|
Did the Earth move for you?
I watched this latest outing with some reservations, because I'm old enough to remember black and white Daleks being scary enough to put me behind the
sofa for most of their appearance. I'm a long-standing (hiding?) Dr Who and everything else Scifi- fan, but it's always chancy to revisit something as classic as the old pepper-pots on wheels, especially if they've been given a 'makeover' to bring them up to date.
I've avoided young master Tennant as The Doctor for the most part, because he irritates the Gallifrey out of me. It's something to do with the hair and the perpetual staring eyes - that man's got more sclera than a roomful of albino zombies. David seems a very nice guy, and his general portrayal of The Doctor is a highly effective and traditional blend of sneaky / peaceful / mysterious / mischievous. But those eyes seem to blend into over-the-top production values so everything is World! Shatteringly! catastrophic!!
At the start of the latest outing we see a mini-quake shaking milk-bottles and roof tiles all over the world, followed by a frustratingly long series of double takes as various stars and bit-parters stare at the sky in apparent shock and awe. (I think they rented the expressions from Independence Day). The eventual matt painting we see of other worlds looming in the sky isn't quite as shocking as the reactions would suggest. The Quiet Earth (1985) used the same gag to better effect. The Earth Has Been Moved to a small time-warp at the other end of the galaxy, along with several other handy planets, and it's down to The Doctor to find the planet, his loyal friends, and Save The Day. f I followed the barely coherent techno-babble correctly, the Bees (you know: little guys - buzz, wings, sweet tooths, sharp finish) that we're currently noticing aren't around so much any more, are actually fleeing the Earth back to their own dimension in anticipation of the invasion. "What, you mean bees are aliens?" "Well no - not all of them." The bee guys leave an interdimensional dialling tone that The Doctor can follow back to the Earth, which has been temporarily dumped in a temporal lay-by (THE MEDUSA CASCADE - Editor), pending further diabolic plans by You Know Who.
There's a rousing call to arms between past and present Companions and a former Prime Minister (who has an interesting compulsion to flash her credentials at anyone and everyone) who is now in charge of some secret network that can search out those heroes who can STD. Fans of Torchwood, Billie Piper and Elisabeth Sladen can share a group hug at this point, 'cause they're all here to join the fight. Now I have to declare a personal interest - when I grew out of hiding behind the sofa, Ms Sladen gave me a whole new reason for watching the Doc. While now showing more wear and tear, Ms S is still worth the licence fee, and more than makes up for Those Eyes. A respectful nod here also to Bernard Cribbins, who's been in more Who poop than delegates at an owl convention, and is still kicking Dalek tin.
The series continues, and no doubt Our Hero will triumph; but we're slready getting messages that Something Bad is going to happen to one or more characters, and I think this is part of my overall reservations about the production. The old Who was a kids programme about some gentle guy with a mysterious past who got his companions into some amazing scrapes where serious screaming could ensue. The bad guys were largely defeated by guile and judicious use of a Sonic Screwdriver, and everything (except usually the bad guys) ended happily ever after. It was a jolly romp. The current version likes to shock; to show that heroes are often flawed, the good guys die, and there's lots of bad times to go with the good. And! (for Pete's sake) Everything! Is! Life! And! Death! Who still clings to its kids show roots. Sarah Jane has a supercomputer that lives in her wall and plays fanfares. The team gets hold of The Doctor by suspiciously Messianic cell-phone worship (believe me, you had to be there..) and the bad guys still look as though they'd have trouble getting over a step, but don't have any problem herding a streetful of people to a fate Worse Than Death. This is just more Panto than Sci Fi, and it seems to me that there's an underlying message that in times of crisis you may just as well give up and wait for The Hero to come save you. There's no point in trying to help yourself. I wish it took itself a lot less seriously, and tried to throw out a few more good vibes. Despite my reservations the series is popular - probably with a generation who are trying to work out exactly why their parents were going on about Sofas - and obviously hits a spot. Despite it being Made in Wales, I'd give it a 6 out of 10; could do better. If real world bees are buzzing off because they can sense a hard time coming, I for one will be dusting off the old sonic screwdriver and getting ready to give prospective tentacled bad guys the hardest time I can, whoever they are. .....and Sarah Jane, if you're still in the business and want to help out, please feel free to drop by any time... |
