Brief Encounters

The first movie adaptation of the wildly popular children’s book series is as zany as its title promises, with all the pranks, shrink rays and marauding toilets a primary schooler could ever hope for. Yet, amid all the silliness, CAROLYN LESLIE finds that the film can also enable more serious discussions about bullying, authority and friendship.

Adapted from Dav Pilkey’s much-loved series of novels, Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie (David Soren, 2017) is a film in which two inventive fourth-graders from small-town America find a way to turn their school life upside down. Like Soren’s previous film, Turbo (2013), which revolved around a super-fast snail who has to leave his home and find a community that accepts him and his speedy attributes, Captain Underpants is also about an ordinary man who becomes a superhero – in this case, a school principal who is transformed into the eponymous alter ego, rescues the school community and develops his own set of superpowers.

Thematically, the film also draws attention to subjects close to the hearts of younger students, such as how to remain best friends in an increasingly changing world, and the role that friendship plays in helping you to grow up to be a happy and fulfilled adult. While designed to be a larger-than-life comedy – it features a school principal in his undies, after all! – the film also provokes some deeper contemplation about what kinds of behaviours can be categorised as bullying, and whether reacting to a ‘bad’ guy’s behaviour can itself be a hurtful activity.

THE STORY

Friendship and creativity

In an ordinary American town, George Beard (Kevin Hart) and Harold Hutchins (Thomas Middleditch), two fourth-grade boys, are making their own joyous, raucous way through school, and through life. George and Harold have been best friends ever since they met in kindergarten. They have been in every single class together, and even live next door to each other. They spend every waking moment together – hanging out in their tree house for most of the day – trying to make their lives as fun and ) like sponges, and transform their passions into their own comic-book creations – one of which is Captain Underpants, a hero who has a strong belief in his own powers, wears a red cape and massive pair of white undies, and, mysteriously, looks a little like their school principal …