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42 out of 72 people found the following review useful: The best Futurama 'film' so far..., 1 November 2008 Author: randomorwhat from United Kingdom
I have been impressed with the other Futurama 'films' (for wont of a better word), yet none of them achieved what this one did, the main thing I look for when watching the Futurama cartoon: laugh out loud comedy. And this has that - though not wall-to-wall, it contains enough clever plot writing to satisfy the most adamant of cartoon fans. The CGI far excels the majority of former episodes, although Futurama has always enjoyed a very shiny veneer of pure 'cool'. The character development was handled with far more maturity than in the previous longer installments, and focused on characters which were previously overlooked. In addition, the popular culture references were intelligent, amusingly accurate and, above all else, integral to the plot. No part of this film felt unnecessary - every moment of the outing felt it was necessary to the overall shape of the piece.In conclusion, this is by far the best longer-addition Futurama produced to this day. In fact, I'm only sad I saw an advanced viewing, because now I have longer to wait for the next production! The writers have proved they can provide fresh material and give it to the viewers in a non-patronising, intelligent but not pretentious manner.Bring on the next installement!
21 out of 33 people found the following review useful: Back to Futurama, 7 November 2008 Author: Naboo13 from Germany
I just watched "Benders Game", and for the first time in 3 tries the movie version managed to give me that cozy feeling the series used too. I grew accustomed to the predecessors and like them more the more I view them, but this one had me from the start. The story flows without a downer. The jokes are once again intelligent and often subtle enough to make you pause and think for a moment.Maybe its the more linear and less "crazy" storyline that does the trick, maybe the deeper character development than in earlier installments, "Benders Game" should definitely satisfy fans and newcomers alike.
23 out of 40 people found the following review useful: Bad. An enormous disappointment, 30 October 2008 Author: fakeemail468 from United Kingdom
*** This review may contain spoilers ***
OK, so the first movie was fantastic and the second was alright. This, however, is everything that made the Simpsons bad. Completely random jokes, a completely random story line which makes no sense going from one thing to another, and what seems to be a lower production value than last time. It's just completely random. Like any recent Simpsons episode, it has nothing remotely funny about, consisting only of lead characters loudly shouting puns or other predictable jokes - because apparently when a voice actor shouts their lines or over-voices them with no hint of wit it's meant to be funny. I reckon the new Simpsons writers got to the script, because it's honestly awful: they've over-spoofed it as well, with white castle, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars all being pointlessly featured.The main feature of the movie, the alternative world, was only shown for half an hour to make room, instead, for a sub-par story about Professor Farnsworth trying to create an energy crisis in response to Mom increasing the price of fuel. (Yes, it even looks bad on paper.) Not only does the plot make no sense, there is nothing clever done with this poor starting material, meaning there is no redemption in the jokes.Compare this to the first movie, Bender's Big Score, and this is a travesty of an excuse for entertainment. Bender's Big Score had hilarious jokes, clever writing and an interesting plot which seemed to flow together; heck even the second film at least followed from one theme to another. This is just a mess and dishonours the Futurama name. It's the first Futurama cartoon I've ever not liked, and I hope this isn't the sign of things to come. Stick to the first two movies because this is utter trash.The ending is also utter garbage, with clear evidence that the (poor) writers couldn't think of anything to conclude the story. Compare this to the brilliant ending of the first movie, where we see Fry's realisation of his future relationship and we find out the person in love with Leela was Fry all along, this just stops the flow of the movie by ending on a lame joke. That's all the explanation you get - one single, lousy joke.To its credit, the side story with Bender going crazy was mildly humorous, but seemed a lame excuse to thrust the characters randomly into an alternative universe. A huge disappointment to what started out as two excellent feature-length movies. It has ended in an unfunny and completely random cartoon, just like the Simpsons right now. Here's hoping they fire the Simpsons writers they clearly employed and get back whoever wrote the first movie. And if they are the same writers, shame on you for making this. Find ONE plot, stick to it and make it witty. Please don't throw in loads of movie references, jump around the story or make cheap jokes. I'm hoping the last movie in this series is more like the first two.One last thing - the ratings on here have been given by fans who haven't seen the movie - that's usually what happens, as we make the presumption that every piece of Futurama animation will be brilliant, but don't let the rating fool you. Watch the movie yourself decide for yourself if it's garbage or not.
39 out of 73 people found the following review useful: Another step down for the Futurama movies., 7 November 2008 Author: DarthPaul85 from Maine
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."
12 out of 20 people found the following review useful: A good film but Futurama was much better on television, 24 November 2008 Author: collipal-1 from Argentina
I have already said it on another commentary but I like repeating it : I had an enormous admiration for the TV programme Futurama because it shook sarcastic,incisive and irreverent humor with intelligent concepts of sci-fi,exotic characters and a well structured mythology.That twist resulted on one of the best comedies the TV has ever produced.Unfortunately,this series was very underrated,and after four seasons of declining ratings,Futurama was cancelled in mid-2003.But,the surprising DVD sales of the series and the success of the repetitions of the series on channels like Cartoon Network,made the executives from Fox to re-considerate their (stupid) decision and now,we can enjoy the rebirth of Futurama,not on TV,but on movies made straight-to-DVD.But,as a huge fan of Futurama,I have to say Futurama : Bender's Big Score and Futurama : The Beast with a Billion Backs,in spite of being funny and entertaining,did not leave me completely satisfied.It seems that the creators of Futurama perfectly dominated the half an hour format (22 minutes without the commercials) but they have found difficulties in telling fluid and natural stories in the format of a full-length film.That problem is still on Futurama : Bender's Game.Minute by minute,Bender's Game made me laugh pretty much and it kept me entertained.But the whole does not result totally satisfactory,because the film suffers from lack of cohesion and from a fractured narrative.At the end of the first half hour,there is a sudden change of tone and it seems a totally different movie from there...in other words,the film keeps being funny and entertaining but that sudden change makes the film a little bit forced.I think the best format for Futurama was the one for TV but I have to be grateful for back to have Futurama.As the other Futurama films,Bender's Game is entertaining but I expected more from it.Still,I can recommend it because I had a good time watching it.
3 out of 4 people found the following review useful: Best out of the Futurama movies!, 16 February 2009 Author: sexcbob from Australia
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!
4 out of 6 people found the following review useful: Seriously, why even make the movie?, 25 February 2009 Author: Sharkanana from United States
If you are going to make a movie, specifically a comedy, try to put some creativity into it.This thing is one rehashed joke after another, which lead to me calling what was going to happen in just about every scene.There is a complete lack of care for any of the characters, even for fans of the show. IMO they could have murdered half the cast and I would not have cared at all.There were 1 or 2 moments of elegance, which are the reasons behind me not giving this a 1.Does anyone actually laugh at the "Mom" character? She is completely unfunny. All she does the entire movie is laugh maniacally and slap her minions. I never once cracked a smile at any of these slaps. Did the writer actually think this repeated schtick would become funny?
5 out of 9 people found the following review useful: Shall We Play A Game?..., 8 February 2009 Author: newkfl from United States
Matt Groening had spawned another winner with Futurama: Bender's Game. I would had never viewed Dungeons & Dragons as being that imaginative. I played Dungeons & Dragons when I was much younger, but did not possess the imagination that Bender displayed with that version. Bender was accused of not having an imagination at first, but when he finally grasped one, Bender could not separate fiction from reality. Frankly, I would had settled for Bender's version of "reality" because at least there were surprises at every corner. Sometimes surprises are better than the same mundane ruts we had forced ourselves into. The final battle between dark matter reminded me so much how we are dependent upon oil from foreign countries. At least the professor was smart enough to create another crystal that would eliminate dependency on dark matter when they were within a certain range of each other. I would certainly play this version of Dungeons & Dragons, mainly for the creativity and most importantly, for a more positive outcome for the world today. Futurama: Bender's Game was certainly worth the viewing pleasure and with Matt Groening at the helm, you cannot miss.
22 out of 43 people found the following review useful: Funniest "Futurama" Movie Yet!! To Be Loved By Fans & Newcomers Alike!!, 4 November 2008 Author: Killblue from United States
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!
better than i expected, 9 November 2009 Author: disdressed12 from Canada
i won't say i'm a huge fan of Futurama.i have seen a few episodes of the TV series and was not all that impressed. i found them to be mostly slow and boring and unfunny.but,since my friend had bought this direct to video Futurama movie,i thought why not.what's that the worst that could happen?well,as it turns out,i liked it.i thought the story was very interesting,and flowed very well and there were some very funny moments and funny characters.the best part was that i was able to follow everything without knowing that much about the series.after watching this movie(number 3 in the series)i might check out the other three Futurama movies.they are:#1 Bender's Big Score:#2 The Beast With A Billion Backs:#4 Into the Wild Green Yonder.for me,Bender's Game is a 7/10.
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