Bart Wars Views

General Goods

Now I do not often watch TV, I done’t pay attention to whats new and hyped as far as the Simpsons go. Saying that should let you know that Is’ve had no idea if this was a movie or not since Ia’d not have had a chance to see commercials for it. Given its title and the fact that the cover art features Bart as Luke and Homer as Darth Vader battling it out with Light Sabers I figured it would be along the same lines as the Family Guy Star Wars spoofs. How wrong I was. Based on the cover and the title I assumed it was one or more the following.

The misleading title of this four-episode DVD (Bart Wars) had us all set to see our favorite cartoon family send up our favorite galactic family in preparation for the final installment of the Star Wars saga. But our lightsabers went limp when we realized that, except for a striking guest stint by Mark Hamill, this collection is simply your everyday Simpsons hilarity. There is a toe-tapping musical number, ''Luke Be a Jedi Tonight,'' during a dinner-theater performance of Guys and Dolls, but mostly the Force is with a pricey vet visit for Santa's Little Helper, Bart and Lisa conquering military school, and Christmas photo complications at the Try-N-Save. Nonetheless, it is still, as Mr. Burns would say, excelllllent. EXTRAS Before yellow skin, blue hair, and that famous ''D'oh!'' are added, check out how Matt Groening and Co. put it all together with storyboards and sketches. Cowabunga!

While I may not be the carnosaur of knowledge as our famous Simpson

Going back to this particular DVD release, it