I’m not going to rag on and on about the lack of good features, I’ll just say that the people from the Simpsons have set the bar pretty high with their TV boxed sets of the show. When the movie DVD only came with a collection of trailers, five minutes of deleted scenes which were already posted on YouTube a week earlier, and some minor extras mainly plugging Fox’s annoying American Idol, it is a disappointment as a DVD. I have not listened to the two sets of commentaries yet so I have no opinion but I would lean toward liking them because of the past track record of the participants.
If you want a copy of the movie and just the movie, then the DVD is fine. It delivers like every other DVD I’ve bought or rented. If you’re a huge Simpsons fan, spoiled by the 10 seasons which included animatics, commercials coinciding with the time, Matt Groening’s introduction and other features; you get the feeling Fox rushed this out for Christmas with little thought or planning. I caught several interviews with Al Jean, Matt Groening and James Brooks. Based upon what they said, there was much more material cut out during different stages as the movie was ironed out over four years. Fox will probably hold out on this until the time is right to make the cynical decision to re-release a Special Edition. Being a chump for the show, Murdoch will end up getting my money too.
I will end on a high note because I’m not outraged like Comic Book Guy in “The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show,” bitching that Groening and Co. owe me. It’s still a decent, funny movie even if it’s equal to an extra-long episode. I do plan to watch it multiple times and put it alongside my collection of TV seasons. At least I didn’t spend the higher amount of money on the Blu-ray edition to receive the same treatment from Fox who is to blame.