Review: Bender’s Game

With the release of Bender’s Game, Futurama embarks on its third straight to DVD movie since production on the series stopped in 2003.

With the first movie, Bender’s Big Score, every character in the Futurama universe seemed to make an appearance in a failed attempt at fan service. The use of time travel didn’t provide the same caliber of laughs that ‘Roswell That Ends Well’ did, and totally screwed with the continuity of the tear jerker ending of ‘Jurassic Bark’. The follow up movie, The Beast With a Billion Backs, fared better in its attempts to keep the Futurama spirit alive, but overall left the feeling that the extended movie format for Futurama was not the most ideal.

Bender’s Game is definitely an improvement over the first two outings, incorporating a current hot topic (dependence on oil) into a futuristic setting, and intertwining that plot point with Bender becoming addicted to Dungeons and Dragons. The geek factor is strong in this movie, parodying both Lord of the Rings and Star Wars in a Dungeons and Dragons setting, but the way the two plots end up intertwining seems a bit jarring and out of place, even for a science fiction cartoon featuring a planet full of Harlem Globetrotters.

Verdict

Overall I liked the movie, but I felt like it slightly paled in comparison to my memories of the show (which grow fonder with age). Bender’s Game is definitely more quotable than the previous two movies, and avoided the sometimes confusing plot of the first movie and the slow sections of the second. If you’re a fan of Futurama, Bender’s Game is a definite buy, even if it’s just for a chance to bask in the company of some familiar faces. If you are new to Futurama or were not a fan of the show, this movie will most likely not sway your opinion. I’m hoping the next movie can build on the lessons learned from the last three, and capture some of that magic the television series was known for (mostly making geeks and dog loves tear up).

What I Liked

-Lord of the Rings and Star Wars (brief) reference
-Gynacaladriel
-Leela’s reaction to Zoidberg in the alternate universe

What I Disliked

-The plot point that created the alternate universe
-The fact that the DVD box is not hard plastic, and doesn’t look nice with the rest of my DVD’s

Interesting Notes

-Look for a guest appearance by Rosie the Robot Maid from the Jetsons
-The title of the movie is based off of Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game novel, though I noticed no in-movie references to the book