Pete Messum Reviews...

So, at long last - The Bells of Saint John are ringing. A hark back to Steven Moffat's classic "The Empty Child" perhaps? Except they've put the phone in a little cubby hole this time round, unlike the 2010 TARDIS model. Did I mention how much I love Michael Pickwoad's design of the TARDIS? It looks more and more awesome every episode. However, the new theme isn't as good as the one used in "The Snowmen". It's more orchestral than synthesised and seems far too short. The title sequence hasn't been altered (with the exception of the ever-changing logo) which is a bit of a pity. Anyway, the Doctor has a new garb and a monk outfit! The new costume is very Doctor-ish and much better than his previous (and Tennant's). Both work well with Matt Smith's quirky Doctor and the scene where he and the monk have the phone call is hilarious! ("Is it an evil spirit?" "It's a woman!") That's why I love Moffat's writin...

So yesterday I went to the Odeon in London to see The Hobbit: Part 1 in 3D! It was actually really suited for 3D; the amount of 3D effects in this film is incredible, and in 3D it looks awesome and you feel like you're actually involved in the story, and even the actors and their movements all look brilliant in the 3rd Dimension. I will definitely be seeing Part 2: The Desolation of Smaug in 3D later this year. A recommended film, especially in 3D.

So, here it is. The first episode in 'The Trial of a Time Lord' saga! The opening sequence is brilliant and the new theme is very dark, a nice touch. Then we see (in my opinion) the best Doctor Who model shot ever! As the TARDIS is sucked into a Time Lord space station, the daunting music fills our ears. The Doctor might not survive this Trial after all. In this episode we are treated to incredibly hammy and over the top performances, plot holes so obvious that they are pointed out at the end and some of the best cliffhangers of Doctor Who. Colin Baker returns as The Doctor, and his performance is great. He has clearly softened since last series and he and Peri's relationship is back on track after many arguments in Season 22 (most of which had ended by 'Revelation of the Daleks') and they are now friends again. For now, at least. Michael Jayston is a great Valleyard but doesn't do much. It's more of an ongoing rant sort of part and the Inquisitor is pla...

Personally, I'm not a fan of Sylvester McCoy's Doctor or his era. I've never been that tempted to buy it on DVD, let alone watch episodes of the internet. It all looks quite daft. I only bought the DVD of Silver Nemesis because it came in a box-set with Revenge of the Cybermen (1975), but upon watching it, I found it really enjoyable! Revenge isn't a brilliant Cyberman story. In fact, they barely appear despite being in the title. I found it very disappointing, considering it was apparently 'better' than Silver Nemesis. But then I watched the DVD one day... The episode starts almost like a modern-Who story, introducing the main villains - lady Peintforte and her servant Robert (I think that's his name), and a group of Neo-Nazis (not referenced to as such on screen) with a very unmemorable and clearly not German leader. Oh, and they're in South America for some reason. We then cut to find The Seventh Doctor and Ace enjoying a jazz band. They're hav...

Coming into this film, many expect it to be the same as Lord of the Rings , but it isn't. It is its own film in a way, rather than an exact prequel – where it is set before the Ring trilogy, but it isn't exactly the same feel as the trilogy. The film begins with a prologue showing how the dwarves were forced out of Eribor (or the Lonely Mountain) by Smaug, narrated by Ian Holm in the character of Bilbo Baggins, who appears on-screen shortly afterwards. It introduces you to Thror, Thrain and Thorin, and you find out what happened to the first two later in the movie. This prologue is great, and you don’t see that much of the dragon, which when he will appear in The Desolation of Smaug , will have much more of an affect and give some more tension. We then cut to see Frodo and Bilbo talking on Bilbo’s 111 th birthday, and it seems to be a little forced to make it an exact prequel to Fellowship of the Ring. Frodo and Bilbo do look very old and the scene is a little pointless, ...

Steven Moffat writes 2012's Doctor Who Christmas Special, and, after two incredibly unpopular specials (2010's 'A Christmas Carol' and 2011's 'The Doctor The Widow And The Wardrobe') which were, in fairness, terrible, I was worried coming into this episode. Thankfully, I had no need to be worried. This story carries on some time after The Angels Take Manhattan, and The Doctor (Matt Smith) has changes his costume (which is odd, seeing as they keep doing that) and now wears a more Victorian garb with some crazy top hat - he looks more like a psychopath version of Willy Wonka rather than the Time Lord - but it works for the story. He no longer wears a bow tie (until later in the episode) and instead wears an incredibly scruffy-looking tie. The TARDIS has also changed. In the summer of 2012, Doctor Who got a new studio, and they couldn't transport the 'old' TARDIS to the new studios, so they got their new production designer to design a new one. I...