The Simpsons Movie (2007)

Director: David Silverman
Writers: David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder & Jon Vitti

Voices: Dan Castellaneta (Homer Simpson/Grampa/Krusty/Quimby), Nancy Cartwright (Bart Simpson/Nelson/Ralph Wiggum/Todd Flanders), Julie Kavner (Marge Simpson/Patty/Selma), Yeardley Smith (Lisa Simpson), Hank Azaria (Moe/Frink/Comic-Book Guy/Chief Wiggum/Apu), Harry Shearer (Mr Burns/Lovejoy/Ned Flanders/Lenny/Kent Brockman/Principle Skinner), Albert Brooks (Russ Cargill), Tress MacNeille (Mrs Skinner/Cat Lady), Pamela Hayden (Milhouse/Rod Flanders), Marcia Wallace (Mrs Krabappel), Billie Joe Armstrong (Himself), Tre Cool (Himself), Mike Dirnt (Himself), Joe Mantegna (Fat Tony) & Russi Taylor (Martin)

After Homer accidentally pollutes the town's water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpson family are declared fugitives...

After 20 years and over 400 episodes (incredibly), a genuine pop-culture phenomenon makes its belated big-screen debut -- The Simpsons Movie; a decade late to the party, but still with enough cachet (and best marketing campaign ever) to make people forget the TV show has been limping since the 90s...

You can count me as a Simpsons fan, although it causes me physical pain to watch the show's pale shadow play out on television these days. But, the early years (seasons 3-7) were diamond, so the prospect of a film version crafted by writers from that "Golden Age" (David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti) filled me with cautious optimism...

The Simpsons Movie can be considered a success, if not exactly resounding. There isn't much to challenge its TV glory days, and it's ultimately too played-out to excite, or make you bust a guy laughing, but it's amusing and entertaining.

After a series of nudge-nudge gags at the Simpsons' jump onto celluloid (Ralph Wiggum in the Fox logo, Homer belittling the saps who paid to see an Itchy & Scratchy film), and a fun way to open with Danny Elfman's iconic theme tune, the film slowly gets down to business...

Grampa Simpson has a premonition of doom during a church service, Homer rescues a cute pig from a Krusty commercial, before dumping said hog's excrement into the Springfield Lake – causing mass pollution, that forces incompetent presidential aide Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks; excellent) to contain Springfield inside a protective dome. With the Simpsons blamed for the ostracized town's misery, the family run away to Alaska...

As you'd expect, it plays like an extended episode -- although the film-sized budget allows for refinement in the animation, a few CGI-assisted sequences, glass reflections, an enormous crowd scene, a handful of action set-pieces, and even a nude scene! It doesn't betray its small-screen roots, just better realizes Springfield; expanding the TV world, whilst retaining its snug familiarity...

The vocal talent are as strong as ever, but it's particularly nice to see Albert Brooks return, as the actor guest-voiced some of the best characters in the old days -- most memorably affable master-criminal Hank Scorpio. Brooks is given another antagonist to chew on here as Russ Cargill, and while his performance doesn't rival his previous characters, he's still a fun diversion.

But is it funny? Well, it definitely has its moments, although the jokes aren't really the problem. The story takes it cue from the implausible high-concept style of later TV seasons (a giant dome over a town?), while you get the impression it should have gone with something more believable.

There's the inevitable difficulty in trying to have every character have a turn in the limelight, but only Ned Flanders has anything approaching a big supporting act, and even that only stretched to a listless play for Bart's affections. Every character does appear and most speak a few lines, although some fans will be disappointed popular characters like Krusty and Mr Burns are so neglected. In particular, nuclear power plant owner Mr Burns is a tailor-made big-screen baddie, so it's unfortunate he takes a backseat...

However, with something as cherished and dense as The Simpsons, a movie was always going to be a tricky proposition. For the most part, this succeeds in its aims, although it doesn't have the wow-factor and hit-rate you'd expect from the writing talent assembled.

It's a shame that, despite once leading the comedy herd, hundreds of Simpsons episodes have led to a decline in quality. So, while the long-awaited movie won't linger long in the memory, it's by far the best "episode" in years, and far from a disaster.


20th Century Fox
Budget: $75 million
87 minutes