"Voyage of the Damned" is a welcome Christmas special. Let's face it, there's hardly any original Christmas material produced these-days so a whole 70 minutes of "Doctor Who" on the 25th December is always a pleasant treat. However, not everything that glitters is gold and despite the presence of Kylie, an appearance by Bernard Cribbins and lots of intergalactic fireworks, this episode lacked true sparkle.
It has to be said, I'm growing tired of Russell T. Davies' over-the-top emotional installments. Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned, scary "Who" story? What Davies supplies is turning out to be predictable, by-the-numbers, emotional porn. I miss the simple pleasures of the show and become frustrated at all the emotional highs and lows and improbable endings. Give me the good old days of Tom Baker! While the overall production standards of this show are pleasing, there's more than a shade of familiarity to the overall look of "Voyage of the Damned". Viewers will scratch their collective heads and wonder, "Where have I seen this corridor / engine room / control centre before?" Good, but not great, I think this was a wasted opportunity.
7 out of 10.
It has to be said, I'm growing tired of Russell T. Davies' over-the-top emotional installments. Whatever happened to a good old-fashioned, scary "Who" story? What Davies supplies is turning out to be predictable, by-the-numbers, emotional porn. I miss the simple pleasures of the show and become frustrated at all the emotional highs and lows and improbable endings. Give me the good old days of Tom Baker! While the overall production standards of this show are pleasing, there's more than a shade of familiarity to the overall look of "Voyage of the Damned". Viewers will scratch their collective heads and wonder, "Where have I seen this corridor / engine room / control centre before?" Good, but not great, I think this was a wasted opportunity.
7 out of 10.