CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE [HERO EDITION] (4K UHD Blu-ray + Blu-ray + Digital HD)
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Video: 1.85:1 2160p Widescreen
Audio: English Dolby Atmos (TrueHD 7.1 Core), French Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1
THE RATINGS
The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
4K Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰
4K Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰
Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰
Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰
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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
Tighty-whitey tribulations in 4K!
Tighty-whitey tribulations in 4K!
Reviewed by Gavin King
If there's any children's chapter book series that spurred insane levels of controversy across schools nationwide, it's Captain Underpants. Dav Pilkey's intentionally immature saga of books, which involves two pranksters who hypnotize their elementary school principal by turning him into their comic book creation Captain Underpants, has not only caught the attention of parents concerned about their offspring's reading habits, but has also baffled and shocked school librarians, teachers, and other related staff thanks to the books' bold potty humor that's given it such a popular following. Plus, to be blunt, the title of each of the stories in this series begins with Captain Underpants. That pretty much seals the deal here. Considering the series' unrelenting tone for creative toilet jokes, it's no surprise that librarians from state to state have banned the books from their shelves, concerned that such "repulsive" humor would warp kids' fragile little minds. But for us lucky elementary schools, like mine a few years back, we had access to these graphic novels, with each chapter in the elastically entertaining franchise introducing us to new characters, both good and bad, and leaving us curious about what kind of evil Captain U will put extinct next. Thanks to the large following and fanbase the book series has developed, and the amount of books from the series that have been printed worldwide, we now have DreamWorks Animation's Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie, the, as the title suggests, first entry into the book-to-screen adaptations of the hit novel series. It was a film that was in development for quite the long time, with fans like me eagerly awaiting Captain Underpants' long-anticipated debut into big screen business. Fortunately, it seems like the wait was worth it. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a faithful, fresh, and downright funny animated take on the beloved underwear-clad superhero. It's the quintessential modern animated film at its most carefully yet cleverly done, boasting colorful animation, sharp, quick-witted gags, a rock-solid voice cast, and, most importantly, a honest, obvious care for the classic source material, which hints to the fact that this was likely a true passion project for the folks at DreamWorks.
George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) are inseparable best friends. Their spark of friendship began way back in Kindergarten where the two both got a huge kick out of the word Uranus for sounding like... well, you know. They're now fourth graders, and there's rarely a dull beat in their lives. They love spreading their cheery - if purposefully infantile - humor with their peers, sure, but the real highlight of their day comes when the two hang out in their treehouse and create comics of all humorous kind - George is the writer, and Harold's the drawer. The highlight of their many creative strips is their original superhero Captain Underpants, a tighty-whitey-wearing superhero who's "faster than a speeding waistband, more powerful than boxer shorts, and able to leap tall buildings without getting a wedgie". It's their most popular comic, a hit with, really, just about everyone... that is, except their principal at their Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, Principal Krupp (voiced by Ed Helms). He absolutely despises their creative works, and the two are often called into his office for long lectures on how the comics are a disruption to his school. Looking for a way to turn Krupp's frown upside down, George and Harold use their Hypno-Ring to hypnotize their principal beyond his anarchic ways. Much to their luck, the ring works, and they're able to hypnotize the man into acting like not only a chicken but also a monkey. Suddenly, brain blast! George and Harold come up with the perfect act for the hypnotized Krupp; their comic-book superhero, Captain Underpants! Before they know it, their mean principal is now a jolly man wearing only white underwear and a red polka-dotted cape. The dynamic duo is instantly amused, but things spiral downhill when word drops out of a wannabe science teacher named, get ready, Professor Poopypants (voiced by Nick Kroll) who looks the part to teach science at Jerome Horwitz but is secretly a mad scientist with an evil agenda. Now it's time for George and Harold to use their hypnotized principal to full day-saving effect to stop Poopypants from plotting his evil scheme - and it's going to be very, very silly on the way.
Immediately what's going to put some viewers off guard is the supposedly immature humor that's displayed by mostly George and Harold throughout the film. It's seen and heard in a variety of different aspects - comic drawings, dialogue exchanges, and mounds more - and you'd be kidding if you told me you didn't hear one joke about human feces. But that's all the point. It's all supposed to be stupid. Every fart gag, toilet joke, or poop and pee reference is thrown in there for a reason. In a sense, it's almost a film within a film. It's self-aware of its dumbness and stupidity and exaggerates most all of it to a point where it becomes truly gut-busting. On the other side of the ledger, the film doesn't expect its audience to laugh after a character says "Uranus" or "Underpantyworld". The filmmakers haven't stuffed lame gags in here, and they haven't halted the storyline just to squeeze in a joke involving human waste. It's all part of the story, and it's what made the original book series so hilariously enjoyable. Not everyone is going to get it, but those who do are going to relish it wholeheartedly.
For an estimated $18 million budget, the animation is quite fantastic. It's spic and span and clean and appreciably modern for the 2017 digitally-animated movie age but also throws in a bunch of cartoon-like surprises that are no doubt going to make fans of the book series giddy. There are plenty of cartoonish elements hidden in the animation - action lines, the occasional smear, and even action words such as towards the end of the film with the kids laughing (notice the "HA HA HA" as they giggle) - but probably the most appreciated hint here is the undeniable faithfulness to Dav Pilkey's original artwork. Pilkey has never really been a guy for realism - if you've read any of his Captain Underpants books or even his Dragon or Dumb Bunnies picture books, you know exactly what I mean by this - and that exaggerated cartoonish accent is wonderfully represented here, with animation that was clearly done by skilled professionals with a true sense of humor. Whether black dots for eyes, creative background designs, or objects proportioned to fit creative extremes, there's a little something of everything to appreciate in the film's great animation.
Sure, George and Harold might be something of troublemakers, but at heart they're all about being creative and thinking outside the box. They might be rule breakers in the superficial sense of the term but they're also rule breakers in the metaphorical sense that they'll spread their love for being creative wherever they'll go. Krupp is hyperbolic but often hilarious, especially in his hypnotized Captain Underpants form where we see him causing all sorts of crazy and zany antics across the locations the film takes place in. Part of the humor from the characters stems from the brilliant voice work, with Ed Helms bringing gleefully exaggerated life to Krupp/Captain U, Nick Kroll of Sing fame giving his wild-accent-voice to the film's villain Professor Poopypants, and, of course, terrific work all around from Kevin Hart as George and Thomas Middleditch as Harold, who might seem a tad disconcerting at first due to the fact that grown adults are voicing 4th graders, but it actually fits really well, given time to sink in.
Wait... so we do or don't look good on 4K?
George Beard (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) are inseparable best friends. Their spark of friendship began way back in Kindergarten where the two both got a huge kick out of the word Uranus for sounding like... well, you know. They're now fourth graders, and there's rarely a dull beat in their lives. They love spreading their cheery - if purposefully infantile - humor with their peers, sure, but the real highlight of their day comes when the two hang out in their treehouse and create comics of all humorous kind - George is the writer, and Harold's the drawer. The highlight of their many creative strips is their original superhero Captain Underpants, a tighty-whitey-wearing superhero who's "faster than a speeding waistband, more powerful than boxer shorts, and able to leap tall buildings without getting a wedgie". It's their most popular comic, a hit with, really, just about everyone... that is, except their principal at their Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, Principal Krupp (voiced by Ed Helms). He absolutely despises their creative works, and the two are often called into his office for long lectures on how the comics are a disruption to his school. Looking for a way to turn Krupp's frown upside down, George and Harold use their Hypno-Ring to hypnotize their principal beyond his anarchic ways. Much to their luck, the ring works, and they're able to hypnotize the man into acting like not only a chicken but also a monkey. Suddenly, brain blast! George and Harold come up with the perfect act for the hypnotized Krupp; their comic-book superhero, Captain Underpants! Before they know it, their mean principal is now a jolly man wearing only white underwear and a red polka-dotted cape. The dynamic duo is instantly amused, but things spiral downhill when word drops out of a wannabe science teacher named, get ready, Professor Poopypants (voiced by Nick Kroll) who looks the part to teach science at Jerome Horwitz but is secretly a mad scientist with an evil agenda. Now it's time for George and Harold to use their hypnotized principal to full day-saving effect to stop Poopypants from plotting his evil scheme - and it's going to be very, very silly on the way.
Immediately what's going to put some viewers off guard is the supposedly immature humor that's displayed by mostly George and Harold throughout the film. It's seen and heard in a variety of different aspects - comic drawings, dialogue exchanges, and mounds more - and you'd be kidding if you told me you didn't hear one joke about human feces. But that's all the point. It's all supposed to be stupid. Every fart gag, toilet joke, or poop and pee reference is thrown in there for a reason. In a sense, it's almost a film within a film. It's self-aware of its dumbness and stupidity and exaggerates most all of it to a point where it becomes truly gut-busting. On the other side of the ledger, the film doesn't expect its audience to laugh after a character says "Uranus" or "Underpantyworld". The filmmakers haven't stuffed lame gags in here, and they haven't halted the storyline just to squeeze in a joke involving human waste. It's all part of the story, and it's what made the original book series so hilariously enjoyable. Not everyone is going to get it, but those who do are going to relish it wholeheartedly.
Even this toilet features HDR upgrades!
For an estimated $18 million budget, the animation is quite fantastic. It's spic and span and clean and appreciably modern for the 2017 digitally-animated movie age but also throws in a bunch of cartoon-like surprises that are no doubt going to make fans of the book series giddy. There are plenty of cartoonish elements hidden in the animation - action lines, the occasional smear, and even action words such as towards the end of the film with the kids laughing (notice the "HA HA HA" as they giggle) - but probably the most appreciated hint here is the undeniable faithfulness to Dav Pilkey's original artwork. Pilkey has never really been a guy for realism - if you've read any of his Captain Underpants books or even his Dragon or Dumb Bunnies picture books, you know exactly what I mean by this - and that exaggerated cartoonish accent is wonderfully represented here, with animation that was clearly done by skilled professionals with a true sense of humor. Whether black dots for eyes, creative background designs, or objects proportioned to fit creative extremes, there's a little something of everything to appreciate in the film's great animation.
Sure, George and Harold might be something of troublemakers, but at heart they're all about being creative and thinking outside the box. They might be rule breakers in the superficial sense of the term but they're also rule breakers in the metaphorical sense that they'll spread their love for being creative wherever they'll go. Krupp is hyperbolic but often hilarious, especially in his hypnotized Captain Underpants form where we see him causing all sorts of crazy and zany antics across the locations the film takes place in. Part of the humor from the characters stems from the brilliant voice work, with Ed Helms bringing gleefully exaggerated life to Krupp/Captain U, Nick Kroll of Sing fame giving his wild-accent-voice to the film's villain Professor Poopypants, and, of course, terrific work all around from Kevin Hart as George and Thomas Middleditch as Harold, who might seem a tad disconcerting at first due to the fact that grown adults are voicing 4th graders, but it actually fits really well, given time to sink in.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE 4K Blu-ray - Video Quality
According to the best information I was able to obtain, the fully-digitally-animated Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was finished on a 2K digital intermediate, which seems pretty much the norm now for today's modern animated movies. Nonetheless, this 2160p upscale looks very good on UHD, not at the absolute top peak for must-own titles on the format but still representing a quality little improvement over its already terrific 1080p counterpart. Details appear a bit firmer here, even if only by degrees, not leaps-and-bounds. Harold's curly hair appears a bit more refined and it's a little easier here to make out little strands of hair on his head. Clothing textures fair the best out of the hodgepodge of details given a bump here. In chapter four, George and Harold's pajamas see a nice little increase in raw detail, as us viewers can make out little fabrics and knots that weren't as clearly visible on the regular Blu-ray. It's a strong tradition that continues on throughout the film's runtime, whether on Professor Poopypants' plaid shirt or Captain U's titular white underpants. Environments don't see a drastic boost, but they too are subtly refined and a bit clearer on the eyes. The HDR color palette features a slightly darker, somewhat more subdued color scheme but never really at the expense of color punch and overall general vibrancy. Again, they're relatively small changes, nothing drastic here, but the added sense of improved saturation is more than welcome. Some of the improvements courtesy of the UHD come into better play in daytime scenes, whereas dark-blueish sequences don't always feature the spot-on detail refinement and color diversity that the brighter scenes somewhat thrive on. Still, this is an upgrade worth the extra bucks, especially for fans. Mild aliasing still remains in a few small junctures, but is never obtrusive. A rock-solid UHD upgrade that will please fans of the film.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE 4K Blu-ray - Audio Quality
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie features a Dolby Atmos soundtrack, an upgrade from the regular Blu-ray's DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless track. It's an endlessly fun, zippy track that's sure to give home theater surround sound systems a wonderful workout. To be generally sure, this overhead-enabled track and the 7.1 listen feature similar characteristics. Music is well-positioned throughout the entire soundstage, with pop beats and Theodore Shapiro's fun score offering faultless prioritization and clarity with each note and beat. Action sound effects are zany and boisterous, with a large number of standouts - the infamous talking toilets, Captain U's mischief in the big city, the hypno-ring in action - saturating the stage with just the right amount of weighty balancing and aural posture. The surround action is frequent, too, with all kinds of big-stage mayhem giving excellent envelopment when it comes to submersing the listener into the film's environments. The Atmos track isn't a noticeably huge upgrade, but listeners will take note of an improved overall spatial sense to the soundtrack, with some satisfying overhead accompaniments in terms of dialogue reverberation as well as the occasional action effect. Clearly-prioritized dialogue that's always crisp and audible rounds out a hugely entertaining Dolby Atmos soundtrack for all audiophiles to enjoy.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE 4K Blu-ray - Special Features
All special features are located only on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc.
- The Really Cool Adventures of Captain Underpants Motion Comic Sock puppet versions of Geroge and Harold read one of their original Captain Underpants comic books.
- The Captain Underpants Guide to Being a Hero What makes a superhero a superhero? George and Harold reveal the secrets behind the question.
- The Professor Poopypants (Totally Original and Supercool) Guide to Being a Villain Professor Poopypants, tired of Captain Underpants' superhero stride, gives viewers a lesson on how to be the perfect supervillain.
- Missing Underpants: The Deleted Scenes of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Unfortunately, viewers cannot pick deleted scenes from the menu; however, they are skippable once the feature plays. Just for safe measure, the deleted scenes include the following: Krupp's Option B, The Disciplinary Committee, The Captain's Secret Identity, The Diabolical Professor Poopypants Comic, and Anti-Humor Boy.
- Captain Underpants Lyric Video by "Weird Al" Yankovic Perhaps it was just me, but this supplement's audio quality seemed off, weirdly fluctuating between lightly quiet and somewhat loud jarringly. Still a great theme song by a great songwriter though!
- "A Friend Like You" Lyric Video by Andy Grammer The credits song is matched to onscreen lyrics.
- Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars - Part 1 A fun but brief feature in which the cast answers some questions.
- Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars - Part 2 More of the same from part one.
- Kevin Hart and Ed Helms Surprise Fans The two stars sit down with some young fans to talk up the film.
- Lunch Lady PSA With Kristen Schall Kristen Schall makes a public service announcement to end lunch lady neglect.
- Sock Puppets Real Stars Sock Puppet George and Harold make a very brief stand-in for the "real" actors.
- Gallery Comic Book Covers and The Art of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.
- Theatrical Trailer
- The World of DreamWorks Animation Music videos from the DreamWorks films Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, Turbo, and Home.
- Sneak Peek The Boss Baby, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Spirit and Voltron: Legendary Defender, Despicable Me 3, and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.
All special features are located only on the included 1080p Blu-ray disc.
- The Really Cool Adventures of Captain Underpants Motion Comic Sock puppet versions of Geroge and Harold read one of their original Captain Underpants comic books.
- The Captain Underpants Guide to Being a Hero What makes a superhero a superhero? George and Harold reveal the secrets behind the question.
- The Professor Poopypants (Totally Original and Supercool) Guide to Being a Villain Professor Poopypants, tired of Captain Underpants' superhero stride, gives viewers a lesson on how to be the perfect supervillain.
- Missing Underpants: The Deleted Scenes of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Unfortunately, viewers cannot pick deleted scenes from the menu; however, they are skippable once the feature plays. Just for safe measure, the deleted scenes include the following: Krupp's Option B, The Disciplinary Committee, The Captain's Secret Identity, The Diabolical Professor Poopypants Comic, and Anti-Humor Boy.
- Captain Underpants Lyric Video by "Weird Al" Yankovic Perhaps it was just me, but this supplement's audio quality seemed off, weirdly fluctuating between lightly quiet and somewhat loud jarringly. Still a great theme song by a great songwriter though!
- "A Friend Like You" Lyric Video by Andy Grammer The credits song is matched to onscreen lyrics.
- Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars - Part 1 A fun but brief feature in which the cast answers some questions.
- Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars - Part 2 More of the same from part one.
- Kevin Hart and Ed Helms Surprise Fans The two stars sit down with some young fans to talk up the film.
- Lunch Lady PSA With Kristen Schall Kristen Schall makes a public service announcement to end lunch lady neglect.
- Sock Puppets Real Stars Sock Puppet George and Harold make a very brief stand-in for the "real" actors.
- Gallery Comic Book Covers and The Art of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.
- Theatrical Trailer
- The World of DreamWorks Animation Music videos from the DreamWorks films Shrek, Madagascar, How to Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, Turbo, and Home.
- Sneak Peek The Boss Baby, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Spirit and Voltron: Legendary Defender, Despicable Me 3, and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE 4K Blu-ray - Overall Recommendation
What's not to love about Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie? It's zany, mindless fun in every single right way possible, fully blossoming in its silliness and knowing exactly what its audience expects. Sure, maybe those who grew up reading the books may have a better time with the film on its more referential levels, but that should by no means let general moviegoers be swept and scared away by what's in store here; from its inventive, throwback-aspiring animation to its instantly likable and hilarious characters, Captain Underpants has a little something to offer mostly every movie-watcher, even if some newcomers may not exactly understand the joke at a first glance. Fox/DreamWorks' 4K UHD Blu-ray offers a very good, though not ground-breaking, upgrade over the already great 1080p image. The Atmos audio is tons of fun and the supplements are mostly kid-oriented fluff but plentiful in quantity. Those limited to only 1080p home theater systems are not missing out on a life-changing 4K experience, and I wish Fox included a 3D version of the film, but it's not a bad idea for fans to splurge a tad on this iteration. Very highly recommended!
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