Instead of a full Doctor Who series this year, we get this, Planet Of The Dead (with another few specials near to Christmas). The trailer made it look like a cheap Pitch Black. Was it?
Well, kind of but as good.
Considering Russell T. Davies is supposedly a Science Fiction fan he is either ignorant of SF clichés or incapable of taking a trope and making something new. And not just SF clichés, this episode also had a posh Lady who was a jewel thief, staring Michelle "YOU'RE NOT MY MUVVA!" Ryan, using her real posh voice. Haven't I seen that film a million times? The there's a wormhole consuming London and a load of aliens that eat everything and a flying bus. Where's the originality? Watching Doctor Who Confidential after shows that it's clear that the production team have lost the plot. They are more amazed that they managed to get a double-decker bus to Dubai for their jolly. And RTD seems to truly believe that it's a rollocking adventure rather than the same story he's told how many times now?
On the positive side, David Tennant was excellent as usual, as was Lee Evans as the dotty scientist, and well, it was Doctor Who. But I need more than just a new episode now, I want quality.
I can't wait for Stephen Moffat to take control of Doctor Who, it will be a shame to see David Tennant go, but the stories need freshness and some imagination. Something new please.
Ah... was going to watch this on iplayer. Won't bother now.
Having watched Jekyll, I have am under no illusion that Who is going to suddenly improve once Moffat takes over.
Never got to see Jekyll, but at least in the past Moffat has actually written stories for Doctor Who that involve time travel, rather than just aliens invade Earth stories.
I *FINALLY* got to see this. Gee, it was kinda' dreadful, wasn't it? Started out well, and with better music than normal, but it quickly became an annoying, dumbed-down pop-culture re-interpretation of Stanislaw Lem's "Invincible" that managed to completely miss the point of what it was ripping off. (In much the same way that "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was an annoying, dumbed-down pop-culture ripoff of 2001).
Yeah, Michelle Ryan was pretty yummy, but she looses points because she was so very obviously *Trying* to be. My days of not liking her are definitely coming to a middle...