By Dan Phelps
Futurama. I know i'm making a bold statement when I say it’s
better than The Simpsons and Family Guy combined.
Yet FOX, in its infinite wisdom, decides to pursue shows like American
Idol, So You Think You Can Dance, and The Simple Life
instead. It took a ridiculously amazing amount of DVD sales to get FOX to reconsider
putting Family Guy back the air. But Futurama
would never have the same chance, because only a handful of people knew it even
existed. The powers that be at FOX never gave this gem – this beautifully
hysterical show – it’s due. They constantly preempted it for football
and didn’t advertise it at all. Futurama only survived
five short seasons. But in all those episodes, viewers and fans alike experience
some of the greatest animated comedy to ever hit the airwaves. Now, plucked
from those branches of sitcom comedy, comes this DVD: The Futurama Monster
Maniac Fun Collection. It’s a set of four favorite episodes picked
by the creators and writers.
THE SHOW
Futurama chronicles the story of Philip J. Fry, a loser pizza
delivery boy who ended up getting trapped in a cryogenic chamber on New Year’s
Eve 1999. He woke up a thousand years later, in New New York City. He found
refuge with his only remaining relative, Professor Farnsworth, the owner of
a delivery company. And of course working there are a bunch of bumbling dolts
– a cycloptic pilot named Leela, and a lewd drunken robot, Bender. Then
of course we’ve got the Jamaican businessman Hermes, the useless Amy Wong,
and Dr. Zoidberg, a poor lobster whom simply can’t catch a break. It’s
a fantastic show with amazing voice backing and writing. Like I said…I
personally think it's better than The Simpsons and Family
Guy combined.
THE EPISODES
The four episodes included aren’t all what I would have picked for a special
collection, but they get the job done here. Of course, creators and writers
have a different attachment to episodes than I do as a viewer. The Emmy winning
episode “Roswell That Ends Well” is included on the set…as
well it should be – it’s easily one of the best episodes of the
series. The other three are pretty good: “Hell Is Other Robots,”
“Anthology Of Interest Part I” and “The Sting.” The
later is one of the more touching episodes of the series, but I would have gone
the “The Luck Of The Fryrish” or “Jurassic Bark” route
instead. In the end, it’s decent collection of episodes, but it doesn’t
come close to representing what Futurama was capable of as a show.
AUDIO AND VISUALS
Futurama was always a good-looking show. With the inclusion
of some absolutely fantastic CGI shots combined with the regular animations,
it makes for some great eye candy. The show itself is presented in the usual
Full Screen aspect ratio (1.33:1). The sound is great in its Dolby Digital 2.0
set, and works well with a surround system. English, Spanish, and French audio
tracks are available, but only the first two are subtitled.
PACKAGING AND LAYOUT
While the full season sets of Futurama were very well put together,
this single disc comes packaged in the usual hardcover DVD case. The cover art
is good and contains imagery from the four different episodes on the disc. Within
the DVD itself, the menus are easily navigated, and very lively. I’d like
to bring special attention to the music on the main menu, as it is pretty funny.
One little nit-picky thing is that, by default, the selector on the menus highlights
the special intros for each episode first, instead of the normal play. What
would have been better is if they made the new introductions automatically part
of the episode – Just could have been simpler that way.
THE EXTRAS
There aren’t a lot of extras included, but what’s here is nice to
have. Here’s a short rundown:
• Special Introduction by Creators, Producers, Cast & Crew: A nice
introduction to the disc by everyone we’ve come to love from the commentaries
on the full season sets. It’s a short outline of the episodes and why
they put this disc together.
• Introductions For Each Episode: Short intros played over the opening
credits outlining the show and the creator and producers’ feelings.
• Full Length Animatic of “Hell Is Other Robots”: This also
features a commentary. It’s a nifty thing to watch, but I find Animatics
rather dull. For those that don’t know, Animatics are unanimated frames
shown in order, sometimes read with the script. Give this is watch if you’ve
got the time.
THE FUTURE
Since this disc represents Matt Groening and the other producers’ all
time favorite episodes, I’m not sure if other little collections like
this will continue to come out. For fans of the show that don’t feel the
need for the full season sets, releases like this are welcome. While my favorite
episodes don’t coincide with the show’s creators’, I think
it’s just nice to have an offering from them. It’s too bad FOX isn’t
smart enough to bring this show back – maybe in the future though. So,
if you like Futurama and want a chance to have four good episodes
for your viewing pleasure, then go ahead and pick this up when you get a chance.
Episodes Score: B
Audio and Visuals Score: A
Packaging and Layout Score: A
Special Features Score: C
Overall DVD Score: B
