“When disaster threatens our world… only one family can make things right… Now, time is running out…”

The Simpsons are fairly surprised to find themselves in a movie when Homer can’t believe he’s “paying to watch something we can see on TV for free.” But unlike the Family Guy straight-to-DVD “movie” which was just episodes put together and later available on TV, The Simpsons Movie tries to do something a little different… “Eeexxxcellent…” 

The Simpsons-patented plot of everything possible involves the contamination of Lake Springfield when its rot and chemicals are enough to erode and melt a barge with a rock band playing the movie’s theme music. One! Two! One! Two! Three! Four! “Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da!  The town’s lack of care is counterbalanced by idealistic Lisa, who goes door-to-door collecting signatures for her environmental crusade, only to get every door slammed in her face with one house even sailing away. Her live conference of “An Irritable Truth” gets answers but only leads to Homer’s undoing involving the re-polluting of Lake Springfield by his new pet pig and a leaky silo full of droppings which Homer helped fill, thank you very much!

This combination triggers a disaster the likes of which Springfield has never experienced putting itself at the top of the list as the most polluted town in history calling down the wrath of federal bureaucracy and leads to dire consequences for their fellow citizens. *Gasp* Yes, the Government succeeding in something! (The wrong way) As Marge is outraged by Homer’s monumental blunder, a vengeful mob descends on the Simpson household. The family makes a narrow escape and eventually finds peace on the run, but is soon divided. As the fates of Springfield, the splintered Simpsons family and the world hang in the balance; Homer embarks on a personal odyssey of redemption and the salvation of his hometown. It’s left up to Homer to save the world of Springfield from utter catastrophe which he helped create, thank you very much! 

The voice cast lends their talents to this enjoyable film at top-notch perfection. The animation of the film may not be the most advanced which may have held it back from an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Film but what it lacks in technological pioneering it is makes up for in originality, more than anything out there. This isn’t a showcase of animation skills but storytelling and comedic touches and The Simpsons Movie does its thing. It’s fresh and doesn’t recycle the same jokes and scenarios from the FOX television show on Sundays at 7/8C (Yes, we advertise in reviews too). It’s a cult classic and may as well be the model-American family to look up to. It does focus more on the Simpsons family alone rather than any extended look at secondary characters but with so many of them, where is there to draw the line? If they did, it would have been a longer movie, but quite frankly, that wouldn’t have been a bad thing. The plot is outrageous but creative and justly so for the movie version. Any criticism may come from comparisons with the television show but it stays true to the show format and was a great choice to make. Why should the Simpsons change for anything? They’re living in the format they shaped so why reinvent it when you can re-pollute it, with style.

So experience the greatest family adventure of all time (without illegally downloading a file version) and forget the reviews, don’t even read one and lead your sights onto DVD’OH!

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