Russia (bbabo.net), - Online movie theater Hulu has announced the continuation of the animated series "Futurama". I tried to figure out why we need to wait for new episodes of the animated film, which ended back in 2013.

The brainchild of Matt Groening, the father of The Simpsons, and David Cohen is a truly unique and paradoxical phenomenon. The series showed the realities of the distant future, but was so topical that the channels where it was shown regularly put spokes in the wheels of the creators. It had immense popularity, which over the years took shape in a cult, but was closed and revived several times. It ended back in 2013, putting, according to fans, a bold point in history, but after 10 years it returned again so much so that almost all the media wrote about the eighth season. "Futurama" is the case when a "children's cartoon" about a pizza delivery man who, by the will of fate, ended up in the year 3000, is a unique and truly profound work, whose relevance over the years not only has not decreased, but only grown more.

First of all, the animated series takes its setting - the world of the future has absorbed many popular science fiction concepts: from an abundance of technology to intergalactic travel, adding to this a host of original ideas. So, in the series you can find robots that turn into werewolf machines at night; celebrity heads placed in jars so they can live for centuries; suicide booths and even a toad that can hypnotize people. Because of this, the episodes are sometimes strikingly different from each other, and the viewer is always intrigued: where the story will turn this time. The series can begin with preparations for a match with representatives of the race of black basketball players, continue with time jumps, due to which entire years pass in just a second, and end with a touching scene on an interplanetary scale, demonstrating the protagonist's boundless love for his partner. One of the strengths of the series is that behind the seeming chaos of everything that is possible, there is a well-developed universe that sometimes functions according to absurd, but still rules, which makes you believe in what is happening on the screen. Not in the sense that such a future awaits us. Rather, the world of the series remains extremely versatile, but a monolithic space that does not fall apart into a pile of unrelated sketches and jokes.

As the writers joke, all those who worked on the Futurama series account for about 50 years of studying at Harvard. The erudition of the creators was manifested not only in the constantly voiced scientific theories or jokes that only mathematicians or programmers can understand. "Futurama" is a very bold satire that uses the scenery of the future to ridicule the present, from the corrupting influence of television to the overall bureaucratization. However, the animated series reveals itself from the other side, when it begins to “encroach” on more subtle matters. What is more important: the life of a person or a machine; whether there is free will; whether the concepts of "evil" and "good" are applicable to God's providence - the creators are not afraid to raise rather complex philosophical questions, but at the same time they do not try to make a strained drama with pronounced moralizing. On the contrary, there is a lot of humor and exaggeration in such episodes. This is partly the beauty of Futurama: as a child, you notice the jokes of one of the main characters and references to Star Wars, but over the years you realize that behind many funny situations there are themes and nuances that sometimes only adults can understand.

However, we forgot to talk about the characters. Starring: silly boy Fry, who, after a thousand years of sleep in a cryochamber, is forced to adapt to a new reality; strong-willed Leela, a one-eyed mutant who has no luck with men; the sarcastic and selfish robot Bender, who contains all sorts of vices: from drunkenness to lust. Quite extravagant personalities, which are revealed from new sides every season. Fry is a loser, but with a heart of gold, willing to sacrifice himself for others. Lila is an impregnable captain, but at heart a little girl, longing for love and care. Bender - despite all his nihilism and deliberate contempt for humanity, an extremely vulnerable creature who is afraid of dying and losing loved ones in his soul. And this principle - "depth behind apparent simplicity" - can be traced in many other heroes. Even the most lurid of them, Dr. Zoidberg, a lobster-like alien famous for omnivorousness and uncleanliness, in some episodes, despite complete medical incompetence, demonstrates a sincere desire to save others. The characters bring a share of emotionality and ... tenderness into the sea of ​​satire and caustic irony. It is no coincidence that episodes dedicated to Fry's past, his love collisions with Leela or Bender's existential crises are some of the best.And the main reason to watch Futurama is that it ended on time. Probably, in 2013, when the animated series was finally closed, many fans had a feeling of indignation: The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad and other similar sitcoms continue to run, while their favorite series was so unlucky. But if you look at the situation now, then Futurama has won the most. She did not have time to reach the point where the number of episodes goes to several hundred, there are no original ideas left, and the creators have long disowned their creations. Another of Groening's animated series about a yellow-skinned family just went through all these stages, turning from a satire on licked shows about ideal American families into their direct counterpart.

It may seem that Futurama does not need a sequel. This is not entirely true. Groening, Cohen, the voice actors, and many other members of the team have been talking about wanting to revisit the story of the interplanetary express crew for several years, and they must have come up with enough plots in a ten-year gap between seasons. But this is not the main thing. The series was created largely on the principle of "contrary" - they constantly changed the time of showing episodes, tried to put pressure on the writers to make the second "The Simpsons", and much more. However, this benefited Futurama - the creators put their soul into each episode, while always being ready that the next season could be the last, and therefore each time the final episodes became almost the best in the animated series, beautifully summing up the story of the main characters . Whatever happens with the eighth and possible subsequent seasons, we will know that the adventures of Fry, Leela and Bender can always get a worthy conclusion.

bbabo.Net