Futurama

Reviews of Volume 3 and 4

Volume 3: 10/10

Futurama was even funnier than The Simpsons in its heyday (which, to my eyes, was seasons 8-10), and much of what made the series so great was perfectly exemplified by the DVD collection volume 3. There's an equal mix of cool sci-fi tales, brilliantly creative humor, and the addition of genuine heart that made this show unbeatable.

Favorite Episodes: Time Keeps on Slipping, Amazon Women in the Mood, Parasites Lost, The Luck of the Fryfish, That's Lobstertainment

Volume 4: 10/10

Probably my favorite volume, this last collection of episodes has all the humor, heart, and beautiful animation of the previous seasons. As the show wound to a close, the series satisfyingly touched on many emotional levels that most shows, animated or otherwise, wouldn't even dare approach with a ten-foot pole (most exemplified by Jurassic Bark). Special mention must definitely go out to the final episode, The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings, which is one of the series' best episodes (the only flaw being the lack of screen time given to Farnsworth), full of big laughs (Dan Castallaneta's guest role as the Robot Devil is priceless) and a strong emotional climax, capping off with a touching final scene that provides a sense of closure between the love and burgeoning romance of heroes Fry and Leela, while still keeping an open door for future possibilities. Fry, Leela, Bender, Farnsworth, Zapp, Kif, Calculon, Chicken Lawyer, Robot Devil, Morbo; I'm gonna miss you all. No doubt, it's been a great four seasons.

Favorite episodes: The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings, The Farnsworth Parabox, Where No Fan Has Gone Before, Kif Gets Knocked Up a Notch

I disagree with those who hate Futurama with a passion. On the contrary, I find the show so completely funny and original. Let me explain what I mean:

The plot of having a crude, broke pizza delivery-kid wander into a cryogenics lab and fall into a freezer shell for a thousand years is so creative...I'll expand further; He befriends a very well voiced "cyclops" mutant named Leela (Katey Sagal), a trash talking robot named Bender, his great, great,great (etc.) nephew Prof. Farnsworth, an alien-crab that sounds remarkably Jewish, Dr. Zoidberg, the list of imaginative characters and plot situations just doesn't stop! The humor is just awesome. I have never sat through Futurama once without laughing until I cried about something. I find it incredible that one could hold such disdain for the comedy. It really is so entertaining. But to each his own, I say.

Fry: Wait you're the only friend I have... Bender: You really want a robot for a friend? Fry: Yeah ever since I was six. Bender: Well, ok but I don't want people thinking we're robosexuals, so if anyone asks, you're my debugger.

Leela: Hey, he stole my ring! Bender: Sorry. Well, that solves the mystery of the missing ring. This calls for a drink.

Farnsworth: Let me show you around. That's my lab table and this is my work-stool. And over there is my intergalactic spaceship. And here's where I keep assorted lengths of wire. Fry: Whoa! A real live spaceship! Farnsworth: I designed it myself, let me show you some of the different lengths of wire I used.

Just a sampling of the amusing lines in the show. Thanks all!

Futurama is the whipping boy of modern prime time cartoons. Since it was made by the creator of the Simpsons it was expected to be exactly like it. Futurama had its own brand of comedic flair, which is absolutely hilarious. Bender, Fry, Leela, Hermes, Zoidberg, all of these characters are well thought out and work incredibly well together, on top of the fact that situations and anecdotes from previous episodes are brought up all the time, adding continuity to an already excellent series. I'll admit that I too was among the people crying foul when Futurama first came out, I didn't grow to truly appreciate it until it was put in syndication on adult swim, and more so later as I bought all the episodes on DVD. I don't think the world was ready for what futurama had to offer when it first came out, and everyone should give it another shot through adult swim or by DVD rental. It has solid entertainment value, and a unique comedic style.

4.5 out of 5 stars

Looking for the a comedy cartoon with perfectly timed humor and characters that you actually want to meet and/or grope? Then Futurama is for you.

Whether you're looking for Science, Fiction, or Science Fiction, you're in for a treat as Fry, Leela, Bender, the Professor, Amy, Hermes, and to a much lesser extent Dr. Zoidberg travel through time and space to deliver/battle/mate with creatures/aliens/humanoid alien creatures from the past/future.

Let's just say that if I had the choice between living and watching Futurama repeatedly for an eternity in purgatory, you would never see me again.

10/10, 5/5, 1/1, *****/*****

I loved Futurama when it was TV and I always find myself watching it on my DVD player ( I have all 4 series ). I think the thing that carries it above other cartoons ( and it's not like I don't like the Simpsons or Family Guy ) is the wonderful mix of characters. Dimwitted Phillip J. Fry, who has trouble constructing a coherent sentence and whenever he attempts to say something profound it invariably ends up flying back in his face. Turanga Leela, a outcast amongst outcasts, who when not brushing off Fry is captaining the ship between planets while wondering about her own origins. Bender, a wisecracking, gambling chain-smoking robot that is on the crew of the ship for no apparent reason apart from bumming around. Dr Zoidberg, a penniless joke of a medical practionioner that has no friends and seems to ignite hostility for just being him. Hermes Conrad, a Rastafarian bureaucrat who when not limboing for his nation is filing and shredding with an obsessive fever. Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, whose wonderous inventions are perhaps only eclipsed by his seemingly growing amorality towards almost all living things. Amy Wong, the daughter of the rich Wong family and as such finds herself slightly naive about things that are deeper than hair gel and nail polish. Add to this the military hijinks of Zapp Brannigan and his long-suffering lieutenant Kif Croker as well as thespian robot Calculon, Warlord alien Lur and President Nixon as well as others and I think you have a group of characters that all have their own quirks and flaws to add to a very funny show.

I only hope that they have enough sense to put it back on again.