Futurama: Volume One [DVD]

Campy and hilarious cartoon by Matt Groening, creator of The Simpsons. Futurama makes fun of politics, other movies, people, TV, advertising, social concerns, environmental issues, religion, se$x, and everything both touchable and untouchable.The combination of in-your-face one-liners and tongue-in-cheek humor is as good as it gets for an evening of enjoyable escapism. The entire premise of the show is that Philip J. Fry, a pizza delivery boy, was accidentally frozen back in 1999 and reawakened in the year 3000. He goes to work for his great nephew, Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth, who's 150 years old and senile.Katey Sagal was the perfect choice for the voice of Leela, a feisty spaceship captain with one eye and a purple ponytail. Wherever she goes, Leela really kicks hinder. Bender is a foul-mouthed girder-bending robot who becomes Fry's friend, and who must drink alcohol to charge his batteries. There Hermes the Jamaican accountant, Amy the intern, and Dr. Zoidberg, the giant lobster physician. (he also eats everything in sight)Because it's a space cartoon, the creators are not bound to any kind of realism, which is good. Some of the creatures and situations in the series really showcase the sick and twisted minds behind the show, freeing Groening from the restrictions of The Simpsons and allowing his darker side to soar. Nothing is too sacred to take advantage of in this comical and entertaining series. Also, watch for the quips at the bottom of the screen during the opening credits, very similar to Bart writing on the chalkboard during the opening theme of The Simpsons.Volume One is the first season of this show, and although still hilarious, you can see the growing pains as episode by episode the characters develop more fleshy personalities and the show settles into its campy niche. What I didn't like about the DVD set (other than being only three discs) was the fact that there was no "Play All" option available. You have to start each episode individually. On the plus side, each episode has an audio commentary available, subtitles, and a few other extras like deleted scenes and gallery options.Here is a quick rundown of what's in Volume One:Disc One:Space Pilot 3000: Pilot for the show. Notice the first thing Bender ever says is "Bite my shiny metal a$$", a line that became a constant in his vocabulary. Special guest, Leonard Nimoy. Introduces Leela and Prof. Farnsworth.The Series Has Landed: Introduces Hermes, Amy, and Dr. Zoidberg. The crew visits an amusement park on the moon.I, Roommate: Fry needs to find a place to stay other than the lab, so he and Bender decide to be roommates. They need to find a place that they can both be comfortable. Bender refers to his antenna as "little Bender".Love's Labors Lost In Space: Introduces Captain Zap Brannigan and his sidekick Kif. Absolutely hilarious character whose Captain's tunic is way, way, waaaaaay too short and who is a pompous idiot. After accidentally sleeping with Zap, Leela goes down to a disintegrating planet and finds her new pet Nibbler.Disc Two:Fear Of A Bot Planet: Don't even ask about Bender's butter dispenser at the ballgame. Fry and Leela have to go down to a Robot Planet to bring Bender back, but the robots kill humans.A Fishful of Dollars: Fry discovers he's rich on 1000 years of interest from his 93 cent bank balance, and buys the last can of anchovies. This episode introduces Mom, the world's most huggable industrialist. When Mom steps out of her "fat suit", she's a bony old woman in a tight purple bodysuit who chainsmokes.My Three Suns: Bender becomes a chef, the crew visits a planet where you can buy anything (note the Crack Dispenser Machine), and Fry delivers a package to a desert planet and then drinks their water-being emperor.A Big Piece Of Garbage: Prof Farnsworth invents the smell-o-scope and detects a pile of garbage heading for earth. This episode takes huge potshots at the movies Armageddon and Deep Impact.Hell Is Other Robots: Hysterical episode, Bender calls Fry and Leela "organ sacks" and goes out to "Drink until he reboots". He then starts "jacking on" by plugging into electricity, turns to religion to cure him, and winds out in Robot Hell where he and the crew perform a lively musical. Beastie Boys do a guest spot.Disc Three:A Flight To Remember: Makes fun of Titanic, and brings back Zap Brannigan as the Captain of the luxury ship. Zap decides to "take a route with chest air" and wrecks the ship.Mars University: Takes a heavy dig at Animal House. Fry goes back to college and Bender shows his old frat house how to party.When Aliens Attack: Zap Brannigan again! This time he has everyone dressing up in his short-short uniform. Aliens come to Earth in order to view the last episode of a long lost sitcom. At the beginning, when they are relaxing at the beach, Dr. Zoidberg "goes for a scuttle". I don't know why, but that just cracks me up.Fry And The Slurm Factory: Digs at Willy Wonka and Spuds MacKenzie. Fry wins a trip to the factory that makes his favorite soft drink, Slurm, where the crew discover the disgusting source of Slurm. Fry still can't stop drinking it though.Futurama is a warped cartoon for people with a warped sense of humor. It's silly comedy with a naughty edge to it, so if that is your cup of tea you will probably like it as much as I do. Enjoy!

and that's not hyperbole.I think that many casual viewers do not understand how DELIBERATE this series is. For instance, you know how if you take Homer Simpson from Season One of The Simpsons and compare him to the current season, you will note a radical change? There are T-shirts which mark this "evolution" of Homer (maybe even with Groening's approval). Many animated series suffer this inconsistency . . . and improvements arrive with better budgets. BUT, you do not see this in Futurama . . . the production is thoroughly consistent! When you listen to the director commentary on Episode One: Space Pilot 3000, you will understand that this show had a great budget and extraordinary planning. Much like the new NBC smash-hit Heroes, Futurama had years of script already written before the show even aired. You realize the implications of this when you see Nibbler silhouetted in THE FIRST EPISODE as Fry's chair tips into the Cryogenic chamber! (And, if you have seen the whole series, you know why!)The popular culture allusions, the literary allusions, the political allusions: all are a treat for the sophisticated of mind. Nonetheless, it must be noted that this is one of the few series where the audience genuinely relates to the main character. For instance, Homer Simpson is certainly likable, but his ignorance distances the audience. This is even more extreme with McFarlane's Peter Griffin. The audience enjoys him, but we certainly do not relate. Fry, well Fry is like our very best friend in the world. His pursuit of Leela is painful and endearing (how often do we see that in an animated show?!) Fry's charm is undeniable.In this Season, "A Fishful of Dollars" and "My Three Suns" are my favorite. In both, Fry's fallibility surfaces . . . he becomes slightly more complex. In "Fishful" we are gifted a great guest-star: Pam Anderson. Her self-deprecation is both funny and welcomed. And in this episode we also learn about Fry's fixation with "stuffy old songs about the buttocks";) In "Suns" we see Fry cheat his way to becoming Emperor and how the devotion of his friends save him from a painful demise in the Juice-o-Matic 4000. "In your face, Gorgack!!"If you are a fan, you MUST listen to the director commentary! You will not believe the respect you gain for this creative team!! And you might discover some phenomenal gem that slipped by you!!Technical note: yes, this collection does not have a "Play All" . . . and that really detracts. BUT, there is no way I would ever discourage anyone from buying this box set. Each disc is in a separate case. Each case lists the episodes and provides a synopsis. In the physical presentation, nothing was spared to create a lovely aesthetic. In sum, it is a MUST HAVE for any lover of animation.It is an unequivocal triumph.