Review of Space Chimps (2008) by Rob Y — 20 Aug 2008

In a computer-animated world where Pixar and Dreamworks are boss, it can be tough for the little guys of animation to get much of a look in. With the likes of Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda taking full advantage of the school holidays and afternoon trips to the cinema with the reluctant parents, a predictable film about monkeys in space, over a little, funnier and better animated robot, may just struggle to get into orbit.

After NASA loose a $5 billion probe in an intergalactic wormhole, the Senator, of Florida we assume, decides to send Ham III, the grandson of Ham, the first chimp into space (and that's a real-life chimp too!) to retrieve it, in a effort to get the world interested in space travel again. However, Ham III, a circus entertainer whose speciality is being fired from a canon, has no real interest in living up to his family's tradition and would rather bath in his own self-importance. It's not until Houston, his monkey mentor talks some sense into him does he consider his options. Before Ham has a chance to entertain the idea, he's caravan, with him and Houston inside it, is taken by the US Government. The reluctant Ham suddenly finds himself on a deep space mission, in search of the misplaced probe, accompanied by two experienced chimpronauts, Titan, who has a flat-top and sounds just like Quahog's favourite wheelchair-bound cop, and Luna, the obvious love interest of out little simian hero.

There's no mistaking Space Chimps for anything more than a typical summer kids film. The animation is very cartoony and the jokes will makes the kids laugh while the parents look on in bemusement. The plot doesn't go into too much detail about the sciency stuff involved with space travel, nor does it fully explain what an outer space wormhole is. It's also worth questioning why the two better-qualified chimps fall unconscious on re-entry, while the one who's new to the scene is fully awake and left to man (or is that chimp?) the controls. But I guess these quibbles don't really matter. All the children will be interested in is talking monkeys in space suits and brightly coloured, googly-eyed, jelly-type aliens.

Our three monkey space-travellers are no where near as likable as, say Wall-E . Luna is just flat-out boring, the only good thing going for Titan is his similarities to Family Guy's Joe Swanson, and you quickly tire of Ham's sheer arrogance. He kind of reminds you of the really cocky kid at school who always seemed to have a girlfriend despite being a total douche. And by the end of the film, instead of loving him, you actually just flat-out hate him.

Unlike Wall-E or Kung Fu Panda, Space Chimps doesn't really offer anything to the parents. It's a simple, predicable story with the odd dash of pop culture and child-friendly gags. The Airplane! reference will be appreciated by the few older viewers though. But in an age where computer-animated films have to appeal to both kids and adults, and come with an A-lister-heavy cast, the ones that don't come with these requirements simply get left behind. Jeff Daniels is probably the most familiar name in the credits, but even then, it's hard to recognise his voice. Come to think of it, it sounds a little bit like Harry 'Dumb and Dumber' Dunne, but it still calls for a bit of work to pick it out.

Yes the kids will enjoy Space Chimps. It's a good film for a rainy August afternoon. But animated films have to offer more these days. They have to cash in on the parents taking their kids to see these films and give them something they'll enjoy too that'll innocently fly over the heads of the younger audience. Something that both Pixar and Dreamworks have got down to a fine art, but still something Vanguard animation will have to work on.