Futurama: Season 1 [VHS] [1999]

Futurama is Simpsons creator Matt Groening's second animated show, crashing together the worlds of Star Trek and Springfield in a fast-paced comedy that combines social satire, farce, movie spoofs and hot alien chicks. Loser delivery boy Fry is accidentally frozen on New Year's Eve 1999, getting thawed out a millennium later just in time to see in the year 3000 - in his new job as, you guessed it, a delivery boy. Hooking up with cyclops space captain Leela and surly robot Bender, as well as the other misfit employees of the Planet Express delivery service, Fry gets to experience all the malfunctioning wonders of the 31st Century.

At its best, Futurama is easily as funny as a top-whack episode of The Simpsons - hardly surprising, since many of its writers moved over from Groening's first show. The jokes come just as fast and are every bit as sharp, and each episode stands up to multiple viewings because of the sheer number of sight gags and hidden details tucked away in the background. The writers all appear to be huge science fiction fans as well - spotting every reference, from the obvious to the obscure, is an almost impossible task, but if you get them it's yet another layer of comedy to enjoy.

This boxset actually contains more than the 'official' first season of the show - the four episodes on disc three were held back until the show's second year. Their inclusion here is a definite bonus, bringing the total up to 13.... The standard of the shows is so high that it would be far quicker to list the few shows that aren't quite as brilliant as the rest. But, like The Simpsons, even a comparatively weak episode of Futurama is better than 90 percent of the dreck currently found on TV.

The audio commentaries are nearly as entertaining as the episodes, as the various people involved in each are having a great time reminiscing and reliving the jokes. Groening and co-creator David X Cohen also drop in nuggets about early ideas for the show and point out hidden details that will be paid off years down the line. The deleted scenes were all dropped for reasons of time rather than lack of humour, so are worth watching. Audio is just stereo, but the picture is crystal-clear and full of vivid colours - far sharper than the first Simpsons boxset, probably down to Futurama's extensive use of computer graphics.

A lot of people didn't give Futurama a chance purely on the grounds that it's "sci-fi". In reality, there's usually more science in a L'Oreal advert - it's a comedy, and a bloody good one at that. You owe it to yourself to take a trip into the world of tomorrow! Read more ›

A friend of mine owned the season 1 dvd box set, and being a big fan of The Simpsons I watched the first episode of Futurama at his house, I was instantly hooked and bought the season 1 dvd the very next week.

The story is about a pizza delivery boy called Fry, who, on new years eve 1999 is sent forward through time to the year 3000 due to a cryogenic freezing accident. Fry then looks up his only relative in the year 3000 who happens to be a professor who owns an intergalactic delivery company and Fry ironically once again becomes a delivery boy (a job he hated in 1999, but loves in 3000 because it involves piloting a spaceship).

Fry teams up with Bender, an alcoholic, kleptomaniac, psychopathic robot. Leela, a cycloptic babe who gives up her job to become Fry's delivery-ship captain. His great great great great great etc. nephew (the mad professor). And a host of other great characters as part of the delivery company.

The animation and humour of Futurama are very similar to The Simpsons (which is no bad thing)the razor-sharp wit, sarcasm, irony, and laughs at other people's misfortune are all there.
But where Futurama differs I personally think is in the scope for inventiveness and creativity on the part of Groening and his team, after all no-one knows what the year 3000 will be like.

I think this gives Futurama an edge over The Simpsons because they can create whatever they want......new planets, new gadgets, different species etc.... it has a lot more freedom than The Simpsons, and this I beleieve is what will keep Futurama going long after the last episode of The Simpsons (although I hope that never happens).

All in all Futurama is great for anyone who likes The Simpsons style of humour (I personally now prefer it to The Simpsons)or for anyone who enjoys cartoons full stop. A great box set and a fantastic series.....all credit to Matt Groening and his team. Read more ›