The Beast with a Billion Backs is the second in an extension of the Futurama animated series, now being released as a fully fledged movie experience. In terms of plot the demands of a ninety minute episode are far greater, and the transition itself hasn't been entirely smooth. The humour is more forced, demanding that you laugh on the first try as opposed to sitting subtly in the background for you to discover in an off viewing.
Its this level of confidence that made the Simpsons great, but as that animated dinosaur now bludgeons the viewer with the obvious, slapstick humour one would expect of a cheesy 80's sitcom, creator Groening is letting bad trends slip into an otherwise rejuvenating series.
The beginning of Benders Big Score was painfully forced, but it soon fell into its old clever self, delivering a plot that was genuinely unexpected with patented levels of Futurama drama that never cross the line we all draw in our heads of such a series, but the Beast with a Billion Backs is, no pun intended, a very different beast.
The story itself is very much "out there", even for a show that already borders on insanity. A rift between two alternate universes appears above Earth, and immediately people assume the worst. As quickly as this major plot device is introduced, it is forgotten, and soon we find ourselves following two sub plots involving Fry's battle with the concept of polygamy and Benders childhood fantasy of an underground cult of Robots defending the very foundation of Robot ideal.
A good third into the movie our attention is once again brought unto the giant rift, where a giant tentacle eventually emerges threatening the would be Earth we all know and love. As the plot moves forward you begin to wonder just where its all heading, and without giving too much away the ending is the most ambiguous i've ever witnessed in the series.
Somewhere in the convoluted plot line lies a point. The ending would stipulate some sort of overall commentary on the concept of love, but its just not entirely clear what this commentary is. Furthermore, Benders raging jealously is simply too undeveloped to be used to drive the story forward as much as it does. Bender is a great character for humour delivery but is remarkably inconsistent, bouncing from indifference, to kill all humans, to genuine compassion in mere minutes of screen time.
Its difficult to say just how "good" this movie is. When you finish watching it you won't be sure what just happened or why, but the overall sense of purpose is very much lacking. Perhaps thats the point, but combining ham fisted comedy with philosophical wonder is going to alienate all but the most die hard of fans aching for justification between the pages.
Overall The Beast of a Billion Backs is an odd experience worthwhile to just about any Futurama fan. With all said and done Futurama at its worst (which this certainly is not) is still brilliant, indeed the series greatest enemy proves time and time again to be its former self.
Its this level of confidence that made the Simpsons great, but as that animated dinosaur now bludgeons the viewer with the obvious, slapstick humour one would expect of a cheesy 80's sitcom, creator Groening is letting bad trends slip into an otherwise rejuvenating series.
The beginning of Benders Big Score was painfully forced, but it soon fell into its old clever self, delivering a plot that was genuinely unexpected with patented levels of Futurama drama that never cross the line we all draw in our heads of such a series, but the Beast with a Billion Backs is, no pun intended, a very different beast.
The story itself is very much "out there", even for a show that already borders on insanity. A rift between two alternate universes appears above Earth, and immediately people assume the worst. As quickly as this major plot device is introduced, it is forgotten, and soon we find ourselves following two sub plots involving Fry's battle with the concept of polygamy and Benders childhood fantasy of an underground cult of Robots defending the very foundation of Robot ideal.
A good third into the movie our attention is once again brought unto the giant rift, where a giant tentacle eventually emerges threatening the would be Earth we all know and love. As the plot moves forward you begin to wonder just where its all heading, and without giving too much away the ending is the most ambiguous i've ever witnessed in the series.
Somewhere in the convoluted plot line lies a point. The ending would stipulate some sort of overall commentary on the concept of love, but its just not entirely clear what this commentary is. Furthermore, Benders raging jealously is simply too undeveloped to be used to drive the story forward as much as it does. Bender is a great character for humour delivery but is remarkably inconsistent, bouncing from indifference, to kill all humans, to genuine compassion in mere minutes of screen time.
Its difficult to say just how "good" this movie is. When you finish watching it you won't be sure what just happened or why, but the overall sense of purpose is very much lacking. Perhaps thats the point, but combining ham fisted comedy with philosophical wonder is going to alienate all but the most die hard of fans aching for justification between the pages.
Overall The Beast of a Billion Backs is an odd experience worthwhile to just about any Futurama fan. With all said and done Futurama at its worst (which this certainly is not) is still brilliant, indeed the series greatest enemy proves time and time again to be its former self.