The Simpsons Movie (2007, United States, classified PG (New Zealand, Australia), PG (Singapore), PG-13 (United States), PG (United Kingdom))
Run time 86 minutes, directed by David Silverman, starring Dan Castellaneta, guest starring Tom Hanks
Overall rating: 24/25 (★★★★ ⅘)
Sweet as or not? – Definitely sweet as for both regular fans of The Simpsons and those new to the franchise.
Verdict: America’s favourite animated family makes its big-screen debut in style with heaps of familiarity and some post-apocalyptic action thrown in for good measure.
Watch or Skip? – Watch it as soon as you can, and preferably in addition to the series proper.
Review by J.M. Broad · April 4th, 2021 (April 5th, 2021 NZT)
Kia ora folks, and welcome back to Sweet As?, the review site reviewing stuff with New Zealand panache from a uniquely NZ perspective, so you don’t have to, here with another review to open the month of April with and one for possible long weekend viewing over Easter. This time, we’re reviewing yet another film and yet another adaptation, which is of course the aptly named The Simpsons Movie, a feature-length reworking of the longest-running primetime series ever, The Simpsons.
Anyway, before we jump into this review, it is as always time for the obligatory disclaimer. If you are not interested in film adaptations of popular television series, or if you do not want to see this type of fare for just under one-and-a-half hours, please go to another corner of the site or leave the site altogether in order to go to another corner of the Internet.
If you are interested in reading this review, however, please do feel free to continue from this point on.
Now, without further ado, we shall delve into the review. The Simpsons Movie starts with the expected production company logo before jumping into a spoof of a space movie with the show’s signature hallmarks and caricatures and finally, the opening sequence which is oddly familiar, especially to those of you who are regulars of The Simpsons television series.
The adding of a sense of familiarity to the film keeps in line with the parts of the franchise we all know and love, namely the chalkboard gag (the ubiquitous couch gag is absent, though, and this is before the billboard gag was introduced), although it is a refreshing and welcome change in animation style that at the same time tells you not to pirate the film, something which I feel is more suited towards the home media market so is therefore underwhelming for a general audience that is not watching from home, and unfortunately, is somewhat tacky and a let-down as the show is more suited to two-dimensional traditional animation rather than 3D computer-generated animation, which is used here.
Elsewhere in the film, the animation style merges the traditional two-dimensional animation used in the series with computer-generated 3D animation, something which is innovative for its time and at the same time keeps it satisfying for the regulars, so kudos are in line for the animators.
Now, we move onto the plot, which I am also going to combine with the fundamental elements of acting and directing. The plot is an enthralling experience following the titular family on the run, however it does encourage fire safety choices that would be lambasted by Fire and Emergency New Zealand, namely running into a burning house to retrieve items and wash dishes, and much more in what is essentially an extended episode of The Simpsons that is equivalent to three episodes in length but at the same time an epic adventure relevant to nowadays with hints of post-apocalyptic fiction thrown in for good measure where the patriarch of the family, who is none other than Homer Simpson, must save the town which has given its namesake to one west of Christchurch and borders Ohio, Nevada, Maine and Kentucky, to say the least.
Combined with the directing from series mainstay David Silverman and voices from the same actors as in The Simpsons proper, not the movie, the plot is engaging for both those new to the franchise, but more so for franchise regulars and has all the hallmarks of a regular episode of The Simpsons with more thrown in as part of the ‘four-fingered discount’. Full marks are in line for the plot, which is for once not filled with clichés but with classic moments and running gags from the series, as well as for the directing and acting which adds a sense of familiarity, complete with the obligatory guest stars.
Finally, we move onto the soundtrack, which has been composed by luminary of film music Hans Zimmer, with the exception of the main theme composed by Danny Elfman. The soundtrack is mainly instrumental and evokes emotion in the audience, and the incidental music can be described as a jaunty affair, reflecting the light-hearted nature of this epic odyssey involving saving the world, to say a few things, and it was welcome to see some rock music as part of the main theme for a change compared to the solely orchestral theme used by the series proper. Kudos are in order for this part of the film which gains full marks from me.
Last Word
Overall, The Simpsons Movie was highly entertaining and a truly enthralling experience, both for series mainstays and those who are new to the franchise and I feel that America’s favourite animated family has made their foray into the big screen in style, even though they have tried to make it as similar to the series proper as possible through the addition of familiar gags and of course, the inclusion of the obligatory guest stars.
The Addendum
Ratings – Acting: 5/5, Soundtrack: 5/5, Animation: 4/5, Plot: 5/5, Directing: 5/5
Overall rating: 24/25 (equates to 4.8 stars overall using Sweet As? star rating calculations criteria)
Sweet as or not? – Definitely sweet as for both regular fans of The Simpsons and those new to the franchise.
Watch or skip? – Watch it as soon as you can, and preferably in addition to the series proper.
How can I watch this film?
The Simpsons Movie is available on various optical disc formats and possibly some streaming services. A number of television networks also air this film in a periodic manner.
Sweet As? 