Futurama’s back

The DVD is out. Get it already, or turn in your geek card.

I’ve already written about the greatness that was Futurama, so go there and read that if you don’t know what I’m blathering on about.

From the opening, this whole thing feels like a family reunion. A dysfunctional one, or course, but the writers are obviously elated to be back, and the first ten minutes play out like a love-song to the fans.

Even the intro is packed with esoteric bits of fan service:

The plot involves an intergalactic email scam (perpetuated by the Planet of Nude Beaches).

Robot pr0n, of course.

Time travel comes into it, which means the Harlem Globetrotters are back.

…which also means paradoxes. Lots of paradoxes.

The above ends up making sense, believe me.

Nibbler speaks, but nobody seems to think it odd.

Bender has to kill Fry. Repeatedly. With time travel.

It says something about the writers that they make it all (well, in Futurama terms) plausible and consistent.

So, how is it? Pretty good. Not as good as the best episodes (Fear of a Bot Planet, Roswell that Ends Well), it’s still strong by the standards the show set. It takes a bit longer than I’d like to get going, but once it does, it’s running on all cylinders.

The whole “time travel paradox” thing seems pointless at first, especially since they’ve done it before. Here, however, they take it to an almost incomprehensible level, and what’s more, there are some surprising things at the end that could only be explained that way. Several of those things are really affecting.

There is a Fry/Leela love story. It’s just that you won’t see it coming.

Oh, and of course, there’s a big space battle.

And Zapp Brannigan is there to lead it.

So, is it worth getting? If you’re a fan of the show, yes. Think of your favorite band doing a greatest-hits album with all the songs you wanted them to put on it. Then they add new material that not only lives up to their best work, but makes you examine some of it in a new light. That’s what we’ve got here.

Those who aren’t familiar with the show are probably hopeless, and it’s doubtful they’d benefit from this, anyhow. In any case, the movie does assume some familiarity with the series and its characters.

As far as extras, there’s a great commentary track, featuring just about everyone who ever worked on the series. It can be difficult telling folks apart on it, but it’s still informative. You can feel the enthusiasm the whole crew had bringing the show back. A word of warning: DO NOT listen to the commentary until you’ve watched the film, as it spoils important details about the ending in the first few minutes.

Shoot yourself if you don’t spit on the keyboard seeing this.