The Simpsons Movie

Second up in my WOF (Weekend of Films), and the film topping my "most anticipated" list, The Simpsons Movie.

I knew this was going to be good. But I didn't know it was going to be this good. I'm sitting here still giggling at the jokes.

As you can imagine, not every character can turn up, and the story seems to have avoided cramming in cameos of the recurring characters, which was always my worry about the film. The story, while the usual level of Simpsons insanity, is well written and strikes deeper chords, if you're willing to listen to it. The jokes are good. They're very very good.

Sorry, just had another giggling fit there.

The visuals are stunning. It's like living all your life with black and white vision and suddenly seeing in colour. The characters are better defined, without losing their instantly recognisable nature, and the backgrounds and scenery are beautifully drawn. It's clear that everyone involved loved this film and put their best work into it.

While not wanting to give anything away, I will tell you the trailer is a wonderful piece of misdirection, both telling you bits of the plot and throwing you off the scent completely. I like this, it's exactly what Star Trek films used to do in their trailers.

A nice touch was in the closing credits, when each of the cast names come up, they also show you a list (with pictures, for the kids) of all the characters that person voices. Now, if you're anything like me, you'll probably look at the list and think "Wow, he's a busy bunny. Look at how many characters he does." Right up until a point when you will have to bite your tongue to avoid shouting "What?!? She only does ONE character?!?"

Stay during the credits, there's a few bits to see that are tacked into the credits and they're quite good.

Score: A Solid gold. It was fan-freaking-tastic.

OQ: Da da da da da da da da da da da da, da da da da da.