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FUTURAMA started out great when it first came to television in 1999—smart, funny, highly imaginative and often surprisingly poignant. Like most great shows, it needed to stretch its wings and find its voice—each season progressively topped the one before it, and the writers continually pushed the envelope into the weird and bizarre (and always fascinating). Like FAMILY GUY it was cancelled, and like FAMILY GUY the outcry of millions of perplexed fans convinced the studio that they could still make money off of it.

Last year, BENDER’S BIG SCORE came straight to DVD in the series’ first feature-length offering. Unlike FAMILY GUY, it did not hit its stride immediately. While I felt it was overall a decent comeback, my fears that it would be difficult to get back into the game after a three year retirement were nonetheless confirmed—a lot of the jokes fell flat, the story was trying too hard to be clever, and things just didn’t bond together with the same magic that the series held in its last and second-last season. Part of the problem, for me, was that it felt like it had so much to prove that it tried too hard to please fans, cramming as many side-characters into the story as it could and referencing every past episode, it seemed, in a plot that just didn’t do much for me.

Nonetheless, BENDER’S BIG SCORE was a decent effort and offered evidence that the show could still do it—they just needed a warm up to clear out the rust. And indeed, BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS, released last month, shows the series storming back with most of the wit and humorous plotting of its final seasons intact. The pace is better, the plot clearer and more interesting, the jokes are funnier, cleverer and more frequent, and the characters seem more consistent. I won’t spoil the storyline, but it’s partially a continuation of the end of the first film—the universe has had a hole torn in it, and what lurks on the other side is a mysterious tentacled monster that could enslave the galaxy.

This film actually feels like two smaller plots stitched together, and they aren’t equally good. The first half concerns the tear in the galaxy and what lurks behind, and it’s as funny and interesting as any of the series’ best episodes. When it proceeds into the meat of the storyline the film doesn’t quite seem as effective, although David Cross does a good job in a prominent guest appearance. I wish the last acts of the film were as quick-paced as the earlier ones, but even still, this is a solid FUTURAMA adventure. If I had to compare it to the series, I would say this would fit in pretty solidly with second or third season material. It’s a massive improvement over the somewhat dull and contrived BENDER’S BIG SCORE, and shows that FUTURAMA is still the best animated show on television right now. Here’s hoping the third film finally brings us to a new peak.

The Video: BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS comes in anamorphic widescreen with a sharp and vibrant look (appropriate since the show is animated digitally). I did notice the odd bit of compression artifacting in early sections, but what was there cleared up quickly. It’s a good looking film with no visual flaws to speak of.

The Audio: A terrific 5.1 surround mix, with lots of directional effects, good implementation of low-frequencies and clear dialog. A very good audio experience for a straight-to-video cartoon.

The Extras: The single disk here is packed with a lot of good bonus material. The commentary track is interesting and entertaining as usual, with a mix of writers and cast members. There’s short video clips of behind-the-scenes in the recoding booths, plus deleted scenes, animatics and storyboards. One of the best things is what is called “The Lost Episode”—not quite, but it’s almost as good. This is an edit of 3D clips produced for the FUTURAMA X-Box game, featuring all the original cast members, and written by the regular series scribes. At 30 minutes long, it’s not only as in-depth as a regular episode, it’s nearly as good as one, and comes with a dedicated commentary track. The DVD package is the same “carbon neutral” cardboard one like the first film, which is somewhat flimsey, but it also has a nice mini-poster/postcard in the vein of the 1950’s-inspired cover art.

FUTURAMA: BEAST WITH A BILLION BACKS is a great little film that sees the show finally clawing its way back towards its prime. With a good assortment of features and great audio/video, this DVD couldn’t be more recommended.