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Fox Broadcasting Company's The Simpsons television series is undoubtedly an international entertainment institution. Matt Groening's creation is America's longest-running sitcom and Homer, the patriarch of the satirical title family, even has his trademark catchphrase "D'oh!" adopted into the English lexicon. The phenomenal success of the show spawned a huge 1990s boom in the animation field, a discipline once seen as childish by cutthroat network executives, and Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have become pop culture icons. Granted, the quality of the series (over 400 episodes and about to enter a 19th season) is seemingly experiencing a slight dip in quality, but ultimately there is no denying that the wit and realism of the show has changed television forever.
In addition, the long-awaited motion picture of the series endeavours to change what we recognise as an animated film in the age of CGI dominance. In typical Simpsons fashion a trailer for the much anticipated blockbuster involved lampooning the glitz of the 3-D image. The yellowish kind of animation doesn't look pretty but it's certainly familiar. Many writers from the show's early days have been recruited to freshen up the script (a script which reportedly had a hundred rewrites), and their efforts result in a gag literally every thirty seconds. For the first time we see expletives and taboos which surpass the family suitability gamut - Homer flips the middle finger and Bart voluntarily exposes himself. In fact, let's envisage the latter incident for you. Imagine the opening sequence to Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) with Austin's private parts covered up by various objects. Right, now times that illustration by ten, add the factor of a moving skateboard, a hint of yellow genitalia, and you have one of the film's funniest sequences - a succession of images you would never see in the television series. If this wasn't humorous enough, the writers go further, an attribute that sets their show apart from South Park, Family Guy, King of the Hill, or even live-action like Malcolm in the Middle. In the midst of the commotion, tertiary character Ralph Wiggum blurts out one of his trademark non sequiturs, "I like men now!" with perfect comedic timing.
A problem arises however as the eighty minutes of feature time slip away: truly great laughs. The extensive marketing trailers have given so much away in regards to the film's best gags and all we are left with is a diluted string of set-ups with predictable punchlines. Political messages take the place of shameful exclusions - who wants poor Hilary Clinton and Al Gore references when we would quite easily welcome more involvement from Groundskeeper Willie, Apu and even Mr Burns? It's a shame that characters like Troy McClure are not around to be in a feature film (voice actor Phil Hartman was murdered in 1998), but it's up to the writers to reproduce quality in the same vein from the supporting characters. Green Day and Tom Hanks are still around to fulfil the cameo quota but even the ammunition they are presented with is misfired.
Overall, the film can be seen as an extended episode, a mediocre one at that. Who cares about Homer alienating himself from his family and Springfield yet again? Of course, when you have a family who never get older or progress in life at all, plot repetition is bound to occur. However, this storyline must be one of the most overused. Springfield is trapped in a gigantic dome to make sure the pollution from the town does not affect surrounding areas - Ned Flanders, in an unrelated exchange with Bart, states that the town is bordered by Nevada, Maine, Kentucky and Ohio, another attempt to trick people into the whereabouts of the fictional place. Even though this premise is weak, some slight comic relief finds its way on screen. President Schwarzenegger is a hoot and you feel a tad sorry for the inhabitants of a civilization that will soon be eradicated from satellite navigation systems, but the reasons for the sudden change into lawlessness and mayhem by Springfield's finest is rather poorly explained. In addition, other subplots are poorly presented and hurriedly clarified; the excursion to Alaska by our yolky main family is an utter timewaster, Lisa falling in love is frankly just a strange add-on, and Bart under the guardianship of Flanders for nearly the whole film is unlike the attitude of the spiky-haired ten-year-old we have grown to adore over the years.
Diehard fans will simply be relieved however that they get to see their favourite programme on the silver screen, even if the whole thing is rather unnecessary and just an extension of what they can see for free on television. This review seems rather negative but it's only because one expects so much more from an idea over ten years in the making. Fun can still be had but do not expect fireworks.
The summary
Unfortunately just a decent extended episode.
