Futurama has never been afraid to
delve into the big, playfully philosophical ideas endemic to brainy science
fiction. So when it was announced that the beloved cult show would be returning
as a series of feature-length DVD movies, fans were exhilarated that the show's
geek squad would finally have the space to do justice to its big ideas and
ambitious premises. But there's such a thing as too much freedom, and the
direct-to-DVD features Bender's Big Score and The Beast With A Billion Backs regularly veer into
winking self-indulgence. So it isn't an encouraging sign that the third Futurama DVD, Bender's
Game, is an extended love letter
to Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord Of The Rings. Though D&D;+Futurama is an equation
sure to inspire geekgasms throughout the role-playing community, fans who've
never known the joy of rolling the 20-sided die are bound to feel a little left
out.
In their nerdiest
adventure to date, the Planet Express gang investigates a shortage of "dark
matter," a valuable, oil-like commodity controlled by sinister corporate giant
Mom. Their mission leads them to a fantastical, Middle-Earth-like realm where
they each assume new personas. (Sexy cyclops Leela is a centaur, while hapless
everyman Fry quickly devolves into a Gollum-like ghoul.)
The biggest laughs in Bender's
Game come
from the random robo-absurdity of Bender's stint in the HAL Institute, a mental
hospital for insane robots, and the film gets off to a strong start with a
loving, gorgeously animated opening-credits homage to Yellow Submarine. Otherwise, Bender's
Game feels
like a super-sized version of the weak Simpsons episodes where Homer and
company play characters from Bible stories or American mythology. Game has its share of big laughs,
but pop-culture gags such as orc-like creatures named Morks who spout Robin
Williams' early catchphrases reek of Family Guy. Bender's Game comes perilously close to
suggesting unusually accomplished fan-fiction even before Leela and
alien-loving babe Amy begin making out in their fantasy-world guises. Hopefully
the next Futurama movie, Into The Wild Green Yonder, will mark an improvement. For acolytes who've
already witnessed Futurama rise from the grave once, hope springs eternal.
Key features: The usual jokey,
affectionate audio commentary and a geektastic primer on Dungeons &
Dragons'
influence on Futurama.