment in the film. That should be expected to an extent given Restoration’s runtime. However, the fact that a few members barely get any screen time felt like a missed opportunity to me. Considering how this is the series finale, potentially the final time we’ll ever see these characters, I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

And, spoiler alert, only some people will make it out of the finale alive. I won’t say who, but at least one character dies partway through in a pretty badass scene, and another is revealed to have not survived the fight aboard Hargrove’s ship. They only appear as hallucinations, as Agent Washington has. 

The bottom line: those who go into Red vs Blue: Restoration expecting moments on par with the Reds, Blues, and Freelancers fighting an army of Tex’s, you might be disappointed. There is plenty of action, but no big stand like the one in Season 10.

Red vs. Blue: Restoration Was the Finale Fans, and Rooster Teeth, Needed

I will be honest here—Red vs. Blue: Restoration is not a flawless film or finale. The runtime could’ve been longer, and they could’ve included more of the original cast at several points. And despite my best efforts, I can’t fully embrace the new person voicing Caboose. Joel Heyman just played the character too perfectly!

But when has Red vs Blue ever been about perfection?

From the moment the first video went up 21 years ago, Red vs Blue made it clear it wasn’t about some badass heroes like Master Chief. It was about many idiots trying their best to stay above water. It just so happened that they started dealing with way more serious stuff somewhere along the way. And no matter how dark things got, they always tried to stay true to their comedic roots. They were imperfect idiots and proud of it, and they stuck true to who they were and what fans grew to love them for. 

The finale is far from as epic as what we got with the Chorus Trilogy, and it might not be as emotional as the end of the Freelancer Saga. Both could’ve easily ended Red vs Blue. But how intimate it feels makes Red vs Blue: Restoration work. It’s not just a finale. It’s a way for the show and the people who made it to thank the fans for the last twenty-one years of their lives. It’s a way for Rooster Teeth to thank everyone for providing awesome content for the last twenty-one years. And even though Red vs Blue and Rooster Teeth might be over, everyone, from the fans to those who worked there, will still have the memories. Heck, if RWBY and DEATH BATTLE! continue, they’ll keep Rooster Teeth’s legacy going for a little bit longer. But for Red vs Blue, this is goodbye for now. You never know if we may see them again one day, after all. And while the show may have never answered the question of “why we’re here,” does that matter now? The journey was more than worth it!

Buenas Noches, Cockbites. Buenas Noches. 

I Give Red vs Blue: Restoration a 4/5