Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009) (V)

Director:

Peter Avanzino

Writers:

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

Release Date:

24 February 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

All the other galaxies will be green with envy!

Plot:

Dark forces older than time itself are on the attack, hell-bent on stopping the dawn of a wondrous new green age...

Plot Keywords:

Women In Prison | Feminist Group | Adult Animation | Megaphone | Robot

Cast

Billy West	...	Philip J. Fry / Professor Hubert Farnsworth / Dr. Zoidberg / Leo Wong / Poker Sign-Up Clerk / Leo's Caddy / President Richard Nixon / Miniture Gold Construction Worker / Zapp Brannigan / The Dark One's Psychic Voice / Antonin Scalia's Head / Madfellow / Striped Biologist Taunter (voice)
Katey Sagal	...	Turanga Leela (voice)
John Di Maggio	...	Bender / Joey Mousepad / Elzar / Sal / Additional Voices (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Fanny / Michael's Wife / Boobs Vanderbilt / Dixie / Linda / Petunia / Ruth Ginsberg's Head / Mom (voice)
Maurice LaMarche	...	Donbot / Clamps / Fanny's Announcer / Tex Connecticut / Lrrr / Lrrr's Father / Headless Body of Agnew / Morbo / Kif Kroker / Narrator / Abe Lincoln / Calculon (voice)
Phil LaMarr	...	Hermes Conrad / Magna-Phallix Commercial Voice-Over / Nixon's Bodyguard / Thomas / The Dark One / Preacherbot (voice)
Lauren Tom	...	Amy Wong / Inez Wong / Trixie (voice)
David Herman	...	The Number 9 Man / Michael / Neputnian (voice)
Dawnn Lewis	...	LaBarbara Conrad / Womens' Prison Warden (voice)
Snoop Dogg	...	Himself (voice)
Phil Hendrie	...	Frida Waterfall / Hutch Waterfall / The Encyclopod (voice)
Seth MacFarlane	...	Mars Vegas Singer (voice)
Penn Jillette	...	Himself (voice) (as Penn & Teller)
Teller	...	Himself (credit only) (as Penn & Teller)

Also Known As:

Into the Wild Green Yonder (Australia)
The Futurama Movie 4 (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

89 min (DVD version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Certification:

Australia:PG | Argentina:13 | Singapore:PG | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:12 | UK:12

Company:

20th Century Fox Television

Trivia:

The film was written by Ken Keeler. When the 'Wong Sweeper' is destroying the rings of Saturn, a sign reading 'Mind the Keeler Gap' is shown. The Keeler Gap is a 42km gap in the 'A Ring', kept clear by the orbiting moon of Daphnis. Later, Fry makes reference to the Keeler Crater, which is actually located on the far side of the moon (not Mars). Zap Brannigan's map shows the location of 2261 Keeler, a main belt asteroid.

Goofs:

Continuity: Bender's feminista mask disappears in one shot and then reappears in the next shot towards the end of the movie.

Quotes:

Bender: [First lines] Mars Vegas, the eternal city.
Leo Wong: [Leo Wong pushes a TNT plunger that destroys the entire city] Two, one, zero!
Bender: Rest in hell, Crapville!

Movie Connections:

References "Futurama: A Bicyclops Built for Two (#2.13)" (2000)

Soundtrack:

That Was Then (And This is Too)

Eccentric, eclectic and often brilliant. The best of the four.

I've enjoyed all three of the previous Futurama movie instalments, with Beast being my favourite and Bender's Game the weakest. This latest (and possibly last thing the team will ever produce) is probably my favourite, and I'll tell you why. It FEELS most like Futurama of old, for the most part. There were a few moments so strong that I couldn't separate them from most-enjoyed sections of the four seasons, which is particularly impressive considering how long it runs.

Certainly, there are the odd couple of jokes that fall flat and some moments that shouldn't have made it to our screens. But then, I always felt that way about some of the poorer episodes anyway. I think many fans are forgetting that because they've watched their beloved season box-sets so many times that they're now in possession of a blinkered view, which can unfairly run down everything about these movies. I'm not so precious about it.

This film is quality entertainment. As ever, the writers and animators have written and drawn things I've never seen done anywhere else before, or done things that have been done before so well that they seem new again, which after all is the point of any great art. I particularly liked the colourful King Kong section which was sheer eye candy. There were beautiful one-liners scattered throughout. Bender was given just the right amount of screen time for my liking, having been over-saturated on the other three. Callbacks to previous story lines were elaborated in a way I could not have expected; Fry's plot was one of the best things I've ever seen Futurama do. I also appreciated the feminism send-up, though I'm sure I'm in the minority there. The voice acting was the best it's been throughout the films and really made the funnier jokes hilarious.

The ending was a little disappointing but I would never have guessed it, and since I've been finding almost all resolutions to recent films anti-climatic I'm starting to think it's just me. Overall I was very impressed and think the whole Futurama team should be proud. This and moments of the other films are truly up to (and ever so often beyond) the high standards set by the original show and add worthy material to the sci-fi canon. There's creativity and resourcefulness aplenty, and I genuinely hope the small percentage who hate this don't stop us seeing a six season (the films will be turned into a fifth one) and a triumphant return to our television schedules.

Translation: they should totally bring this back proper. That and Firefly.