KOOL TV CLASSIC IMAGE: "THE SIMPSONS MOVIE"!

A legend reaches the big screen- Homer's belly!- in THE SIMPSONS MOVIE. Image: Copyright Matt Groening/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX.

Better late than never, the so far singular THE SIMPSONS MOVIE from 2007, based on the legendary television sitcom created by Matt Groening - the darling show of the George Bush senior household (Not!!!)- showing tonight on Channel 4 HD in the UK, is good fun for the majority of its lengthy, nearly 90 minutes, running time, and was a generally well received success with critics and with the bums on seats at the worldwide Box Office. The film, written by Groening alongside contributions from his usual scripting talents James L. Brooks and Mike Scully, has lots of funny moments whilst the general plot, involving that lovable family man/slouch/donut eating Homer becoming the enemy of the people- the entire town of Springfield- after he dumps dangerous toxic waste into the water supply that soon leads to the entire area being cordoned off from the world by President Schwarzenegger ("I was elected to lead. Not to read," he says determinedly, and in that droll German speech pattern, to one of his aides in a laugh-out loud moment!), with the help of his environmental protection agencies, is certainly memorable-I particularly like the scenes where, in a wonderful homage to the original FRANKENSTEIN movie's finale, the entire angry inhabitants of Springfield, burning torches in their hands, come out to hang, draw and quarter Homer for what he's done, as he and his family attempt a desperate escape and become exiles. As the film continues, cue in the obligatory smart dialogue, cute visual gags, pop culture references (how about that Spider-pig!), varying length appearances from the shows many iconic characters (though sadly not enough Mister Burns for my liking!), a few guest star voice overs here and there (like Tom Hanks and Albert Brooks) and a mayhem ensuing finale as Homer and son Bart lead the revolt to break out of the huge shield encircling their town (as well as getting rid of a big bomb about to detonate!), and you have a movie-despite the 18 year wait- that fans of all ages will enjoy, alongside some first class animation, proudly shown by their creators in 2-D (as the blurb said on the poster, anyway!)

Trailers:YouTube - ‪The Simpsons Movie Trailer HD‬‏ and YouTube - ‪Simpsons Movie Trailer HD 720p‬‏

THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is also available on DVD and Blu-ray, as are numerous seasons of the regular series.