Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (V)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Peter Avanzino

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator) &
Matt Groening (developer) ...

Release Date:

24 June 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Planet Express crew must work to fix rips between their universe and another inhabited by a planet-sized...

Plot Keywords:

Robot | Tentacle | Alien | Actor Playing Multiple Roles | Trapdoor

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Prof. Hubert J. Farnsworth / Dr. Zoidberg / Zapp Brannigan / Richard Nixon / Leo Wong / Moon Farmer / M-5438 / Mr. Kroker / Judge Ron Whitey / Carnival Barker / Superhero / Land Squid (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / Randy Munchnick / URL / Calculon's Manservant / Funkalistics Lead Singer / Guard #1 (voice) (as John DiMaggio)
Tress MacNeille	...	Crazed Fan / Bender's First Born Son / Hattie McDoogal / Linda / The Grand Midwife / Pocket Pal / Thog / Gladys Lennox / Suicide Booth / Monique / Petunia / Mrs. Kroker / Morgan Procter (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Kif Kroker / Calculon / Morbo / Schlomo / SportsBot 5000 / Lrrr / Destructor / Horrible Gelatinous Blob / Hedonismbot / Fishy Joseph Gillman / Harold Zoid / King Kong / Guard #2 (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Horse Repair Robot / Ndulu / Robot 1-X / Billionairebot / Bolt Rollands (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong / Inez Wong (voice)
David Herman	...	Dr. Ogden Wernstrom / Plastic Surgeon Robot / British Robot / Coffee Enema Robot / Chu / Warden Vogel / Three-Eyed Zebra / Fatbot / Giant Medium-Sized Ant / Mayor C. Randall Poopenmeyer / Pazuzu (voice)
Dan Castellaneta	...	The Robot Devil (voice)
David Cross	...	Yivo (voice)
Stephen Hawking	...	Himself (voice)
Brittany Murphy	...	Colleen O'Hallahan (voice)

Also Known As:

The Beast with a Billion Backs (Australia)
The Futurama Movie 2 (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

Argentina:90 min | Greece:90 min | Spain:85 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:12 | Finland:K-7 | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:13 | Ireland:12

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The video game Fry is playing in the arcade after seeing the psychiatrist is "Normal Combat" Also seen in the arcade are games entitled "Honkey Kong", "Exlaxian", "Coin Vacuum", "Extreme Flosser", "Shovel Command", and "Ms. Marple Madness".

Goofs:

Continuity: During the first 'Deathball match', the booth window is smashed and Wernstrom gets knocked onto the court, however in the next overview shot, the window is intact and he is still stood behind it.

Quotes:

Philip J. Fry: What Bender? Is something wrong?
Bender: Yes. I joined the club I thought was cool. But it turned out all leaguee-weegies are totally lame. That's what we call ourselves. Leaguee-weegies.
Philip J. Fry: Oh I'm sorry. I shoud have asked what was bothering you. I've been kind of preoccupied.
Bender: With what?
Philip J. Fry: Well, I went to another Universe and fell in love with a giant octopus; and now I'm Pope of a new religion.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Brief History of Deathball (2008) (V)

From Parodying Good Sci-Fi To Making It Themselves!

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 Simpson's movie", it doesn't do anything the show 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 strengthened 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, I've ever seen in an animated film, or maybe ever.

It's a metaphysical love story, with inter-dimensional 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 relationship with his last, Benders final monologue, etc). Is love personal or universal, can it be shared or must it be guarded, 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 challenged 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" you've 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.

It's the Cthulu Love story of our times!