Why was there no review of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in this week’s print edition? Studio’s orders.
The ever-present Kevin Hart lends his crinkly voice to George, a feckless (and neckless) budding comic book artist who teams up with classmate Harold (Thomas Middleditch) to hypnotize their elementary school principal (Ed Helms) into thinking he’s an infantile superhero. In-joke asides to Jerome “Curly” Horowitz and German Industrialist/Nuremberg posterchild Alfred Krupp bring smiles. And since most superheroes appear to be flying around in their skivvies, the rationale behind the titular nickname adds a third chuckle. But the one-joke soon wears thin, and nothing — particularly the labor-saving animation and hideous-to-behold character design — can keep <em>Underpants</em> from stinking. In theory, one should embrace a children’s film as unapologetically scatalogical as this, instead of sitting for 89 minutes as though posing for a painting. That said, when it was over, the kids I saw it with applauded with more rigor than I did after my first viewing of <em>Taxi Driver</em>.
Admittance to last week’s screening hinged on one minor condition. According to the email: “The global review embargo will be lifted on Thursday, June 1 at 4:00 p.m. PST. Please agree to hold your review until this date. Your RSVP confirms you will honor this embargo.”
I’ve sat in silence for almost a week now. The wait is almost over. Will it fly over the head of kids and score a bit hit with parents, or do these Underpants stink? Click here after 4 p.m. and find out.
Why was there no review of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie in this week’s print edition? Studio’s orders.
The ever-present Kevin Hart lends his crinkly voice to George, a feckless (and neckless) budding comic book artist who teams up with classmate Harold (Thomas Middleditch) to hypnotize their elementary school principal (Ed Helms) into thinking he’s an infantile superhero. In-joke asides to Jerome “Curly” Horowitz and German Industrialist/Nuremberg posterchild Alfred Krupp bring smiles. And since most superheroes appear to be flying around in their skivvies, the rationale behind the titular nickname adds a third chuckle. But the one-joke soon wears thin, and nothing — particularly the labor-saving animation and hideous-to-behold character design — can keep <em>Underpants</em> from stinking. In theory, one should embrace a children’s film as unapologetically scatalogical as this, instead of sitting for 89 minutes as though posing for a painting. That said, when it was over, the kids I saw it with applauded with more rigor than I did after my first viewing of <em>Taxi Driver</em>.
Admittance to last week’s screening hinged on one minor condition. According to the email: “The global review embargo will be lifted on Thursday, June 1 at 4:00 p.m. PST. Please agree to hold your review until this date. Your RSVP confirms you will honor this embargo.”
I’ve sat in silence for almost a week now. The wait is almost over. Will it fly over the head of kids and score a bit hit with parents, or do these Underpants stink? Click here after 4 p.m. and find out.
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