This was certainly the case with the first three films: Bender's Big Score, The Beast with a Billion Backs and Bender's Game. The original run of Futurama episodes never caught on the way Matt Groening previous series The Simpsons did, and after a far-too-brief four seasons, it was over. But as happens these days, continued fan interest and the thriving DVD market meant that Fry, Leela, Bender and the rest all eventually escaped the suicide booth for a new batch of adventures.
But still ... after all the rumors of said revival, and then the waiting for the first film to debut after it was announced, for some long-time fans of the show there was a sense that this new Futurama was just trying a bit too hard and not scoring nearly as well as, say, the Harlem Globetrotters might.
Into the Wild Green Yonder has the slightly disjointed feel of its predecessor films in that it was designed to exist as a batch of episodes that will air on Comedy Central after their DTV release. So certain story threads start and stop in fits a bit, as with Bender's tryst with a robot gangster's robot moll, or the never-quite-consummated romance between Fry and Leela, which receives a nice moment at the close of this film before being dropped like a hot outer-space potato (or poppler) once again.
CLICK HERE to read the full Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder review by Scott Collura.
Score: 5 out of 10
Video and Presentation
Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder is presented in 1.78:1 widescreen on a dual-layered DVD9 disc. This direct-to-digital transfer is quite stunning. The presentation is vibrant and genuinely engaging to look at, inundated with crisp, solid colors that pop off the screen. There's not a spot of dust or grain on the print. Image detail and depth is rock-solid considering the animation style. The encode suffers from mild artifacting, thanks to the thick, rich palette riddled with stark reds, greens and blues, but it's not entirely distracting. This is easily one of the better 2-D DVD releases I've seen of late.
Score: 8 out of 10
Languages and Audio
Audio choices are English and Spanish Dolby Digital 5.1 with Spanish, French, Portuguese and Cantonese subtitles and English captions for the hearing impaired. Considering this is a straight-to-video release, sound design is rather excellent. This track is remarkably aggressive, loaded with wonderfully placed surround effects and vigorous LFE. My only problem: center dialogue is tuned a bit too low, often drowned out by surround effects. Dialogue also sounds a touch murky—not quite as clean as other, bigger animated films. There's much to love about this mix, and it's sure to please most fans, but it misses out on the flawless rating by a narrow margin.
Score: 8 out of 10
Extras and Packaging
This brimming single-disc release comes in an environmentally friendly fold-out cardboard sleeve. This is quite a loaded special edition, matching previous DVD releases of their DTV Futurama films. Extras include:
- Audio Commentary with creator Matt Groening, executive producer David X. Cohen, voice actors John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche, co-writers Patric Verrone and Mike Rowe, producer Lee Supercinski and director Peter Avanzino
- Storyboard Animatic: Into the Wild Green Yonder, Part 1 (22 minutes)
- Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space! Featurette (4 minutes)
- Docudramarama: How We Make Futurama So Good (5 minutes)
- Louder! Louder!: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette Featurette (2 minutes)
- Golden Stinkers: A Treasury of Deleted Scenes (3 minutes)
- How To Draw Futurama In 10 Very Difficult Steps Featurette (11 minutes)
- 3D Models with Animator Discussion (4 minutes)
- Bender's Movie Theater Etiquette (1 minute)
- Zapp Brannigan's Guide to Making Love at a Woman (3 minutes)
- Four Futurama-themed Postcards
Starting off this fully loaded special edition is a lively commentary from creator Matt Groening, executive producer David X. Cohen, voice actors John DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche, co-writers Patric Verrone and Mike Rowe, producer Lee Supercinski and director Peter Avanzino. This track provides enough insight and trivia to keep fans happy. It's never dull or dry, but it is a bit overloaded with too many guests.
Next up, there's a rather informative, engaging look at the animatic stage of production. If you're into looking at animatics and the process that goes into making them, this featurette will definitely appeal to you. If not, indulge in the disc's somewhat fluffier featurettes, starting with "Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!" It's a silly little featurette about their zero-G experience at a privately owned corporation that simulates the weightless feeling during space flight.
"Docudramarama: How We Make Futurama So Good" briefly explores the Futurama production house, while "Louder! Louder!: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette" takes a look one of the film's many voice actors.
"Golden Stinkers: A Treasury of Deleted Scenes" details five short deleted or alternate scenes rightfully cut from the final film. They include: "Dolomite Hill," "Matcluck," "Paint?!" "Morbo Solo" and "Mind Reading."
"How To Draw Futurama In 10 Very Difficult Steps" is a pretty straight-forward featurette letting fans in on the secrets of drawing their favorite characters. "3D Models with Animator Discussion" is similar to features found of previous releases. Basically, fans can take a look at 3-D pre-visuals while various members of the production team discuss how these 3-D models will translate to the final composite.
Finishing out this fascinating disc is a rather amusing PSA from Bender entitled "Bender's Movie Theater Etiquette." It's a pretty self-explanatory featurette, but well worth a look. Finally, be sure to check out the amusing PSA "Zapp Brannigan's Guide to Making Love at a Woman" which features tips on how to woo the ladies.
Four Futurama-themed postcards complete this lively set.
Score: 7 out of 10
The Bottom Line
Futurama is a cult comedy, and thusly, it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea. But, if you love it, you'll likely find much to love about this latest straight-to-video release. The DVD is quite great, boasting a solid transfer and a well designed 5.1 mix. The extras are also absorbing and enlightening. The film could have been a little more solid, but regardless, this release comes highly recommended.