Like an extended episode, making this a fun outing for fans -83%

Rating: 8/10 (30 October 2012)

What is it about "The Simpsons" that has endured them to audiences the world over for the last twenty-something years? I suspect that instead of the deeply glamorous or perfect families normally seen on TV, the Simpsons and their various supporting cast are much more identifiable - everyone can relate to at least one character (personally, I know Comic Book Guy). It also offers a gentle sideswipe at US culture (or lack of it) and isn't afraid of picking targets, much like its imitators "South Park" and "Family Guy". So after much delay and time wasted in development hell, this belated movie has a lot to live up to and especially considering that a lot of TV-based movies aren't that good. Thankfully, the seasoned pros behind "The Simpsons Movie" have delivered a corker although at times, it does feel like an extended episode.
Springfield is in crisis - the pollution in Lake Springfield is reaching dangerous levels of toxicity due to incessant dumping in the lake and despite the efforts of plucky Lisa (Yeardley Smith) to draw attention to the problem. After the town deciding that enough is enough, the dumping stops. But after Marge (Julie Kavner) orders him to dispose of a vast silo of pig waste that he left in the garden, Homer (Dan Castellaneta) desperately drops it into the lake and the resulting pollution forces President Schwarzenegger into dropping a vast dome over the whole of Springfield. Driven by the crazed EPA official Russ Cargill (Albert Brooks), the US Government soon decide to blow up Springfield and kill everyone in the dome - meaning that America's favourite family must flee from the angry mobs outside their home, prevent the destruction of the whole town and make Homer realise the error of his ways - which is harder than it sounds!
The plot, naturally, is pretty far-fetched and doesn't offer as much as I was hoping - for example, can anyone tell me what happened to the pig once the Simpsons were on the run? In truth, this felt like a celebration of the show as characters old and new are in there somewhere, catchphrases are all present and correct (mostly) and the bigger screen allowed the animators to fully utilise CG and other technical toys so the film looks a lot smoother and more professional than the TV show. Vocal talent is as good as you'd expect from a cast performing the roles for so long - Kavner, in particular, is superb as Marge during a surprisingly emotive monologue. And rather than lapsing too much into self parody like "Die Another Day", it retains enough composure to gently mock almost every aspect of American life like the public's apathy towards environmentalism, the media's insistence on sensationalism over reality and the rare success for the FBI when they actually get something right.
But (and I'm afraid that it is a big one) it never pushes things too far like the shows that followed do. It's like it's afraid of offending anyone - the Simpsons have never been controversial since the early days when there was nothing else like it on TV. Now, the likes of "Family Guy" and "Team America: World Police" offer something with real teeth and a serious political agenda whereas the Simpsons remain firmly stuck in the family-friendly mould. It has undoubtedly lost some ground but the truth remains that this is still worthy of your attention. It's funny in its own way and if you're a fan then this movie will be right up your street. I did enjoy "The Simpsons Movie" a great deal but find myself questioning why it took so long, why wasn't it a bit bolder and why was I slightly underwhelmed.