Rating: 
Summary: The future's so bright...
Review: With the decline of The Simpsons well underway (I lost interest a long time ago), Futurama is now filling the void. Most of my friends don't like this series, but I have always enjoyed it. It is not quite the cultural revolution that The Simpsons was, but it is a great series in it's own right. Futurama Season 1 is a 3 DVD set with the, naturally, the entire first season (13 episodes in total). Unlike most shows that get interesting around season 2 or 3, the first episodes are the best in my opinion. My favorites are "My Three Suns"(where Fry becomes the emporer of a aqua-people planet), "I, Roomate" (where Fry and Bender become roommates), and the stomach-turning "Fry & The Slurm Factory" (where Fry wins a trip to his favorite soft drink factory). All episodes are amusing in their own way, but some are definitely funnier than others. Since the story is non-linear, the episodes can be watched in any order. Unlike a lot of bare-bones series DVDs, Futurama hosts a healthy selection of extras for the fans. The commentaries I do not have much interest in. I prefer to have the commentary over a favorite movie, rather than a cartoon series. But the deleted scenes are a riot. The commentary is for all epidoses, but the deleted scenes are only for selected ones. The real prize is the conceptual art gallery, since I love the animation style and the character designs. The Behind-The-Scenes featurette is nothing special, but it covers some interesting points. While not as raunchy as The Family Guy or pop culture savy as The Simpsons, Futurama is still a quality series that is entertaining on it's own level. Apparently, the show was cancelled recently. That's too bad, but at least we have DVDs to remember this sadly underrated series.
Rating: 
Summary: Lived up to it's expectations
Review: Obviously, with 'Futurama' being made by Matt Groening, the same creator of probably the most popular animated show in the world, 'The Simpsons', expectations were high for 'Futurama'. It had to be an instant hit, and I have to say it's not as popular as 'The Simpsons', but it is definitely worth watching, and the first season is definitely worth buying. 1. Space Pilot 3000
A 25-year-old pizza delivery boy named Fry spends New Year's Eve 1999 lamenting his lame existence. That night, he accidentally freezes himself in a cryogenics lab and awakens at the dawn of the year 3,000! With the past 1,000 years behind him, Fry decides to make a fresh start. He tracks down his great-great-great-great (etc.) nephew, Professor Farnsworth, and gets a job with his intergalactic delivery service. With the help of his two new friends, a beautiful one-eyed alien named Leela and a degenerate robot named Bender, Fry prepares for the ride of his life in this bizarre new millennium.
2. Episode Two: The Series Has Landed
When one of his first deliveries takes him to the moon, Fry can hardly contain his excitement. For the others, it's just a routine trip, but Fry is shocked to discover a giant lunar theme park! He convinces Leela to go exploring and search for the original moon-landing site, but their excursion soon becomes a matter of life or death! Meanwhile, Bender puts the moves on a moon-farmer's daughter and suffers the consequences!
3. I, Roommate
Everyone is sick of Fry so he has to get his own apartment. He decides to become Bender's roommate. The only catch is that Bender's apartment has a volume of 2 cubic meters. Fry convinces Bender to look for a better place, they get a new apartment, only that Bender's antenna interferes with the TV reception (a thousand years and televisions still use plain antenna? some things never change). Fry prefers to stay in his apartment instead of going back to Bender's, but Leela convinces him to. When Fry asks where to put his stuff, Bender suggests the closet, which is big enough for Fry to live.
4. Love's Labors Lost in Space
On a mission intended to save endangered animals on a collapsing planet, Leela and the crew run into legendary starship captain Zapp Brannigan. A self-proclaimed ladies man, Zapp sees Leela as a potential new conquest. When the captain refuses to aid the animal rescue, Leela and her crew try to leave Zapp's starship. But Zapp throws Fry and Bender in jail, and summons Leela to his "Lovenasium." They ultimately escape and arrive on the doomed planet, where Leela finally finds love - with a cute, and very useful, creature named Nibbler.
5. Fear of a Bot Planet
At Madison Cube Garden watching a blernsball game, Bender complains about the poor treatment of robots. They're only there to clean up, polish the balls or water the fields. They never get any respect. Later, Bender must deliver a package to a planet inhabited by murderous robots that kill humans on sight. He discovers a robotopia - a land where the robot is king! However, when Leela and Fry are captured, Bender must choose between protecting his celebrity status or saving his friends. 6. A Fishful of Dollars
A thousand years is a long time to save up money, and Fry's savings account has been racking up interest. When Fry discovers just how much - over 4 billion dollars - Fry goes a little overboard. After completely redecorating the apartment, splurging on expensive spa days and treating his friends to innumerable luxuries, Fry discovers the ultimate expense. Anchovies. This rare delicacy as been extinct for years, and Fry must battle the evil conglomerate known as Mom, plus Pamela Anderson Lee's head in a jar, to get them!
7. My Three Suns
The crew visits an arid planet in the Galaxy of Terror distinctive for it's three suns and liquid alien inhabitants. Fry, after delivering a package under the scorching heat, quenches his thirst with a bottle of cool blue liquid. Fry soon finds out he drank the planet's royal leader and is named the new emporer. Fry abuses his newfound power, even appointing Bender second in command, until the aliens retaliate and the real battle for power begins.
8. A Big Piece of Garbage
A big piece of garbage that was released a thousand years ago is now on the way to Earth to destroy it. After Fry, Leela and Bender fail on placing a bomb on it, the city has to build another big piece of garbage, yet that may be a problem since trash doesn't exist in year 3000. 9. Hell is Other Robots
Bender becomes addicted to electricity, so his sins make him go to robot hell. Since he is condemned to live there for eternity, it's up to Fry and Leela to save him from Beelzebot, the robot devil.
Rating:
Summary: The Greatest Show Ever
Review: Futurama is one of the best shows ever. If you like the Simpsons you'll love futurama (created by the same guy). To me the Simpsons peaked around 1998 when Groening left to start Futurama. And unlike the Simpsons, Futurama has been great from the start. The episodes usually satire real life by "looking back" at the 20th/21st century from the perspective of the 30th century. It's a shame the show was cancelled. I heard Fox is bringing back Family Guy because of the strong DVD sales so maybe they'll bring back Futurama too if it sells well.
Rating:
Summary: Clever and interesting
Review: I am taking a big chance here, but I can't resist expressing an honest opinion, if I think it will help someone else. I like 'Futurama' simply because I like most of the animated TV series that I've seen. I don't actually watch TV, but when people who DO watch start raving about a program, I will usually seek it out. I bought seasons 1 & 2 of 'Futurama' based simply on the glowing reviews here on Amazon. It's mildly funny [but hardly "hilarious" as advertised in the Editorial Review and many of the customer reviews.] There are shades of the Simpsons in the characters of Fry and Amy [Let's just think of them as a less-motivated 'Bart' and a possibly less-intelligent, but richer, 'Lisa'...] That's not a problem for me. As a recently-converted Simpsons fan, I actually enjoy the similarities. I expected them, since the program is from the Matt Groening stable. I'm actually surprised that there aren't MORE direct rip-offs of the original hit. Although I can live with it, I find the series is very 'derivative' [but I won't follow that with the usual, mild expletive, "cr*p"...] Just a few examples:--Why 'Fry'? Wasn't the dood in 'Back to the Future' called Fly? [Here in Japan there's NO difference in the two names...] The bureaucrat character, Hermes, looks to be based on an amalgam of both Lister (with the dreadlocks) and the insufferable, officious hologram Rimmer, from the space-ship 'Red Dwarf'. Should I mention Zapp Brannigan, who is the fondest fantasy of the afore-mentioned Rimmer? The alcohol-imbibing robot, Bender, seems a poor substitute for the ever-urbane Martini-loving dog of 'Family Guy'. The feisty Leela seems to be strongly reminiscent of Princess Leia from 'Star Wars'...and so on and on...There's a very 'Jewish' lobster called 'Zoidberg', with a relative called 'Zoidfarb', the ubiquitous "ads" and female TV newscasters are, once again, straight from 'Red Dwarf' and 'Family Guy'... I think this is the "American way" of making shows [both TV series and movies] and no-one would argue that 'the machine' is very successful. If you like your humor based on what has been funny and successful for the past 20 years or so, you WILL find this, perhaps, rather 'hilarious'. I find it just fairly clever and interesting. I'm not sorry I spent my money and I might consider the next season as well. If you want real laughs, though, look elsewhere.
Rating:
Summary: The best nerdfest ever?
Review: This DVD set is, hands-down, the best treatment of a show's first season I've ever seen. If you're a fan, or even just sorta liked the show, you should check this out. First, some thoughts on the show itself: I never warmed up to "Futurama" while it was on, really. The Fox Network's dubious handling made it difficult for me to see unless it was a rerun out of its usual timeslot. And "The Simpsons" set the bar almost unrealistically high. Also, "Futurama" sports a cast of ruthlessly flawed characters, with Fry's laziness and Bender's anti-social tendencies almost constantly at the fore. While heroic and competent, Leela is also meddlesome and petulant with some obviously serious self-esteem issues. Even Kif, long-suffering aide to the incredibly obnoxious Zapp Brannigan, turns out to be more than a little annoying when away from his oppressive master. Cartoon Network's recent airings of the first four seasons and this DVD set, however, have given me a chance to appreciate the quality that reeks from this show, however. The animation is top-notch, the jokes are densely packed and originally presented, the voice acting is peerless, and the characters =do= grow on you after a while. It never reaches the sublime insanity of the best "Simpsons" episodes but, as you learn in this DVD set, that was a conscious choice. (Because of the futuristic setting, the producers wanted more coherent storylines. In retrospect, that may have been a mistake.) This DVD has commentary for each of the 13 episodes (unlike, e.g., the one commentary on "The Simpsons" first season set) and, for the most part, the commentary is really good. There are occasions of silence when the commentators have obviously gotten engrossed in some part of the show, especially later on in the set. But for the most part, you learn a lot about what people were thinking, ideas that didn't make it, problems with getting certain things across, and so on. And it's fun to listen to. Piled on top of this is concept art, rough-draft versions, and deleted scenes, making this a collection worth having. It's also a serious nerdfest. Hoo-boy. From the alien codes (the first one cracked within hours of the pilot's airing, the second, more complex code cracked after several months), to the constant Star Trek (and more esoteric sci-fi) references, to the planting of binary jokes (Bender's apartment is code for a "$") and even the attention to atrophysics (Leela and Fry race against the setting sun on the moon), this is a show rich in references both scientific and sci-fi. Probably moreso, and more unapologetically, than any other show in American TV history. And, to be fair, this may have been a barrier to its success. Nonetheless, this is (was) a good show, and the first season, while not the best, holds up remarkably well, and nary an episode passes without some really memorable moments. It's definitely worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Futurama is/was the best
Review: I really enjoyed Futurama in its run on Fox network TV. This DVD will be just the first season? I hope they release the whole series eventually, because even though the first season was wonderful, it just continued to get better and better. I think there are a few episodes left that haven't been aired yet, but the series has been cancelled by Fox? as of February 2003 in the USA. I read that the show is very popular among 13-year old boys; add 30 plus years to that, and you get me. I find the humor, satire, commentary etc. to be very finely developed. Futurama is officially science fiction, and does take place in the 30th century, but it has universal timeless human appeal, as mythological comedic-dramatic literature to help us understand our own lives. The characters are wonderful, and are easy to get comfortable with; good old pals Bender, Lela, Fry, Amy, the Professor, Dr. Zoidberg, and others, they make you feel like you can empathize and share their lives, dreams, etc., even if some of them are strange looking aliens. The story lines are engaging, and the overall long-term development, of characters, themes, and the futurama world, are top notch. I used to be a fan of Matt Groening's work, back when it was just a printed cartoon, "Life In Hell", before he took some occasional characters out of it (a dysfunctional family with a son named Bart...) and developed them into his first hit animated TV show. Futurama is his second animated TV show, and personally I like it even better than the Simpsons. But I guess Fox doesn't agree with me. At least Futurama had a good run of 3 years or so, before getting cancelled; after all, that is as long as the original Star Trek series ran! Speaking of Star Trek, you will get a real kick out of the way Futurama uses a lot of classic Star Trek sound effects, and its many inside references to other media subcultures -- how the strange lobster-like alien Dr. Zoidberg and his fellow creatures talk and act a lot like Woody Allen style New York Jews, etc. Was it in this first season, when John Goodman made his terrifying guest appearance, introducing the insane, murderous out of control robot Santa Claus? where everyone has to bolt their doors and block off their fireplaces, at "Xmas" time, to prevent him from getting in the house and killing everyone?
Rating:
Summary: A Refreshing Break from The Simpsons
Review: I wasn't exactly fond of Futurama when the first couple of episodes came out, but with time, this show delightfully grew on me. Because it was the creation of Matt Groening, Futurama attracted a fair amount of hype, but it wound up attracting mixed reviews. Aside from the fact it lived in the shadows of its more prosperous and household-named sibling, The Simpsons, a rather big chunk of Futurama's audience, most of them, Simpsons fans, unfairly compared Futurama to the long-running 14-year legendary sitcom. Futurama was never meant to outdo or even compare to The Simpsons in any way, shape or form, but as a refreshing, futuristic comedy. It is not as satirical as The Simpsons, not as brash as the axed Family Guy, and certainly not as foul and potty-humored as South Park, but Futurama guarantees a nice, healthy laugh. If you're relatively fresh to the world of Futurama, it revolves around a New York pizza delivery boy named Fry, who finds himself cryogenically frozen from New Year's Eve 1999, only to emerge in the year 3000. Refusing to resume his pizza delivery boy services 1000 years later, Fry finds employment at his 30xgreat nephew, Professor Farnsworth's intergalactic delivery service, the Planet Express. Fry befriends among others, Leila, the purple-haired, one-eyed tough vixen, and Bender, a bending robot. Steadily, the show developed into in its own with unique storylines and characters and became a nice accompaniment to the big-named sitcoms (i.e. The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle) on Fox's comedy lineup. Here is the summary for each episode of Season 1: 1. Space Pilot 3000 - Fry is cryogenically frozen by accident in 1999 and wakes up in the year 3000. He befriends the lovely cycloptic Leela and the grouchy, alcoholic robot, Bender and all three wind up employed at Professor Farnsworth's Planet Express delivery service. 2. The Series Has Landed - Fry is excited about visiting the Moon on his first delivery. When he arrives, he finds that the main attraction is a giant amusement park built there. Fry yearns to get Leela to appreciate the beauty of the celestial body. 3. I, Roommate - Fry is kicked out of the Planet Express offices and Bender lets him move in with him. When Fry finds a robot's living arrangements unadaptable, he suggests he and Bender look for a new apartment. 4. Love's Labors Lost in Space - Leela tries to find a decent man. Her search may be over when she crosses paths with Zapp Brannigan, a commended starship captain, but she finds that idiocy may be hiding behind even the largest badge. 5. Fear of a Bot Planet - The crew are slated to deliver a package to Chapek 9, where humans are killed on sight, so Bender must actually deliver it. When he's captured after the robots find he works for humans, Fry and Leela must don robot costumes to go rescue him. 6. A Fistful of Dollars - Due to the interest added on Fry's miniscule 20th century account, Fry is now a billionaire and gets swept up with his fortune, one of which spending fifty million dollars on one can of now extinct anchovies. But what he doesn't know is that Mom, head of a mega-conglomerate company, will do anything to get them. 7. My Three Suns - Delivering a package to a planet inhabited by liquid aliens, Fry, after walking to the palace in the scorching heat, finds a bottle of liquid and drinks it. It is revealed that that was actually the emperor, and Fry now takes that role. But when his life is in danger, he must turn to his friends for help. 8. A Big Piece of Garbage - In an Armageddon spoof, the Professor creates the Smell-O-Scope, which can smell any object in the known universe. When they discover something exaggeratingly foul, the Professor investigates and finds that it's a giant ball of old New York's garbage, which was hurtled into space at the end of the 20th century. Now it's up to the Planet Express crew to blow it up before it hits Earth. 9. Hell Is Other Robots - Bender goes on a bender and gets high on electrical jolts. When his obsession nearly kills the crew, he decides to turn to the Temple of Robology and finds religion. When Bender's new lifestyle drives on the crew's nerves, they reacquaint Bender with his old life. Immediately after, he is banished to Robot Hell, where he faces the devil and endures tortures unimaginable to man. 10. A Flight to Remember - The Professor books the crew on a cruise for their vacation: The Titanic. There, love is aboard where Bender falls for a wealthy Countess robot and Fry charades for both Leela and Amy's boyfriend. But they must make a dash for their lives when the ship approaches a black hole.
11. Mars University - Fry, when finding out by futuristic standards he's only a high school drop-out, enlists at Mars University to drop-out all over again. There, his patience is tested by his roommate, the Professor's experimental super-intelligence monkey, Guenter. Meanwhile, Bender returns to his old robot fraternity, Epsilon Rho Rho, to help the nerds there to be cool. 12. When Aliens Attack - An alien race known as the Omicronians invade Earth, threatening to destroy it unless they see the season finale of the 20th century show "Single Female Lawyer," which was just getting aired there. Fry, who spilled beer on the station console, causing the reception abruption, suggests the crew reenact that episode.
13. Fry and the Slurm Factory - Fry finds the winning bottle cap in a can of Slurm and the crew goes to the planet Wormulon for a VIP tour of the Slurm Factory. Fry, Leela and Bender wander off tour and unexpectedly find out the disgusting secret on why Slurm is so irresistible. All in all, an excellent DVD set, with hilarious episodes, especially "A Big Piece of Garbage" and "Fry and the Slurm Factory" being the creme de la creme.
Rating:
Summary: Funorama!!!!!
Review: At last: my favorite show on DVD!!! It couldn't be better: the thirteen episodes on this disc set are some of the best ones of the whole series! They're all hilarious, but their story lines are not completely drowned out by the wierdness or ridiculous nature of it's humor, as the case is sometimes with the Simpsons. The show's characters share some similarities to the Simpsons, but are different in their own ways. The whole series is a big spoof of outer space and the sci-fi genre, but at the same time, it tells of the journey of a pizza boy from the 20th century, a drunken robot, an orphaned one-eyed girl, and a bunch of other people as they go on various adventures. The show also employs a lot of more modernized animation techniques, resulting in high-quality video. As I said, this disc set includes some of the best episodes, including the pilot, the episode where they go on the moon, the one when aliens attack, the slurm factory one, just to name a few. This show is funny, witty, enjoyable, and is sure to put a smile on your face. I recommend it to anybody, especially if you've enjoyed the Simpsons!
Rating:
Summary: Even Better Than The Simpsons
Review: That title may be biased since I'm a science fiction fan. The Simpsons is great. But Futurama tickles a funny bone in me that only a crazy, fantasy-based, anything-goes series can. Futurama takes a hilarious spin on the extreme evolution of modern society. The result is a show whose content and events seem unlikely yet convincingly plausible. It's all held together by interesting stories and competent visuals. There's very little to find fault here. Most important, the show is funny! Perhaps there's a generous portion of lowbrow humor that prevails through the series but I can forgive that. Futurama's overall quality more than makes up for it. The use of subtle computer animation in many scenes is a surprising but welcome treat. It cleverly reflects the show's futuristic theme. If any cartoon should pioneer such an animation style it's this one. My favorite episode in volume one: Fear Of A Bot Planet.
Rating:
Summary: Good show, but no where near as good as "The Simpsons"...
Review: A few years ago, I first saw Futurama appear on FOX in 1999 or so. I was quite impressed with the awesome compter graphic visuals and the smooth silky animation. However, there is very LITTLE humor in the show itself. While Fry & Bender are one of my favorite characters (even though they're both complete morons), everything else also flows so nicely with the futuristic atmosphere that is so original (and sometimes even hilariously clever!) It's superbly entertaining and a fun program to watch, but compared to Matt Groening's original classic series, "The Simpsons", there just isn't enough laughs here! Don't get me wrong, it is a pretty good and refreshing show, but it's nowhere (repeat!) NOWHERE as good as "The Simpsons" or even "Family Guy". If you're a diehard Matt Groening fan though, I say go for it!
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