Jimmy Neutron - Boy Genius

Intended as a timely release for school holidays and also a launch-pad for a new Rugrats style franchise for Nickelodeon, no-one could accuse Jimmy Neutron; Boy Genius with its 83 minute duration of hanging about.

Our eponymous hero lives in a small 1950s pastiche place called Retroville and basically, he likes to invent things. When one of the signals from his inventions ends up attracting unwanted attention from another planet, the town’s entire adult population wind up being abducted. Naturally, the kids of the town are jubilant at such a development, and celebrate by raiding the local milkshake bar and peeing in the shower. They do eventually decide to get their parents back before they all get eaten by evil alien Patrick Stewart.

A knowing affair with references to all manner of sci-fi classics, Jimmy Neutron seems to take inspiration from the loudest piece of music on its soundtrack – The Ramones’ ‘Blitzkrieg Bop’. As such, this is a buzzy, rapid movie which seems less inclined to stasis than a hummingbird with an attention deficit disorder and a speed habit.

This is hardly a bad thing then for kids or indeed for film critics.