Futurama: Bender's Game

Between the constant churn of new releases, Futurama: Bender's Game is the comedy actually worth stopping for. A tight runtime that never overstays its welcome. A 7/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Billy West leads a cast with real comic timing. There is no real reason to keep putting it off.

Whatever else is competing for your attention this week, Futurama: Bender's Game is worth clearing space for. Futurama: Bender's Game gets the fundamentals right first, then finds room to get weird with it. When Leela is insulted by a group of space-rednecks (like regular rednecks, but in space), she enters the Planet Express ship in a demolition derby. Leela emerges victorious, but when she brings the damaged ship home, and the Professor sees the fuel gauge, he's enraged by the hit he's going to take at the Dark Matter pump. Now the crew have to find a way to break Mom's stranglehold on starship fuel, even if they have to wade through a Lord of the Rings-inspired fantasy-land to do it! Between them, Billy West and Katey Sagal carry the comedy without ever forcing it. It was released in 2008. The timing in Futurama: Bender's Game is precise enough that even the throwaway lines land on a second watch. It delivers reliably on what it promises, which is more than most of its competition manages.

Futurama: Bender's Game is the kind of thing you put on in the background and end up fully watching. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. The complete film is available and best experienced without too much prior knowledge of where it goes. Billy West anchors an ensemble with real chemistry. Genuinely funny, consistently, across the whole run.

Futurama: Bender's Game was released in 2008, directed by Dwayne Carey-Hill. The full 88-minute film is available to watch now. Find exactly where it's streaming below, and TV Butler Pro makes it effortless to track your progress as you go. Just search the name, and Butler finds it instantly, tells you which service has it, and remembers exactly where you left off.