Springfield finally hits the big screen

Rating: 8/10 (25 July 2007)

"The Simpsons Movie" won't have fans who have waited 18 years for this big-screen treatment of the long-running animated TV show to be made disappointed - after all these years, it's still funny and effectively satirical. And for the uninitiated who are willing to see it either out of curiosity, or just because they want to subject themselves to some silliness and chuckling, the movie has loads as well. Just be ready for some Bart d***.
In "The Simpsons Movie," the water supply of Springfield is getting more toxic due to high levels of waste dumped into the lake. This prompts Lisa Simpson (voiced by Yeardley Smith) to start an environmental awareness campaign together with Colin (a new guy in the neighborhood that has an Irish environmentalist/guitarist father). Eventually the people of Springfield decide to help in cleaning up the lake. Meanwhile Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright) has some sort of a falling out with Homer (Dan Castellaneta) after a game of dare with his dad goes wrong, compounded by the fact that a pig saved from getting butchered has gotten more favorable with his father, building the pig even a pig crap silo, leading Bart to look for a father figure across the yard in the Flanders.
Soon Marge Simpson (Julie Kavner) convinces Homer to get rid of the silo but to make it to a free donut giveaway, Homer decides to save time and simply dump the silo in the lake which proves to be the last straw as the lake becomes so polluted it mutates an animal who gets in contact with the water, calling the attention of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA, under US President Schwarzenegger's orders, quarantine the town of Springfield inside a large glass dome, and the Simpsons, upon the townspeople's discovery of Homer's involvement in the crisis, find themselves under the angry eyes of the whole Springfield.
Director David Silverman and his army of co-writers give a movie with frivolous gags, slapstick humor and hilarious sentimentality that should satisfy long-time fans, and perhaps make new ones out of the rest. While some jokes tend to be less funny than others, one should still have a fun time watching the kind of humor and irreverence one can expect.
Simply put, if you're a fan, you probably have made your mind up in seeing this movie; chances are you won't be disappointed. If you are simply up to find what the hype is about, you'll find yourself a good hour and a half of entertainment.