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IMDB: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0471711/ Futurama has been reborn, and stands as living proof that Matt Groening is getting lamer with age. All of our favorite characters are present; Fry, Leela, Bender, Zoidberg, and everyone else (literally). However these characters just aren't as witty as they used to be. It's hard to describe, but every thing's just lacking that certain something that made the series great. Essentially the plot revolves around identity fraud, time travel, romance, and trying to cram as many character cameos as possible into ninety minutes. Former Vice President Al Gore is also back as himself. Over all I rate the movie 2.5 out of 5 simply because it's just too average. Pros: Seeing that Fry's dog didn't spend 13 years of his life miserable and alone. Goddamn that episode made me cry. Cons: The movie just lacks what made the series great. Groening needs to watch the series over and rekindle his love for his own characters.
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Dec 18, 2007 15:20
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| # ? Apr 16, 2024 21:36 |
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What an abortion of a movie. It was really a bukakke of all the episodes all over your face. It was like Matt G just desperately tried to stitch every 'heartwarming' episode together trying to make you say 'ah ha!' or 'oooohh now i see'...every loving minute. He tried way to hard to say 'please watch our poo poo'. And you cant watch the movie without watching ALL of the Futurama episodes, because it has sooo many 'inside jokes' that were pieced from so many episodes. The movie did feel like a movie though, unlike the family guy movie. The concept of the movie was weak, and how the aliens used scam systems... its not even funny now, its just old news. Bender wasn't a huge part of this movie, nor did he really score so the title is highly misleading. Some of the main characters were used much more than the other main characters, letting strong interactions be for a set amount of people. The "love" story behind is redundant and it was way to obvious. Same ol' same ol'. Don't watch this please. 0/5
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Dec 20, 2007 05:57
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The movie was not as bad as you might get the impression reading the first two posts. While not as funny as the series it still was miles ahead of the Simpsons' movie. Like the Simpsons' movie it suffers a lot from it's length because it impossible to strech the wittiness of a 20 minutes episodes to 90 minutes, which leads to the weak main plot: It is pretty much a collage of sidestories that should somehow be tied together by the scammers' plot. It simply does not work out well. Maybe this choice was due to the Idea of cutting the movie into episodes for TV, because if you take every plotline by itself it made a lot more sence in Futurama terms. Anyways I'm rating this movie a 3.5 because I got my giggles, it was just too overplayed and tiresome as entirety.
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Dec 20, 2007 11:33
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About as funny as an average Futurama episode, or rather 4 of them since that's essentially what this is. Some catch phrases were overused (especially Bender's) but overall it's more of the same good stuff that is Futurama. 4/5
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Dec 21, 2007 07:01
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I thought it was pretty funny. My only complaint is that it did exactly what Family Guy did when it came back: It tried really hard to cram EVERY SINGLE one-off joke character into the movie. Globetrotters, Morbo, Brannigan, Niblonians, etc. Still, 4/5. It's Futurama, and it's funny.
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Dec 24, 2007 09:34
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I loved the original run of this show, and I was really looking forward to this movie. Unfortunately, I think I laughed about twice watching this. Everything seemed really rushed, which is odd for a movie that felt like it was three hours long. The time travel was retarded, and too much time was spent with cameos from side characters that went no where. The jokes weren't funny or clever; a series of 419 scams are what set the entire plot of the movie into motion. Watching this movie, it didn't even feel like I was watching Futurama, but some kind of horrible, fan-wanky flash cartoon. Unfortunately it seems like Futurama is destined to become the new "old Simpsons/new Simpsons" 1/5
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Dec 26, 2007 09:19
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I wouldn't say it was bad. It just felt... different, like something was missing. Like the characters weren't acting exactly like themselves, maybe. Leela gave away her credit card info to a scammer? And the professor did too? And Bender? Ok... The jokes seemed hit or miss as well. It's hard to put my finger on it... it was like the witty humor you'd hear from a freshman in highschool, rather than the wit you'd expect from an episode of Futurama. And as noted above, there was way, way too much fan service crammed in. Every minor character got an obligatory 2 second cameo, which almost always felt tacked on and unnecessary. In the end though, it wasn't terrible. Watch it if you're a fan, I wouldn't bother seeing it otherwise. 3/5. uuugghhhhhhhh jr fucked around with this message at 20:58 on Dec 26, 2007 |
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Dec 26, 2007 20:38
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This movie was downright bad. It did have the sly humor here thrown in at parts or the over the top crass bender humor but wow was it spaced, only my love of the Futurama seasons kept me from popping this thing out of the dvd player 2/5
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Dec 26, 2007 23:01
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I guess I'm in the minority in that I absolutely loved this movie. I thought the plot was pretty interesting, I was laughing regularly, and I liked the fanservice and did not think it over the top. Yes, they did try to give every character ever a cameo, but for the most part it either seemed relevant, or was enough in the background that it didn't seem out of place (e.g. Robot Devil). The only cameo appearances that seemed forced to me were Zapp Brannigan and Tinny Tim. Yes, some of the spoken jokes fell flat, but this was a fantastic movie to use your pause button on due to all of the written jokes that appear. When Amy's computer started spawning popups, the only one I was able to read at first pass was "USED ERECTIONS", at which I just about fell over laughing, and then had to go back and step through that whole spam scene to read all of the text. Like I said, I liked the fanservice, and I didn't think it was too "in your face" for someone who is not a devoted fan of the show - a two-second shot of a dog in front of Panucci's getting burned to a fossil in 2012, so what? If you don't know what that means, it doesn't feel like you missed out on anything. I thought the time travel was done well, and they kept it very consistent, even though it was convoluted. I also think that the "twist ending" (so to speak) was not immediately obvious even though when Lars was introduced I did wonder why Billy West couldn't have made up a more distinct voice for him. All in all, it was definitely better than The Simpsons Movie, it holds its own against some of the better episodes of Futurama, I will definitely watch it again, and I can't wait for the next one. 4.5/5 Oh also the special features on the DVD are awesome, so if you are a dirty nasty movie pirate there's a reason to go buy it.
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Dec 27, 2007 00:47
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I honestly think you guys posting positive reviews are just enamored with the concept of having more futurama, and you cant see the poo poo thats been laid in front of you with this wretched film. Im a HUGE futurama fan and I laughed less than once every 10 minutes. It completely lacked the feel of futurama, the plot and jokes sounded to me like they literally wrote the whole thing in a drunken afternoon. Horrible HORRIBLE loving movie. All they did was bring back every character to have them do something they might have done in an episode except without the funny. Its like they just had characters do familiar things once then leave this is a dreadful abortion of a cash-in attempt and I really hope the other 2 movies in the pipeline dont suck so much rear end in a top hat. 2/5 and thats generous.
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Dec 27, 2007 03:45
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I would give the movie a 4 out of 5. A few things dragged--TWO loving musical numbers?--but overall I thought it was well-done. There were two or three moments that had me laughing enough to require a pause or rewind, as well as a new ungrammatical Fry phrase ("No I mightn't!") to toss around.
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Dec 27, 2007 13:22
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This got a lot better in viewing 2-3. It may also be because I was able to watch the whole thing undistracted this time 4/5
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Dec 28, 2007 03:49
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This is not Futurama. It's some other abortion of a script with the Futurama characters written in. It simply was not funny or entertaining at all, and if you really want to see it then I suggest hitting yourself repeatedly and go watching the real thing instead. The villains are absolutely retarded and the idiotic OH GOD WE SCAM EVERYONE plot is run into the ground (not to mention just seems really out of place) two seconds after it begins. It's a real shame this even has the Futurama name on it, and the worst part is how it cheapens so many prior episodes. 1/5
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Dec 28, 2007 07:19
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I think people would find this much funnier and easier to swallow in 22 minute increments. I also think the only character who is still spot-on is the Professor ("I'm sciencing as fast as I can!"), but overall I watched it with a bemused smile on my face, even if I wasn't laughing out loud often. Hopefully they got all their pointless cameo and musical number poo poo out of the way for the next three movies (seriously, Santa gets to sing a song?) 3/5
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Dec 28, 2007 08:17
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The commentary and Features were a thousand times better. 2/5 for the movie, 5/5 for the features.
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Dec 30, 2007 05:32
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I don't know what the gently caress movie you guys watched, but as an avid Futurama lover I can safely say this movie was great. It was just the right amount of over-the-top; not to the point where it was ridiculous, but to the point where it was "This is Futurama. But a MOVIE". It felt like exactly what it is: Futurama turned into an hour and a half long feature. It still has the same humor, writing, and feel of the show, while being suitably bumped up due to the movie format. This is Futurama people. It doesn't take itself seriously, so of course they're going to make the movie seem bloated and self-indulgently epic. If you enjoy the show at all, you'll enjoy the movie. Fans will get more mileage out of it due to the references to past seasons or various plot points in the series. 5/5. You guys are real whiners, seriously. "They put too many references in it at once!" Trust me when I say this is a huge exaggeration. If you enjoy Futurama, I encourage you to check this movie out. Futurama is back. And lest you all forgot, there are 3 more of these on the way. It's not like this is the end all be all, one time only, futurama movie. Chill out. It was funny, enjoyable, and carries the same charm that made me love the series in the first place. Nothing is out of place here. It's simply Futurama. MarioTeachesWiping fucked around with this message at 12:37 on Dec 31, 2007 |
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Dec 31, 2007 12:24
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I'm not sure what most of you were expecting. It was simply more Futurama, just less densely packed than the average episode. The sense of humor is still there, and any changes to it aren't necessarily for the better or the worse. It didn't get overly circlejerky into the final quarter, and even then it's forgivable; it's the first of four movies, so why not let them dedicate this one to the fans? It was funny and it was exactly what you'd expect from a Futurama movie. 4/5
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Jan 2, 2008 06:25
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Wow I was starting to second guess myself after reading the first few posts but I'm glad to see I'm not alone. This is a Futurama Movie through and through. I thought the gags were well done and the humor to be on par with the good episodes although the greed aliens were a tad out of place but whatever. It's not great but it's certainly worth watching if you've missed the series. 3.5/5
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Jan 3, 2008 19:46
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I really liked this, and am a fan of the series. There should be a big red warning on the front though informing you that if you don't like a potentially confusing plot involving time travel you won't enjoy it. I also like this however and it inhabits a good few episodes in the original series. Mostly it just watches like four episodes put together. 4/5
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Jan 5, 2008 16:01
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I couldn't help but feeling like I was watching a fully animated fan-fiction Futurama movie. I'm not sure exactly what it was though. I think a lot of the jokes would have hit harder had the timing been right. Something was off about the timing of the voices too, not that they weren't synced right, but the characters didn't have their usual speaking patterns I've grown so fond of (this is probably related to why the timing on the jokes felt wrong). As a big fan of the show I enjoyed it, simply because it was new Futurama and the story did have some good points. All in all, you probably shouldn't see it if you're not already a Futurama fan. 3/5 Eptar fucked around with this message at 10:20 on Jan 11, 2008 |
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Jan 11, 2008 10:07
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it was good but not Futurama good. you can definitely see the futurama vibe, jokes and style in it though, so i'm sure the other movies would be a lot better. from the commentary it sounds like they got in over their heads with the complicated plot, which they admit, and that was the one major problem i had with bender's big score 4/5
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Jan 11, 2008 17:15
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I'll admit the movie was somewhat of a letdown, but I really haven't come to expect too much out of straight to dvd movies based on cartoon television shows. I loved the original series, and really wish it had been longer, but having seen this movie I wonder whether or not it will be a good idea to bring it back, or to let it stay dead with its dignity. Unlike some of the other posters, I rather liked the fan service it played, making references to old episodes, characters, etc. The movie was really good until the point where the scammer showed up. Unfortunately, that's like 5 minutes into the movie, so the first 5 minutes of the movie were awesome. After that is just bits and peices of fan service sewn into a dumb plot with obnoxious villians who instead of loving to hate, you just hate. But the ending is nice and it plays out like a good episode of futurama. I could go on to say why the plot was bad, but I think we can safely assume that if you are watching this movie, you didn't just pick it up by mistake. If you are a long time futurama fan, you will appreciate this movie, and the inside jokes make it worth watching. If you aren't a futurama fan, why are you watching this movie anyway? It's a straight to dvd animated film. If you did like/watch most of the series though, pick it up and give it a watch. It's at least worth a rental. Overall I will say, the movie suffered from sever lack of Zoidberg. Above average but less than great 3.5/5 TheDoc fucked around with this message at 06:46 on Jan 13, 2008 |
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Jan 13, 2008 06:41
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For a movie based on a cartoon, I think this is one of the best of the recent ones, the fact futurama often had plots which were maintained between episodes means that the show can hold its original format and successfully extend to a feature length plot. Overall I liked the film, but did feel that there were far too many cameos, and in general the whole thing felt like they were just warming up for the next 3 films, getting back into writing for these characters etc. Looking forward to the next ones. In short(er): Solid film with a couple forgiveable flaws 3.5/5
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Jan 14, 2008 15:18
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The opening was awful, referencing itself being cancelled and then introducing the characters, what the hell? The rest of the movie felt like a standard 20 minute episode stretched out over way too many hours (same number of laughs as a below average episode). The plot was awful and the movie basically ended half way through and was then filled with filler. I think I laughed once. 1/5
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Jan 21, 2008 05:13
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I will start by saying that the TV show was consistently better than almost any section of this film was. I enjoyed it, but at 90 minutes long it was just too long. I might have been able to digest this as 3 30 minute episodes, but as one cohesive work I'm not sure it really succeeds. I was simply bored with it by the end, it wasn't nearly as endearing or likeable as the series. I was disappointed that the finale to the series, which to me implied that Lela finally accepted Fry's feelings, was somehow glossed over and ignored for the sake of the plot to give you the twist at the end. I would have much preferred a shorter more streamlined movie than this. Condensed with the best parts down to maybe 50 minutes I think it could be really funny and get back some of its charm, but watching these characters do things that makes them act like the writers decided to ignore the entire final season of character development was a bit painstaking. I wanted to see a continuation of the character development and story from the end of the series and instead what we have is just another wacky adventure. Maybe if I imagine its set somewhere in the middle of the series it would make more sense, but somehow as others have mentioned it just felt off. Maybe the other movies they are supposedly making will capture some of the magic thats missing in this one. I'd give it a 2.5/5, it wasn't terrible, but its not as good as it could have been. The Notorious ZSB fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Jan 24, 2008 |
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Jan 24, 2008 21:01
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I love Futurama and really really wanted to like this, but it comes down to this: I laughed out loud 2, maybe 3 times during the movie, and they weren't big laughs either. I like the plot fine, the voice acting and animation is generally up to standard, but dammit it's just not very funny or clever. I'm glad I rented instead of buying, and I hope they get back on track for the movies to come. 2/5
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Feb 3, 2008 21:47
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I'm having a hard time trying to understand all the nerd rage being thrown at this film. While it certainly had its flaws it was far from being a complete poo poo fest of a film. Benders Big Score was certainly not as good as some of the best episodes, but it was still a solid hour and twenty minutes of entertainment. Some fan servicing was sadly present and the romantic entanglements where some what annoying. I don't regret spending twenty bucks on this and I'm sure the next one will be an improvement. Rated 4/5
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Feb 5, 2008 23:32
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I completely agree with the OP in that 'Bender's Big Score' is lacking that certain 'zing' that made Futurama so great: At times it is long and boring with very little laughs. I get the feeling that the creators (quite rightly) wanted Futurama's long-waited, triumphant return to be utterly spectacular so, as a result, we get a host of returning cameos, lots of in-jokes for the fans and two musical numbers. The problem is that they went too loving far: There's so many callbacks to earlier episodes that the story of the movie is pushed to the back; the in-jokes are fast, furious and complicated which will put off the vital new viewers and the two songs are just earth-shatteringly awful. I have nothing but faith in Ken Keeler's songwriting abilities but the two efforts here are absolutely dreary and Coolio's little rap as Kwaanza Bot in 'Going To War' goes beyond being bad and is just plain humiliating for all parties involved. As for the story itself? It's incoherent, frantic, needlessly complicated and, by the end, almost completely incomprehensible. It's obvious that it's all supposed to build up to what is meant to be a shock twist (Fry is Lars) but the problem is that the build-up is a complete mess and the twist is stunningly anti-climatic considering that most of the audience figured it out as soon as a certain new character opened his mouth. The less said about the villains, the better. Any saving graces? Well, Mark Hamill has a great little cameo as the Chanukah Zombie and is the only voice actor who appears to be enjoying himself. And that's pretty much it. So, with a heavy heart, I give Bender's Big Score a 2/5 and sincerely hope that they don't go overboard for The Beast With A Billion Backs.
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Feb 7, 2008 21:10
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This was a long episode of Futurama. Which is exactly what I wanted and was expecting. I didn't sit there and analyze every detail, mind you, but it felt like I had popped in one of the DvD sets and had found a disc I had somehow missed before, and it was just as delightful. My one gripe: I hate musical numbers. I hate them on shows and I hate them on movies... and there were two. Bleh. But I didn't let that ruin it for me. Oh oh no wait, my OTHER gripe! The packaging. Yes yes it is all ecologically friendly and so on, but it's also scratching the poo poo out of the disc and I'm probably just going to go buy an empty case to put it in anyway  Despite the music and the cardboard packaging, still going to give it 5/5 for being more Futurama episodes.
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Mar 17, 2008 05:58
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You basically got several average episodes of Futurama strung together. Not brain-meltingly awesome but not bad either. It doesn't stand out from the typical old episode but it isn't radically worse either. 3.5/5.
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Apr 2, 2008 14:58
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I can't see how any Futurama fan could bash this for not being more than four continuous episodes back to back, because that's how they've been structured all along, and anyone paying attention to the buzz before release knew this. The only people who have a right to complain are the newcomers to the series who really shouldn't be watching it anyway because it's an hour and a half of in-jokes and subtle references. It's not the pinnacle of animated achievement that The Simpsons Movie was, but it's still Futurama at its heart, so anyone who likes the series and isn't a super-picky huge nerd about their cartoons should watch it. 4/5
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Apr 2, 2008 20:10
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I enjoyed it. Even though the self-references seemed a bit forced from time to time, it was a funny movie, with some great bits. The musical number on Neptune was great, and the complicated time travel plot was very entertaining. 4/5
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Apr 4, 2008 01:11
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This movie was pretty awful. I enjoy Futurama, but I'm not a die-hard fan who memorizes all the episodes or anything like that, and this movie pretty much had no real jokes in it. Instead of featuring two hours of the clever, rapid-fire jokes that generally come with the show this movie instead opts to appeal exclusively to the insane, die-hard fans who like the show because it's Futurama and not because it's funny. Almost every episode of the show is referenced in some way, shape or form, regardless of how well said reference fits into the movie. Characters appear out of nowhere just to be referenced, Fry exclaims obscure references to earlier episodes only to reference them. It's like an episode of Family Guy but without the rosy nostalgia for the things referenced that can make Family vaguely tolerable. As a result of all the references, the story makes no sense, the emotional twists are obvious and the movie has no comedic pacing or flow. 2/5, and that's pretty generous.
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Apr 25, 2008 19:21
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I thought the first half of the first episode was just a bit too IN YOUR FACE WITH OLD JOKES AND HEY WE'RE BACK! CANCEL THIS, FOX! but once it got rolling I was entertained. 0100 out of 0101 I wasn't bothered by the flow of 4 episodes = 1 movie, maybe it was just watching them back-to-back-to-back-to-back? I think it was a lot more cohesive and worked better than the Family Guy movie; those felt like 3 distinct episodes.
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Apr 29, 2008 18:20
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Finally bought this and the 2nd movie. Definitely worth watching for any Futurama fan. Although the flaws people here point out, I did not find them as distracting as other people here seem to do. All in all, it's just more Futurama. Oh and gently caress you guys, I like the musical numbers. 4/5.
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Jul 12, 2008 11:51
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