'Captain Underpants' Review: Teaching Kids About the Education System
Frequently questioned by concerned parents because of the nature of its title, "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" has successfully landed in theaters. Through the skepticism and criticism that the film had to face, it looks like the type of film that kids would enjoy watching not just because of its amusing title but also because of the lessons that were ingrained in the dialogue.
According to a review by The New York Times, the movie is exactly what people would expect from something that's called "Captain Underpants." The film is based on Dav Pilkey's series and it features the voices of comedian Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch.
The story features how kids might think and perceive their school principals as someone scary by ominously creating Mr. Krupp's (Ed Helms) desk with a sign that says, "Hope dies here." Hart and Middleditch's characters consider him as their nemesis and as they spend their time creating comic books about Captain Underpants, they eventually manage to put their school principal into a trance where he transforms into Captain Underpants.
First of all, the movie is as real as it's going to get for kids. It acknowledges that most superheroes wear their underpants outside of their uniforms and how the school principal can be scary in their eyes. At the same time, it imparts a subliminal message about how these scary people can actually be their only defense against evil. In a way, the film establishes that the school principal's job is not easy and often times, it requires them to seem heartless. But at the end of the day, they can give children the only thing that can protect them from the evils of the world.
"Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie" may deserve the skepticism from parents. But at the very least, it's a DreamWorks film that kids can enjoy because of its realistic and fantastical take on the education system, adults and the world beyond their imaginations.
