Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
3 stars
Director: David Soren
Stars: Kevin Hart, Thomas Middleditch, Ed Helms
Duration: 89 mins
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd

You would not be mistaken in assuming that Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a very silly film rooted in underwear and potty humour. That is exactly what I assumed and it is exactly what I got. What I did not expect however, is the rather zany humour, imaginative script and colourful animation and characters that also pepper the film.

“George and Harold were usually responsible kids. Whenever anything bad happened, George and Harold were usually responsible.” So says Dav Pilkey, author and creator of the Captain Underpants series of books which since their launch in 1997 have sold over 80 million books worldwide. So certainly ripe for a film adaptation.

Fourth-graders George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch) have been best friends since kindergarten. They channel their vivid imagination into their own comic-books featuring the adventures of superhero Captain Underpants.  They are also their school’s infamous pranksters and, when they breach the school rules yet again, their evil principal Mr Krupp (Ed Helms) threatens to place them in separate classes. Horrified by the thought, they inadvertently hypnotise Krupp into believing he is Captain Underpants incarnate.  Merry mayhem ensues.

We do have to sit through a recital of whoopee cushions accompanied by farts of the armpit and bottom kind; constant references to the planet Uranus (snicker); a ridiculously coiffed – and named – villain (Professor Poopypants, voiced by Nick Kroll); a giant toilet that shoots out giant toilet rolls (and some green gooey stuff) and other over-the-top gadgets.

With a genuine impish innocence and charm that coat the infantile humour in a warm glow

But it must be said that the film, directed by David Soren from a script written by Nicholas Stoller zips along at a steady pace, leaving the adults in the audience no time to get bored. The younger ones will no doubt be captivated by the pint-size heroes of the piece.

It is, in fact, the two protagonists who are the film’s strongest point. From the opening scenes, where they recount their first meeting, to the devastation they both feel by the threat of separation... via their obvious chemistry and the fun they have together, pooling George’s writing talents with Harold’s skill at animation. There is something heart-warming about these two and the voice cast is very much to be commended. I confess I often find comedian Hart to be over-the-top. Yet, here, he and co-star Middleditch imbue their characters with a genuine impish innocence and charm that coat the infantile humour in a warm glow.

Kudos also to the animators, who have created some larger-than-life characters which are as brightly-coloured as they are expressive. They get to display a number of different types of animation – starting with a scene made of George and Harold’s basic drawings as they set the scene and tone of the film with a narration of the story of Captain Underpants’ origins. Equally impressive – and rather hilarious – is a flash-forward scene as the boys imagine what their life would be like if they are in different classes. This is told by sock puppets.

In the middle of all the colourful chaos is a jibe at school systems in general, pointing an accusatory finger at principals and teachers whose vehemence in sticking to the rules threatens to turn their pupils into dull, dark, and angry people. While it’s not as subversive as it hopes to be, it still succeeds in underlining the importance of creativity and humour in a child’s development in a creative and humorous way.