Day of the triffids

[Kibbin]

Just wondering if anybody is watching this tonight.
For thou8se who don't know, the BBC are doing another prodcution of Day of the Triffids, a two parter with the first tonight at 9

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJ_W9b9E0DA&feature=SeriesPlayList&p=385F1A8B4949E6D3[/yt]

 

[John Clark]

Yep, I'll be tuning in later. There are a few familiar faces in there

 

[WillsBabe]

I'll be tuning in. Looking forward to it.

 

[Bob The Skutter]

Just switched on the recording, but at this point I might just wait for both parts to record and watch in one go.

 

[Lonemagpie]

Watching it now - Mmm. Not sure about this. It's got the Spooks look, but I'm finding it really hard to get past the sheer stupidity of Eddie Izzard's survival of the plane crash...

And, am I imagining things, or is Joely Richardson wearing Rose's blue jacket from DW season 4? I'm sure I spotted the 7th Doc's umbrella in the hands of a woman in a crowd scene, and the military guy seems to be wearing UNIT wings rather than RAF wings (thought I've only got one eye on the show and it was a blurry moment...)

 

[Kibbin]

Well I didn't notice that stuff, cept for the blue jacket which I thought was a bit Roseish too.
I'll avoid spoliers but I will say that after part one I wasn't impressed. They turned a survival horror story into one about some bad guy who's gonna take over the world. The characters were unfleshed out and I've got to say that for what, an hour and a half it felt like nothing much has happened and they were just wondering from scene to scene.
I'll probably watch tommorow as this is only a two parter.

 

[wamdue]

well this Day of the Blind stuff is getting in the way of a plot that mostly seems to have been ripped from the other BBC series Survivors. Not nearly enough about the Triffards themselves.

 

[Lonemagpie]

In the end it was OK, actually. I prefer it to the overlong 80s version, though the Triffids themselves inevitably look daft when finally revealed in all their shuffling glory - it was wiser to focus on writhing roots/tentacles...

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

They turned a survival horror story into one about some bad guy who's gonna take over the world.

That's what was bugging me about it. The original TV series (available on Youtube through BBCWorldwide) focussed more on survival and less on those trying to take over.

The characters were unfleshed out

Blame the Triffids for that... I slay me, I really do.

For added effect I watched with my back to the Christmas tree and a nip of Black Bush to stave off the cold.

Talking of flashbacks to other BBC shows, was the death of the night-watchman a reference to the 60s film?

 

[Starkers]

well this Day of the Blind stuff is getting in the way of a plot that mostly seems to have been ripped from the other BBC series Survivors. Not nearly enough about the Triffards themselves.

Yeah but the story is about the blind as much, if not more, than the Triffids. At the end of the day it isn't the triffids that have laid humanity low, it's the blindness. This is probably even more emphasised in the 80's version than this one.

That said when the BBC greenlit it it did seem strange to have an end of the world drama when series one of Survivors was only a year ago, and series two is starting soon?

Anyway, not bad. The 80s version will always win out if only for nostalgia purporses. Funnily enough I started to like this more when it diverged from the original plot...Torrance's escape from the plane was pretty ludicrous mind you.

I like Priestly as Coker, and if Joley Richardson was wearing Rose's jacket all I can say is she looked far hotter in it!

Dougray Scott is a solid enough lead, and Eddie Izard doesn't quite slip over the line into panto villain!

And the triffids? Well oddly enough I thought in the long shots they looked ridiculous but close up I thought they worked ok...or at least as ok as walking killer plants can ever look.

 

[Pauln6]

Not as eerie as the eighties series and I was quite disappointed at at the way the blind people were portrayed as useless burdens with almost no lines. I would have thought that a show that revolves around blindness would have been a good opportunity to showcase how to cope with disability in a more modern tale. Obviously the poor blind folk have to be cannon fodder but a few more positive portrayals would have been nice. Maybe the second part will redress the balance a bit.

Overall it was entertaining enough.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

I would have thought that a show that revolves around blindness would have been a good opportunity to showcase how to cope with disability in a more modern tale

I thought I saw someone with what I assume is the standard NHS issue cane for the blind during the episode. I thought it might have led somewhere for that character, instead of having someone stand up in a pub and then drop dead.

 

[wamdue]

well this Day of the Blind stuff is getting in the way of a plot that mostly seems to have been ripped from the other BBC series Survivors. Not nearly enough about the Triffards themselves.

Yeah but the story is about the blind as much, if not more, than the Triffids. At the end of the day it isn't the triffids that have laid humanity low, it's the blindness. This is probably even more emphasised in the 80's version than this one.

but why does that point need to be made? if its about how society would cope if a large % of it went blind, why have in the Triffids in it at all, unless of course we find out they caused the blindness somehow.

 

[Starkers]

The triffids are there as an added threat. Taken togeather they add up to the apocolypse. As dangerous as they are it's pretty clear that without the majority being blinded Triffids were never going to pose a huge threat.

Civilisation could rebuild itself despite the blindness, with a modification of coker's plan. The triffids just make it an awful lot harder.

The blind induced panic was a trifle annoying. You'd think someone, even whilst blind would have tried to organise somewhat (the 80's series did seem to suggest this)

 

[Bob The Skutter]

^I'm just watching now, and half an hour in and I'm not seeing a whole lot of difference between this and the original in terms of how the blinded react. I have no special connection with the original, no sense of nostalgia, because I only saw it a few months ago. And to be honest, right now I'd have trouble saying which is better because they both have rather large faults with them.

 

[Starkers]

There's at least one sequence in the original where a few blind people have set up rope and pullys to allow them to function...I think they're still got by Triffids mind you.

 

[wamdue]

The triffids are there as an added threat.

maybe it should be called Day of the Blind then, had it not been called Day of the Triffids and anything I knew about the show previously had related to the Triffids I would not have been expecting more Triffid action than we got, the first half 30 had some of the makings of a good Doctor Who episode, or maybe a good Torchwood episode.

I had no knowledge that this Day of the Blind plot existed in the show previously.

 

[WillsBabe]

Made me want to dig out my Jon Duttine version. Sorry, I wanted to give it more constructive criticism than that, but I can't really be bothered. I watched the clip of part two so I don't actually have to watch part two!

And to be honest, right now I'd have trouble saying which is better because they both have rather large faults with them.

Well, the 80's version had Jon Duttine, so that pretty much cancels out any flaws that that had!

 

[Kibbin]

I'm of two minds as to weather to tune in tonight. The clip they showed last night did make it seem more intresting but well the first part looked interesting.

 

[The Squire of Gothos]

Civilisation could rebuild itself despite the blindness, with a modification of coker's plan. The triffids just make it an awful lot harder.

I kind of get what you mean (I think). Plotwise the Triffids are just there to hurry up the efforts to organise the blind into a new society.

How come so many hoodies survived the blinding? And how did the blind start so many fires? Were they all walking around holding petrol/Triffoil and matches?

There's at least one sequence in the original where a few blind people have set up rope and pullys to allow them to function...I think they're still got by Triffids mind you.

Is that the elderly couple? The husband gets chomped on the way out to dig up some cabbages IIRC.

And I knew the film reminded me of something else, although I didn't see it, Blindness.