Review of Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) by Jeremy C — 07 Sep 2009

"Bender's Big Score" was absolutely brilliant and stands among the best episodes of the series, and there was a lot of anticipation towards this second DVD Futurama movie, "The Beast with a Billion Backs.

" It picks up right after the events of the previous movie and spins a tale that is easily the strangest and most preposterous of all the Futurama stories, which is saying quite a lot. It starts off a bit slow and pointless, but the plot picks up speed and cracks a lot of memorable jokes and one-liners.

I also dug the references to "Invasion of the Body-Snatchers" and "Pirates of the Caribbean." Many beloved characters show up, but a few feel underused or downright forgotten amongst the insanely absurd storyline.

Fry, in particular, is criminally underused and remains most of the story in the background (which is unacceptable, since he's the best character in the series). Yet despite the wonderfully creepy and amusing plot, "Beast with a Billion Backs" lacks the emotional punch and amazing verbal wit of "Bender's Big Score," thus leading to a anticlimactic and surprisingly unsatisfying ending.

There are also a few instances that make no sense whatsoever. Usually, this is ok because the show has a great sense of humor and lunacy, but the instances I am talking about contradict events that happen earlier in the movie, and no character seems to notice or care that everything has changed.

At one point in the beginning, Fry shows up with a new girlfriend, and this makes no real sense because the movie takes place immediately after "Bender's Big Score." The romantic developments between Fry and Leela are completely abandoned (which really sucks).

And I found it frustratingly odd that later on, Fry makes such a foolish and nonsensically motivated decision. Also, a global plan fails, but no one seems to care, and they even blindly accept the failure (which, again, makes no goddamn sense).

It is a shame that the writers could not create a worthy follow-up, as "Beast with a Billion Backs" is more frustrating than compelling.