It has it's moments, but it has nothing on the old shows

Rating: 5/10 (30 July 2007)

Might it be time to retire the Simpsons? The first ever Simpsons TV episode (which aired on the day I was born) would be followed by 400 + more, with lots of laughs following suite. Then, around the year 1998, the show started a downslide, which included poor, cheap humor and a lack of creativity. The newer Simpsons episodes are littered with Homer hurting himself, Homer acting dumb, and toned down side characters. They all miss the charm of the good ol' days. Quite simply, The Simpsons Movie is an 87 minute TV show with hardly any of the layered and creative jokes from the past.
The story (which is tacky, by the way) deals with pollution and the effects of it. After carelessly dumping their pollutants and waste into Lake Springfield, the citizens of Springfield gather for a meeting, led by the usually unnecessary Lisa. However, this meeting is one of the funnier parts of the movie, mainly due to it's similarities with the Simpsons of old. After some debate, the town decides to clean up the lake and change their ways. In the meantime, Homer saves a pig from being killed and names it Spider-pig, complete with it's own "Spider-pig" tune. Yawn. Since the pig is a filthy animal, it (and Homer) store all of their waste in a silo about 15 feet all. Well, that silo has to go somewhere. The newly built safe garbage dump has a long line of cars blocking the entrance, so Homer goes to the nearest place to dump the waste- Lake Springfield. It's a funny move, and immediately gets the government's attention. President Arnold Schwarzenegger (yes!) hears the news from the suspicious head of the EPA and foolishly chooses to put a dome over Springfield. This pisses everyone off, and when the town finally discovers it was Homer's doing, they run him and his family out of town. (The Simpsons escape via a sinkhole, which grows and destroys their house in the process.) With Alaska as their destination, the Simpsons seem ready for some more laughs. However, that is not the case.
Many of the jokes in the movie can be seen coming from a mile away. They aren't like the old ones, which are clever and are followed up immediately by another funny joke (hence the term "layered"). That was one part of what made the Simpsons so great, yet it is completely lacking here. Many of the jokes feature Homer doing something dumb, and unlike the old shows when Homer doing something dumb was fresh and clever, the situation here has Homer doing the dumbest and most childlike things possible. The whole pig storyline blows and reeks of hopelessness (no pun intended). Lisa, who is no better here than she ever has been, falls in love with a fellow green-loving European kid. Next, please. Bart, who always does something humorous and against the rules, spends most of the moviegetting emotional and wishing he had a better dad, thus wanting to live with Flanders? Why? Maggie the baby is the one character here who seems to have the most charm. Her little impulses here and there lighten the monologue and bring a smile to your face.
Like always, The Simpsons benefit greatly from the vast array of characters in their universe. Although short, appearances by Krusty the Clown (with the new "Clogger" burger), Mr. Burns (evilly refusing to share electricity), and Mayer Quimby (usual self-centered but good-natured self) brighten the scene and are quite funny. Problem is, there's not enough of them. There's also not enough original creativity. Where is the feud between Mr. Burns and Schwarzenegger? Just imagine if it was revealed that Mr. Burns was behind all the pollution and bad-mouthed Arnold? Just think of all the Terminator references and macho stuff that would happen. What if Mr. Burns released the Hounds on Arnold, and Arnold ran away, yelling "I'll be back." That could've been a fun little side story. Sadly, the main story is all that there was.
Now, to be fair- this is The Simpsons, which is one of the funniest shows of all time. The movie knows it's basics, also- there are still the "shots" at FOX, the drunk Bart (which is worth a laugh or two), and Homer, who still has some of what made him so great in the start (even though he's a shell of his former self). You'd be a fool to ignore this movie; I recommend seeing it, but just don't get your expectations up too high.
Good) flashes of brilliance, practically every character makes an appearance Bad) clearly not as good as they once were, not enough of the side characters