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Movie:		9.0
Picture:		9.0
Sound:		10.0
Extras:		6.0
Score:		9.0

Director(s):	Peter Avanzino
Writer(s):	Michael Rowe, Ken Keeler, David X. Cohen
Starring:	Billy West • John DiMaggio • Katey Sagal • Lauren Tom • Maurice LaMarche • Penn Jillette • Phil LaMarr • Seth MacFarlane • Snoop Dogg • Tress MacNeille
Genre:	Animation • Comedy • Sci-Fi • Television
Release Date:	February 24, 2009

List Price:	DVD - $18.99 ; Blu-ray - $27.99
Amazon:

Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder brings the Futurama series back from the lesser performances of the second and third direct to DVD releases. When I slid the Blu-ray into my PS3 about five different thoughts flitted through my head: please be great, please be really great, please be great, please be funny, please be great. I wasn't being all that creative at the time as my mind's obsession with a suitable ending(?) to the Futurama series had been plaguing my thoughts since the third Futurama movie failed to impress. Bender's Game took stale jokes and put them into the Futurama universe. I recognized the necessity to pay lip service to a genre of nerdery that had been neglected thus far in the Futurama movies - but it had gone too far on too little material. Into the Wild Green Yonder makes no such mistake.

The first ten minutes alone offer multiple laugh-out-loud opportunities and set the tone for the rest of the movie. Into the Wild Green Yonder is the first of the Futurama movies to feel like a coherent movie since Bender's Big Score. Into the Wild Green Yonder might not feature the recursive time traveling that created such a fantastic plot for Bender's Big Score, but it takes the plot to a much more epic level. In Bender's Big Score Fry was the center of attention - which is fair, I mean, he is the de facto protagonist of the series. What made Bender's Big Score great was everyone else having a plot as well. The Beast with a Billion Backs also had the Planet Express crew running about each with their own separate agendas. For Bender's Game everyone was shoved back into a small container and made to sit the entire game through within a foot of each other. That's okay, but when the jokes were already so weak having fewer plotlines only makes it that much more obvious.

Into the Wild Green Yonder stretches the cast to new limits. Each of the main three characters goes off on their own tangent only to have it tie back brilliantly in with the rest. Fry, whose collision with angry feminists leaves him a mind reader, discovers a new benefit of having no brain delta wave (the first benefit being immune to the giant brains). With the rest of the world's thoughts at his mercy he tries to ply his ability in new ways only to end up the last hope of the universe. Leela, sick and tired of the gender bias that arose quite suddenly for this 4^th installment, joins an eco-feminist group to prevent Amy's father from destroying a solar system that promises to be a cradle for new life in favor of a gigantic miniature golf course. Then we have Bender, the lovable rascal who, like in Bender's Big Score, seems to be playing every side of the field. What his purpose is matters less than his typically spewed stream of self-aggrandizing and hilarious catchphrases. Bender has some classic moments that just don't stop being funny.

The most interesting part about Into the Wild Green Yonder is the mindset that goes behind it: this may be the last Futurama feature of any kind. For this reason, obscure subplots suddenly burst onto the stage in full glory. Who is the man with the 9 on his shirt? How many generations of the Waterfall family are out there? And much, much more. As much as they might have stacked the plotline with solid references to the early seasons and past few films - it never once feels bloated. Into the Wild Green Yonder finishes at a rather brisk 89 minutes and yet it's fulfilling. I think it has a lot to do with packing the final movie with more comedy than the two that preceded it and a plot worthy of the rich Futurama-verse.

The animation is as sharp, vibrant and rich as ever and the voice acting is top notch. Once again Peter Avanzino directs and Billy West, Katey Sagal, John Di Maggio, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Phil LaMarr, Lauren Tom and David Herman all resume their typical roles and one thing that's for sure is they've all gotten back into the groove. My biggest gripe in re-watching Bender's Big Score is that you can tell just by listening that the cast has somehow forgotten the roles. As the DVD movies continued they've fallen back into the groove. Into the Wild Green Yonder has the best Fry yelps, Bender gibberish catchphrases and Leela condescension of all the Futurama movies. Billy West's take on Zapp Brannigan also got notable improvement in this movie and delivers what may be the funniest line ever. There's a noticeable tailoring back on guest voices from the last few features and the only three of note are Snoop Dogg, Seth MacFarlane (who sings a stellar opening theme) and Penn Jillette (as his own disembodied head).

The writing for Into the Wild Green Yonder by Ken Keeler and David X. Cohen was near top-notch for the series (with only a slight decrease in the brainier gags) and the running gags have the right amount of pay-off. Beginning as many words with "fem-" or "man-" seems like a tired way to get laughs, but when you combine it as masterfully as "mandozing a beautiful gynodesert" you deserve writing accolades.

Blu-ray Bonus Features

So besides the typical selection of subtitles, you have the option for an audio commentary track and an audio AND video commentary feature. Offering a video commentary was an odd choice as Matt Groening, David X. Cohen, John Di Maggio, Maurice LaMarche, Patric M. Verrone, Michael Rowe, Lee Supercinski and Peter Avanzino aren't the most animated of crowds. They've always made for interesting audio commentary - that's always been a treat - but Matt Groening looks almost bored for the entire experience. But that could just be Matt Groening's typical expression. After that we have a storyboard animatic and selection of deleted scenes - interesting for diehard fans but no one else.  The Blu-ray disc also features what many Futurama fans will recognize as a staple of the Futurama movie DVDs: 3D models - where they show off all the various 3D objects used to make the film. Really cool eye candy to be had there.

Featurettes:

"Docudramarama", "Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!", "Louder, Louder!" and "How to Draw Futurama in 10 Very Difficult Steps" make up the featurette selection and offer a few interesting tidbits for the Futurama fan. "Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!" follows the two Futurama masterminds as they buy tickets on a parabolic flight to experience near zero-gravity. "Louder, Louder!" shows a little bit of the studio time spent with Penn Jillette as he recorded his piece for the final Futurama movie. The other two featurettes are very typical Futurama extras fare.

Finally we have two little clip shows of Bender offering movie theater etiquette tips and, what may be the funniest title for an extra ever: "Zapp Brannigan's Guide to Making Love at a Woman". That's right - at a woman. That man is incredible.

For non-Futurama fans - this isn't the place to start. Go buy the seasons on DVD and work your way to this point. Once you do you'll understand why the uncertain ending is so maddening. For the fans, if you haven't already bought this do so. I know you may have felt burned by one of the last two movies - but this will repair your faith. It will. Into the Wild Green Yonder is either a terrifically maddening end to the series or a glorious launching pad for a TV series revival. We can hope for the latter, but be satisfied with the former. Go buy it.