The Simpsons Movie review

It might have taken 18 years for the Simpsons to make it to the big screen, but the wait was well worth it. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie make a triumphant film debut in the most laugh-packed 87 minutes you're going to enjoy at the cinema, this or most any other year.

From the opening credits when Homer mocks, "I can't believe we're paying to see something we could see on TV for free," to the end titles and the historical moment when Maggie utters her first word, "Sequel," The Simpsons Movie never lets up. Every frame and every line has a joke. And in typical Simpsons fashion, the humour is an irresistible and ingenious blend of the satirical, the ironic, the irreverent, the crude and the cruel.

To insure Homer's line wasn't prophetic, an all-star writing team was assembled from the extensive pool that has worked on the show over the years. The team also included Simpsons creator Matt Groening and James L. Brooks, who originally helped develop the series. With another long-time Simpsons alumni David Silverman in the director's chair, all have successfully achieved their aim of making the film far more than simply an elongated episode.

One reason offered for the long delay in bringing Springfield's famously dysfunctional family to the cinema was the conviction that the right story was required to sustain things beyond the TV show's 22 minute format. With a plot that entwines an emphasis on the unity of family with an environmental message, The Simpsons Movie possesses a heart and conscience, with each being mined brilliantly for laughs.

When Homer turns Springfield's lake toxic, the government encases the whole town in a sealed dome. Baying for Homer's blood, the local's form a lynch mob, causing him and his family to flee to Alaska. There he is forced to reflect on his irresponsible behavior, before setting about saving his marriage and his town. Springfield as a polluted biosphere is meant to be a metaphor for the planet, but the film never gets bogged down in proselytizing and is equally inclined to ridicule self-righteous environmentalism as it is the US government.

With no topic being exempt from its savage wit, The Simpsons Movie loads up and fires in every direction. One minute Homer's deriding the bible, announcing "This book doesn't have any answers," the next a crawl line runs across the bottom of the screen, parodying the annoying self-promoting strategy employed by the Fox network, home of The Simpsons TV series.

Animation is more popular than ever these days, with Pixar having raised the bar for the genre. But while the sophistication of the animation of The Simpsons remains crude in comparison, its level of humour is far more worldly. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another 18 years for Maggie's word to come true.

Kevin Murphy