Based on the children's book series of the same name, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie is an origin story of the superhero Captain Underpants. If you have read the books, then you will know what to expect. The movie is a parody of the superhero genre, with nothing being taken seriously and it relies heavily on crude "potty" humor (that's kid friendly). The animation is slick and it's tone is faithful to its source material. It does take a third of the film before Captain Underpants truly shines. It had to introduce the pair of best friends first, Harold and George, on their daily lives and what they had to contend with at the boring and oppressing school that they attend. However, even when Captain Underpants comes to the forefront, there are times where the movie stutters in its pacing. It picked one of the lesser interesting villains, someone who doesn't really have any crazy powers. It felt like that the series was something that would benefit from a TV series more than a movie. There are plenty of references to the book series, including the simple but fun comic strips and "flip-o-rama". Overall, this is a solid movie, but it is not a stellar one that would appeal to all ages.
