Some Glimpses Of The Old Genius

Rating: 6/10 (27 February 2013)

The Simpsons Movie is curious. What was one of the greatest television programmes ever broadcast until season eleven, and a very good show until season fourteen, eventually nosedived by the time it reached season fifteen, and the quality of this monumentally enjoyable series plummeted into the rock bottom territory in finds itself in today. The film is an unusual experience, as it offers a mixture of both the great and awful periods of the show and, to its credit, creates a new standalone experience of its own, meaning that despite any criticisms, at least it feels like a legitimate film, not just an overlong television episode.
The story itself however is all over the place, an effect I suspect the writers may have suffered after nearly twenty years of the show being written to fit twenty minute time slots rather than nearly ninety. The plot of Homer bring about the family's exile from Springfield after causing a major environmental disaster, and their eventual attempt to return to the town when they hear of an evil plot hatched by a dastardly government agent, is amusing and gives the Simpson family plenty of screen-time, particularly Lisa who gets a surprisingly affecting love story sub-plot, but as it progresses and more crazy and uneven plot-lines develop, it feels like the writers are struggling to keep it moving forward. Despite avoiding the trap of feeling like an extra-long episode, the film's plot just seems incapable of sustaining itself throughout the whole running time, and occasionally becomes desperate for momentum.
Despite this, Matt Groening and his team should take pride that at times a bit of the old magic that made the show so legendary in its time manages to shine through, and some excellent jokes and one liners are breathed into The Simpsons again, something which looked almost impossible given the standard of the series for the last few years. But the film certainly has some extremely funny moments, including the popular Spider-Pig. The cast are all on fine form, some actually seem better than they've been in sometime, and some of the past guest stars make an appearance, such as Joe Mantegna and Albert Brookes, who makes a hilarious return as shady government agent Russ Cargil.
That being said, it's not always hilarious, and although we see some of the old high quality again, we also see a lot of evidence of the huge drop in standard of The Simpsons, with some blatantly unfunny moments and some cringingly bad jokes. I firmly believe the improvement of the show's animation only emphasized the poor quality of the newer episodes, and similarly with the film, the high definition, crystal-clear picture of the new and improved animation often reminds us that this is not the same Simpsons that changed the way we view television comedy series. This constant reminder of the drop in quality isn't helped by the fact that there are just times where the film is not funny. It tries very hard to be, giving it an occasional feeling of self-consciousness that doesn't feel right and actually makes the jokes more unfunny and a little awkward. This mixture of both hilarious and banal jokes is strange, and it really feels as though we're watching a classic older episode that has been spliced together with a terrible new one.
Another weakness that in the film's defence was to be expected, up to a point, is the lack of adequate screen-time for most of the supporting characters. In fairness, expecting every one of the many minor characters to appear for a large amount of time is unreasonable, as even if they were each given just five minutes to themselves, the film could have run for hours. However, some characters, such as Chief Wiggum and Mr Burns, are given a satisfying amount of time to shine, merely a few funny lines or a couple of amusing moments, but that is plenty of time, and in that case, the same certainly should have been expected for other hugely popular characters like Krusty, Moe or Apu, who, although make a brief appearance, are robbed of any memorable or enjoyable moments. I don't ask for huge sections devoted entirely to these specific characters, just the couple of lines or small moments that would have satisfied everyone.
Worse than this is that some characters don't even make a real appearance at all, appearing only briefly in the background, such as Mrs Krabappel, Barney, or my personal favourite character Sideshow Bob, whose scene was cut entirely. During the film, there is a fantastic shot of all the townspeople, looking fantastically detailed in the sharp and refined high-definition picture, but what is the point of even animating them at all if they don't get the screen-time they deserve? Realistically, it would have only added a maximum of ten minutes to the running time, which I can safely say we all could have survived with.
Despite these faults, there is something the film should be applauded for- it gives depth back to the Simpsons themselves. One of the truly great things about the series was that the characters were three-dimensional. They had an emotional aspect that felt real, something sorely missed from the series for several years. The film brings that back. For the first time in years, we feel for the characters. We want Homer to do right by his family. We want Lisa to be happy in herself. We even want Bart to say "eat my shorts". This vital ingredient has been absent from the show for some time, and is most welcome in the film.
The Simpsons Movie is an interesting film. It mixes good and bad aspects of the show, along with touches of its own unique style, and overall succeeds pretty well. Whether it's a nostalgic glimpse of the show's glory days, a sad look at the state it's in today, or just an entertaining ninety minutes you're after, this film has it.