The Simpsons Movie

Well, it's finally here, the movie version of the (arguably) greatest TV comedy of all time. This is big news, and apparently not just for geeks like me. The Simpsons Movie even got a mention in The Economist this week. If that doesn't scream "major event", I don't know what does.

The biggest question for me when I first heard there was going to be a Simpsons movie was, can they stretch what's already a dense 22 minutes into 90? I mean, a lot of things happen in an episode of The Simpsons, given the pacing differences of animation. How many things would have to happen to cover feature film length?

Well it turns out that wasn't a problem. It didn't feel too long and drawn out, nor was it so byzantine it failed to hold interest. It was a good length, with an engaging story, and wound up feeling a lot like any other episode (which is basically a good thing).

So, to quote Homer at the beginning of the movie, why pay for something that you can get for free? The most obvious answer is the big screen. The big screen (and sound system) is still a reason to go to movies. Is this a "big screen movie", you know, one that loses something important on TV? No. Clearly The Simpsons was meant to be seen on TV. But that's just it. After 18 years of 20 inches and 1:1.33 aspect ratio, the novelty of The Simpsons in the theater has definite value.

Another difference is that the movie is released from the restrictions of broadcast TV. This is hardly an enterprise that tries to offend, but sometimes what's funny is unacceptable for broadcast (and sometimes that very status is what makes something funny). This movie cleverly gives us a few (I counted three) instances where they're clearly saying, "this is the movie, we can do this, haha". This is worth a laugh or three.

The other main difference is that it is longer, and for those of us who have always been disappointed to see the credits at the end of an episode, this has some kind of value.

But this brings us to the real question: how does it rate against the best episodes? Unfortunately, by this yardstick, it rates somewhere below the cream of the Simpsons crop. Nevertheless, OK Simpsons is still great TV, and good Simpsons makes for a very funny movie.

The bottom line? If you're a Simpsons fan, you'll enjoy the movie. If you're not, this probably won't be your first foray into their wonderful world. In other words, you know if you're going; what do you need me for?