Homer Simpson is at his best in years, if not the decade, in the long rumored, delayed, and anticipated The Simpsons Movie. There’s not much here that wouldn’t be on an episode of the TV series, but changing the formula wouldn’t make it the family of five we all know and love. The writing is witty, the satire scathing, and Homer is stupid (with a pet pig). This is as good as, if not better than, the top episodes the TV series has to offer.

For an analysis of the movie itself, read the full review. For a technical assessment of the Blu-ray package, read on.

It probably didn’t take much to bring the film to Blu-ray. The source is simple, but undeniably gorgeous. The HD presentation presents the simple, solid colors beautifully. The lines are sharp without aliasing or shimmering. None of the edging issues evident on the DVD are here. No compression is noticed, and the picture has a pristine sheen to it. It’s not “wow”-worthy like the highest end live action transfers are, yet it’s flawless.

Bass is the obvious highlight of this uncompressed audio affair. It’s in your face throughout, providing a heavy room-shaking whenever called upon, and it’s needed more often than one would think. Surround use is also consistent, as with the finale on the motorcycle, which easily fills the available channels. Numerous little moments that would likely go unnoticed by most (Barney’s quip to Moe about being a ruler comes from the left as it should) are evident if you’re listening.

Extras are carried over from the DVD edition, and remain lackluster. The best of the lot here are two commentaries, one which stops the movie at certain points to pick out small details you probably missed while you watch. Both are necessary listening for fans.

Five minutes of deleted scenes offer brief gags cut from the film, though given the running time, having most of these in the movie wouldn’t have hurt. “Special Stuff” is a section that offers various promo appearances of Homer during promotion, including The Tonight Show and American Idol. These barely last three minutes. Loads of trailers make up a whopping list of bonus features that come in under 10 minutes, excluding commentaries.

Blu-ray fans are shafted. The DVD had the “Spider-pig” theme music playing during the menu, with the pig swinging from webs over the comatose Homer laying on the menu options. In addition, the Easter eggs have been either removed or swapped to a different spot on the disc. They couldn’t be found.