Futurama: Bender's Game (2008 Video) User Reviews

The best Futurama 'film' so far...

[randomorwhat · 8/10 · 1 November 2008]

I have been impressed with the other Futurama 'films' (for wont of a better word), yet none of them achieved what this one did, the main thing I look for when watching the Futurama cartoon: laugh out loud comedy. And this has that - though not wall-to-wall, it contains enough clever plot writing to satisfy the most adamant of cartoon fans. The CGI far excels the majority of former episodes, although Futurama has always enjoyed a very shiny veneer of pure 'cool'. The character development was handled with far more maturity than in the previous longer installments, and focused on characters which were previously overlooked. In addition, the popular culture references were intelligent, amusingly accurate and, above all else, integral to the plot. No part of this film felt unnecessary - every moment of the outing felt it was necessary to the overall shape of the piece.

In conclusion, this is by far the best longer-addition Futurama produced to this day. In fact, I'm only sad I saw an advanced viewing, because now I have longer to wait for the next production! The writers have proved they can provide fresh material and give it to the viewers in a non-patronising, intelligent but not pretentious manner.

Bring on the next installement!

Better than the last one, although that doesn't say much

[nast33 · 7/10 · 13 November 2008]

Well, I guess the show finally abandoned the sappy romance and got in joke-after-joke mode. That's... kinda what I wished for, and it's still good, but a lot of the jokes aren't Futurama style, but more of a pop culture parody. Like when Leela says that "Sex and the City - now that's funny". Really? Oh well. Mom's sons acting like the three stooges was also kind of stupid. The writer, whoever he is, did better than the 2nd movie, but again, that doesn't say much. The social comment on gas prices and ecological fuel and whatnot, was covered already for a moment in Bender's Big Score, and that's where it should've stayed. Also, there is the whole "going into a fantasy world" plot hole. How? So, the two crystals combined, and how exactly did the new fantasy universe got there? How exactly did this come out of Bender's imagination? Never explained. Whatever.

Now don't get me wrong, the movie was fine. And that's it. It wasn't sap-filled like the first, it wasn't total bullsh1t in the scenario department like the second, but still they can't seem to hit the perfect balance. Smart, true Futurama jokes, consistent storyline and some, but not too much Fry-Leela relationship.

Futurama movies so far: 1st movie: too much love. 2nd movie: crappy story. 3rd movie: lost of jokes, but most hit-and-miss. 4th movie: Hopefully perfect.

Shall We Play A Game?...

[newkfl · 8/10 · 8 February 2009]

Matt Groening had spawned another winner with Futurama: Bender's Game. I would had never viewed Dungeons & Dragons as being that imaginative. I played Dungeons & Dragons when I was much younger, but did not possess the imagination that Bender displayed with that version. Bender was accused of not having an imagination at first, but when he finally grasped one, Bender could not separate fiction from reality. Frankly, I would had settled for Bender's version of "reality" because at least there were surprises at every corner. Sometimes surprises are better than the same mundane ruts we had forced ourselves into. The final battle between dark matter reminded me so much how we are dependent upon oil from foreign countries. At least the professor was smart enough to create another crystal that would eliminate dependency on dark matter when they were within a certain range of each other. I would certainly play this version of Dungeons & Dragons, mainly for the creativity and most importantly, for a more positive outcome for the world today. Futurama: Bender's Game was certainly worth the viewing pleasure and with Matt Groening at the helm, you cannot miss.

reality change problem

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 12 September 2016]

Bender plays Dungeons & Dragons with the kids to prove that he has an imagination but it drives him into the nut house. Leela gets challenged and enters Planet Express in a demolition derby. The Professor puts an electric collar on her for damaging the ship. She has to convince Dr. Zoidberg that she is cured of her anger issues before he takes it off. Mom is driving up the price of dark matter but there is no actual shortage. Professor reveals he's the one who worked on dark matter for Mom. The crew needs to find a missing crystal which would neutralize all the dark matter. Then Bender's overactive imagination sends everybody into a D&D alternate reality.

Nibbler's story recap is great and I like the crew's battle with Mom for the most part. Although I still don't like the scheme to neutralize black matter. I also don't like changing reality midway through the movie. I would rather have the whole movie be in an alternate reality or not do that at all. There are other minor quibbles but the cast of characters is still great. It's fun no matter how weird things get.

Best out of the Futurama movies!

[sexcbob · 9/10 · 16 February 2009]

This is my favorite Futrama movie so far. The jokes are hilarious and there is an interesting plot and theme. Dr Zoidberg is funny as always, and the D&D theme will amuse every fan of Futurama (after all, there is a little nerd in all of us, right?).

Nibbler is central to one of the plots in the movie, and he's cute and fuzzy race is a welcome addition back into the fold as Fry and the Planetary express crew fight against Mom's robot empire.

One of the best cartoon movies ever! I don't know how some of the other reviews can say that the jokes in this latest installment of Futurama fall flat, they are outright hilarious, a lot better than the 2nd one.

Bender really shines in this movie, going crazy and turning into a giant LOTR nerd. I give it a 4/5. Go watch it now!

It starts as a refreshing character comedy but when the "Game" portion kicks in the movie just curls up and dies under it's own nerdy indulgences

[liquidcelluloid-1 · 23 November 2008]

Direct-to-DVD movie; Genre: Animated Comedy, Science Fiction; Content Rating: Not Rated (contains animated violence and gore and pervasive scatological humor); Perspective: Contemporary (star range: 1 – 4);

In the first DVD movie outing the folks at "Futurama" took on internet scammers and time travel. In the 2nd, dating and religion through an intergalactic monster movie. Now in the third feature-length film, "Bender's Game", they cobble together the energy crisis and Dungeons and Dragons. It's a melding that this time could have used a few more trips to the writing table to get it to solidify.

In this self-contained adventure, the Planet Express crew suffers from the escalating price of rocket fuel dark matter, provoking Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) to go up against the maniacal head of Mom Corp (Tress MacNeille) who single-handedly controls the supply. Meanwhile, Leela (Katy Sagal) is disciplined for her violent temper and Bender (John DiMaggio) is accused of not having an imagination by the players of Dungeons and Dragons and is driven to robot madness by the game.

The first act of "Game" is something of a dream come true. For the first time the crew headed by David X. Cohen, Matt Groening and director Dwayne Carey-Hill ("Bender's Big Score") take advantage of the feature-length running time to slow things down a bit. The first act is a refreshing turn of a character comedy for this normally lightning-fast sci-fi satire in which details set-up in the series are brought to a head, notably some repressed anger from Leela toward Zoidburg and her appropriately hilarious reaction to a shock collar, a somewhat clever flashback to Nibbler's first meeting with the crew and the long promised next epic confrontation with Mom. As possibly the show's best villain, it's welcome to see this Mom story finally realized and MacNeille is something of a powerhouse in the voice performance. This is her time to shine. This section of the movie is in flashes some of the best work the show has done.

While D&D is established early and often, it still doesn't help cushion the wild, hard left turn the movie takes from its energy/Mom story to randomly and literally (and I do mean literally) dropping the characters into a D&D fantasy world. In this section the moderately funny, full of potential story is completely abandoned and the movie curls up and dies. Cohen, Carey-Hill and company totally indulge in their nerdiest impulses and to hell with the story. More disappointingly, they choose to parody some of the most obvious and mainstream fantasy sources – mostly "Lord of the Rings". The characters are put into a mix-&-match parody blender. All of a sudden Leela is a centaur, Fry is Frydo who acts like Gollum, the Professor is Gandolf who takes a "Star Wars" turn and Zoidburg is a giant cave monster. "Futurama's" strength has always been that it isn't mainstream. "Game" is a broad, easily accessible palette cleanser of toilet humor and forced gags after the sharp, iconoclastic and surreal "Beast With A Billion Backs" - which for my money is still the triumph of the movie series so far.

The D&D section of the film didn't have to be a mindless lost cause. But the "Futurama" crew doesn't in any way make an attempt to resolve the first and 2nd acts of the movie with it. As randomly as our heroes entered the world, they leave it just in time for a quick wrap-up. The Game portion of "Game" is head-slappingly obvious filler that will probably send most viewers to the show's famously great commentary tracks for an explanation (Cohen and Groening give nothing). Instead of the creative or scientific explanation we've come to expect from Futurama, "Bender's Game" leaves us with the classically disappointing "It was All a Dream" ending. It's a punch in the face.

The movie is randomly entertaining and I do love the extended mix of the show's theme that plays over the credits, but this is a hard one to recommend even to hardcore fans of the show.

* * ½ / 4

its better than "Beast"

[infantincinerator84 · 7/10 · 3 November 2008]

I saw it recently at a screening at a fellow Futurama nerds house. It wasn't what i was hoping as a fan but it was much better than what was in "Beast with a Billion Backs". but then again, that story was AWFUL, so i hope the next brings us fans back to "FUTURAMA" standards....It does finally bring forth new ideas other than stupid pointless ones, and it is worth buying unlike its previous offering, I really would love it if the show was resurrected, almost as much as if the original "STAR TREK" was given the chance to complete its 5 year mission rather than 3...but that wont happen... this film, while obviously a "made for video" release, is MUCH better and more entertaining that "BEAST" trust me....

Funniest "Futurama" Movie Yet!! To Be Loved By Fans & Newcomers Alike!!

[killblue · 9/10 · 4 November 2008]

Totally. 100%. This is the downright funniest of the three films. The story isn't as strong as the first one's, but the laughs are a million per minute. From the opening hilarity of Fry declaring "I've never been more excited to see poop, well, except maybe once" to the hilarious and heartwarming ending, this movie doesn't let you down. This movie has a lot of great one-liners and fans of the show will most definitely not be disappointed. I'd also recommend this flick for non-regular viewers. The standalone story gives for a great and welcoming introduction to the hilarity of the show. The only thing missing was the star-studded guest starring list that the previous films boasted. This "shortcoming" is hardly a notable complaint when you look at the piece of work that this film truly is! I highly recommend watching it!

better than i expected

[disdressed12 · 7/10 · 9 November 2009]

i won't say i'm a huge fan of Futurama.i have seen a few episodes of the TV series and was not all that impressed. i found them to be mostly slow and boring and unfunny.but,since my friend had bought this direct to video Futurama movie,i thought why not.what's that the worst that could happen?well,as it turns out,i liked it.i thought the story was very interesting,and flowed very well and there were some very funny moments and funny characters.the best part was that i was able to follow everything without knowing that much about the series.after watching this movie(number 3 in the series)i might check out the other three Futurama movies.they are:#1 Bender's Big Score:#2 The Beast With A Billion Backs:#4 Into the Wild Green Yonder.for me,Bender's Game is a 7/10.

The second best Futurama film so far.

[MidgardDragon99 · 9/10 · 4 November 2008]

Bender's Big Score still remains the best of the series, displaying all of the emotion, intelligence, romance, and fun of the rest of the series into one feature film. However, whereas I was disappointed with Beast With a Billion Backs (which was the perfect demonstration of why Futurama is at its best not when it's funny, but when it tells a good story like it did in BBS), I was very impressed with Bender's Game. It missed out on the emotion of the first film by a mile, which is why it's not nearly on the same level, but it is still a marvelous love-letter to the fantasy genre and role playing games. Very funny and very entertaining, with Amy on Leela action that will have the fans salivating while they role their 12-sided die, Bender's Game is not quite the impressive feat that the first film was, but is a return to form after the disappointment of BWBB. Let's hope the final film tops them all.

Futurama: Bender's Game

[jboothmillard · 6/10 · 23 April 2009]

This is the third straight-to-DVD film from Matt Groening's second most (if not more) popular show Futurama. Basically prices of fuel of rising, especially for dark matter which is declining, making Prof. Farnsworth (Billy West) to cancel ship travel in case they waste fuel. Leela (Katey Sagal) of course breaks this rule and as a result has to wear a shock collar to control temper tantrums, but later she enjoys the shocks. Meanwhile, Bender feels left out of a game of Dungeons & Dragons because he has no imagination, but when he does he gives himself the new name "Titanius Anglesmith" in the realm of Cornwood, he believes he is a knight, has gone crazy and is put in an institute. Farnsworth finds out that even with the fuel shortage, Mom (Tress MacNeille) is still making a fortune, and the only way to stop her is to get the "anti-backwards" matter next to dark matter, rendering it all useless. It is when Bender shows up that everyone is plunged into his mad medieval world to continue the fight as the mythical characters they have become, with segments spoofing both Dungeons & Dragons, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Fry (also West) is the one who obsesses over the power of the opposite matter, and becomes a Gollum like character. In the end, Mom does manage to get her opposite matter back, only to have Cornwood collapse on itself, Farnsworth hugs his newfound son (with Mom) Igner (also Di Maggio) as they both swallowed the opposite matters, and dark matter is now worthless, meaning they must find new source of fuel. Also starring Billy West as Dr. Zoidberg, Tress MacNeille as Nurse Ratchet, Maurice LaMarche as Morbo and Calculon, Phil LaMarr as Hermes Conrad, Lauren Tom as Amy Wong, Frank Welker as Nibbler, Rich Little and George Takei. It has its moments of action, and there are some good small gags and spoofs, but the story isn't the most engaging, but it is worth watching. Oh by the way, the new fuel is apparently whale oil, according to the next, and possibly last (?) film, Into the Wild Green Yonder. The TV series was number 26 on The 100 Greatest Cartoons. Good!

Great movie

[Chewie-46 · 9/10 · 1 November 2008]

Compared to the other Futurama movies, I believe this one is one of the best. On a personal note, I might find the Futurama: Bender's big score better than Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs, but it is still a close match.

This movie however, have a great deal of parody from other movies and they are implemented quite well. When it comes to the fantasy world (Bender's game), the characters there (mostly parody of Lord of the Rings) are very good impersonated, with a lot of twist of course. An example would be Zoidberg. And if your a Zoidberg fan, I believe they made him funnier on this movie compared to the other movies.

The conclusion is that this is a funny movie worth watching, and if your already a Futurama fan, either this movie was great or not, you would still enjoy watching it.

Worst of the bunch

[kep315 · 6/10 · 12 May 2022]

Out of the four feature-length Futurama films, this one is my least favorite and the least funniest. The only time I really laughed was when Nibbler realizes that he forgot to blank everyone's memories after revealing he could talk (in "Bender's Big Score"), and because of this, the Planet Express crew all know that Nibbler is a higher-intellectual being who speaks perfect English - yet they continued to let him act like a dumb pet, use his sandbox, and make pretend-gibberish nonsense sounds, as he was cuter that way.

Bad. An enormous disappointment

[fakeemail468 · 3/10 · 30 October 2008]

OK, so the first movie was fantastic and the second was alright. This, however, is everything that made the Simpsons bad. Completely random jokes, a completely random story line which makes no sense going from one thing to another, and what seems to be a lower production value than last time. It's just completely random. Like any recent Simpsons episode, it has nothing remotely funny about, consisting only of lead characters loudly shouting puns or other predictable jokes - because apparently when a voice actor shouts their lines or over-voices them with no hint of wit it's meant to be funny. I reckon the new Simpsons writers got to the script, because it's honestly awful: they've over-spoofed it as well, with white castle, Lord of the Rings and Star Wars all being pointlessly featured.

The main feature of the movie, the alternative world, was only shown for half an hour to make room, instead, for a sub-par story about Professor Farnsworth trying to create an energy crisis in response to Mom increasing the price of fuel. (Yes, it even looks bad on paper.) Not only does the plot make no sense, there is nothing clever done with this poor starting material, meaning there is no redemption in the jokes.

Compare this to the first movie, Bender's Big Score, and this is a travesty of an excuse for entertainment. Bender's Big Score had hilarious jokes, clever writing and an interesting plot which seemed to flow together; heck even the second film at least followed from one theme to another. This is just a mess and dishonours the Futurama name. It's the first Futurama cartoon I've ever not liked, and I hope this isn't the sign of things to come. Stick to the first two movies because this is utter trash.

The ending is also utter garbage, with clear evidence that the (poor) writers couldn't think of anything to conclude the story. Compare this to the brilliant ending of the first movie, where we see Fry's realisation of his future relationship and we find out the person in love with Leela was Fry all along, this just stops the flow of the movie by ending on a lame joke. That's all the explanation you get - one single, lousy joke.

To its credit, the side story with Bender going crazy was mildly humorous, but seemed a lame excuse to thrust the characters randomly into an alternative universe. A huge disappointment to what started out as two excellent feature-length movies. It has ended in an unfunny and completely random cartoon, just like the Simpsons right now. Here's hoping they fire the Simpsons writers they clearly employed and get back whoever wrote the first movie. And if they are the same writers, shame on you for making this. Find ONE plot, stick to it and make it witty. Please don't throw in loads of movie references, jump around the story or make cheap jokes. I'm hoping the last movie in this series is more like the first two.

One last thing - the ratings on here have been given by fans who haven't seen the movie - that's usually what happens, as we make the presumption that every piece of Futurama animation will be brilliant, but don't let the rating fool you. Watch the movie yourself decide for yourself if it's garbage or not.

A bit of a Nibolians dinner, but

[thekarmicnomad · 30 November 2008]

I have watched and commented on all the movies so far and I always bang on about how cartoon comedys don't really translate to the big screen blah blah.

The third offering from the franchise has managed to side step this which is why (in my humble opinion it is the best so far) it is more like two and half good episodes of Futerama messily stitched together. I thought this worked quite well, equally they could just have released them as episodes but the end result is pretty much the same. The film moves about a lot which stops you from concentrating too hard on the formulaic nature of the show and ruining it.

I would have preferred the material from the films to have been put towards a new series but I love Futuerama with an unhealthy passion and am thrilled to see it back

Imaginative

[briancham1994 · 7/10 · 16 August 2020]

This film is a slight improvement over the previous Futurama film, The Beast With A Billion Backs. This time it has a fantasy theme with a whole other universe, though it is justified a bit weakly. The plot is tighter with Bender's subplot tying in very well with the main storyline about Mom Corp and dark matter. There were plenty of pop culture based gags, my favourite being the faux informercial for the knife in the water.

Best Futurama Movie!!! (... So Far)

[moonbus69 · 10/10 · 15 January 2009]

Of the first 3 of 4 FUTURAMA movies, I love this one the best. The jokes are almost non-stop, the story moves much faster, and overall, this one was more like the regular episodes are/were...

The spaceship demolition race was so cool, and the whole 2nd half was a blast (I never was into Dungeons and Dragons, but enjoyed all the references anyways. I liked LOTR movies, so that stuff was great too, and all the many references to other stuff, I always dig that junk!)

Have watched this DVD almost every day since it came out, and still haven't gotten tired of it. It just is so darn good, and the characters are all in top form. Some of the best FUTURAMA writing, jokes, etc., for my money.

To paraphrase that garbage scow driver, "If you's likes FUTURAMA's, then you's justs got-stas gets 'Bender's Game'!"

The short cartoons are better

[deloudelouvain · 6/10 · 5 February 2016]

I wonder if it is a good idea to make movies about Futurama. The 20 minutes episodes from the cartoon series are much better then a long movie. I had trouble staying awake for the entire movie. I laughed at a couple fecal jokes but for the rest it is just an average cartoon. Apart from a couple references to well known movies there was not much creativity in Bender's Game. I was honestly expecting more then this. I'm sure the majority of the fans of the normal cartoon will feel the same as me. I will watch the next movie though, just to see if they made any improvement but I fear the worst. Anyways, it's not the worst I ever saw but not the best either.

A funny film which is more than a story of a "fantasy world."

[leftistcritic · 8/10 · 24 March 2019]

One line describes this film here on IMDB: "The Planet Express crew get trapped in a fantasy world" but there is much more to this movie than that. In this direct-to-video movie, which loosely falls after the end of "The Beast with A Billion Backs," Leela (voiced by Katey Sagal), Fry (voiced by Billy West), Bender (voiced by John DiMaggio), Farnsworth (voiced by Billy West), Zoidberg (voiced by Billy West), Amy Wong (voiced by Lauren Tom), and Hermes (voiced by Phil LaMarr) reprise their roles, joined by Nibbler (voiced by Frank Welker). Absent is any role for "Rear Brigadier" Zapp Brannigan (voiced by Billy West) or Amy's husband Kif (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), although Dr. Wernstrom (voiced by David Herman) and Mom (voiced by Tress MacNeille) make an appearance.

The plot of this movie is simple. Mom, head of a huge mega-conglomerate, wants to control all the dark matter, which is literally fecal matter from animals like Nibbler, claiming there is a "shortage" so she can jack up the price. Leela, after being challenged by a "bunch of rednecks" enters a demolition derby, which she wins but results in extreme damage to the ship. There is a funny cameo of George Takei and Rich Little, with both flying in ships resembling the enterprise from Star Trek, with Takei accusing Rich of "ruining the franchise," with both ships ultimately exploding. As a result of her "anger issues" a shock collar is put on Leela, which is triggered anytime she thinks of violence, "perversions of a sexual nature," or curse words.

As Leela tries to figure out why she is angry, another sub-plot develops: Bender becoming more enveloped with Dungeons and Dragons, so much so that he believes he is Titanius Anglesmith of the imaginary land of Cornwood after playing the game with Cubert (voiced by Kath Soucie), Dwight (voiced by Phil LaMarr), and some of their other friends. Bender is, as such, sent to the Hal Institute for Criminally Insane Robots, which made me chuckle a little bit as Hal from Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey was clearly "insane." There he is examined in an environment, which somewhat resembles One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) in that there is a robot named "Nurse Ratched" (voiced by Tress MacNeille), where he is subjected to hammer-therapy and examined by Dr. Perceptron (voiced by Maurice LaMarche). It is here we see one of the funnest characters of the film, whom always says the most outrageous things: Roberto (voiced by David Herman), whom was created by people in Mexico who aimed to "create an insane robot." More than anyone else, he definitely finds comic relief.

As Leela never really finds what causes her anger, other than her justified hatred of Zoidberg, the main plot of Mom's hoarding of dark matter in a "crap factory" of Nibbleonians, and Bender's fantasy land of Cornwood are merged, when the resonance of the dark matter in Bender's mind creates this fantasy land as a reality, with Mom and her sons, Igner (voiced by John DiMaggio), Walt (voiced by Maurice LaMarche), and Larry (voiced by David Herman), along with the rest of the Planet Express crew. What follows is an obvious parody/homage of the Lord of thee Rings trilogy, with the centaurs whom believe in not fighting to be considered "wimps." Soon this ends with Mom holding onto the anti-backward crystal, beating them in that world and bringing them back to the regular world. However, the regular crystal that makes dark matter potent and the anti-backward crystal are brought together, making all dark matter useless. The solution? "Nibbler power" as Farnsworth calls it.

At the closing of this film I have a number of questions. For one, can this film really be truly considered canon? After all, the 2003 episode The Why of Fry (Season 4, episode 10) shows all the Nibblonians living quite well on a planet with all the food they would eat. However, this movie makes it seem that all the Nibblonians were captured and taken in by Mom, whom was previously a Doop contractor whom "mined" the planet hollow for dark matter. This creates a bit of a contradiction. However, perhaps it could fit into the canon of the show, although some gymnastics would be required. If that is the case, it would explain, partially, the rivalry Farnsworth has with Wermstrom as he was Mom's ex-husband, expressed throughout the series and in the last film, The Beast with A Billion Backs.

Even with these problems, the film still has some good themes. It criticizes corporate concentration, specifically monopolies controlling resources, and also shows the media as colluding with those very people, as one would expect. In this way, you could say the film is critical of capitalism. This is proven with the hilarious scene of an ad shown to Frydo (the version of Fry in Cornwood) to buy a knife for a limited time only so he can kill his friends. With this all being said, I give this film not a lowly rating of 3 or even a 9, the highest rating of the 39 reviews of this film on IMDB, going in-between with an 8. With that, my review of this film comes to a close.

Bender goes insane once again. Hilarious!

[joshi_3592 · 9/10 · 23 August 2009]

Fry: So it's all come down to this... a dungeon... and dragons! Zoidberg: I didn't see it coming.

Unlike the previous film this really captured the weirdness, and humour that made me like the series in the first place. And for all who's a Lord of the Rings fan,this is a must see parody.

The move starts with Bender feeling left out when he sees Cubert and Dwight playing Dungeons & Dragons and can't play because robots are not installed with imaginations. Yet after trying hard he starts to struggle with seeing the difference between the game and the real-world. He calls himself "Titanius Anglesmith" and gradually believes himself to be a real knight in the magical world of "Cornwood". As a result he's put in a mental hospital. Meanwhile Leela develops an anger problem and is forced to wear a shock-collar, until she learns to calm down. Meanwhile they discover a scam by Mom involving the high prices of dark matter. Farnsworth then reveals that while he was still working for Mom many years ago, dark matter was a completely useless substance. But while experimenting with it he inadvertently created two crystals: an energy crystal that turned dark matter into fuel, which Mom took for herself, and an opposite "anti-backwards matter" crystal, which Farnsworth kept hidden from her. Farnsworth says that should the two crystals meet, they would render dark matter completely useless once more.

Frankly there are so many development in this film and I can't make a longer plot review without spoiling the whole story, I'll just say that later in the film the team is transported to another dimension where Benders imagination is real. There they are met by an armored Bender in his "Titanius" persona, who names his friends "Frydo" and "Leegola."

Now I'll just finish by saying that this film is in my opinion, one of the funniest things to ever have come out from a TV series, but the two very different story lines were a little confusing, but I'll still give it a 9/10.

A funny addition to the series

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 9 February 2010]

Having been a little disappointed with "The Beast with a Billion Backs" I was pleased to find a return to form in this film. For the first time in the series of films we have a villain who was a regular from the television series rather than a one off villain, that villain is Mom. This time she is claiming that dark matter is running out so the price is rising, of course this being Mom there is plenty of dark matter; she just wants more money. Meanwhile Leela is having anger issues which lead to her being fitted with a shock collar and Bender is saddened to realise he doesn't have an imagination so decides to develop one... this is too successful and he finds himself believing he is a character in the game of Dungeons and Dragons he is playing. The first half of the film sets up this situation and follows Fry Leela and the Professor as they attempt to break into the dark matter mine to neutralise the dark matter for reasons I won't spoil here. As they are close to their goal something strange happens and they find themselves in the strange world of Bender's imagination, hear they find themselves on a quest that mirrors their mission in the real world.

I enjoyed both parts of the film as they were full of good jokes. The fantasy section might not seem as funny to people who haven't seen The Lord of the Rings though as the quest is clearly based on the quest to destroy the ring... it even features Fry turning to a Gollum like creature as he nears the end of the quest. Some of the jokes aren't really suitable for younger viewers although I don't think they were ever the main target audience for the series. I'm glad that they used a regular villain this time as Mom is a lot of fun and as an established character no time is needed to show the viewer what she is like. Despite the title this is not a Bender centred story although he as a major role, Fry, Leela and the Professor's parts are more important to the story.

Another step down for the Futurama movies.

[DarthPaul85 · 5/10 · 7 November 2008]

Let me put it this way, this movie was to "Billion backs" as "Billion backs" was to "Big score." The first movie was great, the second was just OK, and this one is actually kind of bad.

I hate to speak ill of anything Futurama, but fans should keep their expectations in check. The writing here is different...it's not the same style...the jokes feel lazy. Even the personalities aren't written in full force, you keep feeling like everybody is half-asleep or something.

lastly, the plot (or rather, "plot") is the worst by far. What had the potential to be a great economical satire (and failing that, even a jab at D&D and Lord of the Rings), completely lacks any focus or high level of comedic insight. As Futurama fans, we've come to expect an interesting story even if the comedy fails, but this may be the first time the story itself was so poorly implemented.

So what do we have left? Well, it's still the characters and settings we know and love already. Admittedly, the off-handed comments by the characters are still quite funny, and a handful of their social commentaries do hit the mark, as do a small number of the "regular" jokes.

Anyway, If you're a Futurama fan, you really owe it to yourself to keep up with these movies. At best, perhaps this is just a change in style that will take multiple viewings to appreciate. Nevertheless, I just want to say this: "We're Futurama fans; we expected better."

Its getting better. But it needs more Alf.

[freakfire-1 · 9/10 · 31 December 2008]

None of the Futurama movies are perfect, although they are marking a steady increase of quality. And with this installment, Futurama fans are seeing the series they fell in love with. Or maybe the just liked making fun of Zoidberg. I don't care, as long as they give it a chance.

Fuel prices 3008 are skyrocketing and thus need new sources of dark matter. But the secrets about dark matter become more complicated, especially when they go to the crazy fantasy land in the middle of the film. Ah, if only I were Bender and destroyed his game.

At any rate, Professor Farnsworth, Fry, Leela, and the whole crew go through this mysterious "Dungeons and Dragons" game it gets a little crazy. It is hard to describe, but any Futurama fan should enjoy it.

Overall, very good. Can't wait for the 4th one. "A"

A gem for the fans and new believers alike

[Enchorde · 8/10 · 15 January 2010]

Recap: Fuel prices keep going up, and it's an outrage! Of course it's a scheme by Mom and her evil corporation, and as always, Farnsworth has both the history to tell and a key to solve it. He is the one who made dark matter to the potent fuel it is, and he has also the key, a crystal, to undo it. If he only remembered where he put it. At the same time Cubert and his friends are playing Dungeons and Dragons. And Bender suffers enormously from the fact that he lacks imagination. He tries so hard that he goes insane, and together with the die they use playing holds magnificent power.

Comments: If you are a fan of the series I think you, like me, will love it. Bender's Game is full of inside jokes, the typical humor of the series and actually a little development of some of the episodes in the series. If you, like me, seen (and own) every released episode, you don't want to miss this.

But, I actually suspect that if you're not a true believer (yet – you'll soon be converted) you might like it too. Without the inside jokes, and without knowing of the previous episodes, it is still a really funny movie. It is really good parody of its own, full of references too both sci-fi and fantasy movies (and others as well) and, of course, the game Dungeons and Dragons. Combined with the humor of Groening and his marvelous team it is a really funny movie.

However, to experience it like the gem it is, I think you need to be a fan. And even if it is really good then, it isn't the masterpiece I know that Groening and friends are capable of. But sit back and enjoy, it is a great ride.

8/10

Yet Another Great Futurama Movie

[SimpsonsFan13 · 9/10 · 7 November 2008]

I really enjoyed the third Futurama outing, Bender's Game. The plot was great and the gags were nonstop. The Yellow Submarine opening was superb. Zoidberg was extremely funny as always. All the pop-culture references were hilarious and so were some of the scenes with Leela's shock collar. The acting, animation, and music were fantastic, as always. My one complaint: We don't really get into the whole fantasy element you see on the poster until halfway through the film, which is why my score got knocked back down to a nine. But other than that, this was a great film, but Beast with a Billion Backs is still my favorite so far. Hopefully the fourth and final film will be better than the other three combined.