Not bad, but way too late

Rating: 6/10 (11 August 2007)

There's an advert doing the rounds in the UK Odeon cinema chain at the moment proudly proclaiming 2007 to be the best summer of movies ever. Having seen it several times, I'm beginning to think I might be getting too cynical to go and see films anymore, because so far this year I have ho-hummed my way through Spiderman 3, sat befuddled through Pirates 3, smirked occasionally during Shrek 3 and failed to see what the fuss was with Transformers. And now, having seen the Simpsons movie, it pains me to say it but the best thing I can bring myself to say is that it's okay. It's not outlandishly brilliant, or a complete disaster. It's just average is all. Six stars out of ten which passes an hour and a half quite nicely but doesn't leave you craving the DVD release. But, at least it's better than the Family Guy movie.
On the plus side, the kids are going to love it. The screening I attended was packed out with ankle biters and they laughed every second, but for the seasoned Simpsons fanatics there is a definite sense of slight disappointment. The jokes are funny and the characters are as charming as ever, but it doesn't quite make the big enough leap to qualify as anything other than an extended TV episode. Sure, the animation is better and the colours sharper, but it's hard to shake the impression that it's merely an overlong TV script, knocked out quickly on a Friday afternoon so as to meet a deadline.
The obvious comparison points would be the South Park and Family Guy movies. The Family Guy one was a disaster - three episodes strung together with no funny jokes and an overwhelming air of self satisfaction. The South Park movie meanwhile was terrific - it took the formula that made the show so great and amplified it to every extreme. The Simpsons movie falls somewhere between the two; it's still a step up, but ever since the series got increasingly outlandish, having Homer and co embark on an epic adventure to save Springfield isn't quite so dramatic anymore. If this had come out around the time of the eighth or ninth seasons when the show (arguably) was at its peak, it would have felt more like the event it always should have been.
What's more, there's Homer. Let's be honest about Homer Simpson for a minute here, he's not that great a character anymore is he? He's crass, self-centred, bigoted, stupid and has so many mood shifts he's teetering on the brink of having multiple personalities. And in this film he's a complete jerk who becomes increasingly difficult to cheer on the more the plot develops. The lovable but dim-witted buffoon of the early series is now gone, replaced by a lumbering imbecile that sings an unfunny song about Spiderpigs.
Considering how beloved the Simpsons are however, none of what I'm saying ultimately matters. It's going to make millions and keep on making millions and while it is occasionally so funny I was in pain, it still feels like a let down, probably because it overdoses on slapstick and a large number of jokes might as well consist of Matt Groening shouting: "Look everybody! Homer Simpson is an idiot!" It's okay, but sadly is just the latest average film in a summer that's overflowing with them. I really, really hope that The Bourne Ultimatum is incredible, or I'll have to give up on multiplex blockbusters and start going to independent cinemas, wear berets and take up chain smoking.