Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder Review

You know, DTV movies don't have to suck. And I'm starting to learn that with all the ones I'm starting to amass in my collection. Let's get to my latest addition...

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder

Directed by Peter Avanzio

Starring the voices of Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeile, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom, and special guest voices Phil Hendrie, Penn and Teller, Snoop Dogg and Seth MacFarlane.

Backstory: Well, I am a Futurama geek, and I reveled in the news that the series was being resurrected in a series of 4 DTV films. But, all good things must come to an end, and the fourth and final film was finally released. The track record for me goes like this: #1 was awesome, #2 was kind of weak, #3 was good, but still not as good as #1. Where will #4 lie in spectrum?

Plot: After the construction of a newer and bigger Mars Vegas, Leo Wong (Amy's father) reveals his latest plot: to build the universe's biggest mini-golf course. To do so would require the destruction of 12% of the galaxy. Key to this construction is the destruction of a violet dwarf star, around which orbits an asteroid teaming with life. But little do they know that the destruction of this star would play into the hands of the Dark Ones, the culmination of evolution of the galaxy's fiercest predators. The only one who can stop the Dark Ones is our hero, Fry, who has been rendered telepathic thanks to a chunk of metal embedded in his skull. Can Fry stop the Dark Ones and save the universe? In other subplots, Bender starts dating the wife of the Robot Don of the Robot Mafia, and Leela joins an outlaw band of eco-feminists, and Zapp Brannigan is ordered to bring her in.

What I Liked: Well, there's definitly more laughs in this one than in the last two films. The first one was good because of all of its "WE'RE BACK!" vibes...this one is good because of all of its "SOB! IT'S OVER...AGAIN!" vibes. But still, the melancholy attitude keeps them from knocking it out of the park.

What I Didn't Like: OK, the whole plot with the Dark Ones does get a little confusing. And, as I said, it's good because of it's "IT'S OVER!" vibes, but they really don't kick in until the final 10 minutes.

Final Verdict: Bender's Big Score is still the best one, but this one is now a solid second. Good-bye, Futurama! This was an OK finale.

3 Nibs

Bonus Materials: For bonus features, you get a running commentary with the voice cast and directors, deleted scenes, featurettes, and a couple of nifty little comedy bits. I'm getting to lazy to type out the complete list.