Lisa, the Simpson!

Most of you have seen the movie, yes? Some, like me, have yet to see it.
There was a big reveiw in the local paper along with 19 reasons why The Simpsons is the best thing that happened to pop culture.
Brace yourself for some spoilers. If you're not intrested in them, simply skip it and just head to the ending.  :)

"At this stage in American pop culture, the question is not" Why a "Simpsons" movie? But instead: What in the name of Apu Nahasapeemapetilon took so long?

There are laughs and pleasures to be had throughout "The Simpsons Movie"- but they are familiar laughs and familiart pleasures. And while familiarity is a key to success on television, a medium in which people esentially invite their favorite characters into their homes, it is often death in a movie theater, an enviornment in which we seek escape and sensation rather than homey tradition.

After nearly two decades, Portland native Matt Groening's dysfunctional yellow family and their fellow inhabitants of fictional, fractures Springfield are still funny folks, make no mistake. But they can no longer suprise and delight in quite the fashion they did in those halcyon years when bootleg Bart Simpson T-shirts were the rage and class and office clowns sounded subversive when they blurted out "D'oh!" after committing or witnessing an error.
Well, for whatever reason of business or art that delayed it, "The Simpsons Movie" arrives with less anticipation that might have greeted it 15 years ago - which both works for the film and against it. On the one hand, the hype attendant on its debut is less heated (if no less ubiquitous.)  On the other hand, the franchise has acqured a stale air that the film must shake off if it's to rescue the Simpsons' bygone glow of shock and glory.

Given all the complications, it's gratifying that "The Simpsons Movie" is a legitimately entertaining film. It never truly sparkles or shines, but it barely ever plods or frustrates. The filmmakers have taken the effort to work out a full length plot and give virtually every major character a cameo at the very least, while including the sorts of suprising celebrity apperances the series is known for (Albert Brooks, Tom Hanks, and the members of Green Day do the duites). But at the same time, the film feels like a long and not particularly distinguished episode of a series the best half-hours of which can still make you pass a beverage- if not a snack- through your nose.

The film opens with a flattish prologue that finds the Simpsons at a movie house watching an Itchy and Scratchy film. Homer complains that he can see this sort of stuff on TV for free: a dangerous joke the tinge of which the film never quite erases.

A typically knotty narrative begins: Pollution at Lake Springfield has reached dangerous levels, and Homer inadvertently turns the situation from meerly dire to genuinely life-threatening; the federal government (under the leadership of President Schwarzenegger, motto:"I was elected to lead, not to read") takes drastic measures to quarantine the city; when the citizens of Springfield learn that Homer is responible for their situation, the Simpsons flee for their lives. Meanwhile, Bart has his eyes turned by the fatherly ways of Ned Flanders, and Lisa meets a boy who shares her intrests in music an liberal politics. And the government's plans for Springfield become increasingly draconian.

The film more or less provides the sorts of things we expect from a Simpsons episode: Homer's gluttony and stupidity, Merge's sense of conscience and loyalty to her idiot husband, Bart's blend of defiance and insecurity, Lisa's alturism, Grampa Abe's senility, the lust of Milhouse, the greed of Mr. Burns, the fatuous newscasts, the dim-wit cops, and so on.

The writers have struggled mightily to provide a close-up, if not a line for every recurring character in the history of the show, which turns out not to be a good thing nessicarily, underscoring, as it does, the slight token use to which so many of them are put. Equally, none of the new characters - the evil Enviornmental Protection Agency chief, Lisa's new beau, an Inuit medicine woman- manages to create a distinguished impression.

Still, the film has delights: a scene of domestic bliss between Homer and Marge and the "Snow White"-esque denziens of an Alaskan forest; little jabs at Disney and Fox; allusions to movies and "Simpsons" episodes; Hanks' smug self-parody; some genuinely funny sight gags and witty jokes. And it moves with grace and speed.

So it satisfies- but no more. As I say in terms of the attention span of popular culture, "The Simpsons Movie" arrives eons after hat should have been it moment, and who can say what form it would have taken had it been created and released in a more timely fashion. At this time and in this form, it's amusing enough and breezy enough not to dissapoint. But it never dazzles or chalenges or truly delights. And that leaves me fairly certain that whatever Bart Simpson would say about it probably couldn't be printed in a family newspaper."

Overall Grade: B
The Lowdown: Admiable but not special; like a long and only pretty good TV episode.
Run Time: 78 minutes.
Rated: PG-13
-SHAWN LEVY
(© July 27, 2007, The Oregonian)

*just wants to contribute*
I have just seen the movie today but won't add any spoilers anyway, most been said there :p
I personally loved the film, and I believe this is down to me not expecting that much from it. Not saying its perfect, or the best film ever, but overall I found it very good :)
The animation was, really beautiful, it wasn't flat or dull, it was colourful and had a lot of depth..
Although most reviews don't agree with this, I felt the characters, especially Bart, were given more depth, and seemed more human.
The Itchy and Scratchy episode didn't disappoint :p
I didn't find the movie was ruined by the guest stars in any way as they weren't given the spot light like in many of the recent episodes today

I found it more like the older episodes in the sense of the plot and I didn't feel like there were gags after gags being forced onto the audience either...there's only a few gags I didn't find funny however these were usually the ones from the previews/trailers...such as the Homer and the hammer scene which I'm sure everyones seen by now... The cinema roared with laughter at that scene...I was probably the only one who didnt O_o... (however the cinema was full of little kids today... taken along by parents who think that since its a cartoon movie therefore suitable for 3 year olds...but I won't get into that rant >_<)

Overall, I feel it was a good movie and I was impressed ^_^

/me has to wait for 28 September to see it in Italy... >_<  *swears deleted*

*Spoilers*
Heh, I went to see the movie a couple of days ago, I'm not gonna make a full review, but I'll share some of my thoughts.

The most recent season(s) of the Simpsons have drastically changed, both in the sense of storylines and gags, if anyone has seen season 18.
The gags in the movie are a mixture of the old fashioned Simpson jokes and the recent, more crude ones. Some of them remind me of Family Guy, those have always been a bit insane.
I loved the opening Itch & Scratchy episode on the big screen, being the first thing I saw, I couldn't help but chuckle when the movie started, and when all those warheads came flying... LOL!
My opinion on the storyline is pretty much the same, it's not quite always what it used to be, but it's certainly not crude. Maybe a little cliché at times, like Marge leaving Homer, but I found the scene to be alot stronger than the usual ones. Meh, maybe that's just me.
The visuals were all rich and pretty, even though it's not in a typical "Simpsons spirit", at times it gave me that overwhelming feeling I always get at the movies, so it was certainly a welcome effort.

So to sum it up, I think it was a pretty damn good movie. They left a spot for the good old Simpsons feeling while combining it with new elements, and it works for me! Even if the latter feels a little different ;)
I love the Lisa scenes (had to mention lol), but I wouldn't mind seeing her just a bit more.
Oh, and one thing is for sure. You need to go see it on the big screen, it's just visually and at times audibly more intense that way.
Preferrably with a friend though :P  I don't laugh at stuff unless it's really, really funny when I see a movie by myself. Don't know if anyone here goes to the movies alone, but I know some people do :confused:

What?..woah O_o, sorry to hear that,..wonder why you have to wait so long though? Thought it was out in most of Europe earlier than that  :confused:

Thanks for your summary, Kasper. ^_^
It sounds like something to behold to know how it relly goes.
It's a shame that Lisa isn't as actve as regularly, though.
I'll be seeing it Saturday, since I'll be spending my day at the theater.
:)

SimpReal
I'm sorry! I thought it would have made the 27th release like alot of other countries. D:
That's... a long time to wait though. o__o;

I've finally got to see it on Saturday.
It wasn't what I had expected it to be. I don't know if it was the person who kept talking really loud in the front of the room, or if it was the parents who brought their young children to a film that is fit for teenagers. :confused:

Don't get me wrong, the animation and colours were great, and everything seemed to fit, but it felt a little lax. Almost cliché at moments, as Kasper has suggested.

Some of the parts for the trailers and some of the voice actors never appeared. Maile Flanagan (voice of Uzumaki Naruto in English dub) was supposed to play Colin, and Erin Brokavitch was never there. :confused:
I did like Green Day's cameos, though. ^^

I guess it was just me at that day, everyone else seemed to have enjoyed it alot.

 Not sure whether this will work or not. But, worth a try. (http://joox.net/cat/2/id/1501539)
A link toThe Simpsons Movie an Elephant in a bath, for those who wish to see.

I'd rather wait however. Rach did mention going to the cinema next time we met up to watch [An Elephant in a bath] together so, I'll wait for then. :)


The movie has broke. Missed your chance! :P

Well I have just returned from seeing the movie, finally... and since it appears we have several topics about this subject matter, I'll just pick this one to post my own little review in. :)

**WARNING: If you have not seen the movie yet, you may want to skip reading this review... I am not going to make any extra-special efforts to not spoil anything, so unless you don't care about finding out a few things, then it is in your best interest to wait until you have seen the movie before you read this.**

Well, let me start off by saying I've come not to expect much from any new Simpsons episodes, and the movie was no different. However, due to my low expectations, it didn't really disappoint me either. It was exactly what I had expected it to be; a long episode. Nothing truly special at all about it. Some moments made me laugh genuinely, but other parts were just plain awkward; the inclusion of full-frontal nudity was stupid and unnecessary. And Lord knows, I'm not one for censorship, and that's not why I thought it was stupid - I just thought that giving Bart all of these random objects to cover his genitals, be it bubbles, butterflies, plants, or what, only to reveal them in the end, left me scratching my head. It was just so... pointless.

Another thing that disappointed me was the lack of side characters, or their participation at least. We saw hardly anything from Apu, or Dr. Hibbert; and Mr. Burns and Smithers, two of my favorite characters, had barely any lines. And were Principal Skinner or Groundskeeper Willie even in the movie? I couldn't tell.

The characterization of Lisa was extremely disappointing as well. Now, I enjoy the character of Lisa, but the way they portrayed her in the movie though was just awful. First of all, she was overly-liberal in her efforts to save the lake. I share her concerns about the environment, but in the movie they completely overdid it. And then when she meets Colin, her character becomes an awkward, stumbling, lovesick moron most of the time. Bad, bad, bad.

It did have its good moments, though; the inclusion of Tom Hanks, one of my favorite actors, was a nice surprise and made me laugh pretty hard - "Isn't it nice to have a government you can trust?" :D And the bomb-disabling robot that committed "suicide", was pretty funny as well... although I still felt that most of the humor in the movie was lacking, as it has been since the early days. One of the funniest moments I can remember from the old show is from the 9th season, when Apu lives with the Simpsons in an attempt to convince his mother that he's Marge's husband (The Two Mrs. Nehasapimapetilons) - the moment is when Homer goes to Moe's and discovers that Moe is leaving on vacation. "I'm finally gonna see Easter Island", he tells Homer. Homer responds with, "Ah yeah, going to see the giant heads huh?" And then Moe's face goes absolutely deadpan and he says "With the, what now?" They just didn't have any of the real Simpsons humor in this movie... some of the humor that's been lacking for many seasons now.

Overall, the movie wasn't a disappointment, but definitely will never be considered one of my favorite movies of all time.

My rating: 5/10

GeorgeHarrison
About that bushes moment - I think it was just a parody to the whole censorship stuff. Seems that Groening dislikes it as much as Gary does ;) I think so because it was obviously an intended joke, not just something randomly funny. Plants cannot grow like that (i.e. part above, part below), and the slit in the bushes was looking exactly like that black rectangle the censorship usually uses for covering questionable stuff. ;) That wasn't the moment that bugged me - but the right next moment, when Ralph said what he said, was. That was really stupid and unnecessary. :mad: The movie wouldn't lose much if they dropped that moment.

But that was nearly the only thing I didn't like in the movie. Still have to write my bit.

Dagdamor
You mean "I like men now"? Yeah that was a little weird and out of the blue. It didn't really bug me though, I just thought it was a little random. I still don't think that the whole nudity thing was really necessary, though. Just seemed...  I dunno, pointless. And cartoon nudity is well... disturbing.

GeorgeHarrison
Me too :) I agree that it was just joke about censorship, but these attempts to cover him there with different objects were more funny to me than his uncovering. At least, they can make that slit shorter :)

As for Lisa - yep, she has not so deep character as in episodes, but due to they can't fit all details of characters in one plot, it was normal, as lack of supporting personages (although I wanted to see more of them, too). For girl in love she acted naturally, with Luke and Jesse she was almost the same. As for her activism - why you think they overdid it? She only went to people houses and than said her speech to citizens, that's all. Nothing bad I can see.

brakusaetsya
Yeah, she said her speech and campaigned for the environment and such, and then when she meets Colin and they start rattling off these facts about environmental safety measures...? Uhhh... and of course there's the moment when she snaps her clipboard in half because of her anger at the pollution. I don't know, I just got the impression that she was really laying it on too thick.

GeorgeHarrison
Heh, somehow she had to recognize, that he is pure gold for her :p How they could fall in love without realizing, how much they have in common? :p If there was another plot, music or they fondness of learning could be the main reason, but in case of lake pollution only that way was possible to show, that they are incredibly match each other.

brakusaetsya
Well, regardless of WHY it was included, I still think that they went a bit overboard. I mean, it was just the whole feeling I got... in some episodes they capitalize on her liberal-ness, in others, not so much... this was simply one where they did. I don't really like it when they focus on this - it makes it seem like she's just an annoying, nagging little activist who will never be satisfied. If you want to change the world, there are other ways.

GeorgeHarrison
That talk was the way to meet and to know each other, nothing more. :)
And we used to see even more angry Liser in the show. No, I don't think they have messed with her character in the Movie. In fact, she was very in character there, during all time, I didn't have a single moment when I could say to myself "Lisa wouldn't act so". And her punch for Bart was hilarious. :p

All right then, whatever you say. But I stand by my previous statements. I don't like when they make her character act so. It's annoying, and even sometimes embarrassing.

Well, you know, that I usually against that episodes, when she is too activistic, especially when it's not so important and she does it more for make herself important, than for real care about nature. But here it was needed for keep Springfield safe (people died and it was all serious), and she did only things that was really needed to prohibite pollution, it wasn't activism for activism, that I hate so much.

Lisa from show just has many many childish strains that make impression from her in 18 seasons another that Lisa from movie. That's Simpsons :/ Only seeing many plots, different situations you can see full Simpsons universe and lively characters. In one isolated episode one single quality always will be stronger than another.

Watched it with Rach finaly. :)

(If you havent seen the movie, I strongly urge not to read on. Watch the movie, and expect nothing!)

Unfortunatly, again I'm stretched for time so I'll basicly say: It was awsome.
'Nuff said really.  :gigi:

[Spoilers]
Few things I can comment on the fly are; The Bart nudity was nothing more than terribly brilliant! How they got away with that I've got no idea... same with Homer sinking through the sink hole while giving his fellow town people the double-one fingers :P It was hilarious.
Lisa herself was, in my opinion, MUCH better than in previous episodes. Her childish crush on Collin, and her perseverance to halt the pollution of the lake. Its not the first time she's been door to door. :)
And ofcourse, the guest star's where also well placed and didnt steal the spotlight from the family what so ever.
[\Spoilers/]

Generaly, the writers, animators, voice cast, and directors have all done the impossible. After all the anticipation and the massive pressure to create something to not just beat the Simpsons episodes, but smash them in terms of humour, plot, and drama. :)

Nice one Groening and co.!

My promised review.

I watched it three times so far: first time alone, then with my sister, then with parents. First time I was astonished. The light goes on, and I ask myself, "is it already over?" A hour and a half have passed like 5 minutes. The amount of events was so big so I couldn't tell myself that moment, what was following what there. Only remembered the most bright moments that made me laugh out loud. :) There are was another kind of impression, but I'll post about it later (or maybe next time).

The second time has settled my opinion down and helped to remember the Movie better. Funny, but my sister had the same thought right after the end: "Woah, is it already over? So quick?" When she checked time, she was surprized. I personally only convinced myself that the Movie was awesome. :) The main plot was crazy - to cover a town with the dome, what can be less expectable? - but I liked it for that. The secondary one - the relations within the Simpsons family - was really, really good for me, because all those relations is the main reason why I watch the show lately. It didn't disappoint me at all, it was just like something I dreamed to see. For some reason I liked Marge's characterization very much - she was so in-character in every scene. Bart's sudden relations with Flanders were unusual, but I liked it too, it was reasonable and not the last thing in the whole plot.

What I didn't like: the moment with naked Bart was funny (I laughed at it, too), but IMHO the Movie wouldn't lose much if they made this scene less explicit. Ralph's reaction to Bart was plain cruel to any kind of Ralph fans, just imagine Lisa saying anything similar for the sake of stupid joke, that would probably kill me. :( Also several other moments, when the jokes were more vulgar than funny. Although, I must say that the first time I was watching the Movie in the very morning, and the theater was full of kids. The most vulgar moments made them laugh the most. :/ So, I guess, this kind of stuff is also needed if you want to make a movie funny for the wide audience.

Now, about things that were much more funny to me. :) All three times I laughed like crazy about the Homer and the hounds scene. My, it was brilliant! :D The second moment I won't forget soon is the scene with Disney animals in the Simpsons' new house. Again, it was pure gold, I'd make a monument to the Movie creators for that thing alone :p And many many other things - scenes on the roof, scene with the church and bar, scenes with Cletus, scene with Homer dumping that pig container, scene with two families at the store... this is an endless list. Aside from the serious/dramatic moments, every minute something was happening that was making me chuckle. The Movie was one of the funniest things I've ever seen, I can't remember anything similar to compare it with.

Drama. Yes, the Movie also had its heart-touching moments - Lisa and Colin on the different sides of the barrier, chained Lisa playing her sax in the van, Marge's videotape... I will only say that I loved them, too.

And I simply have no words about Lisa's role. Homer is the main character there, and most of the time was dedicated to him. But the creators have managed to dedicate some time to Lisa too, and although she was acting a bit unusual there, her role was so good and important. I'm proud of her, about how she acted here and there, even if she was a bit childish in certain scenes :) expect a separate thread from me, dedicated to Lisa's role in the Movie.

All in all, it was a brilliant Movie, and I already want to see it once again (yes, the fourth time). Maybe it had its flaws, maybe it could be even better. But it helped me a lot that I didn't watch trailers and never expected anything from it. So in the end, it was a total surprise to me, I didn't expect it to be that good.

Dagdamor
This seems to be a very wide reaction from most people. "The movie was totally awesome! I want to see it again and again!" Not that I have a problem with people liking the movie, no not at all; I just probably won't see it again until it's on DVD.

About the story: I thought the whole concept of putting a dome over Springfield was ridiculously stupid, and when they decided to kill off all of Springfield, it made it even stupider. I mean, it seems like with the plot (The Simpsons save Springfield!), they turned The Simpsons into action heroes :confused: I didn't like this one bit, not at all...

I didn't think much about their choice of a villain, until I had time to reflect on the fact that Albert Brooks did the voice. Brooks has been in at least one prior Simpsons episode, where he voiced Hank Scorpio (You Only Move Twice). I then began to think, well wouldn't it have been better, or at least nice, if they had brought back one of these old characters? Personally I think Hank Scorpio would have made a much better villain than this new guy (can't remember his name)... I mean, Scorpio had a great personality in "You Only Move Twice", but this new guy who goes "mad with power" right off the bat... I don't think so.

Also... animation. I didn't like the way they made it seem different from the show... those of you who saw the movie know what I mean. I would have liked it better if they had made it not as smooth, like you were watching an actual episode on T.V. This new style of animating it made it seem to me like they were trying feebly to impress the audience (which apparently they did). However, it just left me missing the old Simpsons even more.

GeorgeHarrison
:red: Well, maybe so. But what can I do - the Movie was awesome to me and I really want to see it again. Maybe my reaction looks childish, but I tried my best to explain why I liked it that much. ;)

And most probably, I won't see it again until I purchase the DVD version, too, so you're not alone... like I said in another topic, the official showing seems to be over here, and I don't have possibility to download it. I've checked one licensed store today btw, they say they expect the Simpsons Movie in about a month. Better than I expected :)

Well, a short review for now, since i'm at work.

The movie rocked! As many, i had the impression it was over just too soon. :) I was so impressed to see a whole cinema full of people not going away before the lights were turned out after the last second of the last bit of the ending credits. That never happened before around here! Usually as soon as the credits start, the lights are turned on and people runs.

But... the movie.
There were very few things i didn't like. all the rest was still some of the same things that The Simpsons have done during these years, only better. Much better. The first part of the movie is a neverending laugh fest. You either laugh at the jokes or at the funny characterization of the Simpsons and the townspeople, or you just marvel at the technical quality of the drawings.

Every character was greatly written in my opinion. In the family there was of course more airspace for Homer but the other family members weren't underlooked. Everyone had a part. Just for the sake of the board, i'll just tell that Lisa was imho he most unexpectedly nice characterization. She was just lovable.

Praise for the voice actors, too. Not one was out of place or straining (of course talking for Italian dubbing).

The less TV-friendly jokes, like Bart's nudity, some swearwords, Homers gesture... were so greatly delivered that they were the most praised by the public. Doing them in any other way would have made them over the line.

What i didn't like the most, was the bad guy. There's only one Evil guy in the Simpsons, and that's Mr. Burns!! No matter how good a new character is established, Mr. Burns HAD to have 1) more time and 2) the "evil mastermind" role! I never cared much for that EPA soldier. This is the only bad thing that keeps me from giving the movie a full 10.

9/10 is my grade for the movie as a Simpsons aficionado who feels like he found something he thought it was long lost. Long live the Simpsons!

Lisa Rules! :D

SimpReal
I'm glad you liked it :)

It's interesting that you disliked Cargill so much... I personally liked that character, especially the moment when his craziness started to be noticeable to the others - "We need ten thousand tough guys, and ten thousand soft guys, to make tough guys look tougher" ;)

Maybe Burns could also play that role, who knows. But Cargill went crazy in the end, and also was really bad character in the Movie. Probably they just decided to spare Burns (for the sake of that mansion scene, for example), or decided not to make him worse than he already is.

And about Lisa... you're tempting me to open yet another Movie-dedicated topic, this time about Lisa solely :p

I didn't like Cargill, either. And it wasn't the introduction of another villain that bothered me, it was just the way that he acted, seemed, I don't know... almost corny in the sense. Now that I look back on the movie, it sort of seems like they were trying to make some parts dramatic. To me, at least, that failed miserably.

I don't know of any workaround for this, though. They couldn't use Burns, because A. He lives in Springfield, and B. They'd need someone from the government. There has to be some different way, though; surely the writers could come up with something better. :confused:

At least bring back Hank Scorpio... i put him just a little step under Burns in the field of "evil mastermind"ness. :p

SimpReal
Yes, one idea that I thought would've been nice :P Considering the same actor who played Cargill also played Scorpio.

SimpReal
GeorgeHarrison
Hmm... I don't think Hank Scorpio would fit Cargill's role. Come on, Scorpio wasn't "evil mastermind", at least not to the degree Cargill was. In the "You Only Move Twice" episode, Scorpio didn't do anything bad to the Simpsons, in fact, he tried to give them better life. And if it didn't turn out well, it wasn't his fault ;) It would be wrong to convert him into real "evil" IMHO.

Really? I didn't know that :)

Dagdamor
Yes indeed, Albert Brooks... and true about Scorpio, he wasn't cruel to the Simpsons, but I'm sure they would make it believable if he wanted to take over Springfield or something. They wanted to give him the easygoing, charismatic atmosphere, but still, remember he was attempting to take over the world. :P

I don't know, something about Cargill just didn't fit.

Yay, more people, who don't like evil EPA guy! :)

I completely agree with Marco, that Burns should have been given more time in that movie, such a brilliant character had so poor realization of his evil abilities. But, as George said, they needed different type of person. I never liked Hank Scorpio much, but even he could be better than Cargill. Also, how about Sideshow Bob? Evil genius, who doesn't live in Springfield right now, has political experience and wants revenge from Simpsons family (and he doesn't like Springfield much). Perfect choice. Only than they have to make up another ending. But maybe it could be even more great, not simple killing of bad guy, but something deep with complex psycological... ahem... things. That could give some "simpsonic" moments to the movie, show that Simpsons-universe more detailed, more vividly. New chapter of battle between Bob and the Simpsons in new format could be awesome. I waited for this so much, it was only one thing I definitely hoped to see in Simpsons movie :( Cargill isn't well-developed personage, in my opinion; in comparison with Hank Scorpio, Mrs. Botz or even with some other supportive personages,  who were in the Simpsons only once, he is just bad pale distorted copy of some stereotypical "bad guy". And there is lack of originality in Colin, too. Looks like they did not very good work with new characters. Boob lady could be nice, if not her boobs :D They danced with Homer so great, she was a nice find, but giving her such "name" and figure ruined this partially, imho. Yeah, it's hard to design new unique and interesting character after so many years, but maybe than wasn't necessary at all.

/me decides to chip in a couple of words!
I didn't care much for Cargill. That's it, I didn't care much for the character, I didn't really think about it though, I just focused on what was going on in the movie.
Yeah, I guess they could've put more work into the character, but it didn't really bother me or made the movie less enjoyable. He was there, and it satisfied my needs.

On another note, I think that a plot involving Mr. Burns or Sideshow Bob would just make the movie feel repetitive, I guess they wanted to introduce a character that hasn't already tried, and failed fiftytwelve times already. It's been done!

On yet another note, I think that Hank Scorpio could make an excellent villain in the movie with a proper script. I could imagine Homer setting out at the end with a touching speech that melts Scorpios heart/maybe not, but somewhere in that direction. Not saying that this is "original", but at least it'll feel less like "just another episode", which I didn't think the movie felt like. It was much much better than a regular episode. To those who say that it's just a long episode... well, think about it, many episodes are like short movies, what could you expect. You can't expect to see a movie without similarity to the episodes.

I think there's something else I wanted to add here, but I can't remember it... oh well. Cheers!

The movies cool and funny i really enjoyed it and my mum laughed she NEVER laughs at the simpsons so thats how good it was.

The movie was an average one for me.  What I REALLY LOVED was seeing THE SIMPSONS on the big screen.  I was in estacy when I first Lisa and Colin.  The details were astounding.  I wish I had watched it more than once since this is probably the last we get to see them on a movie screen until the hopeful sequel comes out.

/me still waits for the possibility to purchase the Simpsons Movie DVD in his city... the pressure grows...

*bump*

Yay! Yesterday, something finally appeared in my city's stores... not official TSM licensed DVD - I've lost the hope to buy it here already - but a pirated version with pretty good quality. Widescreen version with one audio track (russian of course, but it's that official translation I wanted to get so much!). Already watched it two times, just happy. :) I'm probably repeating myself, but the movie is absolutely brilliant, it's a masterpiece. And I finally managed to watch all final credits, with that Maggie scene. Cute! :)

I love watching my cartoon characters on big screen, i just love this movie  a lot.