The "Retro Game Reviews" forum, which includes Retro Game Reviews, has been archived and is now read-only. You cannot post here or create a new thread or review on this forum.
Note: I wrote this for my film review website (www.shaunmunro.co.uk) in case it shows up on any search engines :0)
Upon hearing that a film based on The Simpsons was in production, I really was curious as to whether, after 18 years and 400 episodes under their aging belts, the brilliant minds behind the Simpsons had the bottle to knock out a film that retained the hilarity of the earlier seasons (as the last five years of the show have been a notable decline), whilst also adhering to that unbeatable storytelling that made the show so popular in the first place.
The Simpsons Movie, running in at a slender 87 minutes (and barely 80 if you knock off the credits), wastes no time in piling on the laughs - the first gag is actually within the opening 20th Century Fox logo! It becomes clear very early on that, even whilst the film takes a little while to get comfortable, that the acerbic, biting wit of the earlier seasons is back, as Homer takes a crack at the viewer for paying money to see something they can see on TV for free. As true as he was, I loved this little gag.
A nice little roll call follows, re-introducing us (as I'm sure many a viewer has since given up on the Simpsons in recent years) to the characters we love, and reminding us of their little quirks. It was essentially nothing more than a preamble, but a pleasant one nonetheless. From these opening moments of the film, I wouldn't blame one for feeling slight disappointment, in that, examples such as the hammer gag (which featured very heavily in trailers), and a shocking glimpse at Bart's genitals, are evidence of the great presence of physical humour in the film. Whilst it's mildly amusing, I was always a bigger fan of the subtle, adult humour of the series, and fortunately there's a great abundance of that too (with some notable tongue-in-cheek knocks at Al Gore, the Patriot Act and FOX themselves), so everyone should leave the cinema somewhat happy. Furthermore, there's a few pop-culture references thrown in for kicks, namely referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "terrible comedies" and the Grand Theft Auto computer game series.
Given the sheer amount of characters situated in Springfield, the writers had to make a real effort to try and squeeze lines in for everyone, and whilst some of the more likable characters in the series are conspicuous by their absence (such as Principal Skinner), there are some truly gold cameos here. Krusty the Clown utters one of his funniest and most risqué quips in the entire show's run, and Lenny and Karl have a likewise borderline-offensive exchange that left me laughing heartily.
This is the real beauty of not only this film, but the series in general - it has this ability to hazard attempts at offensive humour, but is never quite abhorrent enough to disgust. There are plenty of instances of this in the film - jokes about Mexicans and blacks, masturbation, homosexuals, a hint at bestiality, sexual fetishes (Homer hilariously utters "Why does everything that I whip leave me!?"), drug taking, and child alcoholism. However, the film still retains the theme of family that is universally recurrent throughout the series, and at its core, the film is a test of a family's faith in its patriarch, and a test for the patriarch to learn a few lessons outside of himself.
The majority of the above all kicks off before the story even really starts. In short, Homer rescues a pig from being butchered, and forms a fast bond with the animal, as aside from Cletus, it may be the only creature in Springfield that is his intellectual inferior. Upon hearing that a closing donut chain is giving away free donuts, and in a desperate bid to quickly get rid of a silo full of "pig crap", Homer dumps the silo into Springfield's river, causing the Environmental Protection Agency to lower an all-encapsulating dome over Springfield, threatening the lives of everyone in the town.
Needless to say, the film carries a large environmental and political message, characterised namely by hilariously placing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the President of the United States, and the EPA imprisoning the town for their crimes against nature. There are essentially no moral black and whites here - the EPA are right in that the town is generally very pollution-orientated, yet their ultimate decision to attempt to bomb Springfield is environmentalism gone mad (their leader even commenting - "ever try madness without power?"), and whilst the characters of Springfield are extremely flawed, they are mostly good people at heart.
The film also manages to reverse many of the situations seen in the series - as things begin to turn sour for the town, Marge utters to Lisa in relation to her anger at Homer for polluting the town - "you're a woman, you can hold onto it forever". Also, as the Simpsons clan are outcast from the rest of the town for Homer's actions, they rely on Bart's mischievous acts to evade their antagonists (notably including a hilarious wanted poster gag). Also, we see Ned Flanders lash out at his children in an amusingly passive-aggressive fashion, and Martin not only manages to best those that bully him, but also claims to enjoy it.
There are a few celebrity cameos in the film, although not as many as you might expect, but thankfully so. Green Day's cameo near the beginning of the film may seem ham-fisted, but it expresses just how apathetic the majority of the town (i.e. everyone but Lisa and her new beau) is in regard to environmental issues, and also allows for a pretty funny reference to Titanic. Also, there's a little surprise in relation to Green Day that I just can't bring myself to spoil, particularly if you're not a fan of the band. Tom Hanks also has a quick cameo that not-so-subtlety insults the US government, and even once the credits roll, Hanks pops up once more to facetiously (or perhaps not) make a request to the audience.
The final third of the film takes a more serious tone, although is still funny, I assure you. Driven to her wits end by Homer's stupidity, Marge decides to leave Alaska (where they spend a while in hiding) with the kids and help save Springfield. Marge beings to doubt her love for Homer, even, rather sadly, taping over their wedding video. Without saying too much, this act has some significance at the end of the film, as rather than double-back and tell us that somehow Marge didn't tape over the video, we assume that their love is so strong as to not warrant validation from a material object, a message that wasn't necessarily obvious but I liked it nonetheless.
The film has some amusing comments about religion which are fairly balanced, so as not to anger religious followers, nor alienate atheists or followers of other denominations. As Matt Groening himself commented, the film posits the existence of a very active God, as seen by the possession of Grandpa Simpson, and another divine intervention that ultimately allows Homer to make his last stand against the EPA.
In conclusion, The Simpsons Movie is a very charming film. It took a little time to get going, but there's something hear for everyone - outrageous physical humour, subtle political humour (watch out for "Arnold Schwarzenegger"'s comment on the Kennedy Compound and watch if anyone at all laughs), scathing satire, and even what appears to be the death of a recurring character. Furthermore, as a family film, this is a portrait of a flawed but loving family who may at times find each other insufferable, but will come through when the instance calls for it. Given the worry many Simpsons fans had (such as myself) that this would reflect the recent declining years of the series, Groening and Co. have delivered a wildly hilarious film that doesn't quite hark back to the truly classic moments of the series, but manages to become an amalgam of what would be four great episodes, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
Upon hearing that a film based on The Simpsons was in production, I really was curious as to whether, after 18 years and 400 episodes under their aging belts, the brilliant minds behind the Simpsons had the bottle to knock out a film that retained the hilarity of the earlier seasons (as the last five years of the show have been a notable decline), whilst also adhering to that unbeatable storytelling that made the show so popular in the first place.
The Simpsons Movie, running in at a slender 87 minutes (and barely 80 if you knock off the credits), wastes no time in piling on the laughs - the first gag is actually within the opening 20th Century Fox logo! It becomes clear very early on that, even whilst the film takes a little while to get comfortable, that the acerbic, biting wit of the earlier seasons is back, as Homer takes a crack at the viewer for paying money to see something they can see on TV for free. As true as he was, I loved this little gag.
A nice little roll call follows, re-introducing us (as I'm sure many a viewer has since given up on the Simpsons in recent years) to the characters we love, and reminding us of their little quirks. It was essentially nothing more than a preamble, but a pleasant one nonetheless. From these opening moments of the film, I wouldn't blame one for feeling slight disappointment, in that, examples such as the hammer gag (which featured very heavily in trailers), and a shocking glimpse at Bart's genitals, are evidence of the great presence of physical humour in the film. Whilst it's mildly amusing, I was always a bigger fan of the subtle, adult humour of the series, and fortunately there's a great abundance of that too (with some notable tongue-in-cheek knocks at Al Gore, the Patriot Act and FOX themselves), so everyone should leave the cinema somewhat happy. Furthermore, there's a few pop-culture references thrown in for kicks, namely referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "terrible comedies" and the Grand Theft Auto computer game series.
Given the sheer amount of characters situated in Springfield, the writers had to make a real effort to try and squeeze lines in for everyone, and whilst some of the more likable characters in the series are conspicuous by their absence (such as Principal Skinner), there are some truly gold cameos here. Krusty the Clown utters one of his funniest and most risqué quips in the entire show's run, and Lenny and Karl have a likewise borderline-offensive exchange that left me laughing heartily.
This is the real beauty of not only this film, but the series in general - it has this ability to hazard attempts at offensive humour, but is never quite abhorrent enough to disgust. There are plenty of instances of this in the film - jokes about Mexicans and blacks, masturbation, homosexuals, a hint at bestiality, sexual fetishes (Homer hilariously utters "Why does everything that I whip leave me!?"), drug taking, and child alcoholism. However, the film still retains the theme of family that is universally recurrent throughout the series, and at its core, the film is a test of a family's faith in its patriarch, and a test for the patriarch to learn a few lessons outside of himself.
The majority of the above all kicks off before the story even really starts. In short, Homer rescues a pig from being butchered, and forms a fast bond with the animal, as aside from Cletus, it may be the only creature in Springfield that is his intellectual inferior. Upon hearing that a closing donut chain is giving away free donuts, and in a desperate bid to quickly get rid of a silo full of "pig crap", Homer dumps the silo into Springfield's river, causing the Environmental Protection Agency to lower an all-encapsulating dome over Springfield, threatening the lives of everyone in the town.
Needless to say, the film carries a large environmental and political message, characterised namely by hilariously placing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the President of the United States, and the EPA imprisoning the town for their crimes against nature. There are essentially no moral black and whites here - the EPA are right in that the town is generally very pollution-orientated, yet their ultimate decision to attempt to bomb Springfield is environmentalism gone mad (their leader even commenting - "ever try madness without power?"), and whilst the characters of Springfield are extremely flawed, they are mostly good people at heart.
The film also manages to reverse many of the situations seen in the series - as things begin to turn sour for the town, Marge utters to Lisa in relation to her anger at Homer for polluting the town - "you're a woman, you can hold onto it forever". Also, as the Simpsons clan are outcast from the rest of the town for Homer's actions, they rely on Bart's mischievous acts to evade their antagonists (notably including a hilarious wanted poster gag). Also, we see Ned Flanders lash out at his children in an amusingly passive-aggressive fashion, and Martin not only manages to best those that bully him, but also claims to enjoy it.
There are a few celebrity cameos in the film, although not as many as you might expect, but thankfully so. Green Day's cameo near the beginning of the film may seem ham-fisted, but it expresses just how apathetic the majority of the town (i.e. everyone but Lisa and her new beau) is in regard to environmental issues, and also allows for a pretty funny reference to Titanic. Also, there's a little surprise in relation to Green Day that I just can't bring myself to spoil, particularly if you're not a fan of the band. Tom Hanks also has a quick cameo that not-so-subtlety insults the US government, and even once the credits roll, Hanks pops up once more to facetiously (or perhaps not) make a request to the audience.
The final third of the film takes a more serious tone, although is still funny, I assure you. Driven to her wits end by Homer's stupidity, Marge decides to leave Alaska (where they spend a while in hiding) with the kids and help save Springfield. Marge beings to doubt her love for Homer, even, rather sadly, taping over their wedding video. Without saying too much, this act has some significance at the end of the film, as rather than double-back and tell us that somehow Marge didn't tape over the video, we assume that their love is so strong as to not warrant validation from a material object, a message that wasn't necessarily obvious but I liked it nonetheless.
The film has some amusing comments about religion which are fairly balanced, so as not to anger religious followers, nor alienate atheists or followers of other denominations. As Matt Groening himself commented, the film posits the existence of a very active God, as seen by the possession of Grandpa Simpson, and another divine intervention that ultimately allows Homer to make his last stand against the EPA.
In conclusion, The Simpsons Movie is a very charming film. It took a little time to get going, but there's something hear for everyone - outrageous physical humour, subtle political humour (watch out for "Arnold Schwarzenegger"'s comment on the Kennedy Compound and watch if anyone at all laughs), scathing satire, and even what appears to be the death of a recurring character. Furthermore, as a family film, this is a portrait of a flawed but loving family who may at times find each other insufferable, but will come through when the instance calls for it. Given the worry many Simpsons fans had (such as myself) that this would reflect the recent declining years of the series, Groening and Co. have delivered a wildly hilarious film that doesn't quite hark back to the truly classic moments of the series, but manages to become an amalgam of what would be four great episodes, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
There have been no replies to this thread yet.
Note: I wrote this for my film review website (www.shaunmunro.co.uk) in case it shows up on any search engines :0)
Upon hearing that a film based on The Simpsons was in production, I really was curious as to whether, after 18 years and 400 episodes under their aging belts, the brilliant minds behind the Simpsons had the bottle to knock out a film that retained the hilarity of the earlier seasons (as the last five years of the show have been a notable decline), whilst also adhering to that unbeatable storytelling that made the show so popular in the first place.
The Simpsons Movie, running in at a slender 87 minutes (and barely 80 if you knock off the credits), wastes no time in piling on the laughs - the first gag is actually within the opening 20th Century Fox logo! It becomes clear very early on that, even whilst the film takes a little while to get comfortable, that the acerbic, biting wit of the earlier seasons is back, as Homer takes a crack at the viewer for paying money to see something they can see on TV for free. As true as he was, I loved this little gag.
A nice little roll call follows, re-introducing us (as I'm sure many a viewer has since given up on the Simpsons in recent years) to the characters we love, and reminding us of their little quirks. It was essentially nothing more than a preamble, but a pleasant one nonetheless. From these opening moments of the film, I wouldn't blame one for feeling slight disappointment, in that, examples such as the hammer gag (which featured very heavily in trailers), and a shocking glimpse at Bart's genitals, are evidence of the great presence of physical humour in the film. Whilst it's mildly amusing, I was always a bigger fan of the subtle, adult humour of the series, and fortunately there's a great abundance of that too (with some notable tongue-in-cheek knocks at Al Gore, the Patriot Act and FOX themselves), so everyone should leave the cinema somewhat happy. Furthermore, there's a few pop-culture references thrown in for kicks, namely referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "terrible comedies" and the Grand Theft Auto computer game series.
Given the sheer amount of characters situated in Springfield, the writers had to make a real effort to try and squeeze lines in for everyone, and whilst some of the more likable characters in the series are conspicuous by their absence (such as Principal Skinner), there are some truly gold cameos here. Krusty the Clown utters one of his funniest and most risqué quips in the entire show's run, and Lenny and Karl have a likewise borderline-offensive exchange that left me laughing heartily.
This is the real beauty of not only this film, but the series in general - it has this ability to hazard attempts at offensive humour, but is never quite abhorrent enough to disgust. There are plenty of instances of this in the film - jokes about Mexicans and blacks, masturbation, homosexuals, a hint at bestiality, sexual fetishes (Homer hilariously utters "Why does everything that I whip leave me!?"), drug taking, and child alcoholism. However, the film still retains the theme of family that is universally recurrent throughout the series, and at its core, the film is a test of a family's faith in its patriarch, and a test for the patriarch to learn a few lessons outside of himself.
The majority of the above all kicks off before the story even really starts. In short, Homer rescues a pig from being butchered, and forms a fast bond with the animal, as aside from Cletus, it may be the only creature in Springfield that is his intellectual inferior. Upon hearing that a closing donut chain is giving away free donuts, and in a desperate bid to quickly get rid of a silo full of "pig crap", Homer dumps the silo into Springfield's river, causing the Environmental Protection Agency to lower an all-encapsulating dome over Springfield, threatening the lives of everyone in the town.
Needless to say, the film carries a large environmental and political message, characterised namely by hilariously placing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the President of the United States, and the EPA imprisoning the town for their crimes against nature. There are essentially no moral black and whites here - the EPA are right in that the town is generally very pollution-orientated, yet their ultimate decision to attempt to bomb Springfield is environmentalism gone mad (their leader even commenting - "ever try madness without power?"), and whilst the characters of Springfield are extremely flawed, they are mostly good people at heart.
The film also manages to reverse many of the situations seen in the series - as things begin to turn sour for the town, Marge utters to Lisa in relation to her anger at Homer for polluting the town - "you're a woman, you can hold onto it forever". Also, as the Simpsons clan are outcast from the rest of the town for Homer's actions, they rely on Bart's mischievous acts to evade their antagonists (notably including a hilarious wanted poster gag). Also, we see Ned Flanders lash out at his children in an amusingly passive-aggressive fashion, and Martin not only manages to best those that bully him, but also claims to enjoy it.
There are a few celebrity cameos in the film, although not as many as you might expect, but thankfully so. Green Day's cameo near the beginning of the film may seem ham-fisted, but it expresses just how apathetic the majority of the town (i.e. everyone but Lisa and her new beau) is in regard to environmental issues, and also allows for a pretty funny reference to Titanic. Also, there's a little surprise in relation to Green Day that I just can't bring myself to spoil, particularly if you're not a fan of the band. Tom Hanks also has a quick cameo that not-so-subtlety insults the US government, and even once the credits roll, Hanks pops up once more to facetiously (or perhaps not) make a request to the audience.
The final third of the film takes a more serious tone, although is still funny, I assure you. Driven to her wits end by Homer's stupidity, Marge decides to leave Alaska (where they spend a while in hiding) with the kids and help save Springfield. Marge beings to doubt her love for Homer, even, rather sadly, taping over their wedding video. Without saying too much, this act has some significance at the end of the film, as rather than double-back and tell us that somehow Marge didn't tape over the video, we assume that their love is so strong as to not warrant validation from a material object, a message that wasn't necessarily obvious but I liked it nonetheless.
The film has some amusing comments about religion which are fairly balanced, so as not to anger religious followers, nor alienate atheists or followers of other denominations. As Matt Groening himself commented, the film posits the existence of a very active God, as seen by the possession of Grandpa Simpson, and another divine intervention that ultimately allows Homer to make his last stand against the EPA.
In conclusion, The Simpsons Movie is a very charming film. It took a little time to get going, but there's something hear for everyone - outrageous physical humour, subtle political humour (watch out for "Arnold Schwarzenegger"'s comment on the Kennedy Compound and watch if anyone at all laughs), scathing satire, and even what appears to be the death of a recurring character. Furthermore, as a family film, this is a portrait of a flawed but loving family who may at times find each other insufferable, but will come through when the instance calls for it. Given the worry many Simpsons fans had (such as myself) that this would reflect the recent declining years of the series, Groening and Co. have delivered a wildly hilarious film that doesn't quite hark back to the truly classic moments of the series, but manages to become an amalgam of what would be four great episodes, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer
Upon hearing that a film based on The Simpsons was in production, I really was curious as to whether, after 18 years and 400 episodes under their aging belts, the brilliant minds behind the Simpsons had the bottle to knock out a film that retained the hilarity of the earlier seasons (as the last five years of the show have been a notable decline), whilst also adhering to that unbeatable storytelling that made the show so popular in the first place.
The Simpsons Movie, running in at a slender 87 minutes (and barely 80 if you knock off the credits), wastes no time in piling on the laughs - the first gag is actually within the opening 20th Century Fox logo! It becomes clear very early on that, even whilst the film takes a little while to get comfortable, that the acerbic, biting wit of the earlier seasons is back, as Homer takes a crack at the viewer for paying money to see something they can see on TV for free. As true as he was, I loved this little gag.
A nice little roll call follows, re-introducing us (as I'm sure many a viewer has since given up on the Simpsons in recent years) to the characters we love, and reminding us of their little quirks. It was essentially nothing more than a preamble, but a pleasant one nonetheless. From these opening moments of the film, I wouldn't blame one for feeling slight disappointment, in that, examples such as the hammer gag (which featured very heavily in trailers), and a shocking glimpse at Bart's genitals, are evidence of the great presence of physical humour in the film. Whilst it's mildly amusing, I was always a bigger fan of the subtle, adult humour of the series, and fortunately there's a great abundance of that too (with some notable tongue-in-cheek knocks at Al Gore, the Patriot Act and FOX themselves), so everyone should leave the cinema somewhat happy. Furthermore, there's a few pop-culture references thrown in for kicks, namely referring to Arnold Schwarzenegger's "terrible comedies" and the Grand Theft Auto computer game series.
Given the sheer amount of characters situated in Springfield, the writers had to make a real effort to try and squeeze lines in for everyone, and whilst some of the more likable characters in the series are conspicuous by their absence (such as Principal Skinner), there are some truly gold cameos here. Krusty the Clown utters one of his funniest and most risqué quips in the entire show's run, and Lenny and Karl have a likewise borderline-offensive exchange that left me laughing heartily.
This is the real beauty of not only this film, but the series in general - it has this ability to hazard attempts at offensive humour, but is never quite abhorrent enough to disgust. There are plenty of instances of this in the film - jokes about Mexicans and blacks, masturbation, homosexuals, a hint at bestiality, sexual fetishes (Homer hilariously utters "Why does everything that I whip leave me!?"), drug taking, and child alcoholism. However, the film still retains the theme of family that is universally recurrent throughout the series, and at its core, the film is a test of a family's faith in its patriarch, and a test for the patriarch to learn a few lessons outside of himself.
The majority of the above all kicks off before the story even really starts. In short, Homer rescues a pig from being butchered, and forms a fast bond with the animal, as aside from Cletus, it may be the only creature in Springfield that is his intellectual inferior. Upon hearing that a closing donut chain is giving away free donuts, and in a desperate bid to quickly get rid of a silo full of "pig crap", Homer dumps the silo into Springfield's river, causing the Environmental Protection Agency to lower an all-encapsulating dome over Springfield, threatening the lives of everyone in the town.
Needless to say, the film carries a large environmental and political message, characterised namely by hilariously placing Arnold Schwarzenegger as the President of the United States, and the EPA imprisoning the town for their crimes against nature. There are essentially no moral black and whites here - the EPA are right in that the town is generally very pollution-orientated, yet their ultimate decision to attempt to bomb Springfield is environmentalism gone mad (their leader even commenting - "ever try madness without power?"), and whilst the characters of Springfield are extremely flawed, they are mostly good people at heart.
The film also manages to reverse many of the situations seen in the series - as things begin to turn sour for the town, Marge utters to Lisa in relation to her anger at Homer for polluting the town - "you're a woman, you can hold onto it forever". Also, as the Simpsons clan are outcast from the rest of the town for Homer's actions, they rely on Bart's mischievous acts to evade their antagonists (notably including a hilarious wanted poster gag). Also, we see Ned Flanders lash out at his children in an amusingly passive-aggressive fashion, and Martin not only manages to best those that bully him, but also claims to enjoy it.
There are a few celebrity cameos in the film, although not as many as you might expect, but thankfully so. Green Day's cameo near the beginning of the film may seem ham-fisted, but it expresses just how apathetic the majority of the town (i.e. everyone but Lisa and her new beau) is in regard to environmental issues, and also allows for a pretty funny reference to Titanic. Also, there's a little surprise in relation to Green Day that I just can't bring myself to spoil, particularly if you're not a fan of the band. Tom Hanks also has a quick cameo that not-so-subtlety insults the US government, and even once the credits roll, Hanks pops up once more to facetiously (or perhaps not) make a request to the audience.
The final third of the film takes a more serious tone, although is still funny, I assure you. Driven to her wits end by Homer's stupidity, Marge decides to leave Alaska (where they spend a while in hiding) with the kids and help save Springfield. Marge beings to doubt her love for Homer, even, rather sadly, taping over their wedding video. Without saying too much, this act has some significance at the end of the film, as rather than double-back and tell us that somehow Marge didn't tape over the video, we assume that their love is so strong as to not warrant validation from a material object, a message that wasn't necessarily obvious but I liked it nonetheless.
The film has some amusing comments about religion which are fairly balanced, so as not to anger religious followers, nor alienate atheists or followers of other denominations. As Matt Groening himself commented, the film posits the existence of a very active God, as seen by the possession of Grandpa Simpson, and another divine intervention that ultimately allows Homer to make his last stand against the EPA.
In conclusion, The Simpsons Movie is a very charming film. It took a little time to get going, but there's something hear for everyone - outrageous physical humour, subtle political humour (watch out for "Arnold Schwarzenegger"'s comment on the Kennedy Compound and watch if anyone at all laughs), scathing satire, and even what appears to be the death of a recurring character. Furthermore, as a family film, this is a portrait of a flawed but loving family who may at times find each other insufferable, but will come through when the instance calls for it. Given the worry many Simpsons fans had (such as myself) that this would reflect the recent declining years of the series, Groening and Co. have delivered a wildly hilarious film that doesn't quite hark back to the truly classic moments of the series, but manages to become an amalgam of what would be four great episodes, and I mean that in the best way possible.
Thanks for reading,
Reefer