Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Now THIS'LL teach you to laugh at something that's funny !!!, April 10, 2008
The Simpsons Movie features excellent animation, a good plot that moves along very well, great gags and awesome voiceovers by the cast. There are so many gags that there's bound to be jokes in this movie that will amuse just about anyone!
The action starts when Lake Springfield is practically destroyed by excessive pollution; and so the town must clean it up. They do! Unfortunately, however, things don't stay that way--and there begins the REAL plot of this film. Homer (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) decides to take on a pig for a house pet. When Marge (voiced by Julie Kavner) casually asks Homer what he's doing with the pig's "leavings;" Homer takes Marge out back and shows her his "silo" full of pig "droppings." Marge isn't too happy; and eventually Homer realizes he MUST get rid of the festering silo. Naturally, where does Homer go to get rid of the silo? Lake Springfield! Once again the lake is unbelievably contaminated.
Russ Cargill (voiced by Albert Brooks) is in charge of the EPA and he sets out to rectify the problem. What happens? Springfield is enwrapped by a huge, impenetrable dome--and then wiped off the map. The residents of Springfield are furious at Homer; and sooner rather than later The Simpsons must flee. They go to Alaska in search of freedom from the infuriated residents of Springfield.
Worse yet, Russ Cargill and President Schwarzenegger (voiced by Harry Shearer) hatch a plan to bomb Springfield so that it will never again pose a problem. This really raises the stakes.
From here the plot can go anywhere. What will Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie do? Will they stay in Alaska where it's safe or will they return to Springfield to try to rescue the people there from being killed by the bomb? Will Homer and Marge's marriage be tested by all this strife? What will Bart think of Homer after this all becomes one huge mess? No plot spoilers here, folks--you'll just have to watch the movie to find out!
The animation couldn't be better. I was very impressed by the clarity and the sharpness of the images and colors. The voiceovers were outstanding as well. It seems like Matt Groening, director David Silverman and their crew can do no wrong.
In addition, the DVD comes loaded with a plethora of extras considering this is all on one single DVD. There are several deleted scenes; and there's a very funny but brief extra entitled "Let's All Go To The Lobby." There are two commentaries for you to enjoy if you wish; and there are great gags all the way through the ending credits.
Overall, The Simpsons Movie is definitely one of the best comedies of 2007. I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. Fans of The Simpsons will want this in their collections; and even people less familiar with The Simpsons television show will find great entertainment and many jokes here!
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Departure from strip format, but still good, January 5, 2008
In the TV series, what you've got is something of a linear main-plot with a lot of sub- and mini-plots interwoven. And those plots revolve around the humor and comedy, kind of like the plot revolves around the sex in an x-rated movie-not that I would know, but just based on what I've heard. Anyway, this movie does not reflect this strip cartoon structure, which is actually the kind of material that Matt Groening started off doing. Anybody remember Life Is Hell comics? So with The simpsons movie what you've got is the reverse: more of a dominant main linear plot, with the comedy revolving around it much more than what you've got in the TV series. And this makes sense for a feature-length film, otherwise why make one, right?
Also, remember the film The Adams Family? A lot of people got caught up on the fact that it seemed choppy. It seemed choppy because they tried to do a strip cartoon format (TAF started off as a strip cartoon) with a full-length feature. It works fine for something short, like say 30 minutes or under, but can tire and confuse the audience if they get a solid hour and a half of it, and I think the makers of this film took that into consideration as they put together a film somewhat more plot-driven than its TV counterpart.
In a nutshell, they had to slow things down a little bit in order to work in a story line that was clear enough to keep the audience focused on the movie for the entire time. But there's a lot that's funny in this movie, typical Simpson's stuff, along with one or two things that they probably wouldn't even put on prime time. Plus it's just cool to see a movie and have it be The Simpsons.
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16 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"Look Out, He Is a Spider-Pig.", October 4, 2007
It was a movie that was nearly two-decades in the making. The creators and writers said they wanted to make sure that when they brought America's favorite prime time animated family to the big screen that it would be done right. Many past writers were brought back to flesh out the story and enliven the characters. Most of it was done under a veil of secrecy. Over 150 different drafts were written and copies of scripts were shredded after each scene was taped. It was a massive undertaking, but for a show that has grown to include a massive cast of secondary characters it had to be that way. And for the most part, the efforts to create THE SIMPSONS MOVIE were a success.
In THE SIMPSONS MOVIE, Homer almost single handedly destroys Springfield while also threatening the existence of life on the rest of the planet. Things start off simply enough with a Green Day concert that turns into a disaster. Then the next day at church Grampa Simpson makes a prophecy of doom that seems to be a message sent by God. Marge believes the message and tries to decipher the meaning while everyone else thinks Grampa was just rambling like the old man he is. Lisa finds love with a new boy named Colin who shares the same passions as she does. Meanwhile, Homer dares Bart to skateboard naked to Krusty Burger and Bart bares his "doodle" for the whole world to see. It turns out to be the most embarrassing moment of Bart's life. He starts to view Homer in a negative light and see Ned Flanders as the kind, loving, and caring father that he is. Later, Homer saves a pig from being slaughtered by Krusty and names him Spider-Pig. Ignored by many, the pig is part of Grampa's prophecy and signals a terrible government sanctioned disaster that forces the Simpsons to become fugitives in Alaska and wipe out all life in Springfield. Homer finds himself at a major crisis. He realizes that since he's the cause of all the trouble, he's the only one who can save Springfield and in doing so perhaps restore his relationship with his family.
I enjoyed THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. I thought it was both funny and witty. I especially enjoyed some of the nods and touches to long time fans of the series. The movie basically feels like a super-extended episode of the show, but with clearer and brighter visuals. That is perhaps the movie's biggest draw and its biggest flaw at the same time. Non-fans of the show might become attracted to the show through the film, but die-hard fans of the show might feel disappointed because overall the movie doesn't appear more than an extended regular episode of the show that just looks better. Of course, that's a problem that any television series attempting to make the leap to the big screen faces.
Overall, a slightly disappointing big screen adaptation of THE SIMPSONS television show, but one that is entertaining nonetheless.
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