Futurama: Bender's Game

The third and thus far worst of the Futurama feature films see's our heroes stuck in a world of dungeons and dragons and for that reason I expected great things. It most certainly did not deliver!

Being the big ol' nerd that I am I thought that could be the thing that takes the distinctly average Futurama and makes it enjoyable for me but instead it seems to have gone the other way.

The jokes are just not on point at all, they're worse than ever. I was shocked at a couple of them, I know that Futurama does adult jokes all the time but they're always done in such a way that a child wouldn't understand. A couple here were really obvious and blatant, a kid would get that!

As usual it's not bad, it's just not great either. The more of these movies I watch the less I'm looking forward to my Futurama binge. If a d&d setting can't make it enjoyable than what chance does it stand?

The Good:

A few decent jokes

Great LOTR parodies

The Bad:

Most jokes miss the mark

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I don't think I'll ever get the appeal of this seriously overrated tosh

Let me put it this way, this movie was to "Billion backs" as "Billion backs" was to "Big score." The first movie was great, the second was just OK, and this one is actually kind of bad.

I hate to speak ill of anything Futurama, but fans should keep their expectations in check. The writing here is different...it's not the same style...the jokes feel lazy. Even the personalities aren't written in full force, you keep feeling like everybody is half-asleep or something.

lastly, the plot (or rather, "plot") is the worst by far. What had the potential to be a great economical satire (and failing that, even a jab at D&D and Lord of the Rings), completely lacks any focus or high level of comedic insight. As Futurama fans, we've come to expect an interesting story even if the comedy fails, but this may be the first time the story itself was so poorly implemented.

So what do we have left? Well, it's still the characters and settings we know and love already. Admittedly, the off-handed comments by the characters are still quite funny, and a handful of their social commentaries do hit the mark, as do a small number of the "regular" jokes.

Anyway, If you're a Futurama fan, you really owe it to yourself to keep up with these movies. At best, perhaps this is just a change in style that will take multiple viewings to appreciate. Nevertheless, I just want to say this: "We're Futurama fans; we expected better."

This is my favorite Futrama movie so far. The jokes are hilarious and there is an interesting plot and theme. Dr Zoidberg is funny as always, and the D&D theme will amuse every fan of Futurama (after all, there is a little nerd in all of us, right?).

Nibbler is central to one of the plots in the movie, and he's cute and fuzzy race is a welcome addition back into the fold as Fry and the Planetary express crew fight against Mom's robot empire.

One of the best cartoon movies ever! I don't know how some of the other reviews can say that the jokes in this latest installment of Futurama fall flat, they are outright hilarious, a lot better than the 2nd one.

Bender really shines in this movie, going crazy and turning into a giant LOTR nerd. I give it a 4/5. Go watch it now!

Bender's Big Score still remains the best of the series, displaying all of the emotion, intelligence, romance, and fun of the rest of the series into one feature film. However, whereas I was disappointed with Beast With a Billion Backs (which was the perfect demonstration of why Futurama is at its best not when it's funny, but when it tells a good story like it did in BBS), I was very impressed with Bender's Game. It missed out on the emotion of the first film by a mile, which is why it's not nearly on the same level, but it is still a marvelous love-letter to the fantasy genre and role playing games. Very funny and very entertaining, with Amy on Leela action that will have the fans salivating while they role their 12-sided die, Bender's Game is not quite the impressive feat that the first film was, but is a return to form after the disappointment of BWBB. Let's hope the final film tops them all.

Totally. 100%. This is the downright funniest of the three films. The story isn't as strong as the first one's, but the laughs are a million per minute. From the opening hilarity of Fry declaring "I've never been more excited to see poop, well, except maybe once" to the hilarious and heartwarming ending, this movie doesn't let you down. This movie has a lot of great one-liners and fans of the show will most definitely not be disappointed. I'd also recommend this flick for non-regular viewers. The standalone story gives for a great and welcoming introduction to the hilarity of the show. The only thing missing was the star-studded guest starring list that the previous films boasted. This "shortcoming" is hardly a notable complaint when you look at the piece of work that this film truly is! I highly recommend watching it!