Note: This review basically says the whole plot.
This episode, while great fun to watch (I saw it with my family and laughed the whole way through) is an odd departure from the regular Dr. Who. Not in terms of plot line, which is the regular 'save the earth' story where only the doctor can save the earth, but in the way that it is SO cheesy and stolen.
Before I go into the poseidon adventure side of the plot, i'd first like to talk about the 'coincidental' nature of it. Coincidentally, the tardis crashed into a ship flying around our earth in 2007. Coincidentally, it is hovering over London, as all the Christmas specials have. And coincidentally (more curiously), all of the 'aliens' look like humans, allowing a variety of cameos from various BBC television celebrities - I spotted three random celebrities.
The plot itself is stolen from the poseidon adventure, with an altruistic hero (the doctor) a self-centered person, a lead female, but then there's also the two fat people; a direct rip-off, who refuse to be without each other (another direct rip-off). There are several moments, such as the fact they discover they aren't the only people still alive, and the other people die as they are not under the guidance of the main hero.
The hero has a moment where his leadership is questioned, JUST LIKE IN THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, there is a sacrifice of one person after she decides life isn't worth living without her husband, JUST LIKE THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, the remaining people have to try and cross a rickety piece of metal to get to the other side (*sigh* i'm just going to abbreviate this to "jltpa" now) and the heroine dies trying to save the others. OK, so it was the hero in the poseidon adventure, but it's still jltpa.
OK, this is a confusing plot already, but then they throw themes such as: - the earth and all inhabitants will be destroyed, - some of the people can barely work to earn enough money (poverty), - two characters have an eating disorder and struggle with it, - the smug, rich person gets all the glory (being undeserving) - the old person gets treated to a better life (which is just a plot to make it a happier ending) - over-dramatic, slow-motion deaths and, one of the funniest themes: - cyborg mistreatment laws on the home planet of the aliens. Yes, you read that right, there is a side-plot where the moral opinions of Cyborgs are dealt with in a 'teary' death scene.
Now come on. There are a ridiculous number relationships portrayed, with too many side-characters not to care about. Had this been a two-hour movie it may have been alright, but as it stands, it merely steals the poseidon adventure's plot, tacks on some (well-done, might I add) sci-fi effects, and adds some decent humour and wit here and there. However unlike other episodes, even the serious plot lines feel cheesy.
The episode was a barrel of laughs, for some right and wrong reasons, and makes for great viewing, but then again, so do cheesy 1950s horror movies, but not because they're masterpieces. It's odd, as the episode has the general feel of a usual 10/10 episode, but is let down by poor story scripting, which is like every other doctor who episode crammed into one. I hope this isn't a sign of worse things to come.
To the writers of the show: pick a plot (that's ONE SINGLE plot), refine it, add a twist and stick to it. Don't throw in so many things it's impossible to care, and make it ORIGINAL. No more 'we're back in London' please - alien worlds or the future would be more appreciated. I believe the world is bigger than just London - it's odd that from the millions of worlds out there, we're not only forced to watch the same planet, but the same single city as well.
Overall, it was a fun watch and was visually spectacular. But the plot was just so far-fetched, jumpy and random that it really spoilt the experience for me, hence the 5. Recommended for a quick laugh with friends or family, but they really need to get back on track for series 4.
(One final note, about 10 of the plots are jltpa, so please don't steal any more plots).
This episode, while great fun to watch (I saw it with my family and laughed the whole way through) is an odd departure from the regular Dr. Who. Not in terms of plot line, which is the regular 'save the earth' story where only the doctor can save the earth, but in the way that it is SO cheesy and stolen.
Before I go into the poseidon adventure side of the plot, i'd first like to talk about the 'coincidental' nature of it. Coincidentally, the tardis crashed into a ship flying around our earth in 2007. Coincidentally, it is hovering over London, as all the Christmas specials have. And coincidentally (more curiously), all of the 'aliens' look like humans, allowing a variety of cameos from various BBC television celebrities - I spotted three random celebrities.
The plot itself is stolen from the poseidon adventure, with an altruistic hero (the doctor) a self-centered person, a lead female, but then there's also the two fat people; a direct rip-off, who refuse to be without each other (another direct rip-off). There are several moments, such as the fact they discover they aren't the only people still alive, and the other people die as they are not under the guidance of the main hero.
The hero has a moment where his leadership is questioned, JUST LIKE IN THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, there is a sacrifice of one person after she decides life isn't worth living without her husband, JUST LIKE THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, the remaining people have to try and cross a rickety piece of metal to get to the other side (*sigh* i'm just going to abbreviate this to "jltpa" now) and the heroine dies trying to save the others. OK, so it was the hero in the poseidon adventure, but it's still jltpa.
OK, this is a confusing plot already, but then they throw themes such as: - the earth and all inhabitants will be destroyed, - some of the people can barely work to earn enough money (poverty), - two characters have an eating disorder and struggle with it, - the smug, rich person gets all the glory (being undeserving) - the old person gets treated to a better life (which is just a plot to make it a happier ending) - over-dramatic, slow-motion deaths and, one of the funniest themes: - cyborg mistreatment laws on the home planet of the aliens. Yes, you read that right, there is a side-plot where the moral opinions of Cyborgs are dealt with in a 'teary' death scene.
Now come on. There are a ridiculous number relationships portrayed, with too many side-characters not to care about. Had this been a two-hour movie it may have been alright, but as it stands, it merely steals the poseidon adventure's plot, tacks on some (well-done, might I add) sci-fi effects, and adds some decent humour and wit here and there. However unlike other episodes, even the serious plot lines feel cheesy.
The episode was a barrel of laughs, for some right and wrong reasons, and makes for great viewing, but then again, so do cheesy 1950s horror movies, but not because they're masterpieces. It's odd, as the episode has the general feel of a usual 10/10 episode, but is let down by poor story scripting, which is like every other doctor who episode crammed into one. I hope this isn't a sign of worse things to come.
To the writers of the show: pick a plot (that's ONE SINGLE plot), refine it, add a twist and stick to it. Don't throw in so many things it's impossible to care, and make it ORIGINAL. No more 'we're back in London' please - alien worlds or the future would be more appreciated. I believe the world is bigger than just London - it's odd that from the millions of worlds out there, we're not only forced to watch the same planet, but the same single city as well.
Overall, it was a fun watch and was visually spectacular. But the plot was just so far-fetched, jumpy and random that it really spoilt the experience for me, hence the 5. Recommended for a quick laugh with friends or family, but they really need to get back on track for series 4.
(One final note, about 10 of the plots are jltpa, so please don't steal any more plots).