A return to the satire and wit that made the TV show so memorable in the first place

Rating: 8/10 (27 July 2007)

It should come as no surprise to anyone that The Simpsons Movie is as hyped or anticipated as it is. After eighteen seasons, the show still pulls in decent and consistent ratings, and even though the quality of the show has fallen a bit by the wayside the past few years, it will still rule supreme as one of the most popular television series' of all time. But with dodgy episodes as of late (and by late, I mean at least the last five years), the real question was whether or not the film would suffer.
Thankfully, it seems, the writers were waiting for something like this to truly let the show and its characters shine.
Curiously, the trailers are very cryptic as to what the film is actually about. I found out a few days before, and I think it ruined a few of the surprises that were in store. But for the most part, for all Simpsons fans young and old, be prepared for a treat.
Yes, the film does feel like an overextended episode, but not in the traditional sense. Whereas the Family Guy DVD movie literally felt like three episodes of the show strewn together, The Simpsons Movie actually makes a point of allowing the entirety of the film to feel cohesive and all so very attached to itself. Of course, this also means that it did not truly stretch the fabric confines of what is allowed in a movie as opposed to what is allowed on television (save for some extra violence, a few casual swear words, and one very bizarre skateboard-related dare). But while this element helped the South Park film become the controversial musical epic that it was back in 1998, I think it would have worked against The Simpsons.
By making it very in tune with the TV show, and feeling like it could stand side-by-side just about any episode, it is a true ode to the fans, and to all people who just loved watching the show in its prime. Loaded to the max with references to pop culture and even the series itself, it truly is a blast to watch for anyone who catches the random episodes shown every hour of every day.
The story, for what little amount of story there is, is fairly intriguing and a lot different than I envisioned it (even with knowing a little more about it). The many writers have clearly understood what worked and what did not over the entire Simpsons run, and have constructed what I would believe is a new rendition of the olden style. It feels like an old Simpsons episode, but we know it has been created now, during the slump of creativity where the show is concerned. I always hoped that they were saving all the good ideas for the movie, and with a few exceptions, I think I was right. It is better written, better voice-acted (everyone is back, and everyone is just as good as ever), and so much funnier than anything that has come out of that camp since at least the early 2000's. There are moments where I laughed so hard, that I forgot I was watching a Simpsons cartoon as new as this. And even when the comedic moments fall flat on their face, it still comes off as something worth a smile.
The animation is an interesting case all in itself. While the characters are animated using traditional hand-drawn techniques, all of the backgrounds are clearly computer-generated. It works in instances where the characters are just talking or when they are moving around normally, but it looks a little bizarre during scenes with excessive movement (the mob scene in the trailers is one such example). It gets a little jagged, and the hand-drawn stuff just does not look proper in any of these scenes. One small scene close to the end of the film, with Homer dreaming, just looks horrendous with the combination of traditional and computer animation. It just does not work together, and I think it may have been better off to just stick with traditional animation for the entirety of the film (since computer generated versions of The Simpsons clan would have truly been one of the worst moves in film history if it were to have been done). I liked that the creators experimented with such a process, but it just looks like it should have been done a little differently.
But I cannot help but feel that this film may truly be the swansong for The Simpsons. With it being handled so well, and actually edging back into the satirical wit the show once had, the film feels a lot more like a goodbye than anything. By bringing everyone together like this, it makes me imagine that the creators are trying to come up with the most proper goodbye that anyone could imagine for these insanely popular characters. It truly was a collaborative effort, and it shows in how much works in the movie, and how much no longer works so well on the show. After years of waiting, the creators finally delivered on a promise first thought-up in the early 1990's, and it will be worth the wait for many fans. But if this not the way they were figuring they would go out, than what is? Should I start getting excited for what may be in store for this family of five in the future, or should I stay content that the filmmakers actually pulled of the movie, and truly made it great?
Whatever the answer, the wait is over, and fans should rejoice. The Simpsons Movie is funny, sweet, tender, and all so entertaining. It is exactly what we have been waiting for, and almost no one should be disappointed by the final result.
8.5/10.