Futurama: Bender's Game | 
 enlarge | Director: Dwayne Carey-hill
Actors: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John Di Maggio, Tress Macneille, Maurice Lamarche
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $12.50
You Save: $17.49 (58%)
New (45) Used (14) from $12.08
Rating:  65 reviews
Sales Rank: 202
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: Unrated
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 88 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5
MPN: FOXD2254187D
UPC: 024543541875
EAN: 0024543541875
ASIN: B001DZOC78
Theatrical Release Date: 2008
Release Date: November 4, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Studio: Tcfhe Release Date: 11/04/2008 Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
At once a merciless skewering of all things fanboy and an extremely satisfying addition to the Futurama franchise, Bender's Game is among the best of the animated series' feature length adventures. The game in question is Dungeons and Dragons, and Bender wants in--only robots aren't programmed with the necessary imagination. Naturally, Bender's plans to develop one go completely awry and land him in an android asylum. The role-playing plotline later re-emerges--in typically convoluted Futurama fashion--via a subplot involving Professor Farnsworth's conversion of dark matter into spaceship fuel, which created a key to a very D&D-influenced universe where our hapless heroes eventually find themselves. The alternate world storyline allows for much lampooning of fantasy tropes, with Lord of the Rings receiving the lion's share of the tweaks. Seeing as how the writers have already devoted much of the movie's running time to parodying Star Wars and Star Trek (and their Lego offshoots), one might think that Bender's Game might suffer from pop-culture overload, but surprisingly, it all feels fresh and frequently funny, and the writers are wise to ground the story in their eccentric characters rather than pinballing them through an endless string of gags. The result is probably the strongest of the direct-to-DVD Futurama releases to date, and one that newcomers to the show's cracked universe can appreciate as much as longtime fans.As with previous Futurama DVD releases, the extras come fast and furious on Bender's Game: commentary by members of the cast and production team (including Matt Groening) is both informative and funny, while interviews with the writers and producers discuss, among other topics, the influence of Dungeons and Dragons on the series and the 3D models used in the feature. Aspiring animators might appreciate "How To Draw Futurama in 83 Easy Steps and the storyboard animatic for the first part of the story, while the "Genetics Lab" feature allows for some amusing Dr. Moreau-style cross-breeding of the characters. Recording session bloopers and a deleted scene offer their own laughs, but the most enjoyable extra must be the preview for the next Futurama feature, Into the Wild Green Yonder, which suggests a shocking development for one of the show's regulars. -- Paul Gaita
Beyond Futurama: Bender's Game 
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Stills from Futurama: Bender's Game (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 60 more reviews...
 Disappointing January 5, 2009
E. Scheidt
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I thought the first Futurama movie was excellent and the second was pretty good so I went ahead and bought the third before renting it. I regret that. It just wasn't funny. At all.
The Futurama movies are getting better, bit by bender. December 30, 2008
K. Wachter
Futurama was under-appreciated in its time, and I'm glad that it's experiencing a rebirth of sorts. I didn't watch it when it was on the air - it was at the same time too much like The Simpsons, and yet not enough like The Simpsons. In the past four years, however, I've purchased all four seasons of Futurama on DVD, and love each and every episode. The show was GENIUS. The stories are hilarious, irreverent, cynical, hopeful, and even sentimental. The characters are wonderful, and the concepts mind-blowing. I think I enjoy it especially now, in a world where the Simpsons have fallen so low, to such a terrible show, it's nice to remember the genius of the creators, and what once was.
I was ecstatic when I heard that Futurama was coming back, in four movies, to be staggered over a few years. The first two movies were okay. They both started out strong, then lagged in the middle, but were able to pull it out in the end. They seemed too long, as though it was the extra time that made the story lag - as though it would have been perfect for a 30-minute episode, but that the writers just stretched it out to fill time. Why is that? Is Futurama somehow better geared towards a 30-minute time slot? Is that the perfect amount of time - neither too much, nor too little?
It's possible. All I know is that the first two movies were a little too long, and they left too much space in the middle for the view to become confused and/or bored. But, as I said, each movie managed to pull itself together in the end. Because of that, I guess I can say that I liked them. I enjoyed them, because they're a beautiful reminder of Futurama, but I didn't love them. And there's a difference.
"Bender's Game" was a little different than the first two movies. It was held together better, it was tighter, and more fluid. Unfortunately, it too lagged a bit in the middle, but far less than the first two movies. I hope that this is a sign that the Futurama writers are getting their act together again after so many years off. You know how it is, it takes a TV show a season or so to get its bearings, to find it's sense of self. Just think about Seinfeld, Friends, or Sex and the City, and even The Simpsons - when you re-watch the first seasons, it's a little weird. The characters aren't full formed yet. It's conceptual, but not yet real. That's what I'm hoping is going on with the Futurama movies. Hopefully these first few ones are just for the writers to get back in the game, (Bender's game?), and to flex their writing muscles to produce something even greater. Hopefully the final movie will be as wonderful as the series was, and will ensure that more movies are made.
 Best of the bunch so far December 28, 2008
Erik R. Johnson (Mountain View, CA United States)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is the best of the bunch so far. The first movie looked like Futurama but it had no soul (and no balance). The second movie had its moments but it just sort of melted away (unmemorable). This third installment... Wow! Extremely funny during the first watch, and plenty good for many subsequent viewings. This movie is as good as the TV series episodes, but more refined.
Bad news everyone! December 27, 2008
Celtic queen
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
The transition from show to film after a two year break, was not seamless. 'Bender's Big Score' felt like a never ending story, with nowhere to end.'The Beast With a Billion Backs', whilst not being flawless, managed to rekindle the Futurama style of humour and fun. This movie, however, was unlike either of the two.
'Bender's Game' gets off to a brilliant start, and a satisfactory (if somewhat unfinished) ending. However, after the firtst 20 minutes, the jokes grow scarce, and an uncharacteristic level of blood and violence is introduced. To make matters worse, 'potty humour' was too, something far below what Futurama has acheived in the past. The simplistic plot (following the Planet Express Crew to the fantasy realm of Cornwood) should have made matters simple. However, there a several points where the movie seems as though its lost, such as when the professor and Nibbler give a long flashback, which adds nothing to the story.
It was obvious the writer(s) had something special,after their superb opening. Yet the following script, crammed on shelves in time for Christmas, proves that Matt Groening and his team don't know what made this funny, and are lost. I loved Futurama, but this isn't it. They've had three chances, and a heck of my money. Their next adventure is one I won't take on, before my memory of Futurama is entirely tarnished.
Good Transaction December 26, 2008
MLP
Ordered this for a Christmas present. It got here on time in brand new condition. Very pleased.
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