Director: David Soren Starring: Kevin Hart, Ed Helms, Thomas Middleditch, Nick Kroll Studio: DreamWorks Animation Genre(s): Comedy Rated: PG (For mild rude humor throughout) |
I’ve sat at my computer for the last twenty minutes or so
trying to decide how to start this review.
I’m not just typing that to be modest, I really have no idea where to
begin with this. I’m hoping that by just
getting the fingers moving I can set in motion more typing that will result in
a review for you dear readers to read.
But…damn it, I’m talking about a movie called “Captain Underpants: The
First Epic Movie,” and I have to try to explain that with a straight face. Well, alright, maybe not a straight face (it’s
not like you can actually see me), but I at least have to write as if I’m
taking this seriously. But how can I
take when the movie doesn’t take itself seriously? Even our main heroes talk to the audience and
pretty much brag that they like to pull pranks because they are bored and don’t
take school seriously. And how many
times can I write seriously in a review that is about as irreverent as they
come?
Never mind, let’s do this for real. I am at a partial advantage because (unlike
most parents who are going to be dragged to this) I HAVE read a few of the
adventures of ‘Captain Underpants’ in book form. The books are, shall we say…pretty
juvenile. They don’t take themselves
seriously and neither does the main target audience reading them. At the ripe age of six, it’s not difficult to
get a laugh from the kiddies, and the books have done this for years by serving
up a serving of poop and fart jokes. The
movie brings this same style of humor to the table, but manages to bring the
characters to life with fluid animation and a style that looks like a comic
book just came to life. There are even scenes
of 2D animation! Which, if there are any
kids out there unfamiliar with the term, means people actually drew some of the
movie. By hand! Yes, people used to actually do that! Pretty cool, huh kids?!
Man…I am trying VERY hard to make this review read
respectable right now! The story follows
two best friends named George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) who
spend their days drawing comic books, pulling pranks at school, and always
squaring off with their nemesis Principle Benjamin Krupp (Ed Helms), who is
bitter and doesn’t believe that fun should come at the cost of turning the education
system into compete anarchy. Yet thanks
to…you know what, no, I’m not even going to TRY and explain what happens
next! You’re just going to have to
discover this for yourself, but the boys manage to make it so that when they
snap their fingers, Mr. Krupp believes he is Captain Underpants, and will do
whatever they say. This may come in
handy when an evil scientist who wants to drain the world of laughter joins the
school.
His main beef is…sorry, I don’t want to spoil that
either. One of the reasons I’ve been
having a hard time writing this review is because most of the humor is very
clever and hilarious, and I would SERIOUSLY hate to deprive my readers of
discovering some really funny stuff! The
movie was made by DreamWorks Animation, who a few months ago released “The Boss
Baby” into theaters (which, now that I think about it, is still hanging in
there). That movie was better than I
thought it would be, but it still felt a little restrained, and never really
lived up to the absurdity of its premise.
This is no problem with “Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie,”
which embraces the silly and the low brow, and does so with energy and a “Weird
Al” Yankovic song to boot. Bottom line:
The movie is pretty much a blast from beginning to end.
Not important in the slightest, yet it has such great
comedic timing it reminded me of the old Looney Tunes shorts, where characters
move fast and engage in some of the best slapstick you’ve seen. The animators know to slow everything down
once in awhile so that the audience doesn’t walk away exhausted, and the movie
never overstayed its welcome. I think
this is DreamWorks working at the top of their game when it comes to comedy,
resulting in a movie that is stylish to watch, funny as hell, and non-offensive
enough that you walk away feeling like your time hasn’t been wasted. Sure, the studio has released much better
movies before, but once in awhile it’s great to just have a grand old time, and
this is a LOT more fun (and kid appropriate) than “Pirates of the Caribbean:
Dean Men Tell No Tales,” so you parents may as well just settle in for the
ride. What I can’t figure out is why the
material was so controversial in school.
If the school system can’t see the humor in this, I think the movie has
more than proved its point.
|
|
CONSUMER ADVICE |
Parents, there IS a fair amount of crude jokes (most involving bodily functions)! Some anti-social behavior is also presented as a good thing, so parents with impressionable kids might want to keep that in mind. Recommended for ages 7 and up.
|