The DVD Dissection: Futurama - The Beast with a Billion Backs

Posted by Chad Webb on 07.01.2008

The Planet Express crew of Futurama returns in this second Direct-to-DVD movie. How does it stack up?

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/Calculon/Kif Kroker
Tress MacNeille: Linda
David Herman: Dr. Ogden Wernstrom
David Cross: Yivo
Brittany Murphy: Colleen
Dan Castellaneta: The Robot Devil
Stephen Hawking: Himself
Directed By: Peter Avanzino
Created By: Matt Groening
Running Time: 89 minutes
DVD Release Date: June 24, 2008







Not Rated

The Film

After such a brilliant comeback last year with Bender’s Big Score, the finest Direct-to-DVD release of 2007, the task of equaling that was not easy. The Futurama clan returns with The Beast with a Billion Backs, a nifty mix of science fiction, romance, and horror that maintains the spirit of the series, yet recalls films from the 50’s. As the second installment of a four movie story arc, this is quite witty, imaginative, and pleasing, but it does have some issues.

The story picks up where the previous film left off as a rift in the universe is seen from Earth. Morbo the newscaster explains that it is a gateway to another solar system. Meanwhile, Fry has a new girlfriend named Colleen (Voice of Brittany Murphy) and Kif is preparing to make Amy his wife, or as it’s called here “Fonfon Ru.” Professor Farnsworth argues that the rift must be analyzed through science instead of taking military action too hastily. His nemesis Dr. Wernstrom agrees with him, but they have differing ideas on how to correct the dilemma, and only one team can lead the expedition. In order to decide which group travels to the mysterious occurence, they battle in deathball. As for Bender, he is trying to convince his friends that the League of Robots exists. As one can decipher from the cover, a monster lurks beyond the anomaly with bizarre intentions. If that weren't enough, Fry’s girlfriend has a secret, and Bender finds himself competing with Calculon, star of All My Circuits. As all the sub-plots intertwine, the universe remains in jeopardy.

The intro is rather cute as it pays homage to an old Mickey Mouse cartoon, complete with classic black & white hand drawn animation. I have noticed mixed opinions regarding The Beats with a Billion Backs, but is better than many will give it credit for. The overused line, “this feels like an extended episode of the show”, doesn’t apply here as the crew have demonstrated how adeptly they can craft a story into 90 minutes. I enjoyed the way Yivo, the tentacle monster, was gradually revealed. He is an intriguing villain that shakes up the proceedings with a lighter tone.

The characters are dependably hilarious with Bender up to his old tricks. He actually shi*s bricks at one point. The love angle with Leela and Fry is wisely put on hold during this adventure as Fry plays the field a bit. Colleen was terrific new female character, voiced wonderfully by the upbeat Brittany Murphy. She has nice chemistry with Fry as their relationship progresses. Dr. Farnsworth and Dr. Wernstrom have become an outstanding animated duo. Their antics are consistently comical and zany. What makes this sequel effective is how minor characters are given more to do. For instance Kif and Amy occupy a large chunk of the screenplay, and Hermes has some of the funniest moments.

I have to mention a few of the brilliant sequences. At one point, Farnsworth wants to hang up the phone on a certain someone in a rude manner, so he orders Hermes to do the crack slam. You must see it to understand. The animation is still glorious and magnificent to behold. Director David Avanzino throws in a 2-D scene during the St. Asimov Parade that is just excellent. The best scene is undoubtedly the deathball battle which exposes faithfulness to the roots of the show, yet inventive subtle techniques. Matt Greoning and David Cohen are consummate leaders with these projects.

One of my complaints is the look of the creature Yivo. David Cross is superb as the voice, but his appearance is not nearly as intricate and ingenious as I would have expected. His purpose for the premise is great, but when he fully emerges, the reaction is “meh.” The pacing can also be noted. In the beginning, all the story threads are unraveling at a rapid pace, but after the halfway mark hits, the shift definitely slows down, and it can be a bit jarring. It didn’t bother me as much, but I can see this irritating some.

At this juncture, The Beast with a Billion Backs will only appeal to the loyal fanbase of Futurama. While normally I would urge anyone to hop on the wagon of this underrated series, joining for this particular escapade into the farthest realms of the galaxy might be a mistake. It can justly stand on its own, and is extremely fulfilling as an animated comedy that touches other genres, but your best bet is to start with Bender’s Big Score, or the pilot episode of course. I found myself laughing a lot for this installment of the Futurama movie franchise. I guess you could call it a franchise? In the long run, I envision this being viewed as an under appreciated entry. It is entertaining, humorous, and unique.

The Video

This is only the second 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. Listening to the deathballs rolling around is awesome. For the most part, all was crisp and spectacular.

The Packaging

Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs was distributed in an environment friendly cardboard carbon neutral case with very flashy artwork to grab any passerby’s attention. Inside is a cardboard binder like holder for the disc. On display are old-school science fiction designs, a lithograph, and an advertisement for Futurama comic books. On the back of the cover, a website is listed that reveals how this film reduced carbon emissions during production. Unfortunately these cases bend and tear easily. Al Gore would be proud though.

The Extras

Audio Commentary - The folks on hand for this commentary track are: Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, Billy West, John DiMaggio, Maurice LeMarche, Michael Rowe, Claudia Katz, Director Peter Avanzino, and Lee Supercinski. The introductions take long, but once they start talking, it is endless laughter and piles of trivia tibits to eat up. David X. Cohen is the center of the track as he focuses on enlightening the listener instead of just chuckling at various scenes. Some of them were just watching it for the first time, so one can imagine how that turned out. They touch on the 2-D scene, the new characters, the larger contributions for some cast members, and so forth. This is a fantastic commentary with absolutely no dull moments.

The Lost Adventure (30:12) - Cementing how much this crew cares for the fans, they actually compiled the mini plot from the 2000 video game into a half hour episode. The animation quality is obviously reminiscent of a video game, but the humor still works, and the intelligence with which it was assembled is fabulous. Basically the villain “Mom” wants to take over the world. Along the way, Farnsworth creates a Re-Animation machine, the Planet Express bunch visits the Sun, and they jump in a time machine. Despite the rough animation, this was terrific. Optional commentary with the above parties can be heard as well.

Storyboard Animatic (21:45) – This is probably too long, but it is the first 20 minutes or so of the film in storyboard form. For any animation buffs, this will catch your fancy.

Deleted Scenes (3:23) – These are very short, but the first one with Bender attacking the narrator is priceless. Others include an extended version of how Fry met Colleen, the St. Asimov Parade, and a special appearance by Scruffy the Janitor.

David Cross Featurette (2:03) – This has a couple minutes of David Cross behind the scenes. He is eating a lot of popcorn, but explains why. Apparently he also has 9 senses.

Blooperama (2:12) – This is a rare glimpse at the permanent cast members flubbing some lines. John DiMaggio, Katey Sagal, Billy West, and others are all shown. This was funny.

3D Models with Animator Discussion (4:11) – This has the animators commenting on the origins of some designs while we watch as all the stages in completing said design are exposed. The Earth encased in diamondilium, Bender’s ships, and Kif’s parents are among the selections.

A Brief History of Deathball (2:00) – This is a short featurette solely on the deathball sequence. They chat about the costumes, hair, etc.

Bender’s Game Sneak Preview (2:01) – This is a trailer for the next film, set to be released this fall. It looks brilliant in my eyes with further exploration of innovative worlds.

The Film: 7.5/10.0
The Video: 9.0/10.0
The Audio: 8.5/10.0
The Packaging: 8.0/10.0
The Extras: 8.5/10.0

The 411: I was going to make this my straight to video nightmare for the week, but I felt the readers deserved a full DVD review. The Beast with a Billion Backs has its share of hiccups, but the overall experience is highly satisfying. Director David Avanzino and the creators have filled this adventure with several hilarious sequences and countless memorable lines. The DVD is again loaded for the pleasure of fans. You will not be disappointed by the technical specifications or the special features if you do choose to purchase. This will not be a unanimously praised sequel, but I loved it. I’m glad Futurama is back, at least for a little while. I recommend renting this if you have doubts, but if you are a loyal fan, go ahead and blind buy it.

Final Score:  8.0   [ Very Good ]