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That would have been good but they tried something a bit different – i.e. just having the two incarnations run into each other – and I think that was better than it being over some massive crisis.
I think they could have still done that with having more 2nd and 6th Doctor interaction. I'm not saying they should have had a bigger-scale plot but I think having hardly any scenes with 2 and 6 together defeats the point of a Multi-Doctor adventure.

That's right and I loved the fact that that was done with John Hurt in Day of the Doctor as well. In fact if you look at the audio The Sirens of Time, Peter Davison's Doctor pretty much takes on the same role while the Sixth and Seventh Doctors squabble.
It's a formula that works with Multi-Doctors; you can almost see it with the 5th Doctor in Time Crash too before he realises who the 10th Doctor is.

Have you read the script of The Masters of Luxor? It's brilliant. Big Finish turned it into an audio story but I haven't listened to it as yet.
I haven't. I'll have to listen to Big Finish's version at some point.



Ted review

I don't know what to say about this movie other than it's completely barking mad. It's like Seth MacFarlane was drunk when he wrote it. Maybe he was drunk. But one thing's for sure, Ted is the most insane film I've ever seen.

Sometimes this can be a hinder. Occasionally it can become a bit too silly (usually scenes involving violence) but overall it's pretty funny to watch. Seth MacFarlane is brilliant as Ted; the voice just suits the character and adds to the manic feel of the film.

Talking of the film's manic feel, a particular highlight is the cameo from Flash Gordon actor Sam Jones; a fun appearance that tests where John's (Mark Whalberg) loyalties truly lie: with Ted and their shared love for the film Flash Gordon or with his girlfriend Lori Collins (played by Mila Kunis).

Ted is a brilliant film with some brilliant jokes but if you don't like things to be a bit silly, I'd give this one a miss.




I think they could have still done that with having more 2nd and 6th Doctor interaction. I'm not saying they should have had a bigger-scale plot but I think having hardly any scenes with 2 and 6 together defeats the point of a Multi-Doctor adventure.
I tell you what though, I think only seeing one or the other for long periods does reinforce the fact that they're the same person.



Terror of the Zygons review - WARNING: Possible spoilers

It's easy to see why 10th Doctor David Tennant is such a big fan of Terror of the Zygons: there's lots of running and plenty of behind-the-sofa moments which will truly send shivers down your spine. In fact, if you're not a big fan of Terror of the Zygons then you must be a Zygon yourself. For it's unquestionably a golden moment for Doctor Who and one that even new series fans who don't like the classic series will enjoy.

The first thing that strikes you is that the pace more closely resembles the RTD Era of the show than the classic series. Sure, the first episode may be a little slow compared to the other three but it wouldn't work otherwise. It needs those little teases of the enemy before you see a Zygon come after Sarah Jane. But the other three episodes are literally on-stop with lots of scares and action sequences comparable to the pace of Silence of the Library/Forest of the Dead (to use one RTD Era example).

That's not what makes Terror of the Zygons work, though. What really makes it work is the general sense of distrust surrounding the serial. You can't trust anyone for those you would usually trust may be in actual fact a Zygon using their body print as a disguise. Never is this more obvious with the fact that a Zygon takes on the form of a nurse. You would usually trust a nurse but the nurse isn't trustworthy here.

The Zygon doubles also offer many of the serial's scares and some of the show's greatest ever scenes. Harry Sullivan's attempt to kill Sarah Jane with a pitchfork is a terrifying visual image (and no doubt caused a heart attack for Mary Whitehouse), for example.

It's not just the Zygon doubles that create this distrust, though. There's a real sense of unsettlement through how the Zygons are spying on the Doctor, Sarah Jane and the Brigadier. It's unnerving and complements the serial's atmosphere of distrust.

My only complaint about this serial is that it feels more like a Jon Pertwee serial. But overall, Terror of the Zygons is a terrifying and gripping 70s Tom Baker story and one any Whovian should watch whether you're only a fan of the new series, classic series or both.




Iron Man 2 review

Iron Man 2 is known as a superhero film but really at its core it's a survival movie. Which is surprising, given that it's a sequel to arguably one of the best superhero movies of all time.

You see, Iron Man 2 largely focuses on Tony Stark's attempts to save his life after he finds out the arc reactor in his body is slowly killing him. Not only does it succeed in its brave and bold attempt at focusing on the human element of the superhero genre but it does so in trademark Stark Style with many of the quips and eccentricities we have come to expect from Robert Downey Jnr as Stark.

Of course, you still get the typical superhero movie elements. It's still good VS evil. It's still a super-powered good guy taking on a super-villain. It still ends in a climatic battle between the opposing forces and it still ends with the hero saving the girl. But it's the human elements that allow Iron Man 2 to succeed.

Whiplash makes for a great alter-ego for Tony Stark/Iron Man too. He's basically like the dark reflection of Tony; the path that Mr Stark could have taken if he hadn't chosen to use his weapons technology for good intentions as opposed to evil ones. Essentially, Whiplash is like a 'evil' Tony Stark only without the wealth or money. He's certainly not a forgettable villain as some would lead you to believe but one that deserves to return to the MCU sooner rather than later.

Oh, and you can't do a review of Iron Man 2 without mentioning Scarlett Johannsen as Black Widow. She is simply awesome and more than deserves her own movie. May I suggest a buddy cop movie teaming up Black Widow with Agent May from Agents of SHIELD?

As for the rest of the supporting cast, Clark Gregg is brilliant as Coulson (it's easy to see why Marvel decided to give him his own TV spinoff), Samuel L Jackson is badass as usual as Nick Fury and Gwyneth Paltrow is just as good as she was in the first Iron Man as Pepper Potts.

My only criticism is that Whiplash's hatred for the Stark family could have been explored more and there's not quite enough scenes of Iron Man VS Whiplash. But overall, Iron Man 2 is a fun and enjoyable superhero survival movie.




For it's unquestionably a golden moment for Doctor Who and one that even new series fans who don't like the classic series will enjoy.
I think it is a very good story but I don't remember it ever being lauded in the way of Genesis of the Daleks or similar, and maybe it should be. Another important thing to mention is that Geoffrey Burgon did the music and it was a complete departure from Dudley Simpson's usual scoring. It's a bit like the effect of a Bond film without John Barry! Burgon's music really makes the Zygons that extra bit frightening I think.

It needs those little teases of the enemy before you see a Zygon come after Sarah Jane.
And that has to be one of the very best cliffhangers – it's terrifying.

Harry Sullivan's attempt to kill Sarah Jane with a pitchfork is a terrifying visual image
Yeah, and in a barn, too. Barns are always disturbing.

My only complaint about this serial is that it feels more like a Jon Pertwee serial.
I tell you what is weird, when I watched The Mutants, which was one of the last Pertwee stories I saw, I thought it was like a Tom Baker story.

Just out of interest by the way, how would you compare these Zygons with those of the new series? I haven't seen them in action but I feel like they look too much like prosthetic suits. They're too dry and inorganic-looking to me, whereas the original ones I think had a sheen to them that made them more convincing as living creatures.



I think it is a very good story but I don't remember it ever being lauded in the way of Genesis of the Daleks or similar, and maybe it should be. Another important thing to mention is that Geoffrey Burgon did the music and it was a complete departure from Dudley Simpson's usual scoring. It's a bit like the effect of a Bond film without John Barry! Burgon's music really makes the Zygons that extra bit frightening I think.
It's curious how fandom seems to have certain favourites that transcend other similarly golden examples of the show. I can't see there ever being a new series story regarded as highly as Blink, for example.

And that has to be one of the very best cliffhangers – it's terrifying.
Agreed. The whole serial feels like something Alfred Hitchcock would direct; I think it's one of those classic series stories that would even send the most cynical of current kid viewers behind the sofa.


Yeah, and in a barn, too. Barns are always disturbing.
Apart from when they see the birth of baby Stigs (
).



I tell you what is weird, when I watched The Mutants, which was one of the last Pertwee stories I saw, I thought it was like a Tom Baker story.
I find a few Peter Capaldi stories feel like Tom Baker ones, especially Mummy on the Orient Express.

Just out of interest by the way, how would you compare these Zygons with those of the new series?
I like the new series Zygons and I think it's great that they chose to use prosthetic suits like the original ones as opposed to opting for CGI. I think they are possibly the most faithful updated monsters to the classic series design, although in terms of narrative it feels as though they may be at risk of making them too similar to the Silurians whereas the classic series Zygons had a more original feel to their motives.



Time Crash review

Time Crash may be only 15 minutes long but in that 15 minutes it establishes itself as one of the show's very best TV stories (even if it can't be called an episode as such).

Peter Davison and David Tennant bounce off each other brilliantly, with the banter between them consistently being snappy and funny to watch. It's always interesting to see how different incarnations of the Doctor interact with each other and 10's fanboyish enthusiasm for the 5th Doctor is refreshing among the multi-Doctor tendency to not have the incarnations get along.

Time Crash does everything right that Dimensions In Time got wrong. It offers a strong, simplistic narrative and plenty of screen time for the incarnations of the Doctor involved.



The Infinite Quest review

The Infinite Quest is exactly how to do a animated Doctor Who episode. The animation is by the legendary Cosgrove Hall studios (the animation company behind Danger Mouse) and as you would expect, it's as great as any of their other animations.

It just feels like what it is: a animated Doctor Who adventure.

The narrative is wonderfully Doctor Who, zipping across various interplanetary locations everywhere and anywhere on their journey to find the spaceship 'The Infinite' before evil space pirate Balthazar with his pet parrot Squark find it first. Alan Barnes has done a great job; this feels like it could take place within the live-action series of the show if it wasn't constrained by budget. The animation is therefore used well to show a scenario on-screen that would never have been possible within the series.

Simply put: this was too good for CBBC and Totally Doctor Who. A great Doctor Who adventure.




It's curious how fandom seems to have certain favourites that transcend other similarly golden examples of the show. I can't see there ever being a new series story regarded as highly as Blink, for example.
I haven't seen all of Matt Smith and Peter Capaldi's episodes but all the others from the new series and Blink is still my favourite.

I like the new series Zygons and I think it's great that they chose to use prosthetic suits like the original ones as opposed to opting for CGI. I think they are possibly the most faithful updated monsters to the classic series design, although in terms of narrative it feels as though they may be at risk of making them too similar to the Silurians whereas the classic series Zygons had a more original feel to their motives.
Do the new Zygons still whisper as well?



The Lost World: Jurassic Park review

The Lost World is a good sequel to Jurassic Park. But is it as good as the first film?

No.

Nowhere near.

What it does do, however, is provide neat character progression for Ian Malcolm (he seems much more confident here than in the first Jurassic Park) and some tense action sequences (the most notable being Ian's girlfriend Sarah Harding trapped on the back window of the research van that's just about to crack). Steven Spielberg offers some brilliant cinematography (particularly with the scene mentioned above) and Richard Attenborough is once again great as John Hammond.

The film takes a while to get going but when it does, it's great. Occasionally it's let down by a few silly moments, though, such as the kid taking a picture of the T-Rex and Kelly using gymnastics to fight the raptor (why didn't John Hammond send Beth Tweddle to Isla Sorna?) but the other action sequences more than make up for it. Many will be surprised to see Jeff Goldblum fulfilling an action role but I am glad they made the decision to bring him back in the second movie as he is by far the best character of the original franchise and this film would not have worked as well without him.

I will post my review for Jurassic Park 3 in future but I'll just add that I think Jeff Goldblum makes a better Jurassic Park lead than Sam Neil in the future sequel. Sam Neil's character never really appealed to me in the same way that Ian Malcolm does; I don't mind his character but I don't think he is as interesting or as engaging to watch.

So overall, The Lost World: Jurassic World is a great movie but unfortunately it has too many silly scenes and is let down by bad pacing near the beginning of the film. Let's hope Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm meets Chris Pratt's Owen Grady in Jurassic World 2 because that would be cinematic gold and maybe allow Jurassic World's sequel to be a step above Jurassic Park's.




Love & Monsters review

As it's April Fools Day today, I thought I'd review the Doctor Who episode that feels like an April Fools. Yes, that's right: Love & Monsters.

Love & Monsters is quite simply an abomination in every sense of the word. The premise is about a Doctor fan group called L.I.N.D.A. (London Investigation 'n' Detective Agency) led by Elton Pope (Marc Warren) who seek to track down the Doctor and Rose because they're rabid fanboys. If that sounds incredibly meta, that's because it is. The only difference here is that the fans are bland; nothing like the exciting characters you get in real-life fandom.

It only gets worse when Peter Kay comes in as Victor Kennedy. To be fair to him, he's not too bad at first but when he becomes the Abzorbaloff he is laughably terrible in the role. As I said previously, Peter Kay would have been better playing a fan like Malcolm in Planet of the Dead as opposed to a cheesy monster invented by a kid.

Who's idiotic idea was it to let a kid design a monster for the series?

There's a reason why 10 year olds don't work as costume designers!

Yet there's something far, far worse than all this. It's hinted that Elton Pope, the guy who is supposed to be our substitute for the Doctor, has sex with a paving slab.

Overall, Love & Monsters is without a doubt the worst Doctor Who episode of all time.




Peter Kay would have been better playing a fan like Malcolm in Planet of the Dead as opposed to a cheesy monster invented by a kid.

Who's idiotic idea was it to let a kid design a monster for the series?

There's a reason why 10 year olds don't work as costume designers!
If you remember, a competition of this kind happened before, during the Hartnell era. The winning entry was manufactured and appeared on Blue Peter but as far as I know never in the actual series. So to do that the second time around was a positive thing I think – I believe they also did something to design a TARDIS console for use in The Doctor's Wife.

In theory to get a kid to design a monster is entirely sensible – as far as Doctor Who monsters are concerned they're the target audience. In this case I don't think the production team could have been given anything better, but it's where the head writer comes into the creative process that things go wrong:

What got me about the Abzorbaloff is that Russell T Davies approached it too much as a writer, trying to turn the winning kid's competition drawing into a character. The Abzorbaloff needed to be a huge, sumo-like rampaging monster that absorbed its victims. No more, no less. Kay was very funny with what they did create – I particularly like the faces trying to warn Elton and the one on the Abzorbaloff's backside is muffled because he's sat on a chair!
So if the approach was less fixated on character and more on fun, producing what was on that drawing without all the added elements, you'd have had a much more imposing and successful monster.

Yet there's something far, far worse than all this. It's hinted that Elton Pope, the guy who is supposed to be our substitute for the Doctor, has sex with a paving slab.
I enjoyed Love and Monsters for what it was but this scene irritated me as well. Obviously Elton says "We even have a love life" or words to that effect (note not "sex life") and I suppose it's left to the adults to interpret that in a chaste way. However it is easy to see it as deliberately obtuse and suggestive at the same time (I remember one fan saying that Elton's positioning of the slab when he says it was somewhat unhelpful), and would have been better off rewritten or simply left out.



If you remember, a competition of this kind happened before, during the Hartnell era. The winning entry was manufactured and appeared on Blue Peter but as far as I know never in the actual series. So to do that the second time around was a positive thing I think – I believe they also did something to design a TARDIS console for use in The Doctor's Wife.
At least that was just a cobbled together TARDIS console room. I think it was a mistake to get kids to design a monster and actually have it appear in the series. Whilst I would say most kids are intelligent, they can also have a very juvenile thought process compared to professionals in terms of their ideas.


So if the approach was less fixated on character and more on fun, producing what was on that drawing without all the added elements, you'd have had a much more imposing and successful monster.
The problem is, I don't think the design itself was that brilliant anyway. It was too cheesy, emphasised by the terrible name ('Absorbaloff'? Really?).



I enjoyed Love and Monsters for what it was but this scene irritated me as well. Obviously Elton says "We even have a love life" or words to that effect (note not "sex life") and I suppose it's left to the adults to interpret that in a chaste way. However it is easy to see it as deliberately obtuse and suggestive at the same time (I remember one fan saying that Elton's positioning of the slab when he says it was somewhat unhelpful), and would have been better off rewritten or simply left out.
'Coming up on Jeremy Kyle: "I have sex with a paving slab"'



Jurassic Park 3 review

Jurassic Park 3 is nowhere near as bad as people make out. Sure, it's not the best sequel in the world. It's not the best movie either. But despite the silly moments such as the talking raptor and the phone still working after being swallowed by the Spinosaurus and coming out the other end, it's a fun movie and that's all you want with a monster movie. Monster movies aren't supposed to be works of art.

Isn't it great to see the return of Doctor Alan Grant too? Sam Neil is as great as the paleontologist as he was in the first movie; it feels like his character has really progressed. Laura Dern was criminally underused as Ellie Slater though and it's a shame not to see her on Isla Sorna alongside Alan. Also: why aren't Alan and Ellie together, despite the romance between them that was heavily hinted in the first Jurassic Park? I am not a part of the Jurassic Park fandom but I can only imagine how many Alan/Ellie shippers must have been annoyed at this movie.

The T-Rex and Spinosaurus fight is nowhere near as bad as some make out either. I found the outcome believable enough. The T-Rex seemed to give a good enough fight and it therefore doesn't detract from the power of the iconic dinosaur. To me, the complaints about the fight are no different to those who were upset at no feathered dinosaurs in Jurassic World. It's just meant to be a fun blockbuster film: it doesn't have to be entirely accurate. The T-Rex may have won in real life and an argument could be made that the previous two films in the original trilogy show the T-Rex to be powerful enough to take down the Spinosaurus as opposed to the other way round but if you over-analyse any movie it is inevitably going to detract from your enjoyment of the film.

The unique thing about the original Jurassic Park trilogy and the Jurassic World film is how each movie arguably centres on a different protagonist. Jurassic Park is John Hammond's story, The Lost World: Jurassic Park is Ian Malcolm's, Jurassic World is Claire Dearing's (Owen Grady is the main protagonist but really it's about Claire's journey becoming less concerned about facts, figures and 'assets' and more about her nephews) and Jurassic Park 3 is the story of Alan Grant. Whereas most franchises tend to focus on one protagonist's story, Jurassic Park's strategy allows for more variety - something that maybe other film companies could take tips from.

Overall, Jurassic Park 3 is a solid movie and not as bad as some claim it to be.




I think it was a mistake to get kids to design a monster and actually have it appear in the series. Whilst I would say most kids are intelligent, they can also have a very juvenile thought process compared to professionals in terms of their ideas.
The problem is, I don't think the design itself was that brilliant anyway. It was too cheesy, emphasised by the terrible name ('Absorbaloff'? Really?).
It's fair to say that if you're going to open the doors to kids to design a monster, you can expect that its appearance and or name are unlikely to fit in with a hard sci-fi approach. That said I don't think Russell T Davies was really taking that approach with his version of Doctor Who. The Slitheen are a good example of that.

You can say "juvenile" but that can really only apply to the name of the monster. I thought the Abzorbaloff as an idea was original and frightening and you only got a glimmer of that in how it was handled on screen. Imagine a large creature rampaging through a corridor sucking victims into its flesh – that's what the design was, but for some reason the very people that opened the door to kids perhaps looked at the winning design as juvenile themselves, hence the introduction of "character". At least, if that was the view taken with the competition in the Sixties, the then makers of the programme were up front about seeing kids' ideas as juvenile and unworthy of inclusion.

My abiding memory of Peter Kay by the way is when he was shown dressed from head to toe in the Abzorbaloff outfit. He turns to camera and says "And tomorrow, I get me monster costume".



The Edge of Destruction review

Nowadays we are so used to the 45 minute story format and whilst this story is two 25 minute episodes that together make this running time technically this is Doctor Who's first attempt to tell a narrative in such a short amount of time.

Is it successful?

Well, it partly is and it partly isn't.

The Edge of Destruction sees the TARDIS trying to warn the crew about some impending disaster through various oddities like melting clock hands and influencing the Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan (Carole Anne Ford), Ian (William Russell) and Barbara's (Jaqueline Hill) behaviour.

This is an enjoyable enough story to watch and one that's suitably simplistic for a classic series two-parter. It creates a sense of paranoia well and doesn't feel like filler. It's a shame then that the resolution is such a let down.

Spoilers follow.

Because you see, when it's revealed what the TARDIS was trying to warn the crew about...it turns out it was just that the fast return switch was stuck.

Seriously.

The entire events of the two-parter were all because of one switch.

And that's not the only weird decision because earlier Susan tries to threaten Ian and Barbara with the deadliest item she can find..a pair of scissors. It's a scene that's nothing short of daft and really should have been replaced with something else.

Having said that, there are plenty of good moments. The Doctor's monologue is great and it's nice to see a story set entirely on the TARDIS. The cast all give great performances too. It's just a shame that in conclusion the story is let down by poor decisions by the writer David Whitaker.




The Edge of Destruction review
Nice to see someone else who still calls it The Edge of Destruction rather than Inside the Spaceship (I like the second title as well and apparently it was how David Whitaker always referred to it).

I think in the case of An Unearthly Child and The Daleks, the titles that are used more often say more about the stories in retrospect. Susan's alienness is more important than the brilliant story about cavemen; and although The Mutants was a great title for the first Dalek story, it's awkward to call it that given the Jon Pertwee story with the same title.



Nice to see someone else who still calls it The Edge of Destruction rather than Inside the Spaceship (I like the second title as well and apparently it was how David Whitaker always referred to it).
I'm always going to go by the classic series DVD titles rather than how the stories were referred to in production paperwork because the DVD titles are more universally recognised.

I think in the case of An Unearthly Child and The Daleks, the titles that are used more often say more about the stories in retrospect. Susan's alienness is more important than the brilliant story about cavemen; and although The Mutants was a great title for the first Dalek story, it's awkward to call it that given the Jon Pertwee story with the same title.
Agreed. I'd feel weird calling The Daleks 'The Mutants'.