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 | Brilliant - will recommend any time |
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Brilliant - will recommend any time
| What: | Punchline (BBV Audio Adventures in Time and Space) |
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| By: | Dean, Melbourne, Australia |
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| Date: | Monday 10 August 2009 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
This adventure is very much in the style of season 24. However, in this case the production crew get away with something that may have seemed very silly in the hands of JNT and crew. Stories that work better in audio format are always superior in my judgement.
There is nothing intrinsically bad about Planet of Giants. It works well in its truncated three part form and the story does not get very dull anywhere. The sets are good, and the regulars turn in good performances, even if the guest cast are fairly boring (although to be honest, the whole of their plot is not that entertaining). Despite these good points, and the occasional inventive streak, such as the Doctor and Susan climbing up inside a drainpipe and standing around in a sink, the story never feels particularly dramatic or important, especially as a season opener. Although at least the stakes are raised somewhat by Barbara being infected by the pesticide. Above average then, but nothing special.
Thakfully, I had held back on buying 3 of the 4 stories which had alreadly been released, so I only have a spare copy of Genesis. The Boxset is well laid out and the Big Finish audios are excellent and really fit in well with the Tv stories
| What: | The Scapegoat (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Tuesday 4 August 2009 |
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| Rating: | 5 |
The Scapegoat starts out with mysterious strangeness, seeming to offer some promising intrigue. We then get some more good humor from Lucie, and a bit of shock value gore. From there, things get just plain strange and kind of hokey, and the spell wears off. The story is basically a little sci-fi twist on The Portrait of Dorian Gray, set in Nazi occupied France during WWII. Unfortunately, we are no longer entirely escaping the fake accents here (see my review of The Beast of Orlok), though they are still being mostly restrained. It is a change of pace to have a companion - Lucie Miller - who is actually a better comedic presence than the Doctor, but it works. Lucie's great ad-libbing on stage in part one calls for an extra point or so in the rating, but this story, with its alien goat people in WWII France, is one that left me a bit cold in the end...
| What: | Wartime (Miscellaneous direct-to-video spin-offs) |
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| By: | J, Suffolk |
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| Date: | Tuesday 4 August 2009 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
ok, so it's not perfect. the first thing which i believe suits the programme really well though was the fact is was roughly the same length as a who episode from the 1970s. the idea of incorporating characters from WHO was another excellent idea too. the only bad thing was the episode itself. the plot at the start is rather confusing, and the fact there are parts which go in slow-motion, and that the episode keeps going round and round the same location makes it boring. i would say that at least 5 minutes of the programme features the same material, repeated but marginally changed. the plot gets better towards the end when you start to understand what is going on, which is rather different than described on the video case.
but then, just when you think it's got really good, the last few seconds are rubbish. you would never see that sort of thing in WHO and it doesn't suit. perhaps, for a first attempt, it is not bad, but if you are intending to buy any reeltime productions, i would reccomend downtime and shakedown before war time.
a nice little piece though.
i thought COE was totally exceptional. i found episode 4 a little boring, but apart from that it was totally excellent. whether or not you saw the series on TV, this DVD is a reccomended buy.
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| Gripping Part 1, Strange Part 2 |
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| What: | Wirrn Dawn (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Friday 31 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Part 1 of Wirrn Dawn really captures a bit of the feel of 70s Doctor Who, combining it with the newer Eighth Doctor elements for an interesting result. This is a very gripping episode, with some good action segments, great sound design, and genuinely humorous dialogue, in the midst of the deadly dangerous situations. The "blue button" shtick between Lucie and the Doctor in their space suits is laugh out loud funny!
When we get into the second episode, we know there's a particularly nasty thing happening to one of the characters, but the way the Doctor handles it, or doesn't, as it may be, seems to run counter to what we would expect from him. Or maybe it's his calm acceptance of what's happening that is so strange here. Is this bad writing, or is this simply stretching the Doctor's character in an interesting way? I'd be more inclined to say it's the latter, but somehow it leaves me with mixed feelings, and a mild sense of dissatisfaction with the ending...
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| Torchwood has never been darker |
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Torchwood has shown in the past two years that's it is not for children. COE is just so dark after a reasonably average first episode. Things start to get exciting in episode 2. Sadly there is a big shock at the end episode 4 after a shocking reveal from Jack in 3. Just when u think that it can't get darker episode 5 does.
It has been accounced that there will be a series 4 but it just won't feel like the same show despite this exciting story
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| Timewyrm: Revelation - OUCH! |
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| What: | Timewyrm: Revelation (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Mark List, Midland, United States |
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| Date: | Thursday 30 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 1 |
I don't know how to put this nicely, but this book was literally painful to read.
It was so dis-jointed it seemed like a toddler wrote the book. The scenes made absolutely no sense and it was on page 100 that you had the first glimmer of what was really going on.
It was on page 170ish that it got clearer (if you can call it that).
There seemed to be no plot, no sense of the story going anywhere - nothing.
I do not understand why this book commands the prices it gets on line. I can just say I am glad I got this for $4.00 at a used bookstore. Even that was even overpaying.
The Timewyrm series had great potential, but having 4 books written by 4 different authors was a terrible idea, at least in this case.
I really don't think I can accurately describe how awful this book really was.
If you aren't someone who wants a complete collection of the Doctor Who books I would highly recommend avoiding this book.
| What: | The Beast of Orlok (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Monday 27 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Paul McGann's Eighth Doctor really is the classiest of the lot. He is back in top form here in The Beast of Orlok, and Sheridan Smith's Lucie as well is as highly entertaining and delightful as ever. A great, funny script here, which becomes even more entertaining in the second episode, and we get fantastic performances by the guest cast as well. Peter Guinness' Baron Teufel, in particular, is positively dripping with menace and malice. The rich, quality sound realization and fine, playful incidental music combine with the rest to deliver a highly enjoyable audio drama.
Finally, this third story of the season is one that's worthy of the excellent retro/scary/goth opening theme music! Set in the Black Forest of Germany, yet sparing us all the ghastly fake accents, we get atmosphere and mystery from the start. The melange of bits and pieces of various well-known monster stories and fairy tales here could have been dreadful, but writer Barnaby Edwards has pulled it off beautifully. There really is rather a lot going on here, and I found that during a second listen it was much easier to catch all that was happening at the beginning. I found this one to be such an enjoyable listen that I really wanted to hear it again after the first time. To give just a little tease about the plot, the "beast" itself combines fairy tale with futuristic sci-fi, as does the entire story line. The Beast of Orlok has the feel of a sort of a mini-League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
This is the best Eighth Doctor outing since the previous season's Grand Theft Cosmos.
| What: | Timewyrm: Apocalypse (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Mark List, Midland, United States |
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| Date: | Sunday 26 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This story wasn't bad, but the continual references to the 2nd Doctors incarnation were pointless. I imagine that Nigel Robinson was trying to be "mysterious" and suspenseful, but it fell flat. I found the references pointless and boring.
The plot itsself was enjoyable, but with the distractions of the 2nd Doctor references, I just couldn't get into the story as much as I would have liked.
Without those references I would have rated this book much higher.
| What: | Delta and the Bannermen (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 23 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
This story often gets an unfair kicking from fans but for me it is a very enjoyable story.
Sure its not perfect but there are lots of good things about it.
Don Henderson as the main baddie Gavrock is excellent as is Belinda Mayne as Delta. I think she would have made a much better companion than Sara Griffiths (who played Ray) who was up for the part before Bonnie Langford changed her mind and stayed on. Even Ken Dodd (in a mercifully short role) isn't that bad.
There are some very good comic scenes as well.
The extras aren't much apart from the always interesting & excellent Stripped for Action.
| What: | Black Orchid (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Kyle KK, London |
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| Date: | Wednesday 22 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
It may only be two episodes long but theres something about this story that we love, maybe it because there's no aliens or maybe the fact that that the doctor and his companion just have fun for once. It also remindes you of the new series in some way, the fact that it is not a cheep production or a bad script but the fact that you can really enjoy it.
best story of classic who. 10/10
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| Krynoids - Poor Choice for Audio |
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| What: | Hothouse (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Saturday 18 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 4 |
My mistake - the other reviews I thought I remembered were elsewhere, in a print zine. (See my review of Orbis.)
In the Hothouse "cd extras," writer Jonathan Morris tells of how he received his assignment from Alan Barnes (Big Finish producer, apparently?). A Krynoid story was requested. Hothouse was Morris' second attempt. He modeled it strongly on the excellent classic series story, The Seeds of Doom, which was somewhat unusual in that the TARDIS barely featured in it at all, the Doctor is more of a secret agent than his usual wanderer in time and space self, it in effect almost disregards all of the previous Doctor Who stories, and it's the military who save the day by blowing the mansion-sized Krynoid to bits with missiles. Morris basically drafted a slight reworking of these elements, also including another version of the idealistic, wealthy horticulturalist Harrison Chase, another companion in imminent danger of being infected by a Krynoid pod, and another takeover of local vegetation by the controlling Krynoid monster. Furthermore, he was apparently not informed of the new relationship between the Doctor and Lucie, due to the Doctor's memory loss from Orbis, until some late stage in the writing. A few references to it are thrown in hastily, but that major development in the previous story really is not affecting what's happening in this one.
In short, Hothouse is a cheap imitation of the original, and on audio, the very visual horror elements of the Krynoids just do not come through. The two-episode story lacks much real depth, and is rushed to its ending, with the chief Krynoid growing to its full size in the blink of an eye. Uninspired sound realization and direction also contribute to make this one a disappointment.
Great story from Sylvesrer McCoy and Sophie Aldred. The DVD cover could of been better.
The Five Doctors is one of the best storys ever. Brilliant performance from Peter Davison as the 5th Doctor, Patrick Troughton & Jon Pertwee step into the role again as the 2nd & 3rd Doctors and Richard Hurndall as the 1st Doctor was good, but William Hartnell was not forgotten with his little speach before the title sequence plus great companions (even K-9). Great enemys such as the Cybermen, Yeti and a Dalek. Dissapointing that Tom Baker wouldn't come back as the 4th Doctor because with him it would off been just a little bit better.
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| The 8th Doctor is great!!! |
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| What: | The Movie (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Kyle K.K, London |
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| Date: | Saturday 18 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Paul McGann is a great Doctor and its a dissapointment that The 8th Doctor didn't go on !!!
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| An enjoyable set of four stories. |
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| What: | Forty-Five (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
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| By: | Doug, Pocono Summit, PA, USA |
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| Date: | Friday 17 July 2009 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
The four short stories that comprise "45" are a bit lightweight to be sure, as would be expected, but this time they work pretty well, providing enough substance for an enjoyable listen, and a fast enough pace to get each single story finished. I thought False Gods and Casualties of War were the best of the four. Order of Simplicity is a neat story about the extreme actions of what you might think of as a futuristic hippy or environmentalist gone totally berzerk. The basis of the story and its resolution are completely absurd, but it's still a fun ride. And then we have The Word Lord. This final episode of the collection really doesn't make any sense either, but it's another fun story anyway, that makes a momentarily interesting attempt at a sort of twisted, shocker ending to and link of the four stories. In this listener's opinion, it ultimately fails, due to the weakness and again, total absurdity of the concept of what the Word Lord actually is. And when a deadly enemy is foiled by flipping a switch, it makes me go, "Hmmm..."
