CATEGORY ERROR. My brain kept screaming this at me during The Simpsons Movie (I checked with Rob and Carsmile Steve who were sitting next to me and they swear it wasn’t them screaming it, so that just leaves my brain). My brain is a stubborn old stick, and frankly I do my best to ignore it at every turn. Yet I know what it was screaming about (I CAN READ MY MIND!) and partially sympathise. So yet again cinema throws up a film which every reviewer is obliged to review in exactly the same way. Ahem:
“The Simpsons Movie is like a long Simpsons episode. Which makes it better than 90% of films out there.”
Don’t believe me? Look at all the reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. AND THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THIS. Bear in mind the following:
PREMISE No.1: Even rubbish episodes of the Simpsons are better than 90% of television.
PREMISE No.2: The general standard of US television in the 2000’s is better than the general standard of US Movies.
CONCLUSION: The Simpsons Movie is better than most movies.
See, easy to prove. Except. My brain was shouting CATEGORY ERROR. My brain was not sure if it wanted to see it in the cinema. With lots of people all nervously laughing. All willing for it to be great (which it was), but all aware of the oddness of the sensation of something being off. The film starts with what can be construed to be a nicely confident gag “Why should I pay to see something in the cinema that I can see on TV for free?” It may be confidence than throws that right in the viewers face, but there is also an admission. Unlike the South Park movie (musical), or even the Beavis & Butthead movie (road-trip), The Simpson’s IS just what you get on TV. The only difference is its length and its size (CATEGORY ERROR). There are a couple of applications of digital effects, but nothing more than you would get in an episode of Futurama. So it was funny as hell, when I could hear it past my screaming brain. But its movie status will last for four weeks. Then it’ll be a DVD, and then it really will just be a long Simpsons episode.