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Homer must save the world from a catastrophe he himself created. It all begins with Homer, his new pet pig and a leaky silo full of droppings--a combination that triggers a disaster the likes of which Springfield has never experienced. As Marge is outraged by Homer's monumental blunder, a vengeful mob descends on the Simpson household. The family makes a narrow escape but is soon divided by both location and conflict. The Springfield citizenry has every reason to be out for Simpson blood. The calamity triggered by Homer has drawn the attention of U.S. President Arnold Schwarzenegger and Environmental Protection Agency head Russ Cargill. "You know sir," Cargill tells the president, "when you made me head of the EPA, you were applauded for appointing one of the most successful men in America to the least successful agency in government. And, why did I take the job? Because I'm a rich man who wanted to give something back. Not the money, but something." That "something" is a devil's plan to contain the disaster. As the fates of Springfield and the world hang in the balance, Homer embarks on a personal odyssey of redemption--seeking forgiveness from Marge, the reunion of his splintered family and the salvation of his hometown.

Fans of The Simpsons will, like me, be hoping that this movie reinvigorates a tired series of 400 episodes (over 18 seasons). I think it's fair to say that the writing quality in the latter half of those 400 episodes isn't really up there with the earlier seasons. Thankfully however, I can announce that the script for The Simpsons Movie is certainly more comparable to the quality of those earlier seasons.

That's not the only thing that will keep fans happy either. Those with a keener eye will notice that a lot of extra work has gone into the animation here, and although a bit of CGI has been used, the film's style is still in keeping with that of the TV series we're all accustomed to. My only complaint is that the whole thing seemed a little short lived, but then I guess the phrase "quality over quantity" springs to mind. The Simpsons Movie is certainly the former, although it's disappointing to hear that some comical scenes were cut from the final edit as they weren't deemed vital to the plot's progression. I'll point out here that if you do see this at the cinema, it's worth sitting through the end credits as there are a few extra funny bits to enjoy if you find yourself hungry for more.

The bottom line is, if you've found yourself enjoying any episode of The Simpsons on TV, you'll almost certainly enjoy this movie and you'll probably laugh your head off in the process. Highly recommended.

The Simpsons Movie is consistently funny and on occasion it's hilarious but there's too many lulls in the pace, and too many jokes that just don't work for it to be truly satisfying. The jokes come thick and fast but they tend to raise smiles and chuckles rather than real laughs.

It was always going to be the case that some characters were going to be short-changed, given the sheer number of them. It was right to concentrate on the family, but Mr Burns was sorely underused, and a bit more of Chief Wiggum and Abe would have been good as well.

The film suffers from Phantom Menace syndrome; it was never going to meet expectations. After so many years of such high quality episodes (the later seasons haven't been that great sure, but you have to admit it's a rare treat to be able to say of a TV show "Well the first 9 years or so were brilliant...") where could it go, what could it do?

That said though it's still the funniest film I've seen this year and the best bits, I think, are kept out of the trailers. Just expect your side to be thoroughly tickled rather than split.

Racking up impressive box office numbers right across the globe, the arrival of The Simpsons Movie onto the big screen proved, for many, to be more than worth the wait. But with its DVD release, there?s a compelling argument that Springfield?s finest have come back to their natural home.

The film itself is primarily Homer-centred, with the head of The Simpsons family seemingly consigning Springfield to certain doom when he dumps his waste where he shouldn?t. But, in the true spirit of the show, the plot takes a relative back seat to the antics of America?s first family.

And it?s those antics that offer the film?s gold. As you?d hope, it boasts several laugh-out-loud moments, from visual gags (the rock and hard place being a favourite) through to the by-now infamous Spider-pig. There?s not quite enough material to keep the chuckle counter going for the full duration of The Simpsons Movie, and the criticism that it?s effectively three episodes strung together has some truth to it. But you?d still be hard-pushed to complain for one key reason: The Simpsons Movie is grand entertainment, with plenty of rewatch potential.

So while you can add us to the queue of people who wanted more Mr Burns, and while it doesn?t quite measure up to some of the show?s best episodes, The Simpsons Movie still delivers, and does it with some quality. And Spider-pig is a work of genius?--Jon Foster

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