Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #34776 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-04-07
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Running time: 88 minutes

DVD Description
The first feature-length production of television's hit sci-fi animated parody is loaded with all the absurd and intelligent humour that makes the series so much fun. Planet Express has become the victim of a hostile takeover by a company of lurid spammers and the new bosses want to send Bender back in time to steal the world's most valuable treasures. Where does this ability to send him back in time come from? Fry's backside, of course. And that's just the beginning of this wild ride, with the usual cast of characters as well as cameo appearances by Al Gore and Coolio.

Customer Reviews

Once again the earth is DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMED!
In a nutshell I liked it and it is a worthwhile buy for any Futurama fan.

However it isn't amazing. The format doesn't quite translate from a half hour tv programme to a 1 1/2 hour film. The writers evidently tried to cram as many of the minor characters in as possible which in some ways is a good thing but characters such as Robot Santa and Al Gore perhaps were given bigger parts than they should have been at the expense of say... Luur.

That said there are many laugh out loud moments and the plot while ludicrous is no worse than many in the TV series. A very welcome return for a much missed show.

I'm Back Baby
*Warning contains spoilers*

Futurama is back at long last, and while I'm not a hardcore fan, I like so many others was still eager for its release onto DVD. In Bender's Big Score the crew of Planet Express fall victim to a group of nudist spammers, and Professor Farnsworth (believing he's won the Spanish lottery) signs over the company. That leads to the discovery of a number on Fry's rear end which allows the spammers to send Bender (who has himself fallen victim to an obedience virus) back in time to steal the world's treasures. And that's only the beginning of the story. Add a decapitated crew member, some romance, a wedding, a hero in disguise and around another half dozen subplots and you're coming close to understanding things.

Thankfully I'm glad to say that I really enjoyed Bender's Big Score. The actually story was really enjoyable and entertaining, filled with some brilliant humour, nail biting suspense, and even some nudity. It has been well thought-out and written. I really liked some of the comedy - like how they attacked the Fox (or rather Box) network for cancelling them. Most of the characters are back and jam packed into Bender's Big Score, even Fry's old 20th century dog makes an appearance (personally I would have liked to seen Flexo.) It's well structured and paced, so it feels more like a film rather than several episodes glued together, keeping you hooked and interested over the eighty five minutes. The ending was great tying up the loose ends, and we're given a excellent twist that I really didn't see coming. Finally I'm glad to have seen some good special features on the disc, which are always welcome.

That's the good, now for the bad, as sadly Bender's Big Score isn't quite perfect. The plot and subplots get rather overly complex and difficult to follow. There is a great deal of stuff going on and if you don't pay attention and keep up you might lose track of things. I also felt that too much time and attention was given to my least favorite Futurama character Hermes. And what happened with Fry and Leela. Didn't they finally get together at the end of season four and now they're not...hmm.

But those minor faults aside, it's safe to say that Bender's Big Score was definitely worth the wait and proves that Futurama still has life in it yet.

Hasn't missed a trick
In the months of apprehension leading up to this release I was biting my nails on a regular basis. Futurama on television was possibly the best animated television program ever released (I know this is subject to debate so don't hurt me if you disagree) and like many comebacks there was the fear that it would not match its predecessor and the big build-up would come to naught. But from the first gag your hooked and it stays that way for the entire 90 minutes. The fantastical plot elements coupled with the off-the-wall humour common to Futurama make a delicious script and you don't lose out in the visuals either, the pristine animation is better than ever and works terrifically in a 16:9 format. But as it always was with Futurama, the show's like-ability didn't just fall in with the Sci-Fi parodies and zany jokes, it came through its willingness to be a proper comedy-drama and not just be a 20 minute gag-reel, like shows like Family Guy (which are hilarious, but lack substance). In Bender's Big Score you get all the touching moments that tug at your heart strings along with the laughs, it really takes something quite special to make you feel so strongly about what is essentially a cartoon. I loved this film from start to finish and as far as I can tell it is up their with the rest of the Futurama series, Matt Groening and co. haven't missed a trick with this one. It just as good as it always was, if slightly iffy in its 90 minute format. You won't be disappointed.