The Simpsons Movie

Wednesday night, I went along to the advanced screened of The Simpsons Movie.

Released worldwide today, its been 18 years since the yellow family from middle America arrived on screens. In this 87 minute film Homer mistakenly pollutes the river with toxic waste from the power plant, he loses his job and forces evacuation from Springfield, possibly forever.

The film really does feel like an extended episode, with some computer animation thrown in. The animation quality is very good, very clean and looks great on the big screen, trouble is that Family Guy has had the same quality of animation from day one. I won’t get into a “Which is better” argument, personally I prefer Family Guy, because it is still young and has the freedom to try things Simpsons can’t do.

Now don’t get me wrong, there are some great lines such as Montgomery Burns, relishing a moment of power over his fellow Springfielders, sneers: “So! For once the rich white man is in control!” There are some brilliant sight gags, the “Spider-Pig” sequence, the naked Bart raised some big laughs from the surprisingly small audience in the cinema.

But as I was walking out of the cinema, I realised that I didn’t feel the ”wow” that comes from seeing a film that sucks you in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. Not much was added to the mix to make this stand out from some of the good episodes of the better seasons.

I’m glad I’ve seen The Simpsons Movie, and it delivers plenty of laughs but I don’t think it will be worth repeat viewing. In summary, I just don’t think the cinema screen is the place for the Simpsons, lets wait until Friday 5th October, when Pixar’s Ratatouille is released, then I think we will see what animated cinema is really all about.