OT: New Futurama DVDs

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Has anybody seen the new Futurama straight-to-video features? Are they any good? Is it worth the time to watch them?

The titles are Bender's Big Score (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471711/) and The Beast With a Billion Backs. (http://www.screenjabber.com/futurama_beastbillionbacksDVD)

[Matt the Y]

Has anybody seen the new Futurama straight-to-video features? Are they any good? Is it worth the time to watch them?

The titles are Bender's Big Score (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471711/) and The Beast With a Billion Backs. (http://www.screenjabber.com/futurama_beastbillionbacksDVD)

I've seen them and they're both brilliant and hilarious, at least, in my opinion.

At any rate, I'm recommending them anyway.

[The "Chase"]

I'm glad you ask J.J (but, are you a fan of the show, since you brought this up?).

For Bender's Big Score, I recommend it (I thought it was good), but I should warn you that the major problem from most fans is that it's too confusing, so keep you eyes open.
As for The Beast With The Billiion Backs, I say give it a rental first (I thought it was decent). Why? Well, there's a couple of reasons why, but the major one depends on your opinion on the Fry and Leela relationship.

As for the thrid one coming, all I'm saying is that my hopes aren't that high.

But, to be honest, your enjoyment on these really depends on the episodes you like. If you like episodes like "Time Keeps On Slippin", "Jurassic Bark", or/and "Luck Of The Fryish", go get Bender's Big Score. If you like episodes like most of the first season and some of the second season, I say give Beast With A Billion Backs a shot.

[Nelson]

I thought that brand new episodes of Futurma was going to premiere this year on Comedy Central?So what's the update on that one?

[J. J. Hunsecker]

Thanks for the information, guys!

The "Chase",

I wouldn't say I'm a big fan of Futurama (or of Groening's "style"), but I found the show pleasant enough when it was on TV. It looks a little slicker than The Simpsons, but not quite as funny. I was planning on renting the DVDs, not buying them. (Money's tight this year and I gotta save up for LTGC 6.)

I thought that maybe since the DVD are technically feature length the animation might be better than what was seen on the TV show.

[Gasmask Ted]

I found them both disappointing. They're not well paced as movies, the timing
for individual jokes is off, and the jokes aren't as funny as they were on the show (mostly). The worst episodes of the show are better than these. They may be better than the Simpsons movie, but the Simpsons movie benefits from being compared to some very bad episodes the series has had...

[Joe H]

The general consensus is that Bender's Big Score is a much better DVD release than Beast with a Billion Backs. This is a consensus I happen to agree with. I thought that both the humor and the story were better written in the Big Score than Billion Backs.

[Mac]

I enjoyed both of these, but they do seem like several episodes making one story rather than true features. I preferred 'Big Score' to 'Billion Backs', but all my friends thought the opposite. I did have a great time watching 'Billion Backs" with a group of friends (we're all Futurama fans) and there were plenty of laugh out loud moments.

[J. B. Warner]

Bender's Big Score is superb. It's epic, it's engaging, it's well-written, and it twists the show's continuity without making it seem retroactive. It's an excellently crafted masterpiece, if I dare say so.

The Beast with a Billion Backs isn't anywhere near as good. It's half-hearted, it's boring, it's rushed, and the plot goes against just about everyone's personalities and contains several rather huge holes. It's probably one of the lamest things the "Futurama" staff has ever produced.

Just my two cents as a longtime "Futurama" fan. Your mileage may vary, of course.