Futurama The Beast With a Billion Backs [SPOILERS]

[Kemaiku]

And Bender was at his most extreme of Bender Bastardliness, he's not usually quite so unrepentently cruel.

Thats something that really bothered me too. But then even the Robot Devil thought he was getting worse.

"That was pretty brutal, even by my standards."

 

[TheBrew]

I dunno, thought that part was hilarious.

 

[bigdaddy]

In the commentary to the last movie I think they explained that because the series came back that they were going to have keep Fry and Lela apart, and then hinted they might start getting back together again in later movies.

 

[Gaius Baltar]

And Bender was at his most extreme of Bender Bastardliness, he's not usually quite so unrepentently cruel.

Thats something that really bothered me too. But then even the Robot Devil thought he was getting worse.

"That was pretty brutal, even by my standards."

that bender scene was my favourite part of the film

i enjoyed the film but felt like just an average episode preferred benders big score which i thought was more consistent the lord of the rings style trailer for next film looks interesting

 

[Nerdius Maximus]

Rented it the other day. Always nice to see some new Futurama.

 

[Mr. Fergy]

I own it, cool Film. Me want more, now!!!!!

 

[Broccoli]

It was great! Futurama is back in proper form. Miles better then the crappy Bender's Big Score. Very funny, with a good story that actually had a good flow to it and didn't feel like four episodes mashed together.

And after seeing the preview for the next one, I have a renewed hope.

Bender's Big Score wasn't complex, it was just badly handled and rewrote Futurama history and destroyed several wonderful stories from the TV show.

I really don't understand the whole "they ignored continuity" gripe; Futurama has always ignored its own continuity. They had a whole episode about how sardines were extinct, and then Hermes shows up fishing with a bucket full of sardines in the Atlanta episode (Zoidberg calls the little fish by name).

Oops. The point still stands, though; Futurama hasn't ever been a slave to continuity.

Hi, Futurama timeline expert here. BBS didn't necessarily ignore continuity, but they screwed with it that, imo, destroyed a lot of the sweet/poignant moments in some of the best episodes.

As for Futurama continuity...as someone who has sat down and actually "studied" it...granted, there are goofs (most of which are simply throwaway lines), but by and large Futurama is really, really good with their continuity. In one of the episode commentaries, David X. Cohen (I believe), mentioned how they took extra care with the continuity (with exception of the design of the ship), because "sci-fi fans are nutty about their continuity."

I just watched the The Lost Adventure and I have to say that was pretty good. It felt like a typical Futurama episode with some great jokes and a fun story. Of course the ending with the infinite loop of them dying can't quit into the rest of the series, but it's still worth watching.

The game was pretty good and I died laughing when I got to the end and learned the game was a loop.

I wonder if the game "happened" within the Futurama canon.

Even aside from all that, I was just unconvinced that everyone in the universe could be romanced into giving up their entire existence.

It must be some testicle.

I didn't like the Fry/Colleen thing either. The last movie gave Leela and Fry a major moment in their relationship, pretty much declaring outright that they were meant to be together and would never love anyone else, and then they turn around and hook Fry up with another woman without explanation?

They do address it. Twice. Once was the first hook-up between Fry and Colleen which seemed to be just a quickie that turned into something more. Then at the end, when Fry turns to Leela, she berates him for forgetting about her the moment Colleen came into the picture.

Meanwhile, the whole League of Robots subplot was kind of pointless. And Bender has gotten far too violent and amoral. Having him burn a swath through the city and kill hundreds in his duel with Calculon was excessive, and the business with his firstborn son was just not right. This is the sort of thing that would be okay in an Anthology of Interest imaginary tale, but it's just pushing things a little too far here. I suppose they're taking advantage of the lack of network censorship, but there is value in self-restraint. Not that I've ever been particularly fond of Bender, but it's hard to sympathize with him as a character when he's shown as so blatantly evil and homicidal rather than just making noises about it but really being more of a softie.

I disagree. Bender has always been kinda dark. I didn't find anything out of character here.

 

[Kegek]

Very enjoyable but with still the problem of padding/meandering. Futurama is best at with one-hour length.

Still, four stars outta five.

I'd agree with that. Still, I think they did a much better job doing an 'epic' Futurama story than the previous film. I don't think Futurama lends itself well to those kinds of stories, but the absurdity of universe-to-universe dating was a very funny comic conceit. I think this is about as good as a Futurama movie could get - and that's very good indeed. A significant improvement over the unfocused Big Score. True, there were no musical numbers - but there were no bad musical numbers either (and if I were feeling generous I'd dub Big Score's as mediocre.)

I thought Yivo was lame-o.

But ugly naked spammers from the first movie wasn't? Right.....

Yivo was great. The villains in the previous movie felt a bit like half-a-punchline. Okay, they're spammers, naked and...? Just not particularly funny. There's something rather amusing about a gigantic needy tentacle monster from another universe, though. "Your universe dresses provocatively!"

And Bender was at his most extreme of Bender Bastardliness, he's not usually quite so unrepentently cruel.

Thats something that really bothered me too. But then even the Robot Devil thought he was getting worse.

"That was pretty brutal, even by my standards."

that bender scene was my favourite part of the film

Mine as well.

i enjoyed the film but felt like just an average episode preferred benders big score which i thought was more consistent the lord of the rings style trailer for next film looks interesting

Yeah... going with a thematized parody looks like a good way to shake up the Futurama formula a little. There's ample room for humour, as well, though given the subject matter it's unfortunate we couldn't see Gary Gygax reprise his cameo.

 

[Trent Roman]

I saw this the other night, and for my part I preferred Bender's Big Score. Not that this one wasn't funny, but there just wasn't as many 'laugh-out-loud' moments in this one. I think part of that stems from the fact that the characters spent a goodly amount of time out of character, such that the humour had to be mostly plot-driven, and the whole 'universes dating' semantic gag got old fast. In terms of plot, I also found this one disjointed, compared to the more intrincate time-travel storyline of the previous film.

Fictitiously yours, Trent Roman

 

[kalysto]

I just got this DVD today and loved what I saw. My only problem was the end, it just kind of ended? I'm not sure why, but I expected something more to come of the fact the beast had (in a roundabout way) some likeness to Leela (purple and one eye?!). Reminded me a little of the bee episode, I suppose. Admittedly, it would of been very disappointing to discover it was a dream sequence, but I really felt like I was about to be hit with one of those sad twists that Fry usually was stuck with.

I will have to watch again to find most quotable bits, but I loved Bender deciding to become Calculon's stalker (so hilariously creepy when they are in bed together!)

 

[AdmiralGarak]

I will have to watch again to find most quotable bits, but I loved Bender deciding to become Calculon's stalker (so hilariously creepy when they are in bed together!)

Calculon: "Are you going to murder me?"
Bender: "No. In my mind we're already friends. This diorama proves it."
Calculon: "Sir, your lunacy impresses me!"



A quick heads-up: The Futurama Point has posted links to an interview with David X Cohen on the return of Futurama, and a picture of the cover of movie #3, "Bender's Game". The release date is November 4th, though that isn't set in stone.

 

[tharpdevenport]

This special symbolized everything I don't like about "Futurama". Pretty much.

The entire time I watched it, I was bored. I only sat around for the heck of it. I never laughed during the whole thing, lightly chuckled once or twice, but those were so unforgettable, that I don't even recall what I lightly chuckled at.

What made episodes of the show that revolved around emotional drama so good, was that it was about the characters and used the backdrop of the events to bring it along. This was the reverse. It was about the tenticle and used the weak emotional drama to perpel it along.

It had bad joke timing, bad jokes, an uninteresting plot, and ultimately I can't find a reason to ever watch it again.

If this is the best they ca offer, perhaps -- and it's sad to say this -- more new Futurama wasn't needed. I doubt the next upcoming movie does any better.

 

[Temis the Vorta]

Calculon: "Are you going to murder me?"
Bender: "No. In my mind we're already friends. This diorama proves it."
Calculon: "Sir, your lunacy impresses me!"

Ah Calculon, we need more of him.

 

[Harvey]

Well, I liked it. While the first movie captured the character elements that make me love the show, this movie made me laugh a whole lot more. Both are pretty decent in my book.