CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS: THE FIRST EPIC MOVIE

(2017) George (Kevin Hart) and Harold (Thomas Middleditch) are a pair of hyperactive, highly-imaginative grade school boys who've been best friends all their lives. They are also comic book creators and unstoppable pranksters, much to the chagrin (and outright hatred) or their school principal, Mr. Krupp (Ed Helms), who is determined to end the boys' reign by splitting them up into different classes. When the boys, instead, find themselves able to hypnotize Principal Krupp into doing their bidding, they turn him into the superhero of their own hand-made comic book ambitions - the incredibly enthusiastic (also mind-numblingly stupid and inept) Captain Underpants ... just in time for the evil (and hilarious) Professor Poopypants (Nick Kroll) to hit town, where he lands a teaching job at the boys' grade school, in his first steps at taking over the world. The first (hopefully not last) Captain Underpants film, based on the popular kids' book series, is bright and colorful, frenetic and kooky, and really, truly funny in parts even if you're not a kid. For me the computerized animation, while great to look at, didn't lend a lot of warmth to the film visually, but there is a wit, a light sarcasm to the humor and characters (who often break the fourth wall, pulling the viewer in), that make for a solid 89 minutes of fun. (rated PG)  7.5/10 stars