‘The Simpson’s Movie’ (2007)

Is this movie science fiction? Not at all. Is it fantasy? Only in the same way that any fictional work ultimately is. Is it horror? Errr… still no. What’s it doing here then? Two reasons; any cartoon show that borrows so heavily from popular culture will somehow find a little niche here and I thought it was really funny…
I’d be surprised if you didn’t know the story by now but here goes. Springfield faces ultimate disaster and the only person who can save them is the man who got the whole town trapped behind an indestructible transparent dome in the first place. Who is this man? I’ll give you a clue, his catchphrase is “d’oh!” You guessed it.
Take a regular episode of the Simpsons; multiply it’s length by three and the number of jokes (visual and otherwise) by the largest number you can think of. You now have the Simpson’s Movie; an hour and a half’s worth of prophecies of doom, Bart skateboarding naked, the death of Green Day, spider pig (great song by the way) and Maggie Simpson’s first word…
I’d actually gone off the Simpson’s recently (especially when Channel 4 keep repeating the same damn episodes!) so wasn’t sure what to expect. I’m glad I went though, as I can’t remember the last time I laughed so hard and for so long. At it’s best the Simpson’s has always been irreverent and takes no prisoners, while the movie may not match some of the classic episodes it is still definitely the Simpson’s at its best. I could tell you all the bits that made me laugh the most but to be honest it would actually be quicker to go and see the movie for yourself, I’ll guarantee that you will enjoy it.
The story is a bit disjointed to start off with, as various plot strands converge, but soon hits top gear. There is so much happening on the screen that you will need to find a way to keep your eyelids propped open so you don’t miss anything. While this may prove uncomfortable it’s well worth it. The animation is no different from that used on the TV shows (how else could they do it?) but it’s still good and it makes a change to see an animated film where the story isn’t swamped by the animators trying to prove how ‘cutting edge’ they are.
In short, go and see the Simpson’s Movie (whatever it takes) for that warm feeling inside that you get when you’ve laughed so hard that you’ve almost ruptured something…

Nine and a Half out of Ten