This is bar-none the funniest movie of the year.... (and as Homer would say)... so far! After 18 long years the Simpsons movie has finally arrived. Needless to say, its longevity and humor has never ceased to amuse. I've been watching the show inconsistently over the years, but I've always been a fan and tune in when it's on TV. This movie is so long overdue... I can't believe South Park got a movie before this! Proceed with caution.... that's a SPOILER WARNING for those who haven't seen the flick! Without further adieu, here's my veRdict:

the wRong
No Couch Gag!
I've always wondered how they'd do it in the movie... the opening showed the daily lives of Sprinfield-ians like the show... then it got cut short and... Green Day appeared... and then... no... couch gag! This was one of the staples of the show, and I was disappointed it didn't make the movie.

Springfield, Overpopulated
Actually, I'm happy they fit practically every character in Springfield, which is a ton. This is more of a constraint of it being a 90 minute movie, but I really wish the other characters I loved such as Krusty, Mr. Burns, Groundskeeper Willie, etc. got more to do. New characters like the main villain, Lisa's love interest, and 'boob lady' got bigger roles here. Not a nagging flaw, but just a nitpick. I know they all got their moment to shine on the show.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Squirrels
When I first saw this monstrosity I thought everyone in Springfield was going to turn into freakish multiple-eyed zombies! But I don't what the real purpose of sealing the town under the glass dome was... is the lake inside the town? Then shouldn't they all be turned into freaks? Or was the lake outside the dome, then shouldn't that have been the one under the dome? You might say 'it was the ECA villain's scheme for option 3, deal with it'... but I found it fruitless when the town didn't turn into freaks and just suffered lacking resources.

the Right
Humor
Need I say more? Probably the funniest movie I've seen all year. It's just a good time at the movies. No matter how shallow their jokes are, the way the deliver is so, so funny. Stuff that made me laugh out loud: the guy who was torn between his family and Venice; Bart drunk as hell; every scene with Homer.... you guys write in your favorite funny moments! Too bad a lot of the funny stuff was given away in the trailers though.

His Fat Butt Could Shield Us All
Homer's the hero all right. I'm glad the movie focused on him finally 'growing up'. He's a big, dumb, lovable oaf you can't help but root for. If there was an 'animated characters' hall-of-fame, Homer would definitely be there.

Heart
Amidst the laughs, i liked that the movie showed us deeper things such as the relationship of father-son, husband-wife, and compassion to others... until the next joke that is, haha. Really though, I held back tears during the scene where Homer played the 'taped-over' VHS....

The Cast
Wow, I never knew Dan Castellaneta voiced so many characters (namely: Homer, Krusty the Clown, Grampa Simpson, Groundskeeper Willie, Barney Gumble)! Almost all voice talents gave life to multiple characters, and it was cool that they're dynamic like that.

2D
Yup, the movie trailers said it 'dared to be ugly', but i'm glad they stuck to the old animation style that's so distinct and still holds up to this day. I appreciate the character designs more when I saw Matt Groening's book about how to draw the Simpsons... the science of it, the symmetrical shapes... just classic... check it out when you're at Fully Booked. I'm just happy they didn't do a 'Flintstone's movie' live-action or 'TMNT' CGI with this.

the veRdict
This movie was worth the long wait, and it definitely delivered in entertainment and laughs. People may argue that it was just a 'long episode' but I thought that's just fine. It's one of the funniest movies I've seen all year... in fact, I had a better time watching this than Shrek 3. Long time Simpsons' fans will love that almost all the characters are there, no matter their small roles (how I wish some were bigger), and that Homer is the star (as it should). It's one of the wittiest sitcoms around (animated or live-action), and even though it's lost some of its ground to other shows like 'Family Guy' et. al., there will always be a space in my heart for the Simpsons. I echo the sentiments of Maggie's 'alleged' first word during the end credits.... 'Sequel!'

*UPDATE* : Now with Homer's version!

C'mon... you know you wanna download the orchestral version of Spider-Pig...