Futurama - Die Ära des Tentakels

i'm a colossal fan a futurama, but i was very disappointed with this effort.

snappy dialogue, clever writing and coherent (occassionally poignant) story lines set futurama apart from the field but the movie lacks these.

jokes are reused and predictable, the plot is overblown and indulgent, the casual manner in which major events happen is disjointed, and the resolution is just bad.

the film focuses on fitting in obscure characters from the series, having some new wacky future technology, and reinforcing the stereotypes that define the main cast, but to be honest i could forgive it completely if it was as funny as the episodes or even the other movie.

Unfortunately, this movie does not live up to the standards of the perfect track record of the Fox series. It does have several good moments, its trademark goofy sci-fi inventions, and all the voice actors from the show, but it left me unsatisfied. It looks like the cardinal rule of any phenomenal TV show is true-- if it's canceled, keep it that way. I'm afraid Futurama's gone the route of ol' Family Guy, whose first 50 episodes (all prior to cancellation) were superb. After those, an okay movie, followed by a terrible wheelbarrow of rehashed jokes and overused side characters heaped together with family guy merch out the wazoo. Futurama is still my favorite show, but this movie is not representative of the show.

The problem with "Beast With A Billion Backs" isn't the writing, the storyline, the gags, or the inside references. Those are all just fine. Not great, but a decided improvement over the convoluted and fanservice-heavy "Bender's Big Score."

The greater problem -- one that all four DVD movies will face -- is that Futurama's fantastic worlds and crazy plots just plain work better in 22-minute episodes than as 90-minute stories. It's hard to keep up the energy and the gags for that long, while also involving all the characters and hitting all the notes Futurama fans want to hear.

"Billion Backs" had its share of slow spots, and gags that should have never escaped the Deleted Scenes part of the DVD. (The "schkler" and "schklee" thing was painful.)

The Yivo storyline could have been done in one focused episode (a la "The Day The Earth Stood Stupid"). The Bender/Calculon story would have been an okay B-story for a 22-minute episode, but it was weak for a feature-length movie. The other subplots weren't any deeper than you'd see in a single episode.

I realize that the movie will be broadcast as individual episodes. They should have made them that way in the first place, and cut out the dull stuff.

If you don't believe me, watch the "lost episode" bonus feature on the DVD. It's a compilation of cut-scenes from the Futurama video game, made into an "episode" of about 30 minutes. While it's nothing special, its fast pace and simple plot work a lot better than the padded-out, hit-and-miss main feature.

Having said all that, "Billion Backs" is a fun story that should appeal to all Futurama fans. There are some great gags, some beloved characters we missed in the first DVD movie, a Futurama-quality plot, and a fun homage to 1950s-style monster horror flicks.

The Beast with a Billion Backs, the very title is an adult joke that kids won't understand which pretty much sums Futurama as a show up.

It follows on from the events of Benders Big Score (2007) and see's Earth under attack from a multi-tentacled entity whose intentions are anything but PG. Not quite Japanese anime level but still pretty questionable stuff.

Failing to hit the emotional heights of the previous movie it is thankfully loaded with a few more jokes. Sadly I still don't find it all that funny, it's like the Simpsons just without the charm.

I'm yet to binge Futurama and still have a couple more feature films to view, but can confidently say that though I don't dislike it the adventures of the Planet Express do little for me.

The Good:

There are laughs to be had

The Bad:

Story is a tad uncomfortable for a light hearted show like this

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I was told there would be sugar syrup!

When you have one eye winking and blinking are indistinguishable

Nixon was known for his class

You won't ever hear me claim that "Futurama" is a better series than "The Simpsons", but it was undeniably the work of geniuses, and I always regretted that it ended rather abruptly after four seasons already. At the same time, of course, one could also state the series stopped (or at least temporarily stopped) at its creative peak and while it was still funny, which isn't exactly what can be said for "The Simpsons". One thing's for sure, when the plug was pulled on "Futurama", the writers still had tons of great inspiration!

"The Beast with a Million Backs", as well as the other three straight-to-video full length movies, are of the same high intellectual and comical quality levels as the series. This means the plot is original and well-elaborated, the script exists of an endless spitfire of genuinely hilarious gags and situational humor, and - most importantly to me - the little references and tributes towards classical Sci-Fi/cult landmarks. There are obvious homages and subtle ones, and I probably also see a lot of little references to obscure films that weren't intentional, but it's what I love most about "Futurama".