This is one of those rare times where I’m just going to say that this review is more for me than it is for you. I understand that Invader Zim was a niche thing, and I’m not trying to convert anyone into liking it with this review. For me, this is an outlet to express my love for it. I was in second grade when Invader Zim first premiered, and it honestly blew my mind. It soon became something I loved and obsessed over, and since then I’ve solidified it as what I consider to be my favorite animated kids show of all time. I own the whole series on DVD, and I’ve enjoyed any time that I’ve rewatched any of it. When I heard that Netflix was producing a whole Invader Zim movie, I got extremely excited. Now that Enter the Florpus is here, my love for Invader Zim has grown even more.

For any Zim fans out there, I’ll give a brief rundown of what Enter the Florpus is all about. Basically, some time has passed since the original series, and Zim has been in hiding. His nemesis Dib has remained vigilant, watching from his house to see when Zim will return, and getting really fat in the process. So, one day Zim makes his return, and decides to move forward with phase 2 of his plan for domination…if only he could remember what phase 2 entails. He experiences a further hiccup when he finally discovers that the Tallest, his former leaders, really don’t care about his mission, and were just trying to get rid of him. This gives Zim a lost sense of purpose, which gives Dib an opening to expose him.

First, let me talk about how non-fans might feel about this movie. I watched this with my girlfriend, who has never seen Invader Zim. She actually loved it, so I don’t think that Enter the Florpus is at all exclusionary to new fans. There might be a few references you don’t get, but there’s nothing major that you need to know going in that isn’t easy to pick up on. So, while I’ll always recommend to also watch the original series because of how amazing it is, if you’ve always been wondering if Invader Zim is up your alley or not, then Enter the Florpus is a great gateway to test if it’s for you or not.

Now, to my fellow fans. Enter the Florpus is everything we could have possibly wanted from an Invader Zim revival/movie. With how much distance there’s been since the original series, it’s insane how Enter the Florpus feels like an organic continuation of the series. It feels like an extended episode, and the sequel episode that we’ve all been wanting. Enter the Florpus continues the lore in an interesting way, and it never sacrifices the style and humor that made the original series so great. If you loved the original series as much as I did, you NEED to watch Enter the Florpus.

Honestly, Invader ZIM: Enter the Florpus is some of the most fun I’ve had with a movie all year. Like I said, I understand that this isn’t for everyone, so I’m not trying to win anyone over here. To some, this might just be a silly kid’s movie. But Invader Zim was a big part of my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing a return for it. The movie had me constantly laughing every minute, and reminded me of why I love these characters and this series. This is everything I could have wanted from an Invader Zim movie, and I’m so happy that this actually happened.

4.5/5