Disappointing at best

Rating: 4/10 (26 July 2007)

As a fan of the show (the first 10 years that is), I looked forward to seeing the film hoping that it would recreate some of the comedy of the early days. Sadly I was disappointed as this film stead in line with recent episodes of The Simpsons i.e. not being funny. It lacked imagination, a good plot and above all humor. Fans of the show will also be disappointed that some of the main characters including Mr. Burns, Smithers, Krusty and Skinner, in particular have very few words in the film. Moving the action of the film away from Springfield also irritates the viewer.
The attempt to include emotive issues such as the relationship between Bart and Homer and the marriage of Homer and Marge has been done over and over before and on the majority of the times, far better. In the old and classic episodes, we felt something for the characters in emotional episodes, in this we feel nothing for them. Also, Ned Flanders probably has the most lines outside of the Simpson family, but not one funny sentence comes out of his mouth. The Itchy and Scratchy scene at the beginning sets the tone of a lack of humor.
One interesting aspect of the film that will appeal to fans, is that in any scene with residents of Springfield, you can see various characters who appeared in the show once.
No matter what, die hard fans of the show will go to see the film, but for the ordinary person, who's not a keen fan, don't bother, this film isn't funny. It sadly failed to live up to the classic episodes of old.