MovieChat Forums > Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007) Discussion > Why is this so far from the top notch qu...

Why is this so far from the top notch quality of previous Futurama?

posted 15 years ago by rychyrd
23 replies | jump to latest

I have been watching Futurama reruns lately on the Comedy channel, and it reminds of how awesome Futurama was. I just watched "Bender's Big Score" and I am wondering what was missing? There are lines of dialogue that are simply stupid, the episode lacks coninuity (I know it involves time travel, but that does not totally excuse the jumbled mess that I just watched.) It felt to me like a lot of shows when the best writer or writers leave, and the show tries to make up for it by putting in more sex/violence/toilet humor. Is that what happened?

I thought they really rubbed the "Fox Executives killed and ground into pink powder" thing into the ground. I can understand their sentiment, and how they thought that would appeal to the fans who were angry about the original show's cancellation, but I thought it went too far and wasted time that the original show would have used for stuff that was actually clever or funny.

It seems like it just went right into the toilet, from Hermes' head getting chopped off, to the Professor's "glorious Satan" line, to Fry's dog getting burnt to a crisp? I dunno, it just seemed like an all around inferior product.
I was really looking forward to "Bender's Game" which premieres tonight, but frankly, it seems more likely that it will be of the caliber of "Bender's Big Score" than the utterly fantastic show Futurama used to be. I hope I'm wrong.

Does anyone know what had changed? I am expecting the answer "different writers."

[–] MickyBurger 15 years ago

A bit but I don't think it's so bad.

I'm P.A.D! Dyslexic and proud!

[–] nipsu1 15 years ago

First I will say that I liked all 4 maovies to a varying degree.
All writers were present,Verrone Keeler,Cohen and Groening many writing award nominations amd awards won.
I think they sat down and,with the uncertaibity of their network status in the forefrony,decided to tell a mature story that offered an alternate timeline that finally allows Fry to grow up have mature ideals and to show that a relationship between Fry and Leela was possible.
With the 30 minute episodes of the show it became too formulaic.Fry does something stupid the professor calls him stupid and Leela has to save them somehow

If the people who love Futurama cannot accept what it has become.
Too bad

This is who we are.

[–] K_Sear 15 years ago

I just finished watching it and was really disappointed. It seemed to me that the writers had just lost touch with the characters and show after too long of a break. The completely disconnected nature of everything was very aggravating (the whole Santa Claus/Neptune/gold Deathstars section was completely ludicrous), showing they just didn't know what to do from one moment to the next.

[–] nipsu1 15 years ago

Considering that the writers have been writing comic books during the break between animation assignments,I do not think they have lost touch wjth anything.
Don't like this movie,good,most people do.

Forgot about the comic books,haven't you?

This is who we are.

[–] K_Sear 15 years ago

Well, that's even more pathetic then. Now they have no excuse to fall back on for their failure.

[–] done_holding_back 13 years ago

I disagree. I didn't watch Futurama when it was first on, I just couldn't get into it. I've been watching it now on Netflix and watched the entire first run in just a few weeks, followed by this movie. I was surprised at how seamless it was. The characters, writing, and style of humor all seemed to be perfectly consistent with the series. Not only that, but I was impressed with their ability to make a feature length story that didn't feel stretched thin, or like they were trying too hard to fit everything in. I was really pleasantly surprised.

[–] dterminal5 15 years ago

Well, from what I'm getting, you're watching these movies via Comedy Central, which means its broken up by commercials and thus throws off some of the timing and pacing and I feel it definitely works better on the DVD as one whole continuous piece.

Just my two cents.

[–] Calick 15 years ago

I agree with the OP and K Sear. I was very disappointed, too. Seems that everything created by Matt Groening is losing control. The Simpsons became stupid long ago, and now Futurama (despite not as stupid as the current Simpsons episodes).

The movies have bad dialogues (this is the biggest pain I feel), and they lack of continuity between subplots (and no, I haven't watched them by Comedy Central, I actually rented the DVDs).

[–] possible_psychotic 15 years ago

I agree. Loved the series (some seasons more so than others) but the movies were just... Boring.

"Christ kid, you're a weirdo!"

[–] keyvenx 15 years ago

I'd agree that liking a movie is subjective, but there's obviously something wrong when there are people who loves Futurama, yet could not help but feel this movie just plain sucks.

I am one of them. We all like Futurama for differing reasons, but when I finally watched my favorite animated series as a movie for the first time, it was simply... bland and annoying.

I was definitely not looking to hate it - it just gave me no reasons to like it, even though I was trying my darnest to. It's not just bad... it's downright disappointing, and I really cannot help but feel those who like it never did understand the core of the series.

[–] alanluck 14 years ago

I think the main problem people have with this movie is that it throws some of the best established continuity out the window, with Fry 2 going back to the past. I both like and dislike that, being a big time travel buff.

Jurassic Bark has been changed, but I see it in a different way than most others seem to. Sure, Fry is there now, but he spends most of his time with Leelu, while occasionally patting Seymour on the head, which is very inconsistent and a slap in the face to their relationship shown in the ep. Hell, Fry didn't even bother to see if Seymour survived the rocket blast!

Fryrish is definitely changed though, as there are references to Fry spending time with them, his nephew knows that he went looking for Leelu, so I think in the "new timeline" it becomes a story of a family bonding, instead of a family realizing they love Fry because he's not there.

[–] solmaquina 14 years ago

There are absolutely no continuity problems with this movie.

It establishes a new timeline with time-travel, that's it. All of the time-travel stuff holds up.

The humour is weak but in my opinion, the plot is strong enough to make up for it.

Really? Worst film you ever saw? Well, my next one will be better. Hello? Hello?

[–] keyvenx 14 years ago

<i>There are absolutely no continuity problems with this movie. </i>

I agree... the continuity problems, if any, would have been the least of its worries.

It's timing of the jokes were off and the antagonists were irritating (in a non-entertaining, non-comical way).

That said, the storyline was not bad... it was just the execution that was terrible.

[–] dannygrexquinn 14 years ago

The simple problem is the writers got their heads jammed up their asses and decided to pay homage to the show by shoe-horning in characters who didn't need to be there: Heremes' family, Barbados Slim, the Harlem Globetrotters, Santa Claus, Yantzee Fry, the Nibblonians, Al Gore's head, the Robot Mafia. It's as if the writers were Futurama fanboys who wanted to show how much they knew about the show. We know you know everything about the show! You created it you dumbasses!

"I'm a firm believer in the philosophy of a ruling class, especially since I rule."

[–] Alexander_scout 14 years ago

The series was the best overall but I must say that the movies are also very good and entertaining.
If I were to put them in order they would be:

Bender's Game - This I think, after watching it to the end, this is better even than most episodes in the series.

Into the Wild Green Yonder - Very Entertaining.

Bender's Big Score - A very amusing beginning and an excellent ending, it does exagerate though from time to time, like some episodes used to. It's not unusual even from the same writers but I suppose this is not for everyone.

The Beast with a Billion Backs - A Great Plot but slightly less entertaining than the rest.

[–] lewiskendell 14 years ago

I think the writers needed a bit of a test run in order to get back into the Futurama groove. They've been writing Futurma comics in the past few years, but there's a big difference in writing comics and writing television/movie scripts. It's a completely different process.

Bender's Big Score was the only Futurama story I've ever seen where I was struggling to keep my interest. I thought the other three movies were much better (though still not quite as good as the best episodes of the original series), so I think it really was just a matter of getting rid of the cobwebs. Even the voice actors sounded off in places. And don't even get me started on how terrible those songs were.

[–] keyvenx 13 years ago

Bender's Big Score was the only Futurama story I've ever seen where I was struggling to keep my interest. I thought the other three movies were much better (though still not quite as good as the best episodes of the original series), so I think it really was just a matter of getting rid of the cobwebs. Even the voice actors sounded off in places. And don't even get me started on how terrible those songs were.

This.

I was excited about finally getting the first Futurama movie and me and my gf had everything prepared just right so we could indulge in our favorite series, but we were damn bored by halfway through the movie.

No, it wasn't over-expectations or anything... it was simply the lack of quality writing. In fact, the plot had a ton of potential, but even that could not hide how terrible the movie in its entirety was.

And, the songs were horrifying.

[–] 13 years ago

[deleted]

[–] crash20015 13 years ago

I don't know about you guys, but I've always found Futurama too be consistently mediocre right from the very beginning. The jokes, execution were very reminiscent of The Simpsons a midst its downward spiral and it was very much like the writers transferred the foundation of that and put it into a new venue.

I mean, not to take away from decently executed plot-lines, gags, dialog, or situations because it is a genuine show that at least puts an effort into its plots, and its conclusion of situations, character background, & overall continuing story-line development but for me it's like Matt Groening and his writing stuff struggles with the aspect of execution... mostly in their jokes.

This Straight-to-video, feature-length episode was really no exception. Much like The Simpson's movie it failed from differentiating itself of being anything more than a extra-long, drawn-out Futurama episode. Wearing the plot-thin, with no real strong foundation of story line for something that would do much better within a more compact, time-frame (says this guy, anyway)

Overall.. it was an alright watch. Enjoyed it.. definitely something I wouldn't go out and buy (or rent) though.

[–] directorscut 12 years ago

You people are idiots. This stands up with the best of FUTURAMA episodes like THE STING, ROSWELL THAT ENDS WELL, JURASSIC BARK and TIME KEEPS ON SLIPPING with a wonderfully smart and intricately woven story that all pulls together in a moving climax.

Yes, it handles certain things differently from the show did but that's because it's a FEATURE-LENGTH MOVIE and not a normal 23 minute show, meatbags.

And it is miles ahead of the worst episodes like A PHAROH TO REMEMBER.

So sezeth I, so sezeth the world.