First Impressions of a New World

Amy's Choice (sorry its late its been on hell of a couple of months!)

It is custom, in today’s science fiction landscape, to dip into an alternate reality once in a while. Just as Red Dwarf and indeed Star Trek have encountered so many times before, the lives of the weekly protagonists is shaped by choice, and this time its Amy’s turn to have the final say.

Whilst revisiting these sci-fi conventions, Amy’s Choice manages to be fresh and original and the main benefit of this is the work of writer Simon Nye, who with his first script for Doctor Who brings something new to the table whilst making sure that the main ingredients of the show remain intact. We are treated to sinister aliens hiding in the bodies of the elderly population of ‘Upper’ Leadworth, Time Lord and companions in a perilous position and a dark, mysterious foe manipulating the situation to his devious ends, but we will get onto the Dream Lord later.

So with all the boxes ticked, Nye is given full license to thrill for a whole 45 minutes, and while most of the action is set inside the beautiful TARDIS (which looks just fabulous when it freezes over towards the climax) the story zips between two possible ‘realities’, ultimately the ideal world back on Earth or the fantastical world of adventure drifting towards a burning ice star.

The title itself suggests that the story will evolve mostly around Amy Pond, but the tale of two worlds in which she must make the choice that one of them is real, is actually about fiancé Rory, who’s ideal world includes a quiet village, a full doctorate as opposed to just being a nurse and the Doctor’s world which is full of danger. It is another reference to the choice she has been torn between since the Doctor crashed back into her life halfway into The Eleventh Hour and each TARDIS crew member is as important as the other.

Arthur Darvill as the cautiously doting Rory continues to delight me, with his presence completing the TARDIS line up. His character bounces off that of Matt Smith’s Doctor and their alpha male competitive streak is a nice touch compared to the Doctor’s previous relationship with a companions love interest in Mickey, but his streaks of heroism and comedy steal the show and are easily the most likable character in the episode. I’m still not sure if he is destined to stay until the end of the series but the show will be all the poorer without him.

Karen Gillan also manages to make a prosthetic pregnancy look convincing and her character continues to develop, despite being slightly sketchy early on this series. However one grumble I will have is the ‘comedy scenes’ when Amy goes into to labour worked the first time, but quickly wore off and was as funny as a Christmas charity advert when it happens the last time. Apart from that though, her emotional journey is completed and in the end she is rewarded with the best of both worlds, the love of her boyfriend and her 907 year-old best friend.

Anyway, back to the Dream Lord, the villain of the piece and the character who will no doubt get us fanatics talking. Way back in the 1980’s, Colin Baker’s Doctor found his incarnation of trial in the aptly named The Trial of a Time Lord where his prosecutor, The Valeyard, turned out to be an evil incarnation of the Doctor between his twelfth and thirteenth regenerations. Could the Dream Lord’s appearance herald the coming of the Valeyard? Maybe he is the Valeyard and as Matt Smith’s Doctor progresses this evil side of the Doctor may rear its ugly head again.

Toby Jones performance as the Dream Lord was full of malice and evil and as a result his fleeting appearance in this episode will surely be rewarded with a return in the not so distant future (or past). The inclusion of the pensioners, and Mrs Poggit in particular is superbly chilling and should keep young children from asking their Grandparents for pocket money for a bit – they have seen what they can do if they want to get rid of you!

On the whole, Amy’s Choice is the latest in a line of thrilling and highly entertaining stories that is making up Matt Smith’s first season as the Doctor. It serves its purpose in developing the bonds between the Doctor, Amy and Rory and is epic on a small scale. As the series gathers momentum and viewers keep watching in there millions, with more dangers in store, will they be torn apart?

9/10

First Impressions Of A New World

 The Vampires of Venice

“Venice!” “Venetia!”
Six weeks in and Doctor Who has gone continental when the Doctor’s wedding present to Amy and Rory turns out to be more than just a book token, but a trip to 16th century Venice, where they find a group of Vampires who are not all that they seem and a sinister school.
After the drama of The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone it was refreshing for The Vampires in Venice to be a camp yet highly enjoyable jaunt into the past for Amy and the new companion Rory.
Now for many fans this might be a journey into familiar territory with the comparisons between Amy and Rory’s relationship and the Rose and Mickey saga obvious to the ever faithful viewer and there were some very close similarities between this and Toby Whithouse’s last script in 2006’s School Reunion, the last of a dying race taking over the Earth which can shift into the form of a human figure of authority is not new to Doctor Who.
The inclusion of Amy’s fiancé Rory as a companion has been just what the Doctor ordered (ouch – forgive me!) and Arthur Darvill has brought a nice slice of comedy to the TARDIS crew and although he may not be your stereotypical hands on assistant like Captain Jack Harkness but he does have a go at sword-fighting with mummy’s boy Francesco with a broom and earns some tonsil time with his fiancé as a reward. I sincerely hope that Rory becomes more than a recurring character like Mickey Smith was since Doctor Who works better when there are two companions, something we have been starved off for long periods since the show’s revival in 2005.
Matt Smith yet again manages to put in a fascinating performance, although the moment he is electrocuted by the door outside the House of Calvierri seemed a little false and resembled a small boy busting to go to the small boy’s room. But apart from that, he is definitely cemented into his role and his eccentric alien qualities keep on shining, and the inspired idea to have him bursting through Rory’s stag party cake had me chuckling on my tea. Additionally, the moment where he produces the First Doctor’s library card to the vampire girls
Villain of the week Rosanna played by Helen McCrory enjoys a rather flirtatious encounter with the Doctor as two races on the verge of extinction play with the idea of forming an alliance, much to the Doctor’s distaste and her relationship with her son, the sword wielding Francseco verged on being slightly incestuous and at times she seemed almost pantomime villain like as the story wore on.
Expectantly, the location filming is to die for, with the Croatian town of Trogir doubling as a convincing Venice of 1580 was bursting full of colour and splendour, something that BBC drama productions does very well indeed mostly more convincing than space operas anyway.
One of the biggest delights for me so far this series is that episode wise there have been no duds. Every story has been an enthralling well balanced adventure with equal amounts of humour and emotion to keep viewers of all ages gripped, apart from The Vampires of Venice very nearly overstepping the mark for the former.
So then, my one grumble I would have about this episode is the sexual connotations. For a family show like Doctor Who I really do not think that jokes about the size of people’s manhood is slightly below the belt – literally, and I am hoping that later on in the series the humour becomes slightly dryer and less reliant on naughty bits to get the laughs.
Apart from that blip, The Vampires of Venice was a slick effort which delighted throughout, an entertaining Saturday tea time romp and with the introduction of Rory as the new companion - a decision which may divide some fans but is welcome from this one - will add another dimension to the next few episodes as the series gathers momentum. But the silence at the climax is haunting the time travellers and the trailer for next week’s offering has definitely set up an intriguing teaser that leaves us waiting for when Saturday comes.

First Impressions Of A New World: The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone

WITH every new Doctor comes a story that welcomes back old elements of the show to help settle the new boy in. Just as the Daleks were used as a familiar helping for the Second Doctor and the Master was at his devious best to welcome more than one new incarnation to the universe, this time we had not just one returning enemy, but also a future (or is that past) ally in the form of River Song as she helps the Doctor and Amy battle the chilling Weeping Angels for two weeks of terror, frights in the dark and sinister two-parter that has surely put people back behind the sofa where they belong.

The opening scene is like no other in the show’s long history. There is a mix of Indiana Jones and James Bond in space, guest starring The Streets! It’s a hectic blend of intrigue and two worlds colliding, fluxing back together at the wrong end, the Doctor knowing how River Song meets her end but not knowing how he knows her or why she will play such a huge part in his history and River knows this man very well indeed, an maybe even better than he knows himself.

The Time of Angels is also the first episode in which Amy really comes alive as a companion. Up until now she has been a slightly vague creation, as if there is a big story just waiting to be told about her but one that until now has held her character back. Yet as soon as she is possessed by the Weeping Angels and she is rubbing stone from her eye it adds another dimension to her narrative and one that places her in the worst danger imaginable.

As we learn a little more about River Song as the story continues, her story is just as wibbly-wobbly timey -whimey as the Doctors and something tells me we have not seen the last of her this series and while the inclusion of the Fathers of the Church and a forest within the Byzantium in the second part is an inspired idea, and the haunting walk through the Maze Of The Dead heaped more mystery and terror upon us fans for a whole 45 minutes.

Unfortunately though, Mike Skinner was not the only guest star as another well known personality made an unexpected appearance as the Doctor made his speech to Angel Bob. Graham Norton has now invaded the who-niverse for the second time now since the show’s 2005 revival, the man must be really desperate for a part! However his minimal part in the story became a big story in the press the next day but for me it did ruin a truly fantastic episode.

The following part Flesh and Stone naturally continues where The Time of Angels left off, but is ultimately more intense with the scene where Octavian meets his maker and Amy’s blind walk through the forest makes for chilling viewing, and when the Angels turn menacingly to our shock they are more than just statues! And surely their presence as one of the greatest Doctor Who monsters ever had been cemented and they have burned themselves into the long term memory of young children, who will look twice when they walk past churches with sinister gargoyles peering down upon them!

The story has all the makings of a modern day classic – an iconic monster, memorable moments, convincing performances from all involved and a Doctor at the top of his game so early into his reign. Matt Smith displays the full range of emotions during both episodes, and we see a rage we have not seen the Doctor possess for a long time.

However the final scene in Amy’s bedroom was a radical departure from the rest of the story but a necessary one as it explained the significance behind the base code and the crack in the wall, it’s all about Amy and just as she was evolving into a classic series companion, she may just be the most important one since Rose as her story progresses. Matt Smith’s awkwardness to her advances were also a welcome departure from all the romantic inclinations we have been exposed to recently, though it did take a couple of viewings to get it and who knows, maybe even the Doctor will between now and next week!

So then overall The Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone is a fantastic showpiece for the writing and creative imagination of Steven Moffat and now all the elements of the new series are fusing together, but that crack in time maybe gone for the moment but what is the significance of Amy’s wedding day? And will the Doctor manage to keep away from Amy’s charms for long? See you next week to find out!

9/10

First Impressions Of A New World

Victory Of The Daleks

JUST three weeks into the new series and Steven Moffat has sent in the heavies.

The new Doctor is pitted against his fiercest enemies for the first time, and disastrously for him, the clue is in the title, he fails to stop them. It is quite easy to see that Mark Gatiss’ story is just one corner part of a jigsaw in a much bigger picture where the Daleks of the Time War are no more and a new improved, and colourful army awakes to potentially wreck havoc on the universe.

The background story set during the Second World War is dwarfed by the return of a deadly nemesis, and in the end it boils down to just two factors that have been constant throughout the whole history of Doctor Who, the Doctor and the Daleks.

The new design for the Daleks is bigger and more imposing than before, with parallels being drawn between this design and the ones Peter Cushing’s movie Doctor encountered back in the sixties. The look on the Doctor’s face as they emerge from their metal womb is one of horror and detest, and for once there is ultimately nothing he can do to stop them.

With every passing episode, Matt Smith continues to grow and grow in stature as the Doctor. As he witnesses the birth of the new Daleks and threatens them with a jammy dodger, it’s almost as if he has been facing everyone’s favourite monster for years, the perfect pitch for the Time Lord, staring into the eye stalk of an enemy he has defeated so many times before, and for the first time with his Granddaughter and two schoolteachers back on Skaro in his first incarnation, yet here is the same man standing before them, torn between their resurrection and the humans below.

Another performance that sparkles throughout is that of Ian McNeice, whose portrayal of Winston Churchill is instantly likeable, the man with which the hope of a nation devastated by war rest on his shoulders, and he carries the responsibility of the great man marvelously. A return appearance must surely be on the cards.

Some aspects of Victory are startlingly similar to the Patrick Troughton classics Power of the Daleks and The Evil of the Daleks in both concept and dialogue. The Doctor’s “the final end” quote is plucked straight from the last episode of Evil whilst the notion that the Daleks live to serve the human race is taken from the former story, and these nods to the classic series are somewhat melancholic considering both stories are now lost in the winds of time.

Once again the Doctor is left with a difficult choice, like last week dilemma in The Beast Below it holds a personal problem, destroy the thing he despises the most or save the beings he loves the most from the android puppet that is Professor Bracewell, the walking time bomb. The Daleks are always one step ahead of the Doctor and in capturing his testimony to start the restoration of the Dalek race and leaving a booby trap behind this is their greatest victory, and there is surely more to come.

The battle between the spitfires and the Dalek flying saucer is both fun and spectacular, suspending our disbelief at such an audacious concept which is genial.

The Doctor’s pain and anger in losing the to the Daleks is softened by his new friend and the fact that he saved the Earth, a fact that Amy states and she is fast becoming the friend he really needs, the missing link in his long hectic life, someone who sooths the disappointment when things do not go to plan and a human who spots the things the Doctor misses, and without that he would be lost.

So then, overall Victory serves it’s purpose in re-introducing the greatest monsters in the Doctor Who universe back as a massive threat in the cosmos once again. It was never going to be as grand or epic as recent modern classics like Bad Wolf/The Parting of the Ways or The Stolen Earth/Journey’s End but after watching it, that is not the way it has been written. It’s one man against a broken but strong alien menace building themselves back to glory with the old traveller helpless against the tide of inevitability. But why has Amy forgotten the Daleks? And what of the crack in the wall that is ghostly haunting the Doctor and Amy? Maybe the Weeping Angels and River Song hold the answer…  7/10

First Impressions Of A New World

The Beast Below

AFTER the thrilling introduction to a fresh new concept the week before, Doctor Who got back to what it does best, scaring the children back behind their sofas with The Beast Below, Steven Moffat’s tale of Great Britain among the stars and the mystery of what was behind the terrifying Smilers, who will keep small kids away from seaside amusements for this summer at least!

The Doctor takes new companion Amy on her first trip in the TARDIS, something she had dreamt about all her life, and she practically saves the Doctor from committing one of the most horrific acts in his long life, one which seems not to dissimilar to the choice he had to make when he ended the Time War, something which will forever haunt his waking moments.

The Beast Below is classic Doctor Who, it’s got all the elements that make the show tick, memorable scary monsters, funny moments – including the mad scene where the Doctor and Amy are nearly eaten by the space whale are quite literally thrown up and a strong storyline, which in turn brings out rich performances from the main protagonists, but for my money Karen Gillan steals the show.

Although Amy Pond is the latest in a long line of sexy, sassy and feisty (calm it!) female companions she brings something very new to the role, her eyes and experiences are the ones we follow as viewers, but she has known the Doctor since childhood and knows his new form better than he does and the character development is one I am excited to watch as it unravels throughout the series.

The shoes that Matt Smith is filling fit well, you wear them well sir!

On this early evidence, Smith is already fast becoming the most complete incarnation of the Doctor to date and he regularly displays characteristics of all his ten predecessors, the stern turn of Hartnell, the child like fun of Troughton, the dashing approach of Pertwee, the other world alien-ness of Tom Baker, the obvious youthful naivety of Davison, the brash rage of Colin Baker, the mysteriousness of McCoy, the mad professor persona of McGann, the lonely melancholy of Eccleston and manic larger than life streak of David Tennant whilst adding some new qualities to his Doctor. Someone’s been doing his homework.

Speaking of which, something tells me that Moffat has been brushing up on The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy and drinking pan galactic gargle blasters as the Space Whale and the Starship UK setting is the kind of thing that was permanently in the minds eye of Douglas Adams.

The opening scene in which the young boy Timmy is plunged to Beast below (sic) just as the Smiler’s expression turns to one of evil menace could have been a fantastic cliffhanger and it wets the appetite for the rest of the episode as the screech greets the TARDIS and the opening credits.

The inclusion of Liz 10, brought to life in a blaze of cockney glory by Sophie Okonedo, was one that bought the story full circle, of course there had to be a ruler on board Starship UK, but one that was not in charge, or so we were made to think.

Children of the nineties were surely thrilled when they saw the Chief being played by The Demon Headmaster himself Terence Hardiman, and at the conclusion the creepiness of the swivel headed Smilers disguises the fact that nobody dies in this episode, a body count so low the NHS would be proud of it, yet it is becoming apart of the staple diet of Steven Moffat’s stories, everybody lives!

Overall first two episodes of Season 31, or Series 5, or is it Series 1 again (?) have definitely been a sturdy start to The Eleventh Doctor’s reign, one of fear and memorable moments which will serve well as the weeks progress, but the cracks are starting to show, only in Amy’s bedroom wall and on the Starship UK and could this have anything to do with Winston Churchill and the shadow of an old enemy looming? Only time will tell.

8/10

First Impressions Of A New World

The Eleventh Hour

By Hayden Gribble

“Geronimo!”

Three months after literally exploding onto our screens, the good Doctor is back for 13 weeks of adventure and if ‘The Eleventh Hour’ is anything to go by, it’s going to be a memorable ride.

After leaving the Doctor in his crashing TARDIS at the climax of ‘The End of Time’, the story opens with yet more fire and explosions as the David Tennant era really is cremated. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, his reign is over and the age of Matt Smith begins with him clinging to the outside of the TARDIS as it crashes lands over London.

First things first, the title sequence is creepy and slightly X-Files, the new theme tune may take some getting used to, but the same definitely cannot be said for the new TARDIS interior, which is vast, expansive and beautifully designed in a way that HG Wells would have been proud of.

Everything is new. New Doctor, new companion played by the gorgeous Karen Gillan, new TARDIS both on the inside and out and new title sequence. And all of those factors are incredibly impressive and Moffat has achieved a new look to be proud of, but how did the story hold up in this brave new world?

The Doctor, still regenerating, is plunged head first into a quintessential little English village and meets Amelia Pond, an orphan girl who has a rather sinister crack in her wall, in which a shape shifter known as Prisoner Zero. For perhaps the first time since the first regeneration in 1966, the Doctor is thrust straight into action, the post regenerative trauma of old now banished.

The scene in which we see the world through the Doctor’s eyes is one of cleverest in Doctor Who’s history. As the camera pans gitterly around the picture-taking residents staring up at the Atraxi’s snowflake spaceships, our world stops and the Doctor’s hurtles around us dissecting every detail looking for a clue, and he finds it in Amy’s friend Rory, who is sure to become a male companion later in the series.

Matt Smith’s performance is one to be proud of. His craving for apples, yoghurt and eventually fish fingers in custard is like that of a pregnant woman, and the charming spark in his relationship with Amy is spot on right from the word “apples!”, onwards, as her development from sweet and innocent little girl to sexy kissagram is guaranteed keep the Dad’s watching.

Gillan is the latest in a long line of attractive assistants and will long in the imaginations of young teenage boys as their first crush, like Leela and Rose before her

As for me, I’m in love already…

The finale in the hospital will trigger the old memories of those who can remember Jon Pertwee’s debut story in 1970’s Spearhead From Space but the episode eclipses that and many more debut stories as the best, and most of that is down to Matt Smith, who mesmerizes throughout.

To put his performance into a musical analogy for the moment, David Tennant was a Doctor for the X-Factor generation, a character who was bright, sometimes cheesy and always larger than life. Think of the transition like The Beatles splitting up and Led Zeppelin becoming the next big group. The more commercial friendly yet occasionally dark model has been replaced by that of a harder, edgier more abstract one, and Matt Smith wields his powers like Jimmy Page launching into Stairway to Heaven.

Of course it is difficult to base where he will pitch the Doctor on one episode alone, but on this evidence he seems to have brought a lot of his own natural character to the screen, much like Tom Baker did when his iconic incarnation graced our screens. His eccentric streak is what will eventually win over the Tennant-ites (what I’m calling hardened fans of Doctor number 10) and the nod to the Doctors of old at the conclusion of the story reassured me that this is the same man as the one we met so long ago now in an old black and white junkyard.

So in conclusion ‘The Eleventh Hour’ is the perfect starting point for a new era of Doctor Who. Great acting and convincing performances from Smith and Gillan builds up one of the most important series in the show’s history and makes for an interesting and creepy adventure and if the coming soon trailer is anything to go by, its one of many that will have us glued to the television screens for weeks to come.

“Who da man!” indeed.

8/10

Raidings In My DVD Collection

Batman – Tim Burton 1989

Hello Blogspotters, and welcome to my first of a new review feature I am writing in which I review a film from my vast and overflowing DVD collection. Some good, some bad, some downright shoddy moments in cinema will too be included.

First up, its Batman, Tim Burton’s gothic re-imagining of one of the greatest comic book heroes. I have chosen Batman for three reasons. Firstly, It was released the summer I was born so I felt like being self indulgent, secondly Batman is by far the best conceived and most interesting of all the American superheroes featured in those classic 50’s comics. And thirdly, and most importantly for a review, I have a few opinions about it.

Then again, it is April Fools Day, so my films got a Joker in it...

Burton’s dark, moody and sombre style is a perfect set up for the first in a series of four films, which is a far cry in quality and tone from 1997’s Batman and Robin, which was as entertaining as watching your grandmother knit a brown jumper for all eternity. It was inspired by Frank Miller’s classic graphic novel, The Dark Knight and wipes the slate clean for a generation who grew up in the 80’s watching the camp and silly TV series.

There are some genuinely creepy moments, mostly involving the villain and show stealer Jack Nicholson, who’s portrayal of Jack Napier/The Joker, especially when in the scenes which shape his character’s destiny, when he falls in the vat of chemicals and when he is driven mad by his own altered reflection and the gruesome death of the newsreader thanks to the Joker’s beauty products left chills lingering in my dreams as a child.

The film stays true to the Gotham City inspired by Miller’s novel, and the atmosphere of tension and fear in the City spreads as corrupt officials struggle to celebrate their by-centennial year.

The best scene in the movie is definitely the scene where Kim Basinger’s helpless yet gorgeous heroin is tricked into a meeting with The Joker, whose decimation of the art gallery while listening to Prince on a retro ghetto blaster is both amusing and slightly un-nerving. It also includes the best line of the film.

Vicky Vale: Your insane!
Napier/Joker: I thought I was Pisces

Then of course we come to Batman himself. Michael Keaton is a surprise choice for Bruce Wayne/Batman, and although he may look like Tintin’s dad, he pulls off the part, but was rightly peeved when receiving second billing to Nicholson. Keaton’s wheels, the Batmobile is here at it’s iconic best and the design is by far the most impressive and memorable out of all the films in the Batman series.

Burton’s decision to make the villain the main character in both his Batman movies only works to some extent as the hero takes the back seat and we only learn a little about Bruce Wayne’s background, something we do not delve into until 1995’s Batman Forever, which is a shame because when Wayne has his flashbacks to his parent’s murder and sees The Joker as a younger man doing the killing, it messes with the back story slightly and only seem like it has been included to fit with this film and not with Bruce Wayne’s back story.

Overall, Batman is a great action adventure film and does not disappoint but may seem dated when compared to the latest Batman films starring Christian Bale but the narrative is a strong one, made even stronger by the brilliant central performance from Nicholson. It did seem too dark, however, for younger children to watch and I remember being around six when I first saw Batman and certain scenes did give me a fright but looking back now it only enhances the gloomy outlook of Gotham City and both the Joker and Batman too.

4/5