And so the final DVD of the new series of Futurama is here. Of course, its not really been a series, more a quadrillogy of films, released on DVD, which have then been edited into 22 minute episodes for broadcast on TV. Still, anything from the hands of Matt Groening surely should be a guarenteed laugh out loud shuttleride of mirth straight to the Planet Laughatron 9. Well, kinda.
Having been already scrapped once, these new episodes of Futurama have been a blessing to all that have followed the tales of Fry, Leela, Bender and the other array of aliens and robo-sapiens that litter the Futurama Universe. Into The Wild Green Yonder sees Leela join a group of female environmental activists, Bender date a Mafia don’s girlfriend, Fry discovering the history of all of time and Professor Farnsworth getting naked. It’s an enjoyable episode to watch, with the story archs blended together so that while you known that there are just four episodes just simply bolted together, it is only on repeat viewing that begin to you spot where the joins are.
While this is a strong episode, with a possibility of being awarded the best one from the one batch, the annoying thing is that the cast and crew have already made what could be seen as the perfect ending to Futurama before, with the previous final episode “The Devils Hands are Idle Playthings”. That episode tided up enough loose ends whilst not making a big deal about it being the final episode that it was, and still is, a genuine joy to watch. Where Benders Big Score made references to the show being cancelled, Into the Wild Green Yonder has references to “how they may not be back” and “is this the end as we know it” which detract from the enjoyment of the episode.
In fairness, these new episodes/films have mainly suffered critism at the hands of the fanbase and reviewers because, like all sitcoms converted to movie length, the format doesn’t stretch that long. Sitcoms traditionally have a rapid fire gag rate to keep people entertained for the half hour they watch them for. A movie needs to have detailed plot build up and time to the story to develop, and one of them has to be sacrifieced when turning a sitcom into a feature length.
Hopefully, the sales of these DVDs and the subsequent sales to TV channels around the world will be enough to let Matt Groening and the crew get back to making what the do best. 22 minute comedy masterpieces with a splash of geeky humour and robotic profanity. Fingers crossed.
Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder is available to buy on DVD and Bluray by clicking your pointy clicky thing here. While your clicking away, why not brighten up your desktop with some ace Futurama images courtesy of Fox Entertainment.
