Review-”Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder” (Blu-ray)

• Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Publisher: 20th Century Fox
• Price: $27.95 on Amazon.com (Buy It)
• Rating: Not Rated
• Run Time: 89 minutes
• Special Features: Audio Commentary, Video Commentary, Storyboard Animatic, “How We Make Futurama So Good” Docudramarama, “Louder, Louder!: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette,” Deleted Scenes, “Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!,” “How to Draw Futurama in 10 Very Difficult Steps,” 3-D Models, “Bender’s Movie Theater Etiquette,” “Zapp Brannigan’s Guide to Making Love at a Woman”
• Genre: Animation, Comedy

If this is the last we see of “Futurama” (doubtful since I’ve heard FOX is already negotiating to bring it back), the series definitely went out on a high note. Of the four straight-to-video releases, I would say “Into the Wild Green Yonder” is the best one.

“Into the Wild Green Yonder” focuses on Amy’s rich dad Leo Wong and his very eco-unfriendly property development. He wants the world’s larget miniature golf course and he’s even willing to destroy an entire arm of the Milky Way to get it. Meanwhile, Fry gains mind-reading abilities and Leela joins a group of feminist protesters who are trying tos top Wong from destroying the environment. Even though the story is your typical Fry needs to save the universe plot, it is still pretty good overall.

Most people don’t watch “Futurama” for the story though, they just want to have a good time and laugh at some great jokes. “Into the Wild Green Yonder” is just as funny as the series, something that can’t be said about the other three straight-to-DVD releases. They weren’t bad but they just didn’t feel like “Futurama” for some reason. This fourth film does with clever sight gags and jokes that are almost always on target. If you loved the series but haven’t exactly liked the DVD movies, give this one a shot. I really think you will like it. “Into the Wild Green Yonder” also has some great new voice talent from “Family Guy” creator Seth McFarlane to Penn Jillette and even Snoop Dogg.

This is the first “Futurama” release that I was able to see on Blu-ray. While the film doesn’t look nearly as impressive as other animated releases I’ve seen, it is a pretty sharp improvement over the DVD releases. The transfer is very clean and the colors are spectacular. Even if it isn’t the best looking Blu-ray I’ve ever seen, I definitely recommend that you purchase this version if you have a Blu-ray player.

The “Futurama” releases always have a lot of bonus features and “Into the Wild Green Yonder” is no exception. Included are:

• Audio Commentary-Even though I normally skip commentaries, I always watch the ones on “Futurama” releases because they are always very entertaining. This one is definitely worth a listen.
• Video Commentary-Watch the cast and crew comment on the film while it runs via picture-in-picture.
• Storyboard Animatic-Long but probably not worth watching unless you are a huge fan of the series.
• “How We Make Futurama So Good” Docudramarama-A brief but funny tour of Futurama’s production facility.
• “Louder, Louder!: The Acting Technique of Penn Jillette”-A two-minute look at Jillette behind the microphone.
• Deleted Scenes-These don’t really add much (and there aren’t a whole lot of them) but they are worth watching anyway.
• “Matt Groening and David X. Cohen in Space!”-A four minute look at the co-creators trip to the “Zero G Weightless Experience.”
• “How to Draw Futurama in 10 Very Difficult Steps”-This is exactly what it sounds like, a lesson on drawing certain “Futurama” characters.
• 3-D Models-Unless you like the technical aspect of cartoons, you can probably skip this.
• “Bender’s Movie Theater Etiquette”-At only 1:17, this public service announcement is funny but way too short.
• “Zapp Brannigan’s Guide to Making Love at a Woman”-Just a bunch of clips from the series.

“Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder” is definitely the best of the straight-to-video releases. Even if you didn’t enjoy the previous three releases, you should probably pick this one up since it finally feels like the “Futurama” of old. If you have a Blu-ray player, pick up the hi-def version because the film looks good enough to justify spending a few extra dollars. Highly recommended.