Doctor Who: Voyage of the Damned is set aboard an intergalactic spaceship cruise liner called the Titantic, named after the ill fated ship from Earth obviously, carrying hundreds of passengers from all over the Galaxy it stations itself above Earth during Christmas 2007. The Doctor (David Tennant) arrives aboard on the TARDIS & decides to stay for a while & enjoy the festivities, however the festivities soon turn to tragedy when three meteorites collide with the Titantic severely damaging it. The Doctor along with an assorted group of survivors including sexy waitress Astrid Peth (Kylie Minogue) fight for survival as robotic hosts turn on their human creators killing any surviving passengers, something very sinister & very deliberate has happened & the Doctor is determined to find out what...
The third Doctor Who Christmas special after The Christmas Invasion (2005) & The Runnaway Bride (2006) which were broadcast on Christmas Day the previous two years Voyage of the Damned was apparently the second most watched program on British telly during Christmas Day 2007 & had a 50% or more share of the entire audience watching which is quite an achievement all things considered, directed by James Strong even though it will undoubtedly divide opinion with many saying it's 'the worst thing ever' I actually really rather liked it. The whole thing felt like a sci-fi version of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) set in outer space with the Doctor the leader of a band of mismatched survivors fighting for their lives, Astrid as the love interest as well as a collection of other assorted unashamed clichés. Then there's their journey through the wrecked ship overcoming collapsed corridors, blocked doors & having to walk across a precariously placed beam! I liked the Saturday afternoon action film matinée feel about it & for that I apologise to no-one. The script goes for some tragedy, some good old fashioned romance, some good action set-pieces, there's a few twists & turns as well as a bit of light hearted comedy. I liked the character's, the Doctor himself is just great as usual, I liked Astrid & I thought the bad guy at the end although a bit silly looking worked well enough & I'd have liked a bit more motivation or explanation for the Titantic's captain to turn traitor. The story is alright, I'd say it's a bit predictable & sometimes a bit rushed but I liked it, it moves along like a rocket, it's unpretentious fun & doesn't try to be anything else while I found plenty here to enjoy.
This is one of the better looking things to turn up on British telly recently, lets not forget that over here we don't have huge special effects house's & techniques to create this sort of stuff so it's an achievement that it does look pretty good. Sure there's some ropey effects here but mostly they are pretty impressive, the space-bound shots of the Titantic in particular have real scope, scale & look great. I think the effects in this look as good as anything from an American TV series which sometimes can be truly awful. I must admit I did find the silly bit at the end with the Queen a tad embarrassing though & could have done without it along with the two fat comedy relief character's who are irritating but thankfully get killed off. The production design is nice & it looks glossy with a really nice contrast between the Victorian style wooden interiors that mimic the look of the real Titantic against the high tech sophistication of a intergalactic spaceship. The opening theme has undergone a slight rearrangement & it sounds a lot meatier & less orchestral. The acting is fine, Tennant is very comfortable as the Doctor these days, I quite liked Kylie Minogue & thought she looked sexy in that maids outfit while everyone else does alright.
Voyage of the Damned is a fine Doctor Who adventure that I enjoyed a lot, sure it isn't perfect (what is?) but as a light action orientated sci-fi fantasy with good effects & a good story I'm not one of those who are going to complain although I'm sure there will be plenty of them about that will (unfairly) criticise everything about it.
The third Doctor Who Christmas special after The Christmas Invasion (2005) & The Runnaway Bride (2006) which were broadcast on Christmas Day the previous two years Voyage of the Damned was apparently the second most watched program on British telly during Christmas Day 2007 & had a 50% or more share of the entire audience watching which is quite an achievement all things considered, directed by James Strong even though it will undoubtedly divide opinion with many saying it's 'the worst thing ever' I actually really rather liked it. The whole thing felt like a sci-fi version of The Poseidon Adventure (1972) set in outer space with the Doctor the leader of a band of mismatched survivors fighting for their lives, Astrid as the love interest as well as a collection of other assorted unashamed clichés. Then there's their journey through the wrecked ship overcoming collapsed corridors, blocked doors & having to walk across a precariously placed beam! I liked the Saturday afternoon action film matinée feel about it & for that I apologise to no-one. The script goes for some tragedy, some good old fashioned romance, some good action set-pieces, there's a few twists & turns as well as a bit of light hearted comedy. I liked the character's, the Doctor himself is just great as usual, I liked Astrid & I thought the bad guy at the end although a bit silly looking worked well enough & I'd have liked a bit more motivation or explanation for the Titantic's captain to turn traitor. The story is alright, I'd say it's a bit predictable & sometimes a bit rushed but I liked it, it moves along like a rocket, it's unpretentious fun & doesn't try to be anything else while I found plenty here to enjoy.
This is one of the better looking things to turn up on British telly recently, lets not forget that over here we don't have huge special effects house's & techniques to create this sort of stuff so it's an achievement that it does look pretty good. Sure there's some ropey effects here but mostly they are pretty impressive, the space-bound shots of the Titantic in particular have real scope, scale & look great. I think the effects in this look as good as anything from an American TV series which sometimes can be truly awful. I must admit I did find the silly bit at the end with the Queen a tad embarrassing though & could have done without it along with the two fat comedy relief character's who are irritating but thankfully get killed off. The production design is nice & it looks glossy with a really nice contrast between the Victorian style wooden interiors that mimic the look of the real Titantic against the high tech sophistication of a intergalactic spaceship. The opening theme has undergone a slight rearrangement & it sounds a lot meatier & less orchestral. The acting is fine, Tennant is very comfortable as the Doctor these days, I quite liked Kylie Minogue & thought she looked sexy in that maids outfit while everyone else does alright.
Voyage of the Damned is a fine Doctor Who adventure that I enjoyed a lot, sure it isn't perfect (what is?) but as a light action orientated sci-fi fantasy with good effects & a good story I'm not one of those who are going to complain although I'm sure there will be plenty of them about that will (unfairly) criticise everything about it.