Futurama: Bender's Game (2008) (V)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Dwayne Carey-Hill

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator)
Matt Groening (developer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 November 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The Planet Express crew get trapped in a fantasy world. |

Plot Keywords:

Monkey | Surrealism | Crystal | Club | Soul Transference

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Frydo / Professor Hubert Farnsworth / The Great Wizard Greyfarn / Dr. Zoidberg / Monster Zoidberg / Farmer / Dwarf / Smitty / Treedledum / Additional Voices (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela / Leegola (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / Titanius Anglesmith / Igner / Ignus / Sal / Hood Ornament Thief / Hermaphrobot / Frydo's Reflection #1 / URL / Bellboy Robot / Additional Voices (voice) (as John DiMaggio)
Tress MacNeille	...	Mom / Momon / Turanga Munda / Nurse Ratchet / Linda / Slurm Queen / Ship's Computer / Natalie Maines / Intercom Robot / Rosie the Robot Maid / Swamp Hag / Centaurette / Additional Voices (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Walt / Waltazar / The Scary Door Narrator / Dr. Perceptron / Morbo / Calculon / Mad Hatter Robot / Vending Machine Robot / Killbots / Morcs / Centaur / Additional Voices (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Hermaphrodite / Dwight Conrad / Pay 'n' Chew Robot / Nibblonian #1 / Slave Robot / Peaches / Additional Voices (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong / Gynecaladriel / Chinese Boy / Additional Voices (voice)
David Herman	...	Larry / Larius / Turanga Morris / Scruffy / Dr. Ogden Wernstrom / Roberto / Nibblonian #2 / Cook / Redneck / Military Man / Frydo's Reflection #2 / Additional Voices (voice)
Kath Soucie	...	Cubert Farnsworth / Indian Boy / Additional Voices (voice)
Frank Welker	...	Nibbler / Trolls / Tyrannosaurus Rex / Monkey / Polar Bear / Rat / Chickens / Tunneling Horror / Additional Voices (voice)
E. Gary Gygax	...	Himself (voice) (archive footage) (as Gary Gygax)
Rich Little	...	Himself (voice)
George Takei	...	Himself (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Paul D. Calder	...	The Die of Power (voice) (uncredited)
David X. Cohen	...	The Die of Power (voice) (uncredited)
Danik Thomas	...	The Die of Power (voice) (uncredited)

Directed by
Dwayne Carey-Hill

Writing credits
Matt Groening		(creator)
Matt Groening		(developer) &
David X. Cohen		(developer)
Eric Horsted		(teleplay) (parts 1 & 2)
Michael Rowe		(teleplay) (part 3) &
Eric Kaplan		(teleplay) (part 3)
David X. Cohen		(teleplay) (part 4) &
Patric Verrone		(teleplay) (part 4) (as Patric M. Verrone)
Eric Horsted		(story) &
David X. Cohen		(story)

Produced by
David X. Cohen	....	executive producer
Matt Groening	....	executive producer
Eric Horsted	....	co-executive producer
Eric Kaplan	....	co-executive producer
Claudia Katz	....	producer
Rich Moore	....	animation executive producer
Michael Rowe	....	co-executive producer
Lee Supercinski	....	producer
Gregg Vanzo	....	animation executive producer
Patric Verrone	....	co-executive producer (as Patric M. Verrone)

Original Music by
Christopher Tyng

Film Editing by
Paul D. Calder

Casting by
Scott Muller

Art Department
Stephen Sandoval	....	storyboard artist

Sound Department
Travis Powers	....	sound designer
Carlos Sotolongo	....	adr mixer
Carlos Sotolongo	....	original dialogue mixer

Visual Effects by
Mark Orme	....	3D generalist
Jason Plapp	....	digital camera and composite
Chris Stover	....	3D animator
Scott Vanzo	....	director of computer graphics

Animation Department
David D. Au	....	character layout artist
Edmund Fong	....	story artist
Megan Kelly	....	character layout artist
Brian LoSchiavo	....	character layout artist
Jeff Mertz	....	background artist
Robert P. Moore	....	character layout artist
Vladi Rubizhevsky	....	background artist
T.C. Starnes Jr.	....	background layout artist

Editorial Department
Chad Woods	....	color key

Music Department
Scott Schirle	....	music editor

Other crew
Michael Saikin	....	production assistant
Ben Sigman	....	systems administrator
Cindy Azada Whitman	....	design coordinator

Thanks
E. Gary Gygax	....	in memory of (as Gary Gygax)

Production Companies

• 20th Century Fox Television
• Curiosity Company, The

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Comedy Central (2008) (USA) (TV)
• FS Film Oy (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Gativideo (2009) (Argentina) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Rough Draft Korea (animation)
• Rough Draft Studios (animation)

Other Companies

• Before Noon Post-Production  post-production facility
• L.A. Studios, The  recording studio
• Travis Powers Sound Design  sound design

Also Known As:

Bender's Game (Australia)
The Futurama Movie 3 (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

UK:12 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:NC-16 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Nova Scotia) | Argentina:13 | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:12 | South Africa:13L | New Zealand:PG

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

In the group therapy scene at the robot asylum, when Roberto is talking about his childhood (and how he was designed to be an insane robot), there's a rounded radio-like device to his left. The radio is a minor tribute to Valve's Portal game, in which an insane robot is the main antagonist - the rounded radio features at several points in the game.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: In Bender's Game, dark matter is all done in the form of round pellets, and all of it is mined from Alaska (Mombil has a monopoly on it). In a previous episode _"Futurama" The Birdbot of Ice-Catraz (2001)_, there is liquid dark matter from Columbia. However, all the dark matter is in the form of round pellets (considering where it came from), so it would make a lot of sense if Columbia was the place the dark matter pellets went to be liquefied, not where it was mined.

Quotes:

The Scary Door Narrator: [Voice over] In the end, it was not guns or bombs that defeated the aliens but the humblest of all God's creatures, the Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Movie Connections:

References The War of the Worlds (1953)

Soundtrack:

Chewy Chewy

Another step down for the Futurama movies.

Let me put it this way, this movie was to "Billion backs" as "Billion backs" was to "Big score." The first movie was great, the second was just OK, and this one is actually kind of bad.

I hate to speak ill of anything Futurama, but fans should keep their expectations in check. The writing here is different...it's not the same style...the jokes feel lazy. Even the personalities aren't written in full force, you keep feeling like everybody is half-asleep or something.

lastly, the plot (or rather, "plot") is the worst by far. What had the potential to be a great economical satire (and failing that, even a jab at D&D and Lord of the Rings), completely lacks any focus or high level of comedic insight. As Futurama fans, we've come to expect an interesting story even if the comedy fails, but this may be the first time the story itself was so poorly implemented.

So what do we have left? Well, it's still the characters and settings we know and love already. Admittedly, the off-handed comments by the characters are still quite funny, and a handful of their social commentaries do hit the mark, as do a small number of the "regular" jokes.

Anyway, If you're a Futurama fan, you really owe it to yourself to keep up with these movies. At best, perhaps this is just a change in style that will take multiple viewings to appreciate. Nevertheless, I just want to say this: "We're Futurama fans; we expected better."