The DVD Dissection: Bender's Big Score!
Posted by Chad Webb on 11.27.2007
The Planet Express crew of Futurama has returned in glorious fashion!
Featuring the Voices of:
Billy West: Fry/Dr. Zoidberg/Professor Farnsworth/Zap Brannigan/God Entity
John Di Maggio: Bender/Robot Santa/Joey Mousepad
Katey Sagal: Leela
Lauren Tom: Amy Wong
Phil LaMarr: Hermes Conrad
Maurice LaMarche: Morbo/Donbot/Clamps
Tress MacNeille: Linda
David Herman: Nudar
Frank Welker: Nibbler/Seymour
Directed By: Dwayne Carey-Hill
Created By: Matt Groening
Running Time: 88 minutes
Release Date: November 27, 2007
Not Rated
The Film
Lately, the adult animation realm seems to be divided into factions. Most people like a combination of different shows of course, but they usually prefer one above the rest, and will defend that to till the end of time. On a separate note, a couple shows have received new life after being cancelled by their networks. They had brief runs, were taken off the air, and then fans got upset, so they complained enough to bring them back. Having said all this, Family Guy and Futurama have always had loyal and devoted followers. You either love one or the other. Very few folks are in between from what I have observed.
I have always been partial to Futurama, though I think Family Guy is definitely great. Futurama to me was a more intelligent series, and perhaps a bit gutsier in terms of edgy substance. Family Guy returned to regular television, and is still going, though the quality of the episodes has decreased in my estimation. Furthermore, the hype and buzz surrounding its popularity on DVD a few years back has worn off. This is why I think Futurama was given a better option by supplying four Direct-to-DVD movies at sporadic times. This way, it keeps the public hungry for more, and if the series does not return to a full time schedule, at least we have these submissions as a fitting exit.
I realize that Futurama is not nearly as successful as Family Guy however, and there is a strong chance that many of you have not seen an episode yet. Here is the basic summation of the show. Philip J. Fry is a pizza delivery boy who has just been dumped by his girlfriend on New Years Eve of the year 2000. That night he goes to fulfill an order at a cryogenics lab, but it turns out to be phony. By accident, Fry falls into one of the freezers, and awakens at the year 3000 where the world has changed dramatically, and his city is called New New York City. People interact with many life-forms, travel in clear transportation tubes, have the option of suicide booths, and more religions. Fry locates a relative by the name of Professor Farnsworth. He runs Planet Express, an interstellar delivery company. Fry lands a job and makes new friends. Leela is the one-eyed captain, Bender is the alcoholic, ill-tempered, and foul-mouthed robot who cooks, bends girders, and helps with delivering goods. Dr. Zoidberg is the neurotic doctor of the group, Amy Wong is the rich and clumsy intern, and Hermes Conrad is the strict Jamaican accountant.
Futurama was cancelled largely in part to the network not supporting it whatsoever. The time slot moved constantly and was preempted due to sports a lot too. Oddly however, the ratings were usually strong. As a bit of revenge, the writers start things off by taking a shot at Fox in an absolutely hysterical segment. Professor Farnsworth receives a call saying the company is back in business. While celebrating, the clan engages in a limbo contest, which results in Hermes getting his head chopped off. He is now in a jar like the other heads. The first delivery job is for the nude planet. Upon arrival, it is discovered that Fry has a tattoo of Bender on his butt. Bender says “It’s like looking in a smelly mirror.” While lounging on the beach, a trio of aliens gathers their email addresses for a petition, but it turns out that these guys were only scamming the Express crew.
The aliens quickly take over the company, and then Earth. It seems that a gland they possess detects information rather well. What they sniff out is the tattoo on Fry, which contains the code for time travel. The Scammers themselves cannot travel through time because they would then have to wait until the normal period returned. Bender however can do this successfully since he is a robot. He goes back and steals all sorts of gems like The Mona Lisa unfinished and the Colonels KFC recipe. Fry eventually hops in the time sphere and goes back to the year 2000 before he was frozen. The Scammers then send Bender to destroy him. As this is transpiring, the Scammers become rulers of Earth, and force all the inhabitants to move to Neptune.
This is a riotous side splitting affair from beginning to end. What makes Bender’s Big Score! a triumph is that it will please the hardcore fans, yet also be accessible for anyone wanting to give the show a chance now. I could go on and on about the superb jokes. One of the best features Al Gore. Yes he actually contributes his voice since his daughter, Kristin Gore Cusack, is a writer. During Bender’s time voyage, his actions reveal why Gore really lost the election to George Dubbya. Another shot at Family Guy can be spotted, as well as references to Star Wars in the form of solid gold Death Stars and the Harlem Globetrotters’. These are just a few random favorites of mine, but the film is packed with goodies.
The writing of Futurama has always been the high point. Matt Groening insisted on the same creative freedome he had for The Simpsons, and because he stood his ground, the scripts are marvelous. Ken Keeler and David Cohen handle most of the script here. Their use of adept dialogue mixed with witty humor and pop culture references is brilliant. What makes the comedy stand out is that it has never been limited to one type. All categories of humor can be found in Futurama. The voice work is all fabulous, but then again, at this point it does not require judgment. All the regular people return to the characters such as Billy West, John Di Maggio, and Katey Sagal. I suppose the only flaw is that fans will enjoy this more than anyone else. Many of the gags involving recurring characters like Robot Santa, Zapp Brannigan, and Kiff will only reach those who are familiar with them. I do maintain that newcomers would have fun though. The fact that the story is so cunning makes this increasingly infectious. The narrative progresses with twists and never slows down.
The Simpsons Movie suffered because the plot was too similar to that which we customarily saw on the show. It also was a disappointment because it felt like an extended episode. Bender’s Big Score! take a South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut angle with a unique tale, surprises, and even songs. In an interview with 411mania’s Tony Farinella, Producer Claudia Katz said “we hope everybody buys at least two of them” when questioned about this DVD. She also mentioned that one story arc will connect to each of the four Direct-to-DVD films. We can expect the next one in 2008 sometime. I can’t wait. This offering might not be for everyone, but it is an excellent accomplishment.
The Video
This is the first time that Futurama was made in high definition and widescreen. The result is an instant success. The picture is pristine, and the animation is gorgeous. Despite what anyone thinks of the storylines, I have always felt that Futurama was more visually invigorating than any other hand drawn animated program today. It takes 6-9 months to finish an entire episode from writing to animating and voice recording. To be more specific though, this series uses a mixture of CGI and hand drawn styles. This infuses the film with a completely distinctive guise. This is because the colors are wonderfully integrated, and the tones are always bright and bold. I detected no grain, blurs, or fuzziness. It was extremely sharp. This is presented with an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, and has been enhanced for 16x9 television sets.
The Audio
No defects on the audio side of things. The dialogue is clear, and all the characters are lucid and understandable. My volume knob rested at a comfortable position throughout. The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is pretty good with some nice sounding effects like the guns firing and the spaceships flying coming out of the speakers. For the most part, all was crisp and spectacular.
The
Packaging
Bender's Big Score! is distributed in a cardboard slip case which holds another cardboard casing inside of that. The artwork is a typical attractive Futurama design, and the menus contain snide comments from bender as you navigate through them.
The
Extras
Audio Commentary - This features Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, Phil LaMarr, Claudia Katz, Dwayne Carey-Hill, and Ken Keeler. This is what an entertaining commentary should sound like. This group has fun discussing the show, and also provides plenty of facts and unnecessary bits of trivia for fans. They even talk about what is updated on Wikipedia, and how they agreed to Direct-to-DVD films.
Futurama Returns! (17:05) - This is a live-comic book reading by the cast. They tell a short story with some funny jokes about getting cancelled. It is well worth a look.
Everybody Loves Hypnotoad (22:00) - This is only remotely amusing unless you know Futurama. This is a show within a show that has a toad which hypnotizes people with its eyes. The joke is that it lasts as long as a regular sitcom episode and has commercials and the whole nine yards.
Deleted Storyboard Scenes - There are three of them. The first is entitled "Deleted Monte Carlo Scene" (1:23) where Bender asks to see a guys a**. The second is "Deleted Robot Mafia Scene" (:32), which is self-explanatory, and lastly we have "Deleted Limbo Contest Scene" (1:41), which is somewhat funny, but was cut because it would have meant too much limbo. The other two are kind of stupid, plus watching the sketches instead of the animation does take away from the effect.
A Terrifying Message from Al Gore (1:24) - That's right, Mr. Gore has his own extra on this DVD. He just talks briefly about pollution and global warming while Bender distracts him. This was neat for what it was.
Bite My Shiny Metal X (26:04) - Here is a bonus you don't see every day. This is a lecture all on the mathematics included in Futurama from the episodes to this film. It is taught by a professional mathematician woman named Greenwald. This is actually educational and enjoyable at the same time. Among the topics are pi, alien codes, the #1729, topology, the edge of the universe, infinity, and so on. This might not sound thrilling, but I promise you will have a newfound respect for the detail of the writing.
3D Models/3D Turnarounds (1:12) - These are just a few models and CGI wire sketches of certain ships and various objects from this DVD. An unexpected but welcomed extra.
Bender's Big Score: The First Draft - This is the first drafts of the screenplay. You can use your DVD remote to toggle through it. I admit I did not read the entire thing to spot differences.
New Character/Design Sketches - There are 25 images in all which you can navigate through. These always add to the quality of the special features.
Original 5 Minute Comic-Con Promo (4:56) - Basically an extended trailer, and nothing more. This is five minutes long, and yet it still manages to leave a lot to the imagination concerning the plot. Hollywood wide releases abuse that in under 2 minutes.
The Film: 9.0/10.0
The Video: 10.0/10.0
The Audio: 8.0/10.0
The Packaging: 7.5/10.0
The Extras: 9.0/10.0
The 411: Thank God Futurama has returned. Even if it is only for a little while, I will cherish any new material they toss our direction. Bender’s Big Score! is certainly the best Direct-to-DVD effort of the year, by far. The story is exciting, clever, and most importantly, funny. The rest of the DVD is packed with magnificent audio/video transfers, and loads of cool extras. I don’t have to convince fans to pick this up. My goal is to urge people who have not seen the show to think about renting this, and/or putting it on their Christmas list. You won’t be disappointed.
