I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
Reviewed by Andrew Hedley
Everyone knows The Simpsons peaked in the mid 90s. Despite talk of ‘jumping the shark’ – Homer literally did it once whilst waterskiing – the series has withstood attacks from South Park and Family Guy and still ploughs on regardless. Die-hard fans have either grown up or moved on, with a nostalgic sense in their mind of the so-called ‘Golden Age’ when The Simpsons had some truly great storylines. And then along comes a movie. Is it the right time for this, or have they missed the boat? It’s hard to say - the movie’s funny, but sadly offers little of the unexpected.
The town of Springfield is an environmental disaster. Forget Blinky the three-eyed fish, there are worse things lurking in the Springfield Lake nowadays. When Homer dumps even more waste and tips it over the crisis point, the Environmental Protection Agency arrive, soon followed by the US government which has a plan to quarantine Springfield. Homer’s family, as one can imagine, are not too popular with the townsfolk. It’s up to the dysfunctional family to redeem themselves, and save the day once again.
The movie is certainly very funny, with plenty of verbal or sight gags packed into the lean running time. Fans will be able to spot references to the series (particularly a memorable incident at the Springfield Gorge) and the makers have promised to include every character that has ever been in the series (there’s a huge crowd scene, so I bet most of them are hidden in there). There are several moments of pure hilarity and also a couple of ridiculous gags that are more surreal than anything else – see the Bambi homage.
Of course, many viewers of the movie will remember a time long ago when Bart was older than them. He’s ten years old, for the record, and he’s been ten since the show’s debut in 1989. It just pushes the point that we’ve been watching these yellow figures for almost twenty years and their appeal may be slightly waning. As a long-time fan, I hesitate to suggest that the Simpsons have done their dash, but I feel it more than ever now. How many more times can we take Marge forgiving her husband for his wrongdoings?
And if you’re wondering if you should wait for the DVD, then you might want to consider it. The film is very aware of its limitations, and even addresses this issue directly (see Bart’s opening chalkboard message to get some ideas).
The Simpsons Movie is certainly more dramatic than the average television episode, and twice as long (so used to dealing with half-hour episodes, the longer running time feels oddly paced). But it’s still a bit long in the tooth. Compared to other movies playing at the moment, it doesn’t really compare. It’s certainly much funnier than most, but there’s the inescapable feeling that we’re seen it all before.
Good movie great for the kids but made me chuckle too changed my view on the simpsons. :)
Funny? Yes. See it at the movies? No, see it on DVD.
Thought it might have been a bit better but its just the typical same old simpsons
Awesome great moive worth going
love the movie so cool.
Thank goodness the world can count on Homer's idiocy for a steady stream of laughs. This, combined with his total haplessness, wins you over - the bulging eyes of sudden realisation as he flips the fingers to an angry mob and becomes lodged halfway into an escape tunnel. Cutting edge animation isn't required; the charm is in the familiarity of these regular houseguests. In other ways too, silliness triumphs over sophistication...
As entertaining as The Simpsons Movie is – and it is one of the funniest films you’ll likely see at the cinema this year – the portly cue ball’s still got a point. The insane levels of plot secrecy surrounding the film led us to expect something truly incredible was in the works, something that might take the show into the realm of the spectacular, the surreal even (remember the 3-D episode?). Instead, what we get is an extended episode: a very good episode, at times scaling the giddy heights of the show in its prime, but an episode all the same...
Put simply, if somebody had to make a "Simpsons" movie, this is pretty much what it should be -- clever, irreverent, satirical and outfitted with a larger-than-22-minutes plot, capable (just barely) of sustaining a narrative roughly four times the length of It's as funny as its quadruple-episode length should be, while easily sustaining what is, deep down, really a typical single episode storyline - Homer makes monumental stuff up, Homer attempts to fix things, all around him suffer... a standard episode...
How funny is it? Imagine the best bits of all your favourite Simpsons episodes rolled into an 87-minute package. Then add a sensational skateboarding session from a naked Bart, a hilarious guest spot from Green Day, and Homer's pet "spider pig"...
I don't think it was quite as good as the rabid Simpsons fan inside me truly wanted – this is no magnum D'oh-pus. Not much time is spent with any of your favourite peripheral characters – more Mr Burns would have been excellent and you'll spend a long time waiting for Duffman – but there are limits to what you can do in 87 minutes...
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 26th Jul 2007.
Release date: July 26th 2007.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
