Futurama: Bender's Big Score!

[blackdragon6]

i don't know if anyone saw this yet.but i had the fortune of seeing this great futurama movie.i rather enjoyed this movie more than i enjoyed the Simpson's movie..it has a mind fuck of a story line though that deals with time travel.basically Planet Express gets a hostile takeover through some type of internet scam by these nudist aliens (yeah you read that right),and Bender falls into the hands because he was stupid enough to download some obedience program.thus the scamming aliens force bender to use a binary code thats tattooed on fry's ass to go back in time to loot the past.i swear i'm not making this up.the story is weired but its told so well.theres even some very touching scenes in the movie,plus alot of main characters die...sort of.

[Sean Whitmore]

Seconded. This movie is great by any standard, but for a die hard Futurama fan, it may as well be pornography.


SEAN

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

i never really found futurama funny,but strangely i still managed to be entertained by the series.and i love bender's big score!,i thought it had a very interesting execution in the way the story was told.but i'm almost sure theres a huge plot hole in the time travel angle.for instance hermes should be dead cause bender killed the past hermes to get his body.so the future hermes should not exist when bender comes back to the present.

[StoneGold]

i never really found futurama funny,but strangely i still managed to be entertained by the series.and i love bender's big score!,i thought it had a very interesting execution in the way the story was told.but i'm almost sure theres a huge plot hole in the time travel angle.for instance hermes should be dead cause bender killed the past hermes to get his body.so the future hermes should not exist when bender comes back to the present.

Did you miss the whole bit with the Harlem Globetrotters where they explained that? The time code was paradox-free.

[Tish-the-Scorpion]

Did you miss the whole bit with the Harlem Globetrotters where they explained that? The time code was paradox-free.i must have missed it...

[Ramiel]

Is the movie out yet? I wasn't thinking it came out for another two or three days. Either way, I'm looking forward to it, Futurama was and still is one of my favorite American animated shows.

[Donald M.]

The musical numbers kind of stunk, especially the first one, but other than that this was a brilliant return for Futurama and I can't wait for the next three!

It'll be interesting to see how this plays when they split it up into four episodes for Comedy Central.

Speaking of which, why Comedy Central? If it's not gonna be on FOX, then you'd think Adult Swim had earned the right or something.

[Sean Whitmore]

The musical numbers kind of stunk, especially the first one, but other than that this was a brilliant return for Futurama and I can't wait for the next three.

I agree about the first one, but the Christmas Trinity song really grew on me fast.


SEAN

[DWEarhart]

There is no rust. This thing was great.


Favorite lines thus far:
- "There. I managed to save the time continuum and 40% of your rectum."

- "That's all you need."

[ultramandingo]

........ now i know what to ask the Kwanzabot to bring me for xmas ,
if the Chanukah Zombie dont do it first

[Pól Rua]

I actually found it a little dry.
Too much story, not enough gags.
It was a trying a little self-consciously to be 'WIIIIDE-SCREEEEEN' big at the expense of the series' trademark humour.

[Agent Helix]

The series 'trademark humor' was that it favored story over gags.

[The Zapper]

I actually found it a little dry.
Too much story, not enough gags.
It was a trying a little self-consciously to be 'WIIIIDE-SCREEEEEN' big at the expense of the series' trademark humour.

I'm curious. Did you watch the series a lot? Because Futurama was always about story more than just gags. I would have been very disappointed if they would have gone the gag heavy/minimum story (like Family Guy) type. Benders Big Score was worth the money, and I loved having Futurama back, even if I wasn't thrilled with the ending.

[Cyke]

Good God, that was one hell of a ride. Classic Futurama at its best, though I did cringe a bit since the writers could be a bit more loose with the body-part jokes now.

Still, I don't think there was ever a dull moment at all in the movie. And I figured out Lars' identity, but I wasn't disappointed at all, as the whole resolution to the thing helped keep me at the edge of my seat.

And several, several laugh-out loud moments all over the place, so much so that I found myself actually missing a few gags because I was laughing at previous ones. A+ all the way.

[SPAfreak]

Good grief this movie had awful packaging. I'm afraid that my disc is going to get scratched in that nice cardboard slide in pocket.

[The Zapper]

Good grief this movie had awful packaging. I'm afraid that my disc is going to get scratched in that nice cardboard slide in pocket.

The price we pay for more environmental friendly packaging.

[Loren]

Over at Newsarama (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=137914), David X. Cohen offers up some details about what's going to happen in the next three DTV movies.

[drwho]

I thought this movie was bad and they tried to cram way too much into it. The dialogue suffered. It didnt have the wit, charm, and funny jokes typical of the episodes. Too many dry jokes and the thing was just a bore.

[Cyke]

I thought this movie was bad and they tried to cram way too much into it. The dialogue suffered. It didnt have the wit, charm, and funny jokes typical of the episodes. Too many dry jokes and the thing was just a bore.

Perhaps you need a second viewing! :)

I strongly disagree about the wit, as to me, it seemed that they actually increased both the number and quality of wordplay jokes, and that I've found more jokes with each review. And I think the second dance number with Santa's elves was quite charming.

[SPAfreak]

Perhaps you need a second viewing! :)

I strongly disagree about the wit, as to me, it seemed that they actually increased both the number and quality of wordplay jokes, and that I've found more jokes with each review. And I think the second dance number with Santa's elves was quite charming.

The amount of continuity crammed into 90 minutes is amazing. Unfortunately it played out like a subpar episode, call it The 30 Percent Iron Chef. Not good but better than That's Lobstertainment. I really could have done without all the self-referential cancellation stuff in the beginning.

It was nice to see them take a nice early swing at Comedy Central though.

[blackdragon6]

I really could have done without all the self-referential cancellation stuff in the beginning. that was one of my favorite parts :(

[The Zapper]

that was one of my favorite parts :(

Don't worry. You're not alone.

[Sean Whitmore]

that was one of my favorite parts :(

Same here. If a few more Fox executives were ground into Torgo's Powder, we'd have some damn good TV on the air.


SEAN

[SPAfreak]

Look, I love Futurama like I love my unborn, imaginary millionaire son Ollie but Family Guy did a much better joke when they came back on the air by listing all of the shows that were aired and canceled in the time since their renewal. Futurama's jokes generally weren't all that funny. The best part was the fact that they were calling all of the internet fans on their overreactionary rhetoric towards the Fox executives.

[The Zapper]

Look, I love Futurama like I love my unborn, imaginary millionaire son Ollie but Family Guy did a much better joke when they came back on the air by listing all of the shows that were aired and canceled in the time since their renewal. Futurama's jokes generally weren't all that funny. The best part was the fact that they were calling all of the internet fans on their overreactionary rhetoric towards the Fox executives.

It's all a matter of taste, but I strongly disagree with this.

[DonC]

It was okay, but I think it tried to be too many things. I guess when you have an hour and a half to use up, you have to do more than usual, but some of it came up flat. Was Robot Santa really needed? Or so many of the other cameos? It was almost like "Where's Waldo?" where you tried to spot the character who showed up two or three times. The only one missing was Mom.

I figured out that Lars was Fry fairly quickly. Throw in that I've always thought the sentimental "He loves her, but she doesn't love him" stuff was overdone and heavyhanded and that kind of soured me on that plot.

Don't get me wrong, I still enjoyed the movie, but it was just average.

[The Zapper]

I hear you DonC. I loved Bender's Big Score, but there are episodes that are better. Speaking of which, what's your favorite episode? Hell, I can't choose just one.

[DonC]

Best episode ever is easy - "Roswell that Ends Well." Yeah, it's the one everybody picks, but it's damn funny. I also liked the episode on the Amazon planey. "Death by snu-snu!"

[The Zapper]

That's Amazon Women in the mood. My favorites are Brannigan Begin Again, Hell Is Other Robots, 300 Big Boys, The Fanrsworth paradox, Kip Gets Knocked Up a Notch, Time Keeps On Slipping, etc etc. Seriously, I love this show too much. But all of these episodes and more are better than Bender's Big Score. I still loved the movie though, and it is better than some of the episodes in my book.

[Chase]

I loved it. I have been re-watching the series, Seasons 1 through 5, and in this feature they managed to reference every conceivable, significant story. From Slurm McKenzie, Fry’s dog, to the lucky four leaf cover, Yancy naming his son after his uncle, Hermes’s limbo abilities, and other bits from the first five seasons. The depth of Futurama is really too often overlooked. Its continuity is more comprehensive than any other animated series of recent memory. This includes anime, and you all know how much I love that stuff. Futurama reminds me of Scrubs. So I guess it’s no wonder why I hold it in such high reverence as one of my favorite television shows.

At first glance I had a feeling Lars was Fry. I, for one, loved the backstory with Bearded Fry and Leelo. I found it oddly moving. I cheered as Planet Express and Co. fought to reclaim Earth to Christopher Tyng’s fantastic opening music and laughed at the great comedic timing of Dr. Zoidberg. The Scammers were a pretty good opposition - even if I didn’t like their premise. The next movie, The Beast with a Billion Backs, sounds promising. I haven’t read the plot summary of the other movies, but I hope one features those crazy natives of Omicron Persei 8. ^_^

[The Zapper]

Wow, you really don't care who the hell you spoil, do you Chase?

Bad form.

[Chase]

Wow, you really don't care who the hell you spoil, do you Chase?

Bad form.

I suppose a "whoops" is in order, I guess. Not that I'm apologizing, as the feature was released to the public on November 27, but I do understand where your rage comes from. Heh.

[The Zapper]

That's not rage. I just thought that it was bastardly to spoil the entire movie when spoiler tags are available. No skin off my back either way though.

[Josh S]

I figured out that Lars was Fry fairly quickly.

I actually said to myself "Man, they sure made Lars look an awful lot like Fry," but I honestly had no idea he was Fry until the reveal.

I'm nothing if not a complete idiot.


Throw in that I've always thought the sentimental "He loves her, but she doesn't love him" stuff was overdone and heavyhanded and that kind of soured me on that plot.

I never cared for those episodes and I'm glad I didn't know before hand that there would be a story line involving that story line. Anyway, I love the movie. Some of that might be because it's just new Futurama, though.

Also, I enjoyed the math lecture and wish it had been a lot longer.

My favorite episode is either "I, Roommate" or "Love's Labor Lost In Space".

[IamtheRock3]

liked it

it was slow. I think the promblem is they always had a plan to split this into multiple episodes, so you had a very epiosodic feel

Could be wrong

Anyone listen to the commentary

Billy West, Sound A LOT like Stimpy. Yes I know he stimpy, but didnt expect him to talk like that in his NORMAL speech

Also the guy that did bender, voice isnt that differnt

[mgs]

The musical numbers kind of stunk, especially the first one, but other than that this was a brilliant return for Futurama and I can't wait for the next three!

It'll be interesting to see how this plays when they split it up into four episodes for Comedy Central.

Speaking of which, why Comedy Central? If it's not gonna be on FOX, then you'd think Adult Swim had earned the right or something.

They talked about this a bit at SDCC. It's out there on YouTube somewhere. But essentially, if you were disappointed in the musical numbers, don't hold out for it to get better. DXC, I think, said that all the musical parts of the new shows are gonna be 'canned' b/c obviously, CC is not going to dish out the kind of money that Fox has. I'm still looking forward to the end of the strike and the new shows though.

[MikeVic]

Just watched this and the commentary. I was surprised at how complex the story was. I kept looking for holes, and really only found one... in one of the TV episodes, Nibbler said he was in the cryogenics room to push Fry off his chair into the capsule... but that wasn't explored in the movie at all. I know, it's picky... but on the commentary they sounded so confident that they eliminated all plot holes. :)

I really liked the references to old episodes and characters. Overall I really liked the movie. I also think the musical bits could've been left out. Not bad, but not great.

[The Shelf]

I kept looking for holes, and really only found one... in one of the TV episodes, Nibbler said he was in the cryogenics room to push Fry off his chair into the capsule... but that wasn't explored in the movie at all.

I haven't seen Bender's Big Score yet, but there was an entire episode dedicated to that moment that you're talking about, so I don't think they needed to explore it in the movie.

[Sean Whitmore]

I haven't seen Bender's Big Score yet, but there was an entire episode dedicated to that moment that you're talking about, so I don't think they needed to explore it in the movie.

Not to spoil anything about the movie for you, but there's a scene where Nibbler's presence conceivably should have come into play.


SEAN

[The Shelf]

Ah, nevermind then. I don't mind spoilers, though. I'm not a huge Futurama fan, but I try to catch it whenever I can. Does anyone know how soon Comedy Central will start airing old episodes (the ones Cartoon Network has been airing till now)?

[Agent Helix]

Not to spoil anything about the movie for you, but there's a scene where Nibbler's presence conceivably should have come into play.


SEAN

Not necessarily, as that entire scene takes place post-freezing.

[Sean Whitmore]

Not necessarily, as that entire scene takes place post-freezing.

Ah, true.


SEAN

[Matt K]

I thought it was decent. Definitly not as good as most of the episodes but not too bad either. That said I found the "bad guys" awful and hated every moment they were on screen. They really added nothing to the movie except a way to move from A to B. Also, there were a few holes (the only noticable was wouldn't Bender notice himself in the tube when he worked at there?) but nothing that really took away from the movie.

[MikeVic]

Ah yeah, I guess Nibbler didn't have to be there!

What do you mean when Bender worked there? He never worked at the cryo lab...

[Agent Helix]

He and Fry worked at the cryolab in "The Cryonic Woman".

[MikeVic]

Wow I don't remember that. I've seen every episode, but I'm drawing a blank.

[The Zapper]

Wow I don't remember that. I've seen every episode, but I'm drawing a blank.

Bender keeps scaring an old man in one of the freeze tubes, and Bender and Fry keep beer and stugg in there with him. Does that jog your memory?

[Imperfect]

This movie seems to evade me at every local DVD rental shop.

I really want to see it especially to see positive fan reviews.

[The Shelf]

Yeah, I tried to rent it in Blockbuster a while back, but they didn't have it. I wonder if they won't carry it just because it's not technically a movie since it's just a few episodes packed together. We'll probably have to either wait for Comedy Central to air it or just buy it.

[Sean Whitmore]

Yeah, I tried to rent it in Blockbuster a while back, but they didn't have it. I wonder if they won't carry it just because it's not technically a movie since it's just a few episodes packed together. We'll probably have to either wait for Comedy Central to air it or just buy it.

My Blockbuster's got it.

Yours just suuuuuuucks. :p


SEAN

[LtMarvel]

My Wal*Mart had copies.

Loved the film. It really felt like a thank you to the hard-core fans.

[jade_nova]

Yeah, I tried to rent it in Blockbuster a while back, but they didn't have it. I wonder if they won't carry it just because it's not technically a movie since it's just a few episodes packed together. We'll probably have to either wait for Comedy Central to air it or just buy it.

Mine has it. Where do you live?

[ultramandingo]

...........its been on my netfix list since before if came out - still waiting - too many stupid cartoon hoging jerks hoging it

[stealthwise]

I'm a long-time fan of the show, and I've got season 1, 2, and 4, but this movie did nothing for me.

Mostly it's because I can't remember the good jokes, and the ones I do remember aren't really that funny. The plot did nothing for me, and the disc I have started freezing up with probably 10 minutes to go in the film, so I popped it out of the player and stopped watching. I was pretty disappointed overall, and so was my friend, who fell asleep about 45 minutes in.

[Jared_Humpherys]

I didn't like this, and I honestly can't say why.

[OverMaster]

My Blockbuster's got it.

Yours just suuuuuuucks. :p


SEAN

Heck, we got it even down here at Nowhere Land, so... :p

Great stuff, however, much more than I expected since I really didn't like the Simpsons Movie.

[ultramandingo]

.........seen it finaly . coulda used losts more zapp branigan , nudity and a shatner head cameo - less narwhale - other wise worth the wait

[ultramandingo]

...... plus billy west's tony saprano comentary . hi larious