Futurama 1, FOX 0

The storied tales of Family Guy and Futurama are the stuff of TV Legend by now. Initially well received, they were poorly treated by executives at FOX, cancelled early, and replaced by horrible cookie-cutter shows that lasted no longer than a season, if they were lucky. Thanks to syndication on Cartoon Network, DVD sales, and extensive fan support, Family Guy was brought back on the air. However, it wasn't until 2007 that news was announced on Futurama's return.

Unlike Family Guy, Futurama is returning in a unique way. Instead of an episode-by-episode season, Futurama's 5th season will the product of 4 feature-length DVD movies. From there on, the episodes will be cut up, joined with new material, and aired as separate entities (kind of like the Stewie Griffin Story for Family Guy). The first of these films is Bender's Big Score.

With a 5 year hiatus between production seasons, the crew of Futurama have a whopping amount of expectations to handle. Addressing unfinished storylines, reintroducing characters, and bringing back the tone and feel of the series in its prime are just a few of the challenges that Bender's Big Score faces. It's certainly not fair to judge it as such, but with time comes lots of anticipation.

Thankfully, however, Bender's Big Score is a success. Not a rousing one, but one that hits enough humorous and touching notes that it can stand as proof of the series' staying power. The main problem with Bender's Big Score is that it tries too hard. It's the kind of movie that will be a crowd pleaser for sure, but it also seems like the movie attempts to please every Futurama fan, making for an uneven, slightly dense, and a bit overlong movie. However, it also succeeds in recapturing all the things that people loved about Futurama. While it's not perfect, it's still quite the entertaining ride through the Futurama Universe, and one that will make a lot of fans happy.

The Big Score

While the title might allude to the movie centering around Bender, it actually deals with a multitude of characters, both new and old. The absolutely hilarious intro brings us back to the Planet Express HQ, where Professor Farnsworth informs the Crew that they'd been "cancelled" from making deliveries over 2 years ago, and promptly fires them. Just as everyone is about to leave, their sponsors at BOX Network (hint hint) call them up, putting them back on the air (for deliveries, of course), and firing the execs who cancelled them in the first place (grinding them into a suppository with other handy uses).

The overarching story deals with a trio of Alien scammers, who use junk mail and spam to trick the Planet Express crew into selling their company. Upon discovering that Fry possesses the secret code to time travel (on a Bender-shaped tattoo printed on his a*s), they use it for their own greedy means. But soon, everyone is using it, causing mass chaos.

Although the story does a good job of tidying up by the end, like most time travel movies, it's so dense and complex that it's sometimes difficult to follow. There are three Fry's, wait maybe two Fry's...and three Benders...but one dies...or does he? The weird time-travel theory that the movie uses does provide some good comedy, but as a plot, it really fails to hit its mark. The end packs a punch, but its really softened by the fact that the movie is way ahead of the audience for most of its running time. You'll only be able to catch up to the story after the third or fourth flashback, at which point both story arcs are already in full gear.

This isn't to say that the plot is bad. Boiled down, Bender's Big Score has some ambitious ideas and the separate storylines tie together nicely, but some restructuring and clean up could have done wonders. It's the kind of movie that flows seamlessly upon a second or third viewing, but the first time its somewhat uneven and disjointed. For fans, it pays off because it attempts to tackle many individual stories, such as Leela's and Fry's, but at the same time it also bogs down the pacing and action.

However, Bender's Big Score makes up for its weirdly structured plot by adding in a heavy dose of great humor. There's no shortage of laughs, and the writing crew definitely recaptures the series' at its funniest in key moments. Most jokes hit their target, with only a select few falling flat. Bender is once again the scene stealer, with his lewd and immature antics ranging from attempting to use a Telephone as a Suicide Booth, to a full on Terminator parody, where he attempts to use famous Schwarzenneger catchphrases in his mission to exterminate targets while looking cool. The writers also make great use out of the time-traveling element, going all the way from predictable places like Ancient Egypt to humorous and unexpected pit stops such as Florida during the 2000 election. Even Al Gore himself offers up more than a few hilarious lines.

Bender's not the only one of course. In addition to the Planet Express crew, the writers found a way to fit in nearly everyone from the Futurama Universe, from Kwanzaabot (with Coolio reprising his voice) to President Nixon (still the President of Earth after all these seasons).

At the same time that these cameos are welcome, it also illustrates the movie's biggest flaw. Bender's Big Score is a crowd pleaser aimed to entertain every corner of the Futurama fanbase. It's an understandable move, since high expectations have been heaped upon the show for 5 long years, but it also leaves something to be desired. There's screen time dedicated to bringing up characters who don't advance the plot, and while it's funny and great to see them back, it ultimately could have been put to better use. Hopefully with the next Futurama movies, the writers will begin to start taking risks. However, Bender's Big Score feels less confident than some Futurama episodes.

In addition to characters, nearly every element of Futurama episodes have been brought back. Musical numbers, movie parodies, social/political humor. Once again, Bender's Big Score is a jack of all trades, master of none. Everything is welcome, but in such large doses it feels like filler at certain points. The ultimate trade-off with Bender's Big Score is that while it will be sure to please anywhere from casual to hardcore fans to some degree, it isn't in any way outstanding like the best episodes of the series.

Still, there are some undeniably great aspects to the movie. In addition to the consistent and strong humor, the aesthetic side is also wonderfully done. The animation is as beautiful as ever, now presented in 16:9 widescreen format. With the new budget, time, and freedom afforded by releasing episodes on DVD, the animation crew has really pulled out all the stops here. Everything looks like it was prepped for the big screen, and each new environment looks more amazing than the next. Futurama's focus on top-notch animation has always set it apart from its competitors, but this is just another step. Bender's Big Score is really in a league all its own concerning aesthetic values.

Extras

As always, the Futurama crew has put time and effort into not just the movie, but the extras as well. Bender's Big Score offers 2-discs of bonus materials (one on the movie side, the other a separate bonus disc). In addition to the obligatory Cast and Crew Commentary and Animatics, there are also hilarious extended spoofs on some of the in-jokes (Everybody Loves Hypnotoad), segments on decoding some of the more technically-minded gags, and a sneak preview for the next Futurama movie. Once again, hardcore fans will have tons to sift through after the movie's over. Futurama's box sets have never been stingy on the extras, and Bender's Big Score is no exception.

Final Thoughts

Overall, there's nothing glaringly wrong about Bender's Big Score. It captures, in passing, all the elements that made Futurama so popular. As a first step back into the series, it's got it all. It certainly holds great promise for the upcoming episodes/movies, but at the same time, it seems just a few tweaks away from being great. The dense storyline, endless cameos, and multiple layers make it a movie great for repeat viewing and separate episodes, but a little awkward and uneven as a film. However, past this, Futurama offers up everything it's known for: irreverent, witty humor, zany, memorable characters, and lots of epic adventure. If you're a hardcore fan of the series, this one is a no brainer.

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD