Invader Zim has to be one of Nickelodeon's biggest cult phenomenons of their entire existence. What was once a short lived series that barely even lasted two seasons ended up growing a massive cult following, mainly due to its bizarre tone, wacky albeit dark content and gritty visuals. So it's a no brainer that it would receive some kind of followup after its original run, which is where Enter the Florpus comes in. Handled by series creator Jhonen Vasquez and much of the original crew, this movie installment is made purely for the Zim enthusiasts who have waited so long for their favorite creepy alien to return.
The main storyline of the special details Zim realizing he was sent to Earth to be gotten rid of and thus loses confidence in himself. This seems like a big break for his human nemesis, Dib, or is it? Without nailing down the actual story beats, as that would give away a lot of spoilers, the general flow of the story itself is so unpredictable and scattered that you couldn't even list one specific plot twist. Zim has tried his hardest to conquer Earth only to fail miserably, be it at odds with Dib or genuine misfires, yet only now does he get the pure chance of a lifetime to take over the planet, and his plan is so brilliant it's actually unlike him. As for Dib, part of his goal to take down Zim is to prove to his father that he's not making any of it up, which is actually the most heartbreaking and emotional aspect of the movie. You end up rooting for Dib throughout his whole ordeal in addition to wondering what Zim has in store, making for two highly fascinating narratives.
From a technical side, the special's animation is very vibrant, expressive, and displays a great blend of 2D and 3D visuals, which is very tricky to make convincing. There again, the art style is super stylized and cartoony that it fits right in. As for the humor, while it can be pretty juvenile, it does offer some pretty hysterical one liners and slapstick wroth giggling at, especially with Zim and Dib's witty banter and Gir's lovable childish antics. Lastly, major props to the voice actors for their contributions. Richard Steven Horvitz always sounds like he's having the time of his life voicing Zim, Andy Berman practically invents Dib's paranoid demeanor, Rodger Bumpass hams up Professor Membrane to a wonderful degree, Melissa Fahn is delightfully creepy as Gaz, and Rosearik Rikki Simons is always a treat whenever he's doing Gir's exaggerated vocals. Given that the special is so crazy and hyper in terms of its tone and pacing, it only makes sense that the cast kicks the mood up to 11 with their ecstatic deliveries.
I think exaggerated is the best word to describe this special, and for an Invader Zim movie, you couldn't ask for more. Enter the Florpus not only continues the Invader Zim series faithfully with a suspenseful and crazy storyline, but it brings its visuals to whole new places and has the characters grow a bit more than what they used to be like. If you still adore the original show with all your heart, give this one a watch as soon as you can. Even if you've never seen the original, this is still worth a watch, if only for the insane surrealistic tone that you don't find in a lot of animated content nowadays.
