Review of Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) by Scott Z — 15 Jul 2008

The first Futurama movie felt like a collection of episodes strung together, "Benders Big Score" was enjoyable for fans, but like "the family guy movie", or "the simpsons movie", it doesn't do anything the shoe didn't do, the same cannot be said for "The Beast With A Billion Backs", which while not as laugh a second as it could be(still multiple laughs per minute) is stregnthened by being one of the strongest stories that Futurama has ever ran.

My favorite Futurama episode finds Bender floating in space alone, and a tiny microscopic colony grows onto his back, and begins worshiping him as their God, in trying to help improve their lives, he ultimately destroys them all, and then encounters a large energy being in the middle of space, who for all intense and purposes is the God...who doesn't seem to know who he is or what he is doing, but knows that God can't please everyone and if his job is done right no one "should" know he exists at all.. moments like that are the reason I watched Futurama in the first place, and its the kind of thinking that produced "The Beast With A Billion Backs", which is possibly the most unique, thought provoking, and amusing love story, Ive ever seen in an animated film, or maybe ever.

It's a metaphysical love story, with interdimensional sea monsters and robotic demonic pirates, it's a story of infidelity and jealousy (not just with Fry, consider the subplot of Kif and Amy, compare Fry's first realtionship with his last, Benders final monologue, etc). Is love personal or universal, can it be shared or must it be gaurded, can any kind of perfect love exist within imperfect human conditions? Can/should God love everyone?

Because it's Futurama you don't sit down, expecting to be challanged or even moved. "Sorry Bender...Robots don't go to heaven...", but that's just how it ends up.

So no this does not feel like "The Futurama" youv'e seen a thousand times before, it's best moments are still there, but it has a sense of direction, purpose, and story structure, that's its never had before, and is damned commendable. The best adult cartoon movie since "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut", but as much for the story telling itself as the laughs.

Futuruma has gone from just parodying great sci-fi, to making it themselves, and the result is the great Cthulu love story of our generation!