Los Simpsons - La película

Now I don't want to rag on the Simpsons movie. The Simpsons is one of my all time favorite show. I have seen every episode, most more than once, and own every season that is available on DVD.

I waited a long time for this movie. Ever since the preview/trailer last Superbowl I have been counting down the days until it's release. I hate to say, it wasn't worth the anticipation.

Homer saves Springfield after causing the trouble in the first place. Nothing we haven't seen before (ie. the Garbage Commissioner episode). I was really hoping they would do something outrageous to make it worth my $10, but other than 3 seconds of Bart's "unit" there was nothing here to offer.

If you are a fan, you should see this movie. If you only having a passing interest, wait for the DVD.

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Unfortunately i did not think the movie lived up to the hype. probably the most successful TV series/cartoon ever made, but not one of the greatest movies. I did think before watching the movie that the writers would struggle to find the perfect storyline to ice the proverbial cake that they have spent so many years 'baking', and they did. not the most original story line in history with some very random plot twists, and some very out of character decisions. A lot of the gags played on previous jokes from the TV show, which being a watcher i understood, but didn't find all that funny, but left the first timer guessing a bit. the movie as a whole had a surrealism about it, as though it had not been written by the same people who had previously provided me with hours of entertainment. very predictable in places, but awkwardly random in others. i must say i did find parts of the movie funny, and didn't wish i hadn't seen it, but that does not save the film. i feel this film has come 5 years too late, they should have made it in the shows prime.

Just about everything I could have hoped for from a Simpsons movie including the heart the show has been lacking for several seasons now. If you like the easy breathing pace of the early years of The Simpsons you'll find a lot to like in the movie. The gags are leisurely and natural and even when they fail (Comic Book Guy comes to mind), another drops in to pick up the laugh. What's most surprising, in addition to a much needed return to consistent characters, is that the movie manages to balance the plot and the gags with near perfection. Regardless what you may think going in, it does feel like a "real" movie from beginning to end and not just an extended show. Albert Brooks once again steals the show as the Director of the EPA, though Tom Hanks does the best celebrity cameo the show has seen in ages. "tousle my hair Mr. Hanks!"

There was a time when "The Simpsons" stood for the funniest, most original comedy on the planet. Somewhere around season 8 the show passed its prime, though, and since then it varies from good to okay and sometimes even insipid. I was hoping that for the movie the writers would really push themselves and come up with some really clever and new ideas one more time, but for all the years of developing that supposedly went into this, the movie seems like nothing more than an extended TV episode of latter day "Simpsons".

I have to admit that I'm not really convinced of the concept of putting an animated TV series on the big screen in the first place. Even the "South Park" movie that tried to incorporate theatrical elements such as the musical numbers didn't really justify the need for a cinematic adventure. Most animated comedy shows have a very fast paced humor with quick editing. This works for an episode of 25-30 minutes, but in a movie with 90 minutes running time it would become too exhausting for the audience. Therefore the whole thing has to be slowed down, which in return takes away a lot of the show's comedic appeal. It's a lose-lose situation as they say.

As a consequence "The Simpsons Movie" is unusually slow at times. At the same time the storyline is not really stretched to cinematic proportions. Epic as it may be, similar topics have already been dealt with in the TV show (and better). It's been said before and it's true: nothing here tries to push any boundaries and except for the length of the whole thing (and maybe some annoying people in the theater who watch the movie with you) you would never realize that this is a "Simpsons"-motion picture.

Other flaws include the fact that some inhabitants of Springfield have only very brief cameos (Mr. Burns!) and that some ideas have been used in a fairly similar way before. As entertaining as the movie still may be, it is also pretty predictable at times. This kind of "underachieving", as some critic called it, may have its own charm, but in the end one would have hoped for this to be a bit more special. The movie is by no means a catastrophe, but by "Simpsons"-standards it's just not good enough.

"The Simpsons" have become a brand. People know what to expect and therefore applaud even a relatively average movie like this one. To rely on that is a bit lazy, however, and one wishes that producers put an end to Homer's adventures as long as we can still remember him and the other beloved inhabitants of Springfield as characters that completely revolutionized comedy at one point and not as money making merchandising props.

In this big-screen adventure featuring the lovable folk of Springfield, trouble brews for the Simpson family after Homer irresponsibly pollutes the local water supply with tons of pig manure. As a result of this thoughtless action, the town is encased in a huge dome by the Environment Protection Agency and, after angry Springfield citizens form a lynch mob, Homer and his family are forced to become fugitives.

How much you enjoy The Simpsons Movie will depend entirely on your opinion of the current Simpsons TV show: if you have loved the past few seasons, then you'll have a great time—the movie is as funny, if not slightly better, than your average episode of recent years. Those of us, however, who recognise that the show has long since passed its prime will feel underwhelmed: the movie is often amusing, but very rarely hilarious.

And that's just not good enough! When a series as successful as The Simpsons takes 20 years to make the leap from the small screen to the big screen, it had better be damn good—nay, it had better be exceptional!! Instead, this rather uninspired product just doesn't make the wait worthwhile.

5 out of 10, bumped up to 6 out of a misguided sense of loyalty to a show that has given me so much fun in the past.