After nearly twenty years and some 400 episodes, everyone’s favourite American family The Simpsons finally got the big screen treatment this week in The Simpsons Movie.
With a show that’s been declining in quality for some time and with a usual 23 minute format … it’s easy to see why many were skeptical as to whether a feature length Simpsons Movie could work. After all, we’ve already seen many shows struggle to to make the transition from the small screen to the big screen and with the lackluster trailers and a seemingly loose plot… I can’t say I was all that excited for seeing the film despite all the marketing hype.
So what do I think of The Simpsons Movie now that I have seen it? Well let me be as blunt as possible… The Simpsons Movie… SUCKS. In fact it shouldn’t even be called The Simpsons Movie… it’s simply a really bad Simpsons episode in three parts.
It’s quite ironic that the one thing that draws me into The Simpsons more than anything else is it’s storytelling ability. In their short episode running time, you always feel like you go on a character journey and you feel like you have been told a story. I’m afraid this is the department of the film that needed working on the most and it’s a sad thing when you take into consideration that they hired their best writers in the history of the show for this movie.
The premise is flimsy one and wouldn’t fill an episode of the show at it’s peak. The movie centers on Homer’s new found admiration for a pig, which unfortunately brings with it a disaster as the pig’s waste ends up in the town’s river causing environmental problems to Springfield and the rest of the world. A dome is then placed around Springfield blocking the exit of the characters from the town and their fate is then left in the hands of the newly elected President Arnie who is advised to blow the town up… forever.
Despite all The Simpsons characters being present, there wasn’t a whole lot do for any of them outside of the Simpsons family. Krusty the Clown, Apu, Cheif Wiggum, Mr. Burns and the rest of the great supporting cast are giving no character arc what-so-ever and IMO when your doing a movie from a T.V. show which has so many interesting characters it’s to your benefit to do an epic story that involves as many as them as possible. To reduce characters like Mr. Burns to one or two lines is absolutely criminal and I really think the movie would have worked better if he was the film’s villain.
The obvious highlight of this problem of no-screentime is Lisa’s romance with an Irish kid named Colin. They literally have around 1 minute of screen-time together and it’s sadly nowhere near enough for us to care about her character’s development arc.
All of the funniest ‘laugh out loud’ parts of the movie are in the trailer and after around 30 minutes, there isn’t a lot to laugh at with this movie. I mean some of the jokes are just knock outs… including anything with Homer’s new found son… A Spider-Pig… and like I’ve said before when the Simpsons is on… it’s really funny shit but they couldn’t keep it going for the whole running time. But at least that running time was short.
This movie is proof The Simpsons have run out of steam IMO… but those Box Office numbers will keep it running for some time yet.
It is truly sad to see a show that was once at the peak of television output be reduced to what feels like a ’straight to dvd’ flick. There just feels like there was no effort put into this thing at all and I felt sorry for the MANY people who lined up to see this thing, because they have truly been conned. The movie is a prime example of the dip in quality of The Simpsons and if there was ever a paycheck film… then this is surely it.
12 Comments
I can’t believe you actually enjoyed this more than Die Hard 4!
This is as unsurprising as anything. The show has outright sucked for nearly a whole decade–any episode made after 2000 or so I just cannot even believe that its the same show from 1992-1996. This show should have been put to rest a decade ago when it was still good–like Seinfeld had the dignity to do–rather than this sad, slow descenet into disgrace. But the almighty dollar is too much to resist I guess. Thank the gods that Futurama is coming back…
Damn Matt, seems you are really hating this summers blockbusters, I already know you are going to give Transformers a bad review too. Im still going to see The Simpsons though, I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as you say it is.
This film was just bad! What can be considered as ‘ the funny bits’ were all used up through the trailers, and it truly is sad to see the once mighty Simpsons reduced to 80 minutes of drivel. At least 4 years too late, and no where near worth the wait!…Oh and I also find it hard to believe that you consider this a better film than die hard 4
I’ve yet to see it (and will be doing) but Mr. Burns restricted to 1 or 2 lines? Say it ain’t so!
It was always going to be a challenge taking such a popular, long-running show to the big-screen. Some trailers have made me laugh. Other promo clips have left me cold. I’ll have to watch the whole thing before I pass absolute judgement.
Matt, I don’t think I would go so far as to say it SUCKS, although I definitely agree that Burns should have been the villain, and more of the townspeople should have been included. FRankly, I think the pig should have stayed in the movie too instead of mysteriously disappearing halfway through – Homer and the pig had some of the best stuff early on.
The audience I saw it with laughed loudly several times. It’s enjoyable, just not quite as sharp as it could have been.
http://therecshow.com/?p=128
Ouch. This is what I was afraid of.
How can you call yourself a fan of The Simpsons and not enjoy this movie? I don’t find merit in your “review” of The Simpsons Movie. This should be considered an extended episode, with the plot focusing on the Simpsons themselves, and not so much with the secondary characters. So if you’re a fan of Chief Wiggum, or Moe, or Nelson, etc. etc., you’ll be glad to know that they make memorable appearances. But don’t expect the story to encapsulate EVERY character. This is after all, the very first Simpsons movie.
I watched this with a packed house, and the laughs were plenty and there was unanimous applause at the end. The creative team behind the Simpsons should be proud in the fact that they made the feel good movie of the year.
I will definitely recommend this to any true fan of The Simpsons.
P.S.-Stay for the end credits.
Matt,
Good review, one gripe though. You state that the movie “sucks” yet you give it 2 and a half stars. What does a movie have to do to get one star?
Well It was MILDY entertaining and some of the gags work quite well.
I hate having a star system in truth, and I always say you should read the whole review to get the best understanding of what I think of a movie.
the only good part of that movie was when Green Day showed up,they were at least some what funny but there song sucked….and they were only their for like 3minuits and what did happen to spider pig? why did that movie suck!? why was homer so un funny!!?? why God???!!! WHY!!!!???? but the bigist disapointment was lisas boy friend (forgot his name) he was neather funny or intersting infact he was dull and unnesary, simpsons movie was kind of like one of the less enjoyable episodes… oh well i went to that movie expecting a disapointment and i got what i could have seen on youtube in 5 years for free. i mean that bad kids movie with hulk hogen was more enjoyable (secret agent club)uh… actualy secret agent club was kind of funny cuz the acting was so bad. but in the simpsons movie at the very least there was some of every chairator. but they didnt show up much and most of them were reduced to only one or two lines.(sob, so sad!) on the positive side i can still use this movie to entertain my 9 year old brother and his friends.
i remember the first ever episode i ever saw. i went around to my nans house as a very little kid and watched a video my uncle had recorded. was the episode were sideshow bob gets hold of a bomb and threatens to blow up springfield unless television is destroyed “Sideshow Bob’s Last Gleaming”… i was about 7 years old.. my life changed forever. i became the most obsessed fan i knew everything…. why did i write that? because this is a show that was part of my life it was my childhood. i longed for a movie for years as a kid and a teenager i longed for it…. then it finaly came out then my intrest had gone into other shows such as family guy and other laughs. still i had to see the premier.. i had doubts i thought it could be a flop after all i had waited so long for it could it live up to expectations……that episode i watched on a sunday morning in my nans house aged 7 seemed a life time away… my heart sank i was devestated this once n all comfirmed to me that the simpsons was over. it was a farce and i know the creaters cant have been happy with it not a chance. big proffit but they must know that its reached its end and just wanna squeeze a few more $’s it was a shame they did this movie.. it had to be done its just a shame it was ten years to late. i hope in ten years time people wont remember this episode but remember them childhood favourites the ones they refused to go outside and play because they had to get home to watch the couch gag and the halloween credits. one good thing from that movie…spider pig…. shame it was in the middle of the mess…still i bought my ticket … i bought the dvd i payed my fees i dont regret that but that movie was a 5/10 and in simpsons ratings …much lower than that.