Rate & Review Futurama: "Bender's Big Score"

[Semaj]

Fun movie. Went to great lengths to reacquaint everyone with the Futurama universe without compromising everything that made it great in the first place. (In your face, Family Guy!)

Speaking of which, even though it's technically a four-part episode, it still makes a much better movie than "Stewie Griffin: Untold Story", which was only connected by one recurring plot line.

3.75/5

[Jye]

Wow. Just wow. This was excellent! It was way better than I thought it was going to be! Great scenes for everyone in here, except LaBarbara started to annoy me after a while.

Why wasn't this released in the cinemas!!!

4.5/5

[Magnum]

it probably would have been a bit better if I hadn't figured out the big twist the second I saw Lars

[blue_pants]

What?! It has already been released in some places, where?

[Paul]

Ever heard of a little thing called the internet?

[blue_pants]

I prefer the legal way thank you.

[Postmaster]

There's also places that sell before release date, although I guess that's still technically against the law too, but I didn't ask them to send it to me before it's release date, I just really hoped.

Fun movie. Went to great lengths to reacquaint everyone with the Futurama universe without compromising everything that made it great in the first place. (In your face, Family Guy!)

Speaking of which, even though it's technically a four-part episode, it still makes a much better movie than "Stewie Griffin: Untold Story", which was only connected by one recurring plot line.

3.75/5

Which was technically a three-part episode with wraparounds, what's your point?

oh and this is up
http://www.ilovebender.com/

[Bumblebee_Man]

Having just watched the film, I must say, I'm impressed. What a great return for Futurama!

The plot was very clever, if a bit confusing at times... but isn't that the Futurama we love?

The twist at the end with Lars was a shock to me; I don't know how I didn't guess as the story progressed, though.

If I have more time I'll post a full review later on.

4/5
Great film. The Cliff Hanger ending has just made me look forward to the next one even more.

- - -

[Sprocketeer]

First things first - I feel like a complete moron for not seeing that twist with Lars coming from a mile away. The more I think about it, the more blatant it becomes. Still, one of the things I love about Futurama is how it takes me by surprise, and this was no different.

I thought this was superb on the whole, involving the best elements and characters of the series (though I wish Zapp were used a bit more). I was scratching my head at certain sequences, but as the movie progressed, steadily things started coming together. That's the type of writing that I love. Besides the plot, this movie was funny. While it wasn't as jam-packed with gags as the funniest Futurama episodes, there was still lots to laugh at, probably just as much as The Simpsons Movie. Though the gags in this were probably sharper-written than in TSM, which probably puts it on top in my book. It's not going to be easy to top this with the next 3 movies, that's for sure. 4.5/5

oh and this is up
http://www.ilovebender.com/

Haha, I tested that out as soon as I saw it.

[Semaj]

Which was technically a three-part episode with wraparounds, what's your point?

Futurama's multi-part story is better than Family Guy's multi-part story.

[Ryan]

All the torrents I've found suck. Any direct downloads out there? (I just want to see the movie now, because I can't buy it until Thursday)...

[blue_pants]

I comes out Tuesday (11/27/07).

[Charlie]

Yeah, but he's saying he's unable to get it until Thursday no matter when it comes out.

[Ryan]

^Yeah, I've got a paper due Thursday, and adding this movie and its DVD contents spell procrastinated disaster...

[Ryan]

There's not a single email address I have that isn't banned by that damn site...

[StupidHippo]

DVD arrived from playusa.com last night. 4/5
It was a great return for Futurama. I loved Fry's back story with Leelu. Lars was a great character but now after a second viewing i can't understand why i didn't pick up on him  being Fry  from the beginning. Better than the Simpsons Movie by far (although i gave it 4.5/5 in it's R&R thread it fell down to a 3/5 after the second viewing)
Damn you Ken Keeler with your cliffhangers!!! Looking forward to Movie #2

[Otis P Jivefunk]

I got the movie on DVD yesterday and I love it! I’ve watched it twice already, I wanted to see it a couple of times before reviewing it…

 The beginning caught me off guard, I love the way it starts with that owl and then Hermes introducing the crew again. I was expecting the main intro first but this was a really great way to introduce us to everyone again. Speaking of the main intro, I love the new longer spiced up version of the intro, and the extra music is great as well. Those 4 years of waiting were all worth it just for that! Having a call back to Space Pilot 3000 playing on the TV screen in the intro was a smart move too…

I disagree with the people saying the first part of the movie is slow and not as good. I think I actually preferred the first half myself as it was more joke orientated and more pure entertainment. I’m a big fan of the Season 2 style episodes of Futurama which had a light hearted jokey style and this reminded me of that.

On the subject of the style and eras of the show, this movie interestingly didn’t feel specifically like any one era of the show, it felt like it’s own entity with different elements of the show spliced in for good measure, which I like. Personally I’m not such a big fan of Season 4’s style and I was worried this movie would follow suit, luckily it didn’t which I was relieved about.

The humour on the whole was great, although this isn’t the funniest Futurama has been. There were enough jokes to keep things funny throughout with only a couple of misses. All of Hermes decapitation jokes were hilarious; it was great seeing so much of Hermes as I really like him. Surprisingly not much Dr Zoidberg, but I’m sure he’ll be used a lot more in the other movies.

The plot was really interesting and had a great twist. The time travel paradoxes are always fun and interesting. I wonder how many more times plots will involve the Cryogenics lab in the year 2000. The love story between Fry and that whale thing was quite touching. This movie had heart and was quite sad but it once again showed there is a lot of depth to Fry’s character beyond stupidity.

I’ve never been a fan of Nibbler talking, but thankfully in this movie he was used sparingly and it actually worked well. There were plenty of call backs to past episodes which was great. I noticed on second viewing that when Lars visits Planet Express the fossilised Seymour is in the background which is a nice touch. I thought it was absolute genius showing how Seymour got fossilized in the past. It always bugged me how he went to sleep and died and yet his fossil is standing on all fours. Now we know why! Also Bender in the flying saucer as Fry is Frozen was such a genius call back and reference.

The Nude aliens were ok characters, not the greatest but they did the job. Nudar’s voice sounded very familiar for some reason, it reminded me of the principles voice at Leela’s orphanarium. The voice acting in this movie was on top form, really great and nothing to complain about. I didn’t like how some of the characters voices were going in Season 4, but this movie has them sounding more like Season 2 and 3 era which is a good thing in my book.

On the downside the animation bugged me at times. It was still really well animated but sometimes the characters were too off-model, especially Professor Farnsworth. It’s not a major problem, but it’s a slight disappointment. Not much 3D either but that’s probably down to budget.

It’s a shame there was no score, it was noticeably absent and hurt the movie a little. Especially as recently I’ve been playing Super Mario Galaxy and that has some beautiful orchestrated music despite the fact it’s just a Mario game!

The songs were both ok, not up to past standards but not bad either. I forgive the first song just for Robot Santa’s dance, that was frigging hilarious!...

I was surprised there was no All My Circuits of Scary Door but there was some Hypnotoad to make up for that. Also some people have complained about too many characters being shoved in. I disagree, there were just the right amount and there’s plenty of character completely absent from this movie. Could’ve done with more Zapp Brannigan but maybe they’re saving him for the other movies...

Everyone was in character, and I was relieved that Bender wasn’t obnoxious like he has been in such episodes as ‘A Pharaoh To Remember’.

I was a little disappointed by the transfer of this DVD, Fox Home Entertainment should have done a better job as there was quite a bit of shimmering evident on the outlines in quite a few scenes. It’ll be interesting to see how the UK version compares when that comes out. It will also be interesting to see how the HD version of the movie compares whenever that hits.

Also wasn’t this meant to be in widescreen? There certainly weren’t any black bars at the top and bottom of my TV, it filled the screen.

The extras are ok. I just about managed to sit through all 22 mins of Everybody Loves Hypnotoad. I sure as hell won’t be doing that again in a hurry! The maths lecture was alright, could’ve done with more Futurama. Haven’t watched with commentary yet, will do that tomorrow. Nice to see the full 5 minute original trailer from the Comic Con which somehow never leaked onto the internet.

The packaging is excellent. I love the artwork, and the slipcase with the holographic cover underneath is really nicely designed. 

Overall I would say this movie is well worth the wait, it’s a fantastic Futurama adventure and well worthy of continuing alongside Futurams’ legacy. It’s not as good as the best Futurama, but it’s certainly better than the worst Futurama so that’s more than good enough for me!

I can’t wait for the next Futurama movie, roll on ‘The Beast With A Billion Backs’!...

[Postmaster]

Futurama's multi-part story is better than Family Guy's multi-part story.

Well yes obviously, but you phrased it as if it was some interesting fact, but it's not really, a 4 part futurama episode is better than a 3 part family guy episode, that's to be expected

[Kiyosuki]

Hey...

 Small little tidbit but did anyone else notice Michelle (Fry's ex) joined DOOP in one scene? 

[Otis P Jivefunk]

Hey...

 Small little tidbit but did anyone else notice Michelle (Fry's ex) joined DOOP in one scene? 

I've seen it twice so far and I never noticed that. Nice find!...

Did anyone notice that...

 when Lars walks into the main room in the Planet Extress building you can see the fossilised Seymour on the shelf behind him... 

[Shaunbadia]

It was great! Better than "Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story" which by the way I LIKED (Yes, I said it!).

The unexpected cliffhanger kind of pissed me off but then again that's only because I'm anxious to find out what happened next.

[StupidHippo]

Did anyone notice that...

 when Lars walks into the main room in the Planet Extress building you can see the fossilised Seymour on the shelf behind him... 

yes, i noticed that on my second viewing - nice touch

[NoHomersClub]

I really enjoyed this movie. There were jokes as good as classic simpson jokes and the style reminded me of the golden era of the simpsons which is good. I also liked how they made references to past episodes and how things happened. The story was great as well and I knew Lars was voiced by Billy West but didn't figure out the twist. I wish some of the Futurama writers would work on the simpsons.

[Ryan]

Okay, it's nearly 3 AM and I just spent an hour and a half of possible sleep time before going to work to watch this movie. Well, when I'm falling asleep tomorrow while trying to do my job, I'll have zero regret. Because that was SO FUCKING WORTH IT.

1,000,000,000/5

That was, simply put, amazing. In terms of entertainment value, it kicked that Simpsons Movie's ass. (though I can't honestly compare it since this is really four episodes strung together and TSM is an actual movie) I already knew that Lars was Fry (thanks assholes on IMDB), but I still enjoyed the fuck out of it! Futurama is BACK and it never felt better. I might write a full review tomorrow, but I need to get at least some sleep...

[MegaSvensk]

...since this is really four episodes strung together and TSM is an actual movie

It's really not. AFAIK it was made as a movie and it will later be split into four episodes, with some new material added.

[Ryan]

^No, you CAN tell spots where commercials will be inserted and where each episode ends. (it's all on cliffhangers: Nibbler saying the universe is doomed (conveniently at 22:00), Bender realizing he killed Fry in 2012 (44:00), Lars dumps Leela at the altar (66:00), and then of course the movie ends at 88 minutes, all perfect increments of twenty-two minute episodes) Though the end result will give Futurama the feel of an ABC drama series, or to a more accurate description, an episode of Scrubs. Just the fact that all sixteen "episodes" will be an ongoing story will be certainly strange to watch for an animated show. (though it's a good kind of strange, Simpsons should definitely go in this direction to revive its weary ideals)

I'm up (too early), and I've got an hour or so before work. Recalling memories (and that last, hastily written post), I throughly enjoyed it. It wasn't the funniest thing of all time, and a bit hypocritically I'll admit it wasn't as funny as the Simpsons Movie, although I still stand by my thought that it entertained me more. It couldn't less or more be the Simpsons Movie's fault, I mean, I did research the hell out of it before I saw it (except major, major spoilers)...so I kinda knew a bit of the plot until the family reached Alaska. Here, I was totally clueless (except the Lars/Fry connection [motherfucking IMDB!]), and thus was kept on the edge of my seat (well, my swiveling office chair) the entire hour and a half.

I was not a big fan of the first "episode", mostly because things were so gosh darn confusing, and if I hadn't know about Lars, I'm guessing it would be more confusing. It was surprising that it turned out to be incredibly Fry-centric. Yeah, I know he's the main character on the show, but the movie IS called "Bender's Big Score", so I assumed different. You could tell that the budget was low on the fact that there wasn't much space travel or 3D (except for that AWESOME space battle)...but hopefully the next three deliver more. The "tying everything together" was well done (I loved the fact that Bender "from way at the end" is seen in the middle putting the tattoo on Fry's ass [which is yet another paradox!])...although it was a bit rushed. And might I add that Leela must be a goddamn idiot not to realize that Lars was FRY, and so in translation Fry is LARS. So wouldn't that make the "only man she'll ever love" FRY?! And yet she refuses to acknowledge it at the end. Come on, writers, there's only so much you can stretch! (although I admit that maturity [like Fry said early in the movie] might have something to do with it)

I'm still giving it a 5/5, but I even now think that a million...might be a bit much. I don't think it was the absolute best thing I've ever seen, but it was still excellent on every level...

[Luigi]

I really dug this movie/episode. Couldn't wait until the DVD came out, mainly because I'm hoping 'Santa' will get it for me for Xmas, mainly for the other features, so I wanted to watch the actual movie.

Although I didn't find it filled with just a bunch of jokes, I found that the jokes were usually on, as with all the naked information guys (What were they called again?), I found that whole thing very good. The story was great, and I can't believe I didn't get the whole Lars thing until it was explained, but thats good because otherwise, it might not of been as fun as it was.

I liked also how knowing that it was going to be split into episodes, I didn't find the breaks too obvious, just hoping I don't lose interest in this as I did with the Stewie Griffin Story, because i really liked that when I first saw the whole thing, but now it pains me a bit to watch some of the episodes that made up that movie.

All and all I'm rating it as a 4/5. And hoping to get the DVD to see the commentary and Hypno-toad full ep.

[CMYK]

are there any links to watch it. I have not read any reviews, is it worth buying?

[Ryan]

Just watched it for a second time. One thing particularly caught my eye: when Lars and Leela are walking through the Head Museum, one of the heads is that of Cartman from South Park. No kidding!...

[Rebekah]

Do you know where I can receive that footage homer5000