Insurmountable Odds Still Require Effort

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2007)

Like every other "Simpsons" fan on the planet, I waited with dire anticipation for the day when this film would come out, for the day when some of TV's most famous cartoons would dash across the big screen in a thrilling display of genius.
Predictably, I was disappointed.
Don't get me wrong-- "The Simpsons Movie" is a hilarious and lovable motion picture full of the characters' trademark wit and the writers' now-prerequisite social commentary. Unfortunately, with what seems like centuries of development time, such a closely guarded production, a cast of thousands of characters, and such a multitude of scribes, TSM should have been a monumental masterwork. What it feels like is one of the just-OK episodes of the series, playing out in 2.40:1 widescreen and with an orchestral score.
The story could easily be compressed into an episode if some unimportant things could be cut. The problem is, the movie is 87 minutes long. Are you kidding me?! After this long, I wanted The Return of the Freakin' King! All that aside, TSM is still very good, but leaves you with a slightly empty feeling after you watch it. One can only hope that the "sequel" of which Maggie inquires will be more effective.