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Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord: Part One (1986)
An underrated epic
(THIS MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS)
There is a reason that Colin Baker is my favorite actor to play the Doctor. And that is this 14 part serial. Most people think of this episode as an OK Doctor Who story that doesn't really have anything spectacular, but I disagree. The idea to put the doctor on trial is a brilliant one and I find that the trial scenes are the highlight of the serial. As the serial is still technically one story, I will review the whole thing in this review now.
The first four episodes are titled The Mysterious Planet. These first episodes start the serial well. We are introduced to some great characters such as the Valeyard and Glitz (who later returns in the last parts of the serial as well as Sylvester McCoy's Dragonfire). The world of Ravolox is really interesting and the sets are nicely made considering the budget. This episode also sets a rather dark tone which would continue for the rest of the serial. Drathro is also a really cool villain. The only downfall of this story is the character of Katryca. Her dialogue seems to be badly written which differs from most of the other characters. She soon gets what is coming to her anyway.
The next sub-story is Mindwarp. As the trial continues, the Doctor is continuously being threatened by the Valeyard.This part of the serial begins to make the trial scenes more intense as the Valeyard continues to show events from the sixth Doctor's past. The flashbacks shown by the Valeyard are extremely interesting and make for a great Doctor Who story. Colin Baker is also at his best here. Sil and Kiv are quite menacing and make for really interesting villains. The flashback story also fits in with the trial sequences really well and it does this better than The Mysterious Planet did. This episode also marks the final story that features Peri. She was a great companion and she finishes her time on the show with a brilliant send-off in this story.
After Mindwarp is Terror of the Vervoids. The next scene the Valeyard shows is one where the doctor is on a holiday spaceship of some sort with a brand new companion Mel. This is another great story and the sets really stand out in this one. Some great characters are here as well. Even the special effects seem to be handled with much more skill than previous 80s Doctor Who stories. The only let down for this story is Mel. On her first outing she already establishes herself as extremely annoying and constantly making the Doctor angry. Other than that this story is great to watch.
The final episodes of the serial are The Ultimate Foe. This is definitely the highlight of the serial. These two episodes are extremely confusing but they are handled with a lot of skill and Robert Holmes beautifully executes Part 13 with his inventive ideas. In this last story, the Valeyard becomes more of a villain than the Doctor had expected and he is soon led into the surreal world of the Matrix (not the one you are thinking of). Colin Baker portrays the Doctor brilliantly in this dark episode and Anthony Ainley also makes a great appearance as the Master. The ending to the serial is fantastic and this episode finishes it all off with brilliant writing and even better acting.
For any Doctor Who fan this serial is a must watch. It is my personal favorite serial and it is criminally underrated. It's a shame that Colin was forced to leave after this. His version of the Doctor could have done a lot more.
Pink Floyd: The Wall (1982)
All in All it was All Just Bricks in the Wall
Being a massive Pink Floyd fan I felt like I had to watch this film. For some strange reason, part of me expected not to like the film and to only enjoy the music. But this was not the case. This film is intriguing, bold, disturbing, clever and ambitious all at the same time. Alan Parker does a great job at blending the scenes with the music and brings forward, Roger Waters' original vision to the screen, perfectly. Another highlight is the cinematography. It is absolutely fantastic. It (as well as the set- decoration and Bob Geldof's depressing performance) truly adds to the mood of the film.
Probably the best scenes for me was the In the Flesh/Run Like Hell/Waiting For The Worms scenes. They seemed to be filmed to absolute perfection and they are also the best songs from the album.
This film is a must watch for fans of Pink Floyd and The Wall as it truly tells the story perfectly.