Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman September 15, 2017

One can only wonder what kind of schooling experience Author Dav Pilkey had in his youth to inspire him to create the Captain Underpants series. Are his stories mostly his musing and fantasies or is the series based in some godawful reality of droning teachers, demeaning principals, and dreary classrooms? The story offers a very bleak look inside a school where humor is not just discouraged, it's practically disallowed, particularly the brand of humor shared by brothers-in-comedy George and Harold, two elementary-aged children and aspiring comic book creators who find the punchline in almost everything. They play pranks, they giggle at academic verbiage that could be construed as toilet humor, they make it their mission in life to bring a little spirit and joy into their lives and their school. For the boys, laughter is the best medicine, the one and only antidote to their principal's warden-like rule over the school where education is boring and creativity is discouraged. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is a wonderfully fun, zippy, creative, and uproariously funny adaptation of the book series that turns school and superheroes upside down, strips it all down to the bare tighty-wightey essentials, and has a blast diving headfirst into comic absurdity in one of the most satisfying animated films in years.

George (voiced by Kevin Hart) and Harold (voiced by Thomas Middleditch) are elementary-aged best friends who once bonded over getting the giggles after hearing the word "Uranus" and have since become their school's top pranking tandem and authors of a number of comic books, most of them, including Captain Underpants, made of their own unique brand of off-the-wall humor. But their gags have pushed their principal, Mr. Krupp (voiced by Ed Helms), to the brink. He's a joyless authoritarian who values spartan learning environments and humorless lessons for his pupils. He's also come up with an ingenious plan to put an end to Harold and George's antics for good: put them in different classes. With their lifeblood humor on the line and their friendship on the brink of forced destruction, the duo takes extreme measures by hypnotizing Mr. Krupp and making him believe he's their brainchild superhero, Captain Underpants, a jovial, rotund caped crusader who may not be an elite crime fighter but who is, at least, going to fight to keep George and Harold happy and together. Meanwhile, a new science teacher, Professor Poopypants (voiced by Nick Kroll), sets in motion a scheme to wipe out humor in the school and, ultimately, the world, using the school's most humorless boy and George and Harold's archenemy, Melvin (Kristen Schaal), as the linchpin of his plan.

Captain Underpants is a laugh riot. Whether big, sweeping gags or subtle little cues, the film always finds a way to bring a smile to the face. It somehow makes even mindless toilet humor fun, not because the jokes are all that unique but because the characters, and the voice actors, respond with such infectious enthusiasm for the gags. George and Harold, meaning, really, Kevin Hart and Thomas Middleditch, never miss a beat, never fail to not only find the humor in a line or gag or situation or scenario but rather the essence of why it makes them laugh, and their responses are most certainly contagious. Sure a few plot holes are necessary evils to keep the humor flowing at a breakneck pace, particularly in the third act when the boys and their principal-turned-superhero are forced to battle a nasty villain who ironically uses an oversized potty in an effort to eliminate potty humor, but the rapid-fire jokes, the focus on task, and the complete absurdity of it all mask any structural shortcomings. From plays on words to a whoopee cushion symphony, Captain Underpants goes there, does that, and finds the laughter in anything and everything, from broad stroke gags to small little touches like Harold and George having reserved seating outside Krupp's office and his anti-motivational posters and signs that line his room.

The movie may amount to little more than juvenile humor, and while the gags dominate, the movie does raise an interesting question that it kinda-sorta touches on in spots but mostly leaves up to the audience to consider: is there any value in extremes? The boys certainly dislike their principal. They mean him no harm, but they'd rather he not inject into their lives or get in the way of their creative mojo. He's strict, stern, humorless. They are fun-loving, easygoing, and always able to make joke of any situation. But they're really not all that different. They're both examples of extremes. And so is Poopypants, for that matter, a man who isn't just an authoritarian like Principal Krupp but someone who would see the world fundamentally change to fit his own notion of how it should be. All four characters -- and throw Melvin in there, too -- are radicals in their own way. Is there harmony in a give-and-take? Can they ever meet halfway? What are the underlying, driving forces that make them who they are? The audience will certainly, and rightly, side with the boys, but it's an interesting aside to consider when watching the movie in the way it depicts good and bad but does so on the fringes where there's really no gray area. But, yeah, the movie is mostly just Uranus! Which is a gas giant! And it's so adorable as just that and any more contemplative notions more or less fall by the wayside.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Digital animation and UHD haven't always been the best of bedfellows, the format not always bringing significant change to a film, the transition from Blu-ray to UHD more a lateral move than an example of the upward mobility viewers expect. Captain Underpants, however, delivers a mild improvement over the Blu-ray and certainly beyond the typical animated UHD disc that, to these eyes, offers little-to-no discernible improvements. Captain Underpants' UHD's improvements are immediately recognizable, though again incremental. Increase in animation clarity and sharpness is evident. Details are modestly improved, most obviously noted on heavily textured clothes, such as Professor P's plaid suit where the digitally created fabric details appear a bit more dense and texturally robust. Environments and character details -- even as they're largely smooth by design -- reveal a bump in definition. The HDR-enhanced color palette likewise offers mild, but agreeable, improvement. Colors are more spunky and deeper; the palette by design is diverse and cheerful but not filled with nuance. HDR doesn't change that, but it makes purples, reds, greens, all of the flashy mainstays that appear in the movie a little more eye-catching. Trace aliasing may be seen scattered throughout the film, but it's otherwise good to go.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Captain Underpants soars onto UHD with a Dolby Atmos soundtrack. It's an aggressive, very satisfying track that offers nearly nonstop enjoyment, one that saturates the stage with a healthy combination of vigorous music and an assault of wide-ranging aural effects. The Atmos track keeps it all working in harmonious balance, where no single element gains the upper hand, instead playing through a pleasing sense of command that allows for entertaining action and precision clarity. Various effects sweep and swoop and make a large impact. Bass is prolific, but never overbearing. The track delivers a consistent barrage of high-flying madness through which pinpoint details and larger, more enveloping pieces often intersect but don't overlap. Things like a ferris wheel rolling across the stage, thunder cracking and rain soaking, the villain's preferred mode of transportation rumbling through the listening area, or Captain Underpants swooping with superhero-powered intensity all send waves of balanced chaos through the listening area. Bass is tight, music clear and organic, surround use regular, and dialogue precise. There's nothing not to like about DreamWorks' exciting UHD audio presentation.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Captain Underpants' UHD disc contains no extras. All of them as listed and reviewed below can be found on the bundled Blu-ray. A digital copy code is included with purchase.

• The Really Cool Adventures of Captain Underpants Motion Comic (1080p, 2:52): George and Harold read a comically crude comic book.
• The Captain Underpants Guide to Being a Hero (1080p, 3:51): George and Harold go through a few musts for any superhero: wearing a cape, have a secret identity, etc.
• The Professor Poopypants (Totally Original and Supercool) Guide to Being a Villain (1080p, 3:53): The villainous Poopypants shares a few tips on being a good villain: having no rules, make an evil checklist, etc.
• Missing Underpants: The Deleted Scenes of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (1080p, 11:00): Director David Soren introduces several early animatics for unfinished scenes.
• Captain Underpants Lyric Video by "Weird Al" Yankovic (1080p, 2:15): This may be a "lyric video" but only select lyrics appear on the screen.
• "A Friend Like You" Lyric Video by Andy Grammer (1080p, 3:45): Unlike the last video, this presents all lyrics on the screen.
• Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars -- Part 1 (1080p, 1:02): A short sit-down in which the cast answers a few fun questions.
• Tighty-Whitey Q&A With the Stars -- Part 2 (1080p, 1:02): The same stars answer more questions. Why these are separate extras is anybody's guess.
• Kevin Hart and Ed Helms Surprise Fans (1080p, 2:07): The actors sit down with some young fans in between clips from the film.
• Lunch Lady PSA with Kristen Schaal (1080p, 1:02): The actress discusses how school lunch ladies are under-appreciated.
• Sock Puppets Real Stars (1080p, 0:27): Sock puppet versions of George and Harold stand in for the real characters...for no real reason.
• Gallery (1080p): Two image collections: Comic Book Covers and The Art of DreamWorks 'Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie.'
• Theatrical Trailer (1080p, 2:25).
• The World of DreamWorks Animation (1080p): Music videos and more from Shrek, Madagascar, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, The Croods, Turbo, and Home.
• Sneak Peek (1080p): Previews for The Boss Baby, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Spirit & Voltron: Legendary Defender, Despicable Me 3, and The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature.

Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Captain Underpants is a blast. The humor is infectious, the story is silly, the voice actors are wonderful, and stale humor is brought to life thanks to the characters' lovable enthusiasm for it. And this review hasn't even touched on the superhero stuff, the wonderful Superman-inspired origins story the boys create and all of Underpants' comical antics, whether on his own or as the boys must snap him back into hero mode every time he gets wet. The movie just never relents. It's a joy and one of the year's best little surprises. Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie's UHD release delivers solid 4K video, excellent Atmos audio, and some kid-friendly extras on the Blu-ray disc. Very highly recommended!