I am – Hercules!!
Untested spy “Mr. Subtlety” has seen the fourth and likely final “Futurama” straight-to-DVD movie, but he starts by reviewing the first three. If you’re interested only in “Into The Wild Green Yonder,” skip over this next section:

Good news everyone! I've had the surprising good fortune of seeing the fourth and (final?) Futurama four-episode DVD movie thingy "Into the Wild Green Yonder." (my place of employment gets our DVD deliveries slightly early sometimes!) And you know what? It's a damn fine effort and if it does mean the end of Futurama as we know it... well, it's a worthy entry to go out on. But before we get into the meat of this thing, I think I ought to address the post-network run of the series, and explain where I stand on things, since it seems that fandom is radically divided about whether there should have been more Futurama, which of the movies work as movies, as episodes, and which one represents the "real Futurama." I'll admit it. I was surprised at the negativity which has been nagging at all three movies in these talkbacks, even though critics seem to be universally supportive (negativity in talkbacks, you say?). As far as I'm concerned, each of the three DTV Futurama adventures is pretty fantastic in its own way, but each also has obvious and unmistakable flaws. Of the three preceding ones, I'd have to say that I think "Bender's Big Score" is the most successful. It has a great sci-fi concept at its heart, loathesome villians, an epic scope, plenty of laughs, and a moving and faithful treatment of the characters. Still, it had a few shortcomings. The biggest one is its massive tonal shifts between parts, which would later become episodes on TV. Halfway through, it's a musical for about 22 minutes? All the action at the end is crammed into what feels like 5 minutes, while Fry's adventures as a whale biologist stretch out over two whole episodes? As a film, it feels like the tone and action shifts abruptly and unnaturally, which is the biggest issue. Besides that, it also has a few other flaws, namely that its winks to continuity become more like shouts after awhile, and a few jokes feel a bit leaden (a rarity in Futurama writing). Because of these issues, the thing feels a little clunky and awkward, like the show had to find its sure footing again. Most people, including me, seemed to be able to look past the problems and enjoy the obvious greatness of the script and character work. But not everyone. Then came "Beast With a Billion Backs", and things got even more divided. Beast sported an even more ambitious Sci-Fi plotline, with fantastic animation and direction but and even more erratic structure and some odd character directions. While I enjoyed that Futurama was really using its newfound life to explore the fresh ground it had broken in episodes like "Godfellas" and "the Sting" (which is to say, semi-serious sci fi with the story, atmosphere, and concept every bit as important as the humor), many people seemed to find it less funny and perhaps not as true to the characters (for the record, I think it simply showcases different sides of the familiar characters, but it certainly did come out of the blue and angered fans by downplaying the continuity of the first DTV feature). The film format gave the writers room to pursue science fiction ideas quite boldly (the central concept behind "Beast" ought to make some of the great sci fi writers like Vonnegut and Heinlein appreciate its uniqueness and interesting questions!) and even experiment with tone (there are real traces of sci-fi horror in the third act). While it is true that a few later-season episodes tried this sort of thing, the epic-length feature allowed the writers to do it on a scale they had been unable to attempt before. I found it fascinating and hilarious. But not everyone was pleased, to say the least. Family Guy it wasn't; hell, it wasn't even "Less than Hero." Finally, "Benders Game" seemed to be the most popular among talkbackers, though I found it unequivocally the weakest of the series. Without question, it is the least ambitious, with a fairly funny but run-of-the-mill story giving way to a really uninspired parody of LotR. I think Futurama is far too funny and imaginative a show to resort to calling their Gondor parody "Wipe Castle" and putting a giant toilet in it, and was really disappointed that the writers used one of their last chances to deal with these characters to put them in such a cheap joke. Then again, despite the abrupt change in plot, "Bender's Game" probably is the most cohesive of the three, feeling like one long story rather than four episodes which follow each other. Moreover --other than the parody section-- it, more than any of the others, captures the laid-back feel of the majority of the series, where the characters sit around the office and watch TV, rather than going on epic mind-bending adventures.

So. That was a lot of blather about the three previous ones. But that's not what this review is about. This one's about the new Futurama, the last Futurama. How is it? Well, first off, this one may well be the best of the series. It pretty much avoids all of the pitfalls that plagued the others. Its a big, smart sci-fi with great ideas, lots of laughs, great character moments, and it all feels like it evolves organically, without jarring shifts between "episodes". But let me spill the plot first. I'll be spoiler-lite but if you don't want to know the plot, stop reading. Because I'm going to describe it. ************************** There's been some speculation based on the trailer, in which Zapp discusses a long-running conflict (that narration is NOT in the film, btw, all the more reason for you to buy a copy of "Bender's Game") that this would be a kind of battle of the sexes. Which I am thankful to say it is not. The conflict he is referring to turns out to be no less a conflict between the forces of life and death, as personified by two ancient alien species who are fighting a neverending battle to preserve or destroy all life in the universe. The life-side species, called the encyclopods, hold the key to life for all species. They have been hunted to extinction by the death-bringing species, known as the Dark Ones. But thanks to an unusual interstellar event, the encyclopods may be resurrected, along with all extinct life. The Dark ones are going to try to stop that from happening. And who is going to stop them? Who else but Fry? Leo Wong turns out to be a major villain in this one (he unknowingly is aiding the Dark Ones), and works out pretty well in that role. He hires Bender as protection against protestors, as Leela (and a group of radical eco-feminist… fun, right?) tries to stop him from destroying a life-encrusted asteroid in the name of building his cosmic mini-golf course. Also, Bender beds Don Bot's floozie, Scruffy takes to the helm of the planet express ship, Zoidberg, Fansworth, and Hermes are put in a go-go dancer cage, Fry wears a tin-foil hat and fake mustache, Amy and Kif's relationship is addressed (briefly), Zapp Brannigan appears, Spiro Agnew's body is killed, and the true purpose of the mysterious "number 9 man" who appears all over the early Futurama seasons will be revealed (though, oddly, his penchant for mu-mus embazoned with the number 9 is never addressed). What does all this have to do with Fry and the Dark Ones? It will all wrap up pretty fantastically in the end. *************************************** End plot spoilers. Now, the film does have a couple problems, the chief one being it takes to long too get to the meat of the story. While it doesn't feel like a wholly separate episode, there is a long sequence in "Mars Vegas" which is very funny but is only tangentially related to the plot. I didn't think about it while watching it, but going back, sure enough, it's about 22 minutes long. A couple key points are introduced about the main plot, but too much time is wasted considering the magnitude of what is at stake. In fact, the conflict which Fry has to resolve isn't really even introduced properly until about the 37 minute mark, way too late for the kind of slow build which should have happened here. On the other hand, looking back, you can see the elements of the plot slowly aligning right up until that point, after which things move pretty damn quickly to the big finish, which features at least a glimpse of every major Futurama character, a couple pretty solid twists and a real sweet heartbreaker of an ending which should bring a tear to the eye of many a Futurama fan as it did to mine. (As for the twists, my wife figured out the big twist about 5 minutes before it happened. It took me by surprise, though; although its not exactly out of the blue, it definitely isn't telegraphed like it was in "Bender's Big Score") The plot is fairly lean and self-contained, although you're certainly much more likely to enjoy it if you're a long-time Futurama fan. The movie wisely avoids excess nods to continuity like BBS; only major characters get much time here, so you won't be distracted with the likes of Bubblegum Slim or Hedonism bot. Futurama completists will chuckle at the mention of career chips, the deaths of the last of the Free Waterfall clan, the inclusion of Number 9 man, the mention of Fry's missing delta brain wave, etc, but they're not the kind of congratulatory winks they have been in previous DTV adventures, they just happen to be little details which fans will dig but fit snugly into the plot so that they never seem overt or out of place. The Sci- fi (which also includes some pretty strong fantasy elements) is fairly well developed, and quite well visualized (the film's animation is never quite breathtaking, and never quite achieves the kind of visual awe that Beast With a Billion Backs did, but it is still conceptually solid and imaginative). There are a couple sly references as well, most obviously to "Dune," "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock," and maybe "The Fifth Element" but undoubtedly future viewings will undoubtedly reveal more. The thing is funny, but like the first two DTV film, it's definitely a story, and one with pretty major philosophical implications, too. While it's a little less complex and imaginative than either of those two, it's a very thoughtful and well-constructed story which weaves many strands together in a surprisingly subtle way. The jokes are numerous along the way, but the story is ultimately propelling this thing, so folks who wish Futurama was more like Family Guy, it ain't happening. But enough about the references, and philosophical implications, what about the jokes? It is important, of course, that the jokes work. There were maybe one or two that fizzled, but the movie stays consistently funny all the way through. No dry spell, no falter. Funny end to end. Great lines aplenty, funny character moments, crazy shit that only Futurama would make major plot points (a significant portion of the film takes place near a giant gorilla hazard in Leo Wong's interstellar mini-golf course. Genius!). But Futuama is about so much more than that, and this movie seems to know it. The cartoon always wore its heart on its sleeve, and here it remembers to hit all the right emotional notes while still being funny. When the end comes, we're laughing, but it's bittersweet. And what's more, it feels earned. Maybe it's because we already have so much history with the characters, but their final (?) farewell is sweet and funny and smart. It feels kind of akin in spirit to the last episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation" where the crew we've spent years getting to know is retired, to an uncertain fate, perhaps, but also to a new chapter of their lives. It's less arty than "the Sopranos", but bolder than "Star Gate:Atlantis". It is perhaps the perfect ending for the series, even more so than "The Devil's Hands..." since it addressed the way the universe of Futurama –and the characters-- have subtly changed in the five years since then. All major characters contribute, but the focus is wisely on the big three, Fry, Leela and Bender. Interestingly, they spend large portions of the episode apart, but the movie uses the long history we now have with them to fill gaps. We don't need to be hit over the head with Leela and Fry at this point; it's hanging there constantly with both characters, even when it's not being directly addressed. So the characters develop along their own story arcs until they finally dovetail into each other and all that history pays off. And in the end, it's clear that nothing will ever be quite the same. What will the next chapter be like for our heroes? We may never know. But the genius of Futurama is that it makes us WANT to know. It never fails to be creative or funny, but its heart is a very human one, and it lies with the sensitive, surprisingly complex characters who make their last bow here. Unless they make more. As you can probably guess, I'm a big fan. The combination of genuine sci-fi love, plottiness, wacky humor, smart humor, and real earnest sweetness makes Futurama one of the most ambitious shows ever conceived, (says I,) and its success should be a testament to the deft talent that was able to make that tricky combination work organically and symbiotically. And I doubt anyone has any illusions that it wasn't also the thing that damned the show to this sort of life support. But I, for one, am forever grateful that this unique and special show got a chance to return for one last hurrah. If this is the way they go out on, I'll consider it worthy tribute to another classic sci fi show far too great to be appreciated in its own time. So buy the friggin' DVD already, and maybe we've got a shot at eking out a few more seasons! Cheers, Mr. Subtlety. PS: By the way, for those wondering about Seth MacFarlane being listed as a guest star, watching the film isn't going to clear anything up for you. I listened for him while watching, without hearing him in there at all. Checking IMDB, I discovered he's the guy who sings a weird song about Mars Vegas at the beginning. But there's not really any purpose to the song (it serves the same role as the Yellow Submarine or Steam Boat Willie bits at the beginning of the other ones) and there's definitely no reason for MacFarlane to the one singing it (not that he does a bad job, it's just that it's the same job anyone who could decently impersonate Dean Martin would do). I can only interpret it as a peace offering and a sign to fans that there's room in their hearts for both series, and, hell, why not. The Family Guy/South Park feud is much more fun anyway.

“Futurama: Into The Wild Green Yonder” hits store shelves Tuesday.

Kirk!! Spock!! Blu-ray!!