RGA
02-23-2006, 07:39 PM
Well this won't appeal to too many here but what the hell. Note this is not a review because I don’t own a surround system but more of an advert/my take on the new Doctor Who series.
The series primary audience is 10-14 year olds (yeah well I’m a big kid).
The LONGEST running Science fiction show in history starting back in 1962 the Doctor, from a planet called Galifrey, travels through time and space saving the universe from evil-doers. His space ship is called the Tardis (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) which when landing on planets would morph to camouflage itself so that it would blend in with the environment.
However, due to budget constraints the BBC decided that the camouflage device would be broken beyond repair and the time traveling device would be locked into what is a 1950's Emergency Telephone Police Box. The inside of the spacecraft is vast (larger on the inside than the small outside).
Before going on it may be interesting for some sci-fi nuts out there to know that a great deal of the content in shows like Star Trek as well as the film the MATRIX have copied large chunks of information from various Dr. Who episodes over the years. The term Resistence is Futile for example was in one of the Tom Baker DR. Who shows from the late 1970's where a mania called the master went inside a matrix to control a civilization through their minds. And that was just one show.
The show was brought back to life after a 15 year hiatus and the new series has revamped special effects. Indeed the second episode has twice as many special effects shots than the film Gladiator which is impressive for a show that has always had a history of low grade visuals with clunky set pieces. The look and the effects are solid enough to compete with the likes of Babylon 5 and Star Trek but with the British flair for costume design.
The Doctor who is over 900 years old at this point and in his 9th regeneration meets a spunky young 19 year old girl, brilliantly played by pop singer turned actress Billy Piper, who will be his traveling companion to thwart the evils that are out to harm planet earth. For those not up on Doctor Who lore, regeneration occurs when significant damage is done to the Doctor such that if he were a normal human he would die. Indeed, the regeneration saves the essence of the Doctor but forces him to take another form. (This was a great way for the BBC to have a new actor play the part of the Doctor to keep the immensely popular show going when the lead actor decided to leave. The Doctor is said to have 12 regenerations in him before he is out of lives. Of course this is science fiction and there would naturally be a way around that if the show became immensely popular again. After the success of this first season in Britain – the BBC has announced that two more seasons have been signed off on.
From the press issue
“The venerable science fiction program Doctor Who returned to British televisions in 2005 after a 15-year absence and delighted the majority of fans and critics with its adherence to the adventure and charm of the original series while making admissions for a new generation of viewers (hipper editing and score, CGI effects). Thirteen episodes were generated, all starring Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor and pop-singer-turned-actress Billie Piper as his companion Rose; acclaimed writer/producer Russell T. Davies (Touching Evil, ***** as Folk) oversaw the show as chief writer and executive producer. The new series proved so popular that the BBC agreed to revive the program for second and third seasons--though without Eccleston, who has since been replaced by David Tennant. This six-disc set comes with all 13 episodes plus the battery of supplemental features now customary to all Doctor Who DVD releases.
Eccleston is very engaging in the title role, bringing a manic curiosity tempered by occasional bouts of gravity (which befit a personality with a long and dramatic a lifespan as the Doctor's) that hew closely to the (arguably) most popular Doctor, Tom Baker. Piper is equally adept as department store clerk Rose--she's afforded more of a back story than most of the Doctor's sidekicks have received in the past, and she more than handles her own alongside Eccleston. Highlights among the 13 episodes include the season opener, "Rose" (which sees the return of an old foe, the Autons, and their controlling force, the Nestene Consciousness); the revamped Daleks in "Dalek" and the two-parter "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways"; a trip to Victorian England to aid Charles Dickens in "The Unquiet Dead," and of course, the arrival of the tenth Doctor at the conclusion of the action-packed "Parting of the Ways." The episodes strike the right blend of quirk, excitement, and imagination, thanks largely to the engaging performances and the guidance of Davies, whose admiration for the show and its history is evident throughout.
Supplemental features--and there are many--including commentary on all 13 episodes by members of the cast and crew, including Piper and Davies; numerous making-of featurettes, including a profile of Davies; a video diary by Piper; an interview with Eccleston, and best of all, a glimpse at the 60-minute Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion," which picks up where the series concludes. Who fans won't be disappointed. --Paul Gaita”
PS - I went to Amazon.com and they do not seem to have a price for this yet. Strange. Amazon.ca the Canadian outfit has the boxed set available and Canada is the same region so I don;t know why there is a delay. I purchased the series for $84.00Cad. http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000E41MS6/701-3372799-5492336
The series primary audience is 10-14 year olds (yeah well I’m a big kid).
The LONGEST running Science fiction show in history starting back in 1962 the Doctor, from a planet called Galifrey, travels through time and space saving the universe from evil-doers. His space ship is called the Tardis (Time And Relative Dimensions In Space) which when landing on planets would morph to camouflage itself so that it would blend in with the environment.
However, due to budget constraints the BBC decided that the camouflage device would be broken beyond repair and the time traveling device would be locked into what is a 1950's Emergency Telephone Police Box. The inside of the spacecraft is vast (larger on the inside than the small outside).
Before going on it may be interesting for some sci-fi nuts out there to know that a great deal of the content in shows like Star Trek as well as the film the MATRIX have copied large chunks of information from various Dr. Who episodes over the years. The term Resistence is Futile for example was in one of the Tom Baker DR. Who shows from the late 1970's where a mania called the master went inside a matrix to control a civilization through their minds. And that was just one show.
The show was brought back to life after a 15 year hiatus and the new series has revamped special effects. Indeed the second episode has twice as many special effects shots than the film Gladiator which is impressive for a show that has always had a history of low grade visuals with clunky set pieces. The look and the effects are solid enough to compete with the likes of Babylon 5 and Star Trek but with the British flair for costume design.
The Doctor who is over 900 years old at this point and in his 9th regeneration meets a spunky young 19 year old girl, brilliantly played by pop singer turned actress Billy Piper, who will be his traveling companion to thwart the evils that are out to harm planet earth. For those not up on Doctor Who lore, regeneration occurs when significant damage is done to the Doctor such that if he were a normal human he would die. Indeed, the regeneration saves the essence of the Doctor but forces him to take another form. (This was a great way for the BBC to have a new actor play the part of the Doctor to keep the immensely popular show going when the lead actor decided to leave. The Doctor is said to have 12 regenerations in him before he is out of lives. Of course this is science fiction and there would naturally be a way around that if the show became immensely popular again. After the success of this first season in Britain – the BBC has announced that two more seasons have been signed off on.
From the press issue
“The venerable science fiction program Doctor Who returned to British televisions in 2005 after a 15-year absence and delighted the majority of fans and critics with its adherence to the adventure and charm of the original series while making admissions for a new generation of viewers (hipper editing and score, CGI effects). Thirteen episodes were generated, all starring Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor and pop-singer-turned-actress Billie Piper as his companion Rose; acclaimed writer/producer Russell T. Davies (Touching Evil, ***** as Folk) oversaw the show as chief writer and executive producer. The new series proved so popular that the BBC agreed to revive the program for second and third seasons--though without Eccleston, who has since been replaced by David Tennant. This six-disc set comes with all 13 episodes plus the battery of supplemental features now customary to all Doctor Who DVD releases.
Eccleston is very engaging in the title role, bringing a manic curiosity tempered by occasional bouts of gravity (which befit a personality with a long and dramatic a lifespan as the Doctor's) that hew closely to the (arguably) most popular Doctor, Tom Baker. Piper is equally adept as department store clerk Rose--she's afforded more of a back story than most of the Doctor's sidekicks have received in the past, and she more than handles her own alongside Eccleston. Highlights among the 13 episodes include the season opener, "Rose" (which sees the return of an old foe, the Autons, and their controlling force, the Nestene Consciousness); the revamped Daleks in "Dalek" and the two-parter "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways"; a trip to Victorian England to aid Charles Dickens in "The Unquiet Dead," and of course, the arrival of the tenth Doctor at the conclusion of the action-packed "Parting of the Ways." The episodes strike the right blend of quirk, excitement, and imagination, thanks largely to the engaging performances and the guidance of Davies, whose admiration for the show and its history is evident throughout.
Supplemental features--and there are many--including commentary on all 13 episodes by members of the cast and crew, including Piper and Davies; numerous making-of featurettes, including a profile of Davies; a video diary by Piper; an interview with Eccleston, and best of all, a glimpse at the 60-minute Christmas special, "The Christmas Invasion," which picks up where the series concludes. Who fans won't be disappointed. --Paul Gaita”
PS - I went to Amazon.com and they do not seem to have a price for this yet. Strange. Amazon.ca the Canadian outfit has the boxed set available and Canada is the same region so I don;t know why there is a delay. I purchased the series for $84.00Cad. http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000E41MS6/701-3372799-5492336