A suburban housewife (Sandra Bullock) races against time to try to prevent the death of her husband (Julian McMahon).

Since Futurama and The Simpsons were both created by cartoonist Matt Groening and share his frequently absurdist, often acerbic sense of humor, comparisons between the two series were inevitable, and while Futurama was often funnier than The Simpsons in the first two seasons it was on the air, it consistently lacked the emotional resonance of the earlier series -- it never seemed to engage the mind the same way it massaged the funny bone. Similarly, the second multi-DVD Futurama box set -- this one collecting the 19 episodes from the show's second season -- seems to be modeled on the superb packages Fox Home Entertainment created for the first two episodes of The Simpsons, but the results aren't quite as impressive. The material included on Futurama, Vol. 2 has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Surround, and all the episodes look and sound terrific, with the images pin-sharp throughout and the sound crisp and cleanly defined. Along with the original English-language audio tracks, the discs include alternate dubbed versions in Spanish and French (also in Dolby Digital Surround), as well as optional subtitles in English, Spanish, and French. Like the Simpsons collections, Futurama, Vol. 2 is loaded with bonus material, but ironically this is where the set disappoints. Each episode here has an alternate commentary track, featuring Groening along with members of the show's writing staff, production team, and voice cast, but surprisingly often they don't have anything especially enlightening to say about the show, often getting bogged down in cryptic sci-fi references and inside jokes, and while fans might get a chuckle out of hearing them, their novelty wears out rather quickly. Deleted gags from most of the episodes are also included, though they tend to be brief and appear to have been scrapped for a good reason, and while the "animatic" for "Why Must I Be A Crustacean In Love?" is instructive for those interested in the show's production methods, it isn't especially entertaining on its own merits. Also, while the "international clips" are amusing enough, no one seems to have realized that while the versions in Italian and Portuguese are a novelty, the French and Spanish clips are redundant, since all 19 episodes can be viewed in those languages anyway. Also included is a gallery of production artwork and a key to the show's "alien alphabet," both of which are more interesting and useful than many of the set's more elaborate features. Fans of Futurama will certainly appreciate the care and technical skill that's gone into putting the show's second season on disc, but the additional bells and whistles ultimately don't add much value to the package.

The third volume of the beloved animated series Futurama comes to DVD from 20th Century Fox. Volume three contains 22 complete episodes on four discs, originally broadcast on FOX from 2001 to 2002. Each episode is presented with a standard full-frame transfer and Dolby Digital Surround Sound in English, Spanish, and French. Subtitles are available in English and Spanish and closed captions are also accessible. The box itself is pretty cool, with dual-sided character cutouts and two clear windows to see the inside sleeve artwork. Each disc is held in its own slim Nexpak plastic case. The bonus features start off with full-length audio commentary tracks for each and every episode. Each disc provides ample deleted scenes, storyboards, and still galleries. Disc four offers the most special features. A "How to Draw Characters" segment in the character art gallery creates Fry and Leela. Also, 3-D models show some rough-draft sequences. Animatics are included for "Anthology of Interest II" and alternate animation is provided for "Roswell That Ends Well." In addition, there are international clips featuring French, Italian, and Spanish language casts and a couple of Easter eggs. Overall, this is yet another highly recommended Futurama box set from 20th Century Fox in a series of fine releases.