I happened to peruse the new Futurama straight to DVD movie - Beast With A Billion Backs. It takes place immediately after the last one, Bender's Big Score, although the only carryover from that movie is the gigantic crack in space that appeared at the very end. I don't want to spoil anything, so I won't give my opinion on anything storywise, except that Bender's Big Score ends with a giant crack in space. I will say that the thing that makes (present tense!) Futurama great, and maybe the best show ever, Simpsons notwithstanding, is not just the geeky jokes, the one liners, the characters, or the setting. It's that it has all those things along with heart. Beast With A Billion Backs is passable Futurama. If it had aired during the show's TV run, especially during the slightly down 3rd season, it would have fit right in. However, episodes like
The Sting,
Luck of the Fryish, and especially the classic
Jurrasic Bark, have set a high standard for the show. And while I would put Bender's Big Score in the same company, Beast With A Billion Backs doesn't quite measure up. It's got the geek jokes, the characters, and especially the one-liners, but the heart feels phony, forced, or in some other way less than genuine.
Verdict: It's ok for Futurama, which makes it better than almost any other show you could spend your time watching. Compared to other Futurama, it's not as good. Watch it when it comes on Comedy Central, but save your $20.
-Joe (still crying after remembering Jurassic Bark. Thanks Joe)
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