Article Contributed on: 7/30/2007 12:26:33 AM
Woo hoo The Simpson's Movie delvers an epic story to series novices and veteran Springfield mavens alike.
Before entering the theater tonight I had my initial misgivings of the animated movie. I haven't been a fan of the recent several seasons, the punch and satirical pop was all but gone, but with more than a dozen writers working on the script including Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Mike Scully the film lived up to the hype and carpet ad campaign Fox unleashed upon our fair planet.
With 7-Eleven, Burger King and Fox TV stations running commercials to remind us of the Simpson's and everything Springfield how could anyone miss the movie this weekend? Apparently not many since its opening weekend grossed more than $70 million, soundly beating Lindsey Lohan's "I Know Who Killed Me."
The film was a finely produced movie machine. It belonged on the big screen and was not just a few shows cobbled together so that it can run in future seasons. The backgrounds were sleek and stood out, courtesy of the computer generated animation used to create them.
As with every other reviewer out there I don't want to say too much about the story in case you didn't make it to the theater this weekend.
The movie opens up with an Itchy and Scratchy cartoon and Homer making fun of the movie going audience. The writers didn't stop from just picking on the public but also Fox, since The Simpson's are one of the few forces to do such a thing and get away with it.
But the story centers on Springfield's favorite son, Homer Simpson, and his fall from grace that leads Springfield to near catastrophe.
He and the gang are run out of town and attempt to start a new life but are forced to save the town after a powerful government bureaucrat, voiced by Albert Books, who by the way voiced a much loved antagonist Hank Scorpio in "You Only Move Twice."
Aside from Homer's odyssey, each character has their own quest to redeem himself and his honor the rest of the Family has their own crisis to overcome, whether it's their marriage woes, (Marge) father issues (Bart) or crush on a new Irish kid (Lisa.)
The movie also includes every ancillary character in the Simpson's universe and probably duplicated several times in key scenes. We have Kent Brockman covering the news during the town's darkest moments and the introduction of president Schwarzenegger, "I wasn't elected to read, I was elected to lead."
I think that most will believe that I am an unbiased viewer of the series. It isn't like I have seen every episode nor wasted a good chunk of my life remembering what Homer's middle name is, so I can rate this movie six donuts out of a possible five.
There are so many inside gags and one percenters that I'll leave it to you to go see the movie or at the very least Netflix it. Just make sure not to drink a six-pack of Buzz Cola before you go see the movie.