Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs | 
| Director: Peter Avanzino
Actors: Brittany Murphy, Dan Castellaneta, David Cross, Phil Lamarr, Billy West
Studio: 20th Century Fox
List Price: $29.99
Buy New: $18.97
You Save: $11.02 (37%)
New (47) Used (19) from $12.50
Rating:  148 reviews
Sales Rank: 951
Format: Ac-3, Animated, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 89 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 0.5
MPN: 2252093
UPC: 024543520931
EAN: 0024543520931
ASIN: B00158K0V0
Theatrical Release Date: June 24, 2008
Release Date: June 24, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Five Star Seller!!! New, factory sealed US Region 1 DVD. Item is 100% guaranteed not to be a bootleg or import. Item is shipped directly from our warehouse. Easy exchange if item defective or damaged in shipped.
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Product Description
The thrilling conclusion to Futurama: Benders Big Score.Bender and the planet express crew must contend with a massive cosmic team that sends the world into panic.System Requirements:Running Time: 90 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ANIMATION/CARTOON NETWORK Rating: NR UPC: 024543520931 Manufacturer No: 2252093
Amazon.com
In Futurama's latest and most tentacle-packed epic, space itself rips open, revealing a gateway to another universe. But what lies beyond? Horror? Love? Or maybe both, if it happens to contain a repulsive, planet-sized monster with romantic intentions! Nothing less than the fate of human and robot-kind is at stake as the Futurama crew takes on The Beast with a Billion Backs.
The Beast with a Billion Backs will be presented in widescreen format with English Dolby Surround 5.1, along with French and Spanish subtitles. Bonus features include:
The second of four direct-to-DVD adventures featuring the Futurama crew, The Beast with a Billion Backs picks up where its predecessor, Bender's Big Score, left off while balancing multiple love stories and the arrival of a sexually voracious alien from another universe. Unlike Bender, the various story lines converge well here--the tentacled, Lovecraftian creature Yivo (voiced by David Cross), which wants to mate with the entire population of the universe at once, makes Fry (Billy West) its de facto leader (Pope, actually), which in turn plays havoc with his relationship with new girlfriend Colleen (Brittany Murphy). And Yivo's scheme causes the people of Earth to evacuate the planet, leaving it in the hands of robots--which is, of course, excellent news for Futurama's resident mechanical malcontent, Bender (John DiMaggio). Beast is probably best understood and enjoyed by longtime fans of the series, who will recognize and appreciate the countless "surprise guests" (Robot Satan, the Harlem Globetrotters, Bender's hero Calculon, the head of Stephen Hawking), though the feature is certainly well-written and performed by its voice cast, and should provide plenty laughs for first-timers with flexible attention spans. Parents, however, should note that the humor can be fairly suggestive at times, and should exercise caution in regard to younger viewers. Extras include a very funny commentary track with creators Matt Groening and David X Cohen, stars West, DiMaggio and Maurice LaMarche, and key members of the production team. Deleted scenes and a making-of featurette with the voice cast are entertaining, but the real features of value are Futurama: The Lost Adventure, which is culled from the Futurama game for Playstation 2, as well as a lengthy preview of the next direct-to-DVD movie, Bender's Game. Suffice it to say that the Lord of the Rings weighs heavily on the storyline. -- Paul Gaita
Beyond Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs on DVD 
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Stills from Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (Click for larger image)
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| Customer Reviews: Read 143 more reviews...
 The Proud Result of Prison Writing June 30, 2008
doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania)
72 out of 80 found this review helpful
While I'm a truly devoted Futurama fan, I'm not one of those condescending supergeeks who claim to love Futurama so much that I have the authority to tell everyone else how virulently they're supposed to hate anything even slightly different than my favorite old episodes. (That's right, you heard me.) I'm ecstatic that Futurama has returned from the dead, and I totally loved "Bender's Big Score." But this new Futurama flick disappoints. Most of what we know and love about Futurama is still here in spades, but this flick suffers from a poorly-developed plot and a degeneration of the show's formerly deep and subversive humor.
The 88-minute format is either too long for a compact and focused plotline, or too short for the type of complex story the producers appear to be striving for. The story here jumps around at a very awkward pace and shows signs of severe over-editing. The jokes have been reduced to Family Guy-like asides played for cheap guffaws rather than deep thoughts. (The caped superhero is an unfortunate example, and Bender's firstborn son is a very unfortunate example.)
Many holes and inconsistencies in the storyline show that plot construction took a backseat to the more easily written sight gags and cheap asides. (Here's an example that hopefully won't be condemned as a spoiler. Late in the film the new Yivo character says he [sklee] sent an image of himself to artists in our universe, but most of the story is built on the idea that Yivo thought he was alone in all universes.) The fundamental story has also trumped the longstanding strengths of the show. The personalities of Fry and Leela (and important supporting characters like Kif) are inconsistent, Bender has been demoted to an unworkable subplot, and Zoidberg does little more than vomit for simpleminded laughs. There are also many missed opportunities for building upon the cliffhangers left from "Bender's Big Score."
You can rest assured that the great Futurama animation, music, and voice acting (the actors have always been the show's unsung heroes) won't disappoint this time around. But the writing will. Certain fans may or may not like the basic story, but the bigger point is that everyone will notice the careless and unprofessional defects in the story. Hopefully this flick will just be a temporary misstep. Console yourself by remembering once again how lucky we are to have Futurama back among the living. [~doomsdayer520~]
 Great Movie, PLUS Best DVD Bonus Item Ever June 19, 2008
Ibex (USA)
51 out of 68 found this review helpful
Having seen an advance copy, unlike some of the other non-reviewers, I can say that the movie is excellent. But I mainly want to point out that the bonus features include the "lost Futurama episode", a full-length 30-minute CGI episode originally produced for the old Futurama video game (never aired on TV, but featuring the actual voice cast and written by the show's original writers). This is also very entertaining, and is undoubtedly the best DVD bonus item in Futurama history. What's with the one-star reviews from people who haven't seen the DVD?
Too late to go back to the future? June 25, 2008
Dan Plankton (Somerville, MA)
30 out of 35 found this review helpful
I bought this on the day of release, so of course I'm a big Futurama fan and expected to like it. I thought Bender's Big Score was a decent effort showing some rust, so to speak, and that the new releases would get better from there. This one is a letdown, though. No doubt, there are some good jokes, and I laughed here and there during the 90 minutes. But the writing really doesn't feel like Futurama. The grossout and mildly sick humor is amped up (it was always there but balanced with the show's sophisticated writing), and in particular, some of the humor that plays on the film's "rape" plot has a slightly ugly edge. There's also a lengthy subplot with Calculon that really drags down the film while offering almost no laughs.
The special features are pretty weak too. The deleted scenes reel is very short, the "blooper" section is just 2 minutes of the voice actors mugging for the video cameras (though this guy is happy to look at Tress McNeill and Katey Segal), and the full-length "episode" created for a video game just doesn't have the laughs.
Bottom line: I eagerly awaited this and bought it day of release; I won't be in such a hurry for the next one (which doesn't look so hot, based on the preview included with this one).
Lives up to the Hype May 28, 2008
Andrew Rossi
24 out of 48 found this review helpful
I saw an early release of this movie and it is insanely good. If you liked episodes such as "When Aliens Attack" or "A Tale of Two Santas", then you will love this movie as the humor seems to be very similiar. My favorite part was when the purple tentacle grabbed Leela and squezed her. What she says at that point is so funny, but I won't drop any spoilers here.
Buy this now if your looking for some good laughs!
 The Laughs are Solid in this new outing for the Planetary Express crew. June 8, 2008
Gareth Mc Bride (Lynnwood, WA United States)
21 out of 35 found this review helpful
The second of the straight to DVD Futurama movies, "Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs" has arrived and it comes loaded with laughs.
Picking up shortly after the end of the previous film, "Bender's Big Score", the people of our universe are in fear of what the new inter-dimensional rift will mean to them and there are those that predict an end to everything is coming soon.
Back at the Planetary Express Office, life is pretty much as it always is with one exception, Fry (Billy West), has a new girlfriend named Colleen (Brittany Murphy), and is doing well in his new relationship.
Amy (Lauren Tom) and Kip are also doing well in their relationship and buoyed by the success Fry is having decide to conduct a marriage like ceremony on Kip's swamp filled home planet.
Soon after, a delegation of leaders from around the cosmos gather to listen to the head of (Steven Hawking) discuss options on how to deal with the latest threat from the universe. Naturally nobody can agree and when Professor Farnsworth (Billy West) runs afoul of his nemesis Doctor Wernstrom they decide to settle their dispute in a hilarious live action version of title ball. Of course the fact that their debate stems from which of their crews is best suited to get slaughtered by exploring the rift is of little consequence.
Once settled the crew of the Planetary Express under the command of Turanga Leela (Katey Sagal), shifts into high gear as their interpersonal relationships and quirks all come into play, often at the worst time which further complicates a bad situation.
While this is going on, Bender (John Di Maggio), becomes infatuated with television personality Calculon, and starts down a path that will lead him to becoming part of a secret robotic society whose stated goal is death to all humans.
As events unfold, an entity known as Yivo (David Cross), who inhabits the dimension on the other side of the rift, starts to control all of the people of our universe which places Fry in a Pope like position as he and the people start to discover the real reason Yivo is interested in our Universe.
Along the way, there are numerous subplots and some truly classic lines from Zap Brannigan and others as the fate of two universes will soon depend on the actions of the highly dysfunctional characters of the story.
While some may say the plot of this new Futurama does not grab you the way past episodes did, it does have plenty of humor; much of it comes in scenarios outside the main story arch and allows for some very nostalgic looks book at some of the classic moments from the series. I do not want to spoil any of the surprises, but let's say that the phrase Snu Snu comes back as does some of Bender's past.
Since this is the second of four planned DVDs, it is clear that the new offering is laying ground work for the next two films as it does not wrap things up in a tidy bow when finished. Instead it provides plenty of laughs and great moments of nostalgia for fans of the series and loads of extras which include deleted scenes, commentaries, and a look at the next film "Bender's Game".
All in all a welcome and satisfying film that should delight fans and help keep us happy until the new film arrives in time for the Holidays.
4 stars out of 5
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