| Written by Mark Botwright
published 28th January 2010
Supplied for review by |  |
It's pretty hard to find anything genuinely new to say about The Simpsons. A show that has been going strong for twenty years and twenty seasons and has been on the cover of just about every major entertainment magazine in the world doesn't really need any review blurb to fill in readers about the background. Indeed, you would surely have had to have been living in a maximum security prison or deep in the Amazonian jungle not to have even some kind of passing knowledge of the dysfunctional and absurdly yellow American family. Consistently huge audience ratings and a place in TV history as a trend setter that arguably set the ball rolling for such later hits as South Park, Family Guy and American Dad to be considered suitable comedy fare for adults and a mainstream market. When even American presidents are citing you in one of their speeches - "We are going to keep on trying to strengthen the American family, to make American families a lot more like the Waltons and a lot less like the Simpsons" - you know you've made an impact.
So with Matt Groening's mega hit rolling into its twentieth year, how does it fare on its Blu-ray debut? Well, perhaps the most significant feature that strikes you is not the question of the content's continued ability to evoke laughs, but the new aspect ratio. With nine episodes in 1.33:1 and a further twelve in widescreen 1.78:1, the difference is quite striking. Many animation enthusiasts have long held to the belief that cartoon comedies do not need a wide aspect ratio, with the majority of the action sitting firmly in the centre of the frame. But, as ever, the shift in technological emphasis onto high definition broadcasts meant it was time the yellow ones joined the twenty first century. As such, we have nine episodes that are 4:3 and upconverted and a further twelve that are a native 1.78:1 1080p presentation. If you haven't seen these episodes and were hoping that the wider aspect ratio would make for a more cinematic show then I'm afraid you may be disappointed. The full width doesn't add anything that gives a greater impact to proceedings, nor is it used to draw the eye. There are a few shots that seem visibly bigger but on the whole this is more of a concession to a market that craves high definition and wouldn't care for it to be squeezed in a mere portion of their screens.
So if the technological side of the show has been ramped up to modern standards, what of the content itself? Well, to be frank, there seems to be two schools of thought as to how well The Simpsons has fared with the passing of time; those who believe its best years are behind it and those who continue to champion the show as a pinnacle of modern entertainment. For the record, I tend to sit somewhere in between. It is generally all too easy to remember the shows of the past with rose tinted spectacles and raise them up to untouchable status in our imaginations simply because they felt new and fresh. Often when you look back at these moments, in retrospect they can seem distinctly primitive not only in their animation but also in terms of content. The Simpsons is no different and has always been something of a mixed bag, with episodes often preferred by fans because of the particular characters they focus on. It is one of the shows great strengths that it has such a wide and varied cast of characters. So populated is the list of oddball residents of Springfield that the creators can even actually kill off an established figure without the comedy skipping a beat or the individual being noticeably missed. As such it is a little hard to level criticisms of a comedy that relies heavily on rotation of peripheral figures as there are always likely to be some episodes that, due to their central figure, just don't strike a chord with some viewers, and this season is no different in that respect to the 19 that have preceded it.
What is different however is the trend in writing that has seen the family modernise to an extent. As with almost all cartoon creations, they exist in a time warp of sorts, with characters beyond the grasp of old father time and thus staying forever the same age. This is par for the course, but it is a little odd to see a comedy that has generally espoused forward momentum in favour of finding comedy in universal and timeless themes centre an entire episode around subjects such as Bart's desire for a cell phone. Somehow it just doesn't sit right and although there are a few brief moments of laughter to be found, there is still the lingering feeling in these instances that the show is simply trying too hard to be modern. Perhaps it is down to the writing and the subject matter as I'm struggling to think of any great hilarity that has been divined from the well of ideas that surround mobile phones. This was one of the earlier episodes in the series and it left me not only cold, but combined with the standard Irish character episode beside it that goes from one distinctly unfunny joke about Riverdance (remember that from comedies a decade ago?) to a worryingly un-PC jibe where Bart asks “where are the IRA when you need them?”, I was starting to despair. Thankfully, just as it seemed like the light was dimming on this once great show, the respite of the yearly Treehouse of Horror Halloween episode raised its head to puncture the stilted atmosphere with some much needed laughs. The skits contained within are perfectly written and highlight just where it is that The Simpsons finds its strengths. It combines subtle take-offs (and some not so subtle ones) with sharp writing and was for me the turning point of this season into better territory.
That's not to say that there aren't lulls in other places, just that it almost feels like the series up to that point was akin to a fighter throwing off a touch of ring rust before finding his forgotten form. The high point for the entire twentieth season though came for me as something of a surprise. After the laugh amnesty that was Bart's struggle to get a cell phone, I was fairly confident that the safe ground for the show was away from modern technology - I certainly didn't want to see another foray into the realms of modern consumerism and gadgetry. Yet the Apple baiting wonder that is the episode entitled Mypods and Boomsticks overthrew my preconceptions about the limits of the show. It encompasses all that is great about The Simpsons and demonstrates that it can actually tackle modern subject matter without seeming befuddled or outdated. The writing is crisp and snappy, the jokes are intelligent and the imagery is vibrant. I defy anyone not to laugh at the figure of Comic Book Guy swinging a hammer towards the video screen of Steve Mobbs (Simpsons' caricatures of real figures have always been easy to identify) once he feels his idol has betrayed him- it is not only funny but also knowingly cinematic. True, the other half of the episode, in which Bart befriends a young Muslim boy is a little strong in its preaching in places, but when you consider that this is a show made primarily for an American market, of whom 11% believed that the current president was Muslim, you can forgive a certain amount of posturing on the moral high ground regarding the sweep of Islamophobia currently prevalent in the world.
So, how does the season stack up as a whole? Well, there are still a few duffers in between the gems, but the standout moments of hilarity more than make up for these missteps. Personally I can't stand the continued schmaltz brought about by the insistence upon the inclusion of a message of love at the end of each episode, where a family that has fallen out must be seen to be closer than ever. However, this want of the makers to show that lessons have been learnt is my own bugbear and I accept others may consider these over egged positive conclusions as an asset to be lauded. The Simpsons' great strength is the sheer wealth of characters it has at its disposal. There are always likely to be your personal favourites, but you can be assured that over the course of an entire season that there will be enough appearances of them to warrant your viewing time. The season may open a little worryingly, with few signs of originality or the sharp snappy soundbites of idiocy by Homer that we've all seen emblazoned in forum signatures across the web, but persevere and you'll find a distinct upturn in the quality that favours mockery, wit and the good old slapstick we all know and love.
Episode list
Sex, Pies And Idiot Scrapes
Lost Verizon
Double, Double, Boy In Trouble
Treehouse Of Horror XIX
Dangerous Curves
Homer And Lisa Exchange Cross Words
Mypods And Boomsticks
The Burns And the Bees
Lisa The Drama Queen
Take My Life, Please
How The Test Was Won
No Loan Again, Naturally
Gone Maggie Gone
In The Name Of The Grandfather
Wedding For Disaster
Eeny Teeny Maya, Moe
The Good, The Sad And The Drugly
Father Know Worst
Waverly Hills 9-0-2-1-D'oh
Four Great Women And A Manicure
Coming To HomericaMovie score : 8 1,652 word review written by Mark Botwright. If you value this review, please share it using
the Google +1 button and the Facebook Like button. Thanks | | |
Click here to be the first to comment on this review.
(To post your comments, you must first register with AVForums and then log in.) Supplied for review by |
|
E. & O.E.