Fans of the show Futurama, created and sustained by Simpsons creator Matt Groening and writer David X. Cohen, had no trouble finding its audience. What it needed was to find a bigger one. But after four seasons, ratings just weren’t sufficient for Fox to keep the show alive. Futurama was no more.
But thanks to the internet, fans were able to rally and prove how important the show was to them. This implicit promise of support eventually led to continuation plans, and finally it was announced that Futurama would be back - not as a show, but as a series of four direct-to-DVD films.
The first installment, Bender’s Big Score, met with mixed reviews and muted enthusiasm. Many, seeming to forget that most shows (Futurama included) could be pretty hit-or-miss, were expecting a masterpiece. Bender’s Big Score was not it. It was fun, and it brought back fond memories of the show, but a lot of people were disappointed.
Many held out for the second movie, The Beast With a Billion Backs. The premise was promising: a giant tentacle beast from another universe wants to mate with humanity…all of humanity.
The sinister undertone here belies the story of The Beast, which is both thought-provoking and somehow touching. Our tale begins where Bender’s Big Score left off, with a giant rift in the space-time continuum menacing the future of the universe. When a heartbroken Fry decides he just can’t live with his darling Colleen’s four other boyfriends, he decides to mount a one-man expedition into the rift…and he comes back a changed man. A changed man with a giant purple tentacle sticking out of the back of his neck.
Yivo, the tentacle monster, comes with a message of love and a desire to stick a tentacle in every single man, woman, and child. Fry becomes his chief prophet, eventually installing himself as pope of Yivo’s church. (The heavy lambasting of Christianity is obvious, but takes on some depth later in the story.) Leela, ever skeptical, manages to avoid the tentacles clutches - and discovers its awful secret.
Meanwhile, Bender discovers that the mythical League of Robots is, in fact, very real. But his contempt for humanity can’t overcome his love for Fry and co., leading to tension between him and the other members. To prove himself to robotkind, Bender decides to launch an attack on humanity - and, by extension, Yivo.
Will humanity survive? Can Bender resolve his inner conflict? Will Fry and Leela ever get together? (Of course not.) To answer (most of) these questions, you’ll have to watch The Beast With a Billion Backs for yourself. Luckily, it’s plenty of fun.
In conclusion, bite my shiny metal…oh, you know.
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