7X02 Dinosaurs On A Spaceship (Grading/Discussion) (SPOILERS!)
- Thread starter Samurai8472
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Fun is NEvEr meaningless!
I'm all in favour of comedy sci-fi. But really, I found very little that was remotely funny in this episode.
The biggest problem was that was all so heavily contrived. Every line and scene was virtually begging the audience to laugh along. It felt a lot like a Series VII/VIII Red Dwarf episode. Or maybe a 6th form charity concert; full of cheap gags & lame skits that I'm sure were great fun for those involved. Just not that funny. It also suffers from the same problem as its Snakes on a Plane namesake: an amusing one-line premise isn't the same as having a good story to tell.
I also don't like the Doctor killing someone so effortlessly, but it says something about the lack of funny leading up to it that by that stage I was hardly watching enough to care.
The one thing that saved me giving this the lowest rating on the scale was the big game hunter, who had the episode's few mildly amusing lines. Everything else, pretty damn poor. There just wasn't any sharpness of wit behind the jokes. I hope the new series of Red Dwarf manages to show us how good sci-fi comedy can potentially be.
The biggest problem was that was all so heavily contrived. Every line and scene was virtually begging the audience to laugh along. It felt a lot like a Series VII/VIII Red Dwarf episode. Or maybe a 6th form charity concert; full of cheap gags & lame skits that I'm sure were great fun for those involved. Just not that funny. It also suffers from the same problem as its Snakes on a Plane namesake: an amusing one-line premise isn't the same as having a good story to tell.
I also don't like the Doctor killing someone so effortlessly, but it says something about the lack of funny leading up to it that by that stage I was hardly watching enough to care.
The one thing that saved me giving this the lowest rating on the scale was the big game hunter, who had the episode's few mildly amusing lines. Everything else, pretty damn poor. There just wasn't any sharpness of wit behind the jokes. I hope the new series of Red Dwarf manages to show us how good sci-fi comedy can potentially be.
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If you think Pixar movies are just "meaningless fun", you probably haven't seen any of them.
According to his wife Sue Vertue, Twitter was proving to be an unproductive distraction. Which is something that I and many other writers can attest to.
Yes, that's true to a certain extent. But there's a point where what we're getting is, as they say, "all sizzle and no steak."
I always hate people talking about shows like Doctor Who and Star Trek, especially the old Doctor Who and the old Star Trek, in terms of their special effects. Neither show was about giving you dazzling effects. They were about sparking your imagination and your intellect. At their best they did this at the same time.
Last night's episode thankfully was free of some of the more cringe-worthy elements that have been popping up in recent years. But it was empty. Again, all sizzle and no steak.
I guess it comes down to whether or not Doctor Who is a show that young children can watch and enjoy as well as kids, teenagers, young adults and adults...or whether or not it's a show for young children that other age groups happen to watch as well. I feel it was the former which has been transformed into the latter.
Yeah, you're right. Toy Story was really deep. So was Cars and Cars 2. Artistic and engaging. Certainly on par with comparable cinema like My Neighbor Totoro or Spirited Away.
According to his wife Sue Vertue, Twitter was proving to be an unproductive distraction. Which is something that I and many other writers can attest to.
That's a lot less interesting than my theory...he realized he got too big, too noisy. It was time to take a step back into the shadows.
I certainly wouldn't agree that the show has been "devolving" in any way.... but at least with this episode I agree things leaned too much on the silly and childish side.
There were just too many crazy elements thrown up on the screen at once, and unlike most episodes, there was no real attempt to take ANY of it seriously.
As a result, it basically just felt like an entire episode of "spitfires in space" to me.
I'm a little baffled at all the backlash against Moffat lately. I've been enjoying his tenure immensely. Ah well. Different strokes I suppose.
Anyway, I thought this episode was a lot of fun. It had a very old school Who feel to it... Just distilled down into 45 minutes, rather than artificially/arbitrarily decompressed and stretched out to four or six episodes. I like my Doctor Who with a lot of fun and whimsy and wonder and big crazy ideas.
--g
Anyway, I thought this episode was a lot of fun. It had a very old school Who feel to it... Just distilled down into 45 minutes, rather than artificially/arbitrarily decompressed and stretched out to four or six episodes. I like my Doctor Who with a lot of fun and whimsy and wonder and big crazy ideas.
--g
Oh for a little while, I thought you disagreed with me.
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Really fun episode!
However, like the last episode, I almost feel like it could have stood to be about 5 minutes longer towards the end. Specifically, I would like to see a more official "goodbye" scene when leaving the Ponds at home.
Last week, we just got a shot of them waving goodbye to a de-materializing TARDIS.
This week, I feel like, for all the whining they do about how the Doctor never comes around anymore, they are all too quick to go home. Honestly, I feel like Amy and Rory might have enjoyed dropping off the dinosaurs on their new planet rather than ditching out at the last minute.
However, like the last episode, I almost feel like it could have stood to be about 5 minutes longer towards the end. Specifically, I would like to see a more official "goodbye" scene when leaving the Ponds at home.
Last week, we just got a shot of them waving goodbye to a de-materializing TARDIS.
This week, I feel like, for all the whining they do about how the Doctor never comes around anymore, they are all too quick to go home. Honestly, I feel like Amy and Rory might have enjoyed dropping off the dinosaurs on their new planet rather than ditching out at the last minute.
^ To the "longer" point. Why haven't this series' episodes been longer on first-run like some S5 and S6?
Certainly these first 2 could've been longer without any fluff.
Certainly these first 2 could've been longer without any fluff.
Because your avatar is so negative?
Complete 180 from me, I actually loved this episode. The characters didn't act idiotic for the sake of the story, the story itself was a simple enough affair while still having a decent level of drama AND it actually took place on a spaceship! Plus the shot of Rory's dad having a cuppa while sitting "outside" the Tardis was just beautiful, and a nice moment to remind the audience of the spectacle only science fiction can provide.
This was a case of a simple story and smart characters which drove some excellent interactions. I'd rather have this every week which doesn't take itself too seriously than the "THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER" moments Moffat has been keen to drive home almost every week.
Plus, it looks like next weeks ep may carry on this style. Here's hoping.
This was a case of a simple story and smart characters which drove some excellent interactions. I'd rather have this every week which doesn't take itself too seriously than the "THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING EVER" moments Moffat has been keen to drive home almost every week.
Plus, it looks like next weeks ep may carry on this style. Here's hoping.
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Shiny! Where did that come from?
Have you not seen Dinosaurs on a Spaceship yet? Looks like they added an extra loop in before the Doctor pulled off Rory's face, but, it's definitely there in the episode
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Shiny! Where did that come from?