"The Powerpuff Girls Movie": Bug Eyed Freaks Destroy City

Have you ever wondered why it seems that only animation writers seem able to do great comedy anymore? What is it about penning scripts for feature-length cartoons that brings out the best in a screenplay? Is it in knowing that you have the freedom to explore avenues you wouldn’t be able to explore thanks to the limitations of the real world? Most possibly. But still, it’s highly pleasurable – and not to mention puzzling, given some of the other recent comedy outputs. Van Wilder anyone? – when a film like The Powerpuff Girls Movie comes along and delivers comedy, action, moral ethics and 80 minutes of unparalleled fun in a well-timed and thoroughly engaging appropriation of children’s entertainment, superhero comics, and Japanese animation

A straightforward ‘beginning of’ story, The Powerpuff Girls Movie takes place with the creation of the eponymous, bug-eyed threesome. The city of Townsville, see, has become awash with crime, deception and thuggery. Frustrated with the lack of decency in his hometown, the frustrated Professor Utonium (voiced by Tom Kane) decides to create the perfect little girl in a bid to restore his faith to mankind. After gathering the requisite ingredients for such a task (sugar, spice, all things nice) the Prof’s plans take an unexpected twist after a runaway lab monkey, Jojo, causes him to spill a jar of Chemical X into his boiling pot. The result? Not one, but three perfect little girls: Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.

But would you believe it, that darned Chemical X has only gone and given them superpowers, hasn’t it? It’s difficult raising kids as it is, what with all the attention they require, but it’s even more tricky when your little sprogs are capable of flying, possess superhuman strength, and have the ability to shoot laser streams out of their eyes. Although good in nature, it’s not long before their over-excitable antics (and subsequent mass destruction) cause them to be ostracised by the cities residents, their downfall quietly observed by the mutated ‘Mojo’ Jojo – the accident in the lab having caused his brain to protrude from the top of his head -, who cons them into aiding him in a nefarious bid to take over the city and, ultimately, the world by creating an army of super intelligent simians.

There are many reasons to like The Powerpuff Girls Movie. First of all, it’s a lot of fun. Although lacking the satirical bite of the TV show (the humour here is broader than its small screen counterpart) there’s plenty here to keep you amused. The Powerpuff Girls' big-screen bow offers enough tongue-in-cheek tomfoolery and hip references to keep both newcomers and long-standing fans enthralled throughout. There are homage’s to numerous 'monkey films', with everything from Planet Of The Apes ("Get your hands off him, you damn dirty ape" screams Buttercup while rescuing a small dog), The Wizard Of Oz (the flying monkeys sequence) and, ultimately King Kong given a passing nod, while the action is suitable energetic and lively.

The girl’s accidental destruction of their hometown is wonderfully played out via an innocent game of 'tag' that, although a touch too long and laboured (it’s the kind of elongated sequence that would have been over in less than quarter of the time on the TV show), gives director/creator Craig McCracken the perfect opportunity to show off his distinctive visual style, while also throwing up some truly gob-smacking animation, both computer-generated and hand-drawn. While the animators remain loyal to the show's signature stylised animation and wild colour palette, they up the ante somewhat with some finely realised background details, most notably when a huge glass sphere rolls through the busy streets, or an outer-space sequence where most of the colour is drained from the screen.

There are also shades of McCracken’s surreal sense of humour that manifest themselves from time to time, such as during a particularly amusing montage where every single kind of primate known to mankind take it in turn to yelp at the screen. It’s a gag that keeps on going, much longer than expected, but somehow manages to rise above overkill boredom. The opening credits are also a blast, as Jojo runs riot in the Prof’s laboratory while in possession of an amusingly perplexed facial expression. The odd occasional visual gag (a troupe of police cars parked outside a donut shop entitled “Donut Thing” – do nothing. See what they did?) work well to, and although likely to fly over the heads of the younger audience but smack right into the funny bone of the older market.

It’s a shame, though, that most of the dialogue – which is usually the TV show’s most addictive nature – feels comparatively flat. Aside from a nice 'kosher pickle' spiel, there’s very little inventiveness amongst the constant banter. Even Mojo Jojo, usually the show’s biggest entertainer thanks to his tendency to over-explain himself (typical quote from the show: "Excuse me sir, but can you direct me to the location of where I can locate some eggs for I would like to purchase them so that I can take them home with me and I can eat them today (pause). And maybe tomorrow"), is bereft of decent lines, while also failing to impose any form of threat as an antagonist.

It also needs to be pointed out that the actual plot of the film has been relayed during TV episodes many years ago (and correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the series have it as being Mojo Jojo who accidentally convinced the Professor to create the Powerpuff Girls while he was still at school?). While this point is rather redundant to those who aren’t too familiar with the show, it seems a little too much like cheating to explore areas that have already been ventured into.

Yet by the time the high-octane climax comes around, which it has to be said is refreshingly violent for a kids film, you’ll either not notice these flaws or simply not care. Don’t be fooled into thinking this one is solely for the kids, The Powerpuff Girls Movie is a film that you can take the kiddies along to, while having a blast yourself. Personally, I viewed this film with two other adults, one of whom was my 51-year-old father, and gained an immense amount of enjoyment from it.

Like Sam Raimi before him, McCracken makes a decent stab at delving into the all-to-human side of superheroes and comes up trumps, delivering a film that’s sure to become a cult favourite a few years down the road. We can't let the kids have all the good films for themselves. Go see it, and don’t be ashamed of doing so.

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As a bonus, the film is preceded by a rather amusing episode of Dexter's Laboratory, entitled "Chicken Scratch" in which our genius lead attempts to beat the urge to scratch a nasty outbreak of chicken pox. Funny and all too relatable, it's a nice little filler before the main feature itself.