CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE [HERO EDITION] (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD)
Release Date: September 12, 2017
Studio: 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
Video: 1.85:1 1080p Widescreen
Audio: English DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1, French Dolby Digital 5.1, Thai Dolby Digital 5.1
THE RATINGS
The Movie Itself - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Video Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ½
Audio Quality - ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Special Features - ★ ★ ★ ✰ ✰
Overall - ★ ★ ★ ★ ✰
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THE FILM ITSELF Our Reviewer's Take
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a fantastic Blu-ray release of Captain Underpants!
It's a bird! It's a plane! It's a fantastic Blu-ray release of Captain Underpants!
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.
What?!
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.
Talk about teacher's pet.
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 Blu-ray - Video Quality
In something of a rare departure for DreamWorks Animation, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie was not animated at DreamWorks' chief animation studio at their location. Rather, this film was fully animated at the Paris-based Mikros Image, who is best known for their visual effects work on motion pictures like Immortals and even computer animation for projects such as The Little Prince (2015) and the upcoming Gnomeo and Juliet sequel. No matter the case, Captain Underpants still looks wonderful on Blu-ray. Not coming as much of a surprise considering the continuous onslaught of great-looking animated movie Blu-rays, Captain Underpants boasts exceptionally vibrant colors and strong, well-designed details in most every frame. Captain U's red cape, the dismal blue of Jerome Horwitz Elementary, and the (literally) candy-coated shades at the carnival are among the major standouts when it comes to color brilliance, but there's also no shortage of somewhat more subdued, yet no less strongly-shaded, hues inside the boys' treehouse and little fun splashes throughout the city. The film doesn't exactly reach the detailing heights of the most recent Pixar films, but it doesn't really need to, especially considering the film's colorfully cartoonish animation style. Still, viewers will notice little facets on Krupp's office chair, Harold's curly hair, the Turbo Toilet 2000, and a couple of others that are likely to make videophiles hungry for animated movie detail anything but famished. Black levels hold up quite well, maintaining that quality depth while never reverting to that milky and dull pastiness that could ruin the videoscape. Eagle-eyed viewers may notice some mild aliasing in a handful of scenes, with probably the most prominent of the (relatively small) bunch being at the 4:50 mark on the Jerome Horwitz Elementary sign outside. Fortunately, it's by no means a nagging issue, and it's likely to spread past causal viewers. No noticeable banding or pixelation was evident throughout the presentation. Even if it's from a different animation producer, DreamWorks' Captain Underpants still shines in high definition, no doubt about that.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE Blu-ray - Audio Quality
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie features an outstandingly aggressive DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 lossless soundtrack that's one of the finest listens on the market today. The track makes it aural prowess evident early on in the comic book introductory sequence. Well-positioned musical score, bold and prolific effects, and a healthy, though not overpowering, bass accompaniment set the stage for what's to come of the listen. It's an impressive mantra that continues throughout the rest of the film with spotless ease. Music sounds amazingly flush. It's never really so aggressive as to shake the foundations of the house or wake up the cat but its power comes through with outstanding clarity and strong weightiness that is guaranteed to make fans ecstatic. Action elements sound just as profound and pronounced as expected. Captain Underpants' antics in the city and, most profoundly, the final act with the Turbo Toilet 2000 vs. the students, are easy magnets for sonic goodness, and lash out with all of the weight and crispness expected from a modern studio movie with bombastic sound design. No matter what time of day, where the scene may take place, there's not one single moment that misses a beat in the mix, with every laser beam, woosh of wind, and other Captain Underpants-related action element sounding as exceptional as it can be, even without those Atmos/X overhead channels. Some atmospheric effects help to give the viewer an added sense of spatial envelopment, such as a pouring rain in chapter four. Dialgoue is one of the film's biggest assets to its scathing humor, and it's all presented with great-sounding clarity that's never noticeably buried in the mix. This is another fantastic 7.1 soundtrack from DreamWorks, no surprise considering the thoughtful amount of creative sound editing in today's recent animated films.
CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE Blu-ray - Special Features
- 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.
- 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 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' Blu-ray is nearly as terrific as the film itself. Wonderful video, extremely strong 7.1 audio, and a large handful of fun, fluffy content round this one all together. Very highly recommended!
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