Now boys, when you meet Jesus, be sure to call him "Mr. Christ"

So, I went with bethje and her Uncle John to see the Simpsons Movie. This is the fourth movie I've seen so far this year, and the second that I've seen on opening day. That doesn't really sound that impressive, but hey, it is for me.

The movie itself was...decent. For an extended episode of the show, it was better than much of the last season. For the big blockbuster that they've been working on for a few years and refused to even start making for many more years before that because they wanted to be sure they did it right...well, I'm not sure it really lived up to its potential. I do think the writers enjoyed the opportunity to do a Big Story, especially with all the complaining they do on the DVD commentaries about how Fox has cut time from the show to allow for more commercials. And it did hold together as one story, with some focus on every character, including a surprising amount of Maggie. Still, I'm not going to lie; it was largely Homer-centric. They worked in a good number of supporting characters as well, including a few less frequently appearing ones in non-speaking roles (Gabbo and Stampy are the two that came to mind), although there were a few who seemed conspicuously absent. You'd kind of think they would have worked in Kang and Kodos somehow, although it's probably better they didn't. I also found it interesting that they used so few guest voices. Maybe after so many years of the show emphasizing big-name celebrity appearances, they wanted the movie to be different. Or maybe they just wasted their budget on the computer-enhanced animation. Whatever. {g} Even as far as frequently recurring guest voices go, they used Albert Brooks and Joe Mantegna, but not, say, Jon Lovitz, Alex Rocco, or Kelsey Grammer. (The IMDB listing actually included Kelsey in the cast list, but I figured there was a good chance they were guessing; it's hardly the best source for information on films that are still in production. Besides, since Sideshow Bob was living in Italy the last time we saw him, it probably would have been difficult to work him into the plot.) Actually, I think the oddest omission was Frank Welker, who's usually the go-to guy for animal voices. I believe it was Dan Castellaneta who voiced Santa's Little Helper, and Tress MacNeill as the pig.

The stuff with Arnold Schwarzenegger as President was kind of weird. That's not to say it wasn't funny, but the President on the show has previously always been the same as the one in real life. Did they think Schwarzenegger jokes would hold up better than Bush jokes? That, however, is not an issue of quality, but rather of continuity. And there are several other nerdlinger criticisms that I can give in that respect, like, "Why would the dome be right in the Simpsons' backyard? They don't live on the edge of town" or "How could Homer and Marge have a wedding video when they were married by themselves at a casino chapel?", but no more than in just about any given episode of the show.

This review ended up being a lot longer than I had originally intended, so I guess I'll wrap it up now. Would I recommend the movie? I don't think I need to. I'm sure anyone who still likes the show will watch it regardless. But if you've given up on the show and were hoping the movie might be a return to the classic style, you might want to wait for the video, unless the thrill of seeing TV cartoon characters on the big screen is enough of an attraction for you (and, admittedly, that WAS pretty cool).

What wasn't so cool were the previews. As if the live action Alvin and the Chipmunks didn't look bad enough already, we now know that it includes a joke about eating poop. How wonderful. And the Horton Hears a Who preview made me want Dr. Seuss to rise from the grave just long enough to tell Jim Carrey to stay away from his characters. At least they had the sense to make this one a cartoon, albeit a CGI one. But really, does EVERYTHING from my childhood need to be reworked into a crappy-looking movie?