SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Angels_Review This is actually an interesting first movie showing how the Powerpuff girls and Mojo Jojo was born. It's actually rather touching to see how much the 4 actually get along on the first day. It shows they are pretty normal except for the powers. They just want to have fun and be loved. They have trouble finding acceptance in a world that doesn't really want them.I have no idea how the mayor has even been elected because he is really stupid. Nothing he does really makes any sense. When the town is being destroyed, he goes and gets a pickle instead of wanting to figure out how to stop it. And even after worlds, all he is worried about is how they 'killed' the pickles.Mojo Jojo is really odd. First off, 2 days after he is given his 'special powers,' he said that he was discriminated for too long. 2 days is not a long time.The art style is perfect to the actual TV show. I really don't see much difference between the two. Everyone has a very black large outline that makes them stand out from the background which is normally diluted tones of gray or pink. Some characters are overly round where others are exaggerated angles. In fact, the Professor is all angles, and even his shoulders don't move when he is stretching out his neck. The girls are rather chibi looking even though this is an American made cartoon. The whole show is rather stylized in itself.The voices are alright, it is an American Cartoon so you don't have the choice of hearing two different voices for the characters. Sometimes they do have problems in the script though. I can't stand how Mojo Jojo talks, mostly in third person and has a rather rapid fire monologue with a lot of pauses. Actually, it's like the old Godzilla shows where they were dubbed over in English. He also seems to use really really bad puns too.

Stompgal_87 Growing up, one of my favourite cartoons was 'The Powerpuff Girls' that I would constantly watch after school. When I heard of this film back in 2002, I was intrigued to see it but I didn't get around to seeing it due to its possible limited release in the UK. I once watched the first part of this on YouTube and it looked promising but when I watched it in full for the first time today after having purchased it in a quad-DVD pack alongside 'Laura's Star,' 'The Magic Sword: Quest for Camelot' and a collection of Dr Seuss cartoons, I was a bit disappointed since it didn't live up to my expectations that had me thinking it would be as good as the TV show.The strong points of this film include the majority of the characters from the series, the sharp, witty and smart dialogue, the beginning being a possible extension of the episode 'Mr Mojo's Rising, the girls having the same personalities as in the series, the animation being just as good as that in the series and the action sequences albeit the somewhat overlong tag sequence. I also saw it as an interesting 'prequel' to the series from the beginning but about halfway through, I didn't find it as engaging as the majority of the TV episodes although it was more entertaining than snore-fests 'Geschundfight' and 'Fuzzy Logic.' While Mojo Jojo was the main villain here, it also has brief appearances from Fuzzy Lumpkins and the Gang Green Gang. I can understand why Princess Morbucks and The Rowdyruff Boys are not included but it makes sense since they would be introduced in a time frame that would take place after the film's events. I found certain parts of this film similar to the series such as the girls being forbidden to use their superpowers (a la 'Mommy Fearest' and 'Town and Out') and Professor Utonium conducting his experiment (a la 'Mr Mojo's Rising'). Another part I like is the narration towards the end that is similar to that heard during the opening titles of the series since it adds a twist that links to Professor Utonium's opening experiment. Overall I didn't enjoy this quite as much as the series but it was still an interesting way to detail the origin of the Powerpuff Girls. 8/10.

dbborroughs Thoughts from after I saw this in the theaters after its original release: In all the talk about why the Powerpuff Girls Movie failed, they have mentioned almost every excuse from too many animated films to the fact most theatres were not showing it past dinner time, to over saturation of the market, to the "fact TV spin offs usually don't work while the show is still on TV.What I find curious is that with all the talk no one at any point mentioned the fact is that the movie isn't all that wonderful. Don't get me wrong its not bad, its just not all that great.I went to see this when the movie was on the verge of disappearing from theaters going to the only one in literally 25 miles that was showing the movie. It was packed with kids and their parents, mostly kids under 7, which isn't a bad thing especially when you have a three or four year old repeating every line of Buttercup's, and the whole thing takes on a surreal Rocky Horror sort of feel.The movie is essentially the story of how the girls and Mojo Jo Jo were created. In the early going things weren't bad. It was like a good TV episode on the big screen. However once the second act hits- where the girls are shunned after a game of tag goes horribly wrong - the whole thing grinds to a halt. Yes, it has it moments but it tends to just go on and on. Then the movie shifts gears again once the third act hits and Mojo is revealed to be the villain and all of the other monkeys attempt to take over the world. Everything is rapid fire and I know I missed several of the references and jokes that litter the screen. (I didn't catch the words spelled out in the girls color trails until they were fading from the screen.) Where act two was too slow act three is too fast and I couldn't help the feeling that this was taking the term throw away gag to a new level, so much was happening that it was all lost.Its not bad mind you its just that its an extended TV episode with no real reason to be on the big screen. Hell I bet you there isn't a sharp eyed viewer who won't be able to pick out every place a commercial will appear when Cartoon runs it next spring or summer.Yes I laughed. No, I don't hate it. But in a year where animated cartoons are coming into their own, with Ice Age, Lilo, Metropolis, Escaflowne, Spirit, Jimmy Neutron and Monsters Inc, in less than 12 months (plus Cowboy Bebop , Spirited Away and Treasure Planet before years end) I really can't see the point of putting out a movie thats just the TV show only bigger. (Is it any wonder Hey Arnold also tanked?) Frankly I'm glad is bombing at the box office since I can not see any reason that this movie exists other than to cash in on the Powerpuff Girls bandwagon. This was a movie that was released for the sake of greed (and to have Baboon Butt Bombs) and no other reason. This was not a story that needed to be told on the big screen since they do nothing with it. Frankly other than a louder ("mommy my ears hurt") soundtrack and "funky" hip movie like freeze frames and shots there is nothing that says to me there was any thought put into how make it a movie, it was simply was and is more of the same.Even the 5.75 bargain matinée was too much to ask.I look forward to seeing the DVD. I want to hear the commentary and go back and see what I missed- I want to know the in jokes which I sense are there. But beyond that...Who knows.

Benjamin Cox This is something of a guilty pleasure for me. Of the many cartoons on Cartoon Network, the Powerpuff Girls are arguably one of the better shows on offer (along with Johnny Bravo) and I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm something of a fan. Although it is a superhero show, there is a knowing wink to it all, such as the brilliant "Beat Alls" episode. This is their first movie and while it looks and feels like the TV show, it also feels disappointingly empty as though this is simply a feature-length episode.For those who don't know, the show is set in the city of Townsville and focuses on the efforts of Professor Utonium (voiced by Tom Kane) to seek a solution to the crime epidemic sweeping the city. During an experiment, he accidentally knocks some powerful Chemical X into the mix and the resulting explosion creates three cute little girls, all with fantastic super powers. Blossom (Cathy Cavadini) is the forthright leader of the three, Bubbles (Tara Strong) is a giggling little bundle of fun and Buttercup (Elizabeth Daily) is a tomboy with a violent temperament. Unfortunately, they are not the only ones effected by Chemical X and soon, super-smart monkey Mojo Jojo (Roger Jackson) is on the loose and forces the girls into using their fledgling powers for good.If you've ever seen the show then you'll know pretty much all you'll need to about "The Powerpuff Girls" and this introduction to the show won't cover any new ground. If you've never seen the show then this will either draw you in or turn you away. I'd forgotten how incessantly noisy the show is, filled with characters talking at ninety miles an hour (Mojo is particularly guilty of this) and lots of special effects. It is also quite crudely animated, roughly on a par with "South Park" and the aforementioned "Johnny Bravo". But it is entertaining with plenty to keep kids attention fixed on screen and the odd flash of witty referencing for adults. But as I said at the start, this is basically an extended episode - there wasn't anything new for the movie and if I'd paid to see it in a cinema, I would probably have been disappointed. And personally, I don't like the Mojo Jojo character - I'd have preferred to see Him or the Gangrene Gang, who only make a cameo here.Deciding a rating for this film was tricky. It does have its faults and to be honest, I'd be happier watching the TV show. This felt drawn-out and padded with filler (the scene in space seemed completely pointless), even though it is a perfect transition from small screen to silver screen. It's a shame because the show is good fun (most of the time) and most fans will enjoy the film. But quite frankly, a 25-year-old bartender isn't exactly the target audience so it was unlikely I'd be raving about this picture. This is obviously meant for kids glued to the Cartoon Network and as a piece of shameless self-promotion, it works. But I just didn't enjoy the film as much as the TV show. Here's hoping they get it right for the "Johnny Bravo" movie.