D'oh!

Rating: 6/10 (12 August 2007)

The last movie I watched was the hysterically funny (for all the right reasons) Transformers, but obviously I expected this to eclipse that. Bluntly, it didn't. At its best, it prompted a smile, maybe even a snigger, but this was nowhere near the best that the Simpsons can be. Whereas the best episodes feel like 40 minutes of material stuffed into 20 minutes of episode, bursting at the seams with content and comedy, this film felt like 40 minutes of material stretched out over 80 minutes of film. There was no pace, no zip, no zing, and, almost, no characters!?! Homer was always going to be the centre of the film (and rightly so) but where on earth was the rest of the town? (Okay, I know, they were under the big dome  it was a rhetorical question). Why no real time for Apu, Mr Burns, Mrs Krabapple and the rest? Basically, this was an average Simpsons episode that went on a bit. Still funny in places, but very disappointing when you think what might have been. Oh, and in case you missed it, there are infrequent, subtle hints about environmental issues