Ok, this batch will take me to the halfway mark of the season. I’ll finish up the remaining reviews when I return from my vacation in England. Until then…
Part 1 of 2
Written by Tom MacRae
Directed by Graeme Harper
“You are inferior. Man will be reborn as Cyberman, but you will perish under maximum deletion. DELETE!”
There is a hell of a lot I enjoyed about Rise of the Cybermen…primarily the visuals. Graeme Harper, the first director from the classic series to return to the fold, delivers the goods, helping to fashion a parallel world that feels just as it should: so very, very close to our own, yet eerily divergent. The zeppelins, the slightly fascist colour scheme of grey and ice-cold blue, the people living by the rhythms of their ear-pod downloads (a particularly effective scene), and the harsh use of close-ups, spotlights, and night filming.
And, naturally, we have the Cybermen themselves. Tradition, combined with the alternate Earth scenario, offers an excuse for a re-design that is both radical (the corporate chest branding, the Borg-like sinewy under-armour), and nostalgic (the classic tear-drop eyes, the art-deco leg flares). But the new Cybermen are only as good as their direction, and once again, Harper comes through — shooting them from looming angles, cutting to jarring, terrifying close-ups of their skull-like face-plates, and a consistent choreography of victory marches, indicative of their unstoppable terror. Unsurprisinglyl, we should have expected from the maestro behind such classic tales as The Caves of Androzani and Revelation of the Daleks.
However, I don’t think the script quite deserves the glorious presentation it gets from the director. There are far too many things that annoyed me: the off-handed, bizarre suddenness of the time vortex disappearing & standing the TARDIS coming in top of the list. It screams of being little more than a simple plot device, when the significance of the event should be much more terrifying — even the effects work for the event is rubbish! Then there are the character notes — Rose is suddenly all whiney about seeing her alternate dad, having apparently learned nothing from Father’s Day, and the evil genius behind the Cybermen — John Lumic — is performed by Roger Lloyd Pack in such an over-the-top manner that it wouldn’t be out of place beside Tom Baker’s most insane opponents back in 1979. Certainly, there are nice touches as well (Mickey’s grandmother, alternate-Jackie destroying Rose’s family illusions), but there are far too many irritants, which reduces the impact of the story.
Still, it all ends on one hell of a panic-stricken cliffhanger…
8
Part 2 of 2
Written by Tom MacRae
Directed by Graeme Harper
“The Cybermen won’t advance. You’ll just stop. You’ll stay like this forever. A metal Earth with metal men and metal thoughts. Lacking the one thing that makes this planet so alive. People. Ordinary, stupid, brilliant people!”
Now THIS is the business! Forty minutes of non-stop action, explosions, creeping through tunnels, confrontations with the big bad…lots and lots of character development along the way…followed by a very sad but wonderful final five minutes. This time, the script delivers content equal to the direction.
Using Battersea as the headquarters for Lumic’s Cyber-factory is brilliant: incredibly imposing, and with a bit of The Dalek Invasion of Earth about it. Humans marching unconsciously to their own sick conversions, blades and lasers flashing through the air, screams echoing everywhere…it’s a truly staggering set up. From there, it’s simply non-stop…sneaking into the factory, Lumic’s conversion into the Cybercontroller (love his MEGA-Davros chair!), his confrontation with the Doctor, the chaos as the Cybermen’s emotions are reconnected…it’s another mini-Hollywood action blockbuster, except they’re hardly ever as good as this!
Everyone gets a lot to do, but the best pairing is easily the Doctor and Mrs. Moore, who comes out of nowhere to become THE surprise supporting character success story of the season. Helen Griffin takes what could have been a paper thin, throwaway role, and invests it with all the simple bravery evident in one ordinary woman, fighting for justice in the world…and her chemistry with Tennant is awesome. Add her to the companions-that-could-have-been list.
Speaking of paper thin roles coming to life, let’s give a round of applause to Noel Clarke, who’s surprising journey as Mickey (The Idiot!) Smith comes to its heroic conclusion. Not only does he invest some intense-yet-familiar characteristics in his pithy alternate Earth double, Ricky, he demonstrates once and for all that some people certainly benefit from adversity. He’s quick on his feet, confident, courageous; he’s become everything that Rose could have easily fallen in love with. However, his decision to stay on alt-Earth puts it to rest once and for all. It’s a grand farewell, and he deserves it. After all, he did once save the world with a big, yellow truck…
I also appreciated that there was no happy-go-lucky goodbye between Rose and alt-Pete, who simply walks away from the daughter he never had…unable to come to terms with the fact. It’s satisfying, both emotionally and plot-wise, as I couldn’t stand Rose’s immediate, soppy attitude in part one. Sometimes, the cold water of reality can be quite refreshing, even in Doctor Who.
So…a rousing action-adventure, full of wonderful character moments, an emotional conclusion, and a fade away into a star-scape straight out of the William Hartnell years. The alternate Earth stuff still nags at the back of my mind…but otherwise, I’d say The Age of Steel was near perfect!
9
Written by Mark Gatiss
Directed by Euros Lyn
“Now…are you sitting comfortably? Good…then we’ll begin.”
By a wide margin, it’s the most quiet outing of the season — which is appropriate, considering its position between the loud, sprawling behemoth before it, and the fathoms-deep epic that comes next. Unfortunately, it’s too quiet for its own good.
The main problem with The Idiot’s Lantern is that it doesn’t have enough of an edge: there’s never any doubt the Doctor will win at the end of the day, and most of the problems in the story have more bark than bite. It’s simply too innocent a premise to produce an evocative edge…unlike Gatiss’ previous effort, The Unquiet Dead, which successfully hid an alien threat inside a maelstrom of gothic trappings and Victoriana, and made a famous character its guest protagonist. There’s none of that here.
That said, there’s lots to enjoy here: The Doctor and Rose on a Vespa, the terrifying accuracy of the post-rationing 1950s, the well realized conflict on the Alexandra Palace transmitter, the Sapphire-and-Steel faceless people, and the family dynamics of the Connellys. The period detail creates a subtle warmth that catches you behind the knees.
But the best thing on offer is Maureen Lippman as The Wire — a performance that sails right over the top, but in a way that completely suits the role. Alternating between sweet-natured BBC-ish presenter, and screaming harridan shouting “I’m HUUUNNGGRRYYYYYY,” and “FEEEEEED MEEEEE,” Ms. Lippman has it exactly right, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun watching her go for broke.
It ends very sweetly, with female emancipation, a coronation street party, and a son trying to reach out to his father. It’s a story that will eventually fade into the mist, much like last season’s Boom Town, but it has far more depth and poignancy than the brash New Earth.
7
