Here’s the first in a long series of short reviews. I don’t have much time to write these, but I do want to jot down some thoughts. (The way I work, don’t be surprised if some of them turn out a little longer after all.)
Saw Bender’s Big Score yesterday, and loved it. To a geek, I really can’t imagine anything more funny than Futurama. And yes, the Simpsons are funny, but Futurama is brilliant. I love its emphasis on story and character rather than just gag (though there are plenty of those). It makes Futurama more memorable and ultimately also more funny than a lot of other shows. That’s something I’ve always believed – humorous storytelling, whether it’s a panto or an animated movie, is about more than just the momentary joke. Structure and story are still just as important, and emphasising them achieves a lot more than just stringing together a bunch of one-liners. When jokes are repeated or build on each other, they can become considerably more funny than on their own; and good characters who are more than just one-joke setups give the comedy a basis on which it can work, and a reality in which the plot (funny or crazy as it may be) actually means something to us – and is thus a lot more hilarious.
Does that make sense? I think so. Now I have to go, I have a bus to catch. (And the bastards are really slippery.)
