‘The Simpsons Movie’
Twenty years in the making, the Simpsons movie has a lot to live up to. An impossible task really but well worth the shot it seems.

Is it as good as the show was in its heyday? The answer, unfortunately, is no, but at least it tries to be.

As anyone who has kept track of the show over the years could tell you, the quality has dropped considerably in recent years– the writing has become lazy, relying on a throw-it-all-and see-what-sticks mentality, which is sad after such a great run of five or six series dealing with family issues, real issues, with underlying messages sadly having been replaced with general buffoonery.

The movie attempts to recapture the great shows of old by having a storyline with meaning, dealing with how Homer’s actions affect his marriage and family life, all the while maintaining a steady gag rate and a genuine sense of urgency.

The cast, as usual, are top notch, the animation spruced up for the big screen whilst retaining its trademark look. The special guests are few but hilarious and, of course, you’ll be humming the ‘spider-pig’ theme long after the credits roll. Definitely worth a watch then, if only for the novelty of seeing an extended episode on the big screen.

2.5 out of 5

‘Transformers’
Director Michael Bay is no stranger to big budget blockbuster film-making. The ‘Bad Boys’ films, ‘Pearl Harbor’, ‘Armageddon’, and most recently, ‘The Island’, all bear his trademark flourishes of explosions, high-speed car chases, and the thinnest of plotlines.

The main challenge of bringing a 1980’s toy-commercial-turned-kids cartoon show, to the big screen, was primarily a visual one.

Producer Steven Spielberg wisely chose a director, who has delivered on these terms before. Essentially a good versus evil yarn about alien robots from the planet Cybertro, Transformers is the most low-brow big-budgeted fun to be had at cinemas this summer, following the disappointing third instalments of both the ‘Spiderman’ and ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’ franchises.

The lead role by relative newcomer, Shia LaBeouf, is the key to the success of the human story behind the action. With an awkward yet likeable screen presence and personality, he looks like the most likely candidate to take the place of Tom Hanks’s everyman or indeed, Woody Allen’s loveable misfits.

John Turturro and Jon Voight show up in what can only be described as extended cameos and serve their purpose well, if a little too tongue-in-cheek at times.

The special effects are the best that today’s technology has to offer, and are the main draw here. Funnier than expected too, ‘Transformers’ comes as a welcome reminder that they can still ‘make ‘em like this’, a crowd pleaser reminiscent of Jurassic Park era Spielberg.

4 out of 5