Movie Review of the Week: The Simpsons Movie

This is the movie I've been waiting for for 18 years. I have been a fan of "The Simpsons" since it started, even though I was only 4. I have seen every episode (well at least up to season 15 because after that I either worked every Sunday night or maybe it's because the show lost a bit of it's awesomeness) and know probably more than I should about the show. Which brings me to my review. The movie starts off with some classic Itchy and Scratchy moments, but to my surprise, there was no blood. There was lots of violence but no blood. How is that possible, in THE Simpsons movie, to have the most violent characters not even shed an ounce of blood? Despite the lack of that red fluid, it was still a great open, especially when out of nowhere the movie opens in much of the same fashion of the show. It was a perfect homage to the show's opening.

The plot of the movie has Springfield becoming the most polluted city in the country, all thanks to Homer of course, which leads the head of the EPA to seal off Springfield in a giant glass dome and it's all up to the Simpson family to save their beloved city. While the plot is absolutely ludicrous, I expected nothing less from a Simpsons storyline.

Sadly, many of the movie's funniest parts were shown in the trailers, so seeing them weren't as funny as they should have been. Except, many of those parts were extended upon very well, especially the scene with Bart skateboarding naked. That scene is very well crafted and cleverly executed and as long as you don't blink, you'll be shown a very special surprise. There were also a vast amount of hilarious one-liners that are a staple of the show and very well placed in the movie.

The thing that bothered me the most is that the animation in some spots was of poor quality for a big movie. Granted, the movie's animation is better than the show's animation (which it should be), but there were some parts that just seemed like they didn't put enough effort into the background as they did everything else. This is only a minor setback though and doesn't detract from the movie very much.

"The Simpsons Movie," I believe, is a fitting tribute to the show's wonder years, mostly because almost everything is unexpected. Marge gets serious, Bart wants to become a Flanders, Lisa falls in love, Maggie seems like she has super powers and Homer gets his ass kicked over and over while messing up everyone's life, but you still end up loving him as you should. Also, Homer gives the bird to the entire city. How awesome is that? Everything just seems to work, which is why I give "The Simpsons Movie" an 8 out of 10.