Buffy the Vampire Slayer: 20 Years

Today marks twenty years since Welcome to the Hellmouth, the first story in the Buffy the Vampire Slayer series aired. This series was a kind of sequel to the 1992 Buffy movie which was notable for inverted the old horror movie trope of the blonde victim being the victim of monsters. This time, the blonde was the one who defeats the monsters. The film seemed a bit too frothy and camp, but the television series was far superior. It lasted a good seven years and left behind quite a legacy. 

When it started, the show was a High school fantasy drama where a young slayer was coming of age.
These first three seasons drew inspiration from superhero comics like Spider-Man, where the hero had to balance their responsibilities as a hero with her responsibilities of being a student. The show could have stuck with this format, but it continued to evolve by allowing Buffy to graduate and move to College and then into adult life. It even got its own spin-off, Angel.  It's legacy can be seen in various shows. Smallville would never have existed without Buffy, nor would the far inferior Twilight. When Russell T. Davies brought back Doctor Who, he ussed Buffy as one of the templates for creating a modern genre show.

The first time I watched the show was when School Hard  aired on BBC2 in early 1999. I continued to watch the show on and off and became more drawn into it as time went on. I was probably a bit young for it at first, but I still enjoyed the monsters. As I got older, I understood the growing up message. Even now there are very few shows that have surpassed it.

Buffy herself was the ditzy blonde. She got a lot of character development over the years as she went from sassy schoolgirl to confused adult and finally to mature young woman. She even took on a parenting role in looking after her younger sister, Dawn.

Willow was Buffy's best friend, a girl who starts out shy but becomes a confident young witch. Alyson Hannigan did a brilliant job as the character.

Xander stays relatively the same, as an easygoing guy. He is more foolish in the early episodes but becomes a confident construction worker and is the voice of reason in the Scooby gang.

Anthony Stewart Head was also great as Giles, the Watcher. This was a role that caught people's attention and he had a wealth of roles after this.

The two vampires with souls, Angel and Spike. Angel started out noble but Spike went from being a villain to becoming one of Buffy's most crucial allies. His journey was so long it would take a while to put together all the content.

There were many other great recurring characters, including Cordelia Chase, Tara, Anya and many others. A lot of the actors can be seen in a great deal of other programs.

All in all this was a great show. I never quite got into the comics but the show was great. Hopefully the anniversary will see more Buffy related content coming out.

Cyber-Nostalgia (Doctor Who Spoilers)

It seems that Steven Moffat has finally given in to Peter Capaldi and brought back the Mondassian Cybermen for the Series Ten finale. There are a few slight modifications to the design, including a smaller chestplate, and a smaller headlamp, but these are recognisable as the originals. It's going to be interesting to see how they're integrated into the modern series. Is the Doctor actually going to visit Mondas or are they just on Earth? Are they invading the planet or have they brought there by time travel shenanigans? Will they even be the main enemy in the episode or is this announcement just a smoke screen to hide a bigger threat? Numerous possibilities present themselves, but expectations have certainly been raised.

As with the return of the 60s Daleks in The Magician's Apprentice, I'm somewhat happy about this but somewhat weary at the same time. It feels as if the modern show is becoming increasingly self-indulgent when it comes to bringing back old designs. Older fans might see this as a return to the 'good old days' but it's often been the case that these older fans tend to overstate the the body horror aspects of these original Cybermen. Only a few of the original series Cybermen stories actually presented the horror of Cyber Conversion. The Tenth Planet did not feature any conversions, even if the characters discuss it. These original costumes were considered ineffective enough to be replaced for The Moonbase. Some people find the sing-song voices creepy, others think they sound silly. Fan's like them, but today's audiences may not be quite as willing to indulge them. Time will tell.good news is that the finale is being directed by Rachael Talalay. If she can make the Mondassian Cybermen as scary as the Veil from Heaven Sent, then we're in for a great story. 

Another old enemy making a welcome return for this finale is Missy but it is not yet known whether she is working with the Cybermen. I hope it's different this time, otherwise it all sounds a little too similar to Dark Water, with even the same director coming back.

It's nice that although Peter is leaving the show, he will at least have had the opportunity to fight some of his favourite monsters. Given the way he's talked about The Web Planet, perhaps this will pave the way for the return of the Zarbi in the upcoming Christmas special? Now that would be something. 

Spider-Man: The Dragon's Challenge

The third of these Spider-Man omnibus movies, The Dragon's Challenge,  happens to the first one I ever saw. I can still remember seeing the cassette cover when I was just a child, and getting excited about the discovery of a live-action Spider-Man. This was at least five years before Toby Maguire made his on screen debut so it felt like a big deal.

The cover to this video cassette was a little misleading.  It features the arresting image of Spidey in combat with Chinese martial artists in the Streets of Hong Kong. While Spider-Man does fight martial artists in China, there are rarely with more than two adversaries at a time and Spider-Man beats them fairly easily. The title on the box is also misleading. The Dragon's Challenge was originally broadcast as a two part story titled The Chinese Web. The original title certainly suits the story more, which is places greater emphasis on industrial espionage than on martial arts and dragons.

The story begins when J Jonah Jameson is receives a visit from an old friend, Min Lo Chan, Minister for Industrial Development in China. Min is suspected of having robbed and murdered a Chinese schoolteacher who was working for the American forces in the Second World War. Min needs Jonah's help to find three ex-marines who know that Min is innocent. However, Min has been followed to New York by goons working for Chinese industrialist, Mr Zaider. This Mr Zaider wants
Min imprisoned or killed so that he will get a contract to build a steel mill in Shan Thung. He sends his American goon, Evans, to go to New York and kill Min.

The first half of this story, has Peter searching New York city for the whereabouts of the three Marines while as Spider-Man he holds off Evans' assassins, who are working to kill Min. Events are complicated when Min suffers a heart attack. Peter is able to find and convince Jonathan Flemming to testify with him to  China. Flemming has a convenient letter of confession written by the murder of the Chinese schoolteacher.

In order to testify that Min is innocent, Peter, Emily and Flemming have to travel to China, the setting for the second half of this story. You can tell the production team really enjoyed filming here because
the plot literally grinds to a halt so that Peter , Emily and Flemming can hang around temples and enjoy the local culture. While it's nice to get a bit of background on China. There is no threat or tension, save for a couple of Evans' spies tailing them. It's more like a travelogue than a superhero show.

The plot starts to move again when Evans hires some Karate Masters to kidnap Flemming. These Karate Masters succeed in ambushing Flemming in a marketplace and make off with him, evading a short and dull boat chase with Spider-Man. Fortunately Peter had earlier managed to place a Spider-tracer in Flemming's pocket and uses it to track him down. We then get another paceless scene of Peter Parker chasing after Flemming while he sits around. There's no time limit on Flemming's life, so no reason for us to worry for his safety.

Spider-Man traces Flemming to a building where Evans, Zaider and the Karate Masters are waiting with the kidnapped Flemming. The video blurb promised a "duel with various Karate masters"And how does Spider-Man deal with this dangerous fight? He webs them up....Yeah. That's it. That's the solution. A lot of build-up for very little payoff.

The previous two films didn't have any costumed super villains, but at a least a brainwashing scheme or a terrorist threat felt like big enough threats for a superhero. Plans involving contracts and espionage feel unworthy of Spider-Man.

6/10

Spider-Man: Spider-Man Strikes Back

The second of the three Nicholas Hammond Spider-Man 'Movies' was originally a two part story named 'The Deadly Dust'.

The story gets off to an interesting good start with Spider-Man rescuing a woman who was going to commit suicide by jumping off a ledge.  It's not the most pacy of action sequences, but it keeps your attention. This gets the attention of the editor of the Weekly Examiner newspaper, based in Miami. This editor assigns the journalist Gale Hoffman to investigate Spider-Man.

Back in New York, one of Peter's Professor announces that he is bringing plutonium to the college for a demonstration. Peter and the other students are understandably worried about this decision. Three students decide that the best way the dangers of the plutonium is to steal the plutonium. Spider-Man interferes and naturally gets the blame. The students decide to one up their stupidity by building an actual bomb. These numpties entirely deserve what comes to them.

Meanwhile, in Switzerland, the mysterious Mr White, who gets a hilarious introduction being bathed by beautiful ladies before showing off his karate skills. He reads about the plutonium theft and travels to New York to obtain it.

One of the students, inevitably fall ill and the device is stolen by Mr White's henchmen. Peter Parker attempts to track down the plutonium. Gale Hoffman acts as a chain around his neck. The story often resembles a farce, with Peter having to change in and out of costume without being noticed and come up with excuses for using the Spider-Tracer or being absent from  situations where Spider-Man is present.

Mr. White getting away and vows revenge on Spider-Man, though this doesn't lead anywhere since the character apparently never returned in the TV series.

Overall, this is a decent enough piece and I would argue the best of the three films. There is little to no web swinging, and the scenes of Miami and Switzerland are obviously stock footage, but as with other shows like the original run of Doctor Who, at least there is some sense of ambition behind this. Although scenes are long, most of them at least lead somewhere without relying on padding.  The director also has a sense of humour, making the cut between the students boiling the plutonium and Peter boiling a kettle of water. We also get the scene of J Jonah Jameson riding around on a tricycle.

The cast are decent enough. Nicholas Hammond continues to be a decent Peter and Spider-Man.
Robbie Robertson has been replaced by Rita, played by Chip Fields. Although it's a shame to lose a Marvel character, Rita is likable enough to be a worthwhile replacement.Mr White is a fairly two dimensional villain, but the fact that he can do karate at least means he is a more physical villain than the one in the previous film.

Of the three Spider-Man films I would say this is my favourite. There is no origin story to slow the pace down.

7/10

Spider-Man: The Amazing Spider-Man

With Spider-Man due to return to our screens in Homecoming, now felt like as good a time as any to take a look back at the very first live action spider-man: Nicholas Hammond.

The Amazing Spider-Man is the first of three 'movies' which were adapted from the 1977 live action TV show. It came out roughly around the same time as the Incredible Hulk TV series. But while the exploits of David Banner have been repeated, the Spider-Man TV show has rarely been broadcast in the UK at leasts. Most people know about this show through the VHS releases in the 80s and 90s.

Adaptions always make changes, sometimes for necessity and other times because of the whims of creators. The origin story for this Spider-Man is somewhat different. Peter is already a college student when he gets bitten by a radioactive spider. There's no high school setting and no Uncle Ben. Peter decides to become Spider-Man because he can, and because he can make money selling photos of himself as Spider-Man to the Daily Bugle. Only J Jonah Jameson and Robbie are somewhat reminiscent of the originals. May Parker is in this, but with no Uncle Ben her plight is diminished.

Trying to make Spider-Man look convincing on a 1970s TV budget, does prove to be a struggle. Spider-Man climbing up and down the wall was achieved as well as possible, but is obviously using back projection. Webbing is basically just a rope and Spider-Man can't really web swing around the city. In fairness the production team do try to make the effort.

The plot revolves around a self-help guru, who is brainwashes his patients. At one point these people are brainwashed to jump off the Empire State Building, a very similar scene to one in the Doctor Who story, The Christmas Invasion. Ultimately Spider-Man saves the day. It''s a pity that Spider-Man could not have been given better enemy to fight. None of the live action series had any supervillains but they could at least have used someone like the Kingpin or Silvermane.

Nicholas Hammond is pretty good as Peter Parker. He has the kind of awkwardness that is needed for the role. It was also nice to see that his image was recycled for the 1994 animated series. The rest of the cast are decent in their roles.

7/10

Doctor Who: A Time for Heroes

It's great when Doctor Who has the short, specially made teaser trailers. While it's fun to see footage from upcoming episodes, it's always nice to see that the production team have spent time and effort creating something unique. The images from these trailers usually stick in the mind, like the Ninth Doctor running away from a fireball in the Series One trailer, the Tardis parked on an icy landscape on the Series Two trailer, or that weird scene of the Eleventh Doctor and Amy falling through the time vortex in the 3 trailer to Series Five. They've also produced memorable catchphrases to sum up their series, including 'a trip of a lifetime'  or 'all of time and space.' These trailers have become less frequent

The catchphrase this time round is 'A Time For Heroes', the heroes in question being the Doctor, Bill and Nardole. Bill gets to provides the narration for this trailer which is good. The companion should be the viewpoint character and this is something that was a bit lost with Clara. Bill's little speech successfully gets across all the little aspects of travelling with the Doctor. He can be dangerous but also, more importantly, fun. The way she smiles at the Doctor suggests that she is certainly going to be having a great time, which may help the audience to have one as well.

The Twelfth Doctor looks grim and determined. When he uses his sonic screwdriver to blow up a lamp bulb, it suggests someone you can cross at your peril.Seeing him here, I once again feel disappointed that we are only thirteen episodes away from his departure. Although this incarnation has mellowed since Deep Breath, it is a relief to see see that his dark side may not have disappeared completely.

With the emphasis being on Bill and the Doctor, Nardole doesn't get much to do here other than look terrified at his surroundings. I'm fine with that as long as there's more to him in the series proper The Return of Dr Mysterio showed that the character had a more inciteful side, which I hope will continue to be developed.

The trailer ends with a blue energy field rushing towards our heroes. Inside that field appear to be the faces of monsters who will be turning up. Among them seems to be a variant of Ice Warrior, who's return was announced earlier this month. There is rumored to be some kind of Ice Warrior Queen, which should be an interesting new addition.

It was short and sweet but certainly made Series Ten look more promising. If it's better than the lacklustre advertisign campaign of Series Nine then it will have done right in my book.

Number Twelve Prepares to Depart

Oh no. Not again.

Last night, durng a BBC Radio 2 interview, Peter Capaldi revealed to Jo Whiley that he will be leaving Doctor Who after completing work on the 2017 Christmas Special.

It's not a complete surprise, of course. Fans have speculated that this might happen ever since Steven Moffatt's departure was announced. Then, when the news broke that Brian Minchin was leaving as well, it felt increasingly likely that Peter Capaldi would leave along with them. Nevertheless it was sad to hear Peter confirming the truth. Couldn't Peter have stayed on for just one more year? He could have been the one to break the modern trend of doing three series with occasional specials. I knew it was unlikely that Peter would, or even should, try to surpass Tom Baker's seven year run but I had hoped he would attempt to stay five years like Jon Pertwee did. Oh well. There's no point worrying about that now.

Peter Capaldi was the perfect casting choice for the role of the Doctor. Some actors take time to settle into the role, but Peter was one who got it right in his very first story. As a fan of the show from long ago, he'd seen the work of previous Doctors, taken the best aspects of their performances, and incorporated them into his own unique take. It might have seemed risky to cast an older actor, after the last two were so young, but it had the benefit of letting us see the age of the Doctor, while Peter continues to pull off the practical stunts of a younger man.  His replacement will have big shoes to fill.

How will people remember the Twelfth Doctor? It would take quite a while to cover the sheer range of what his Doctor has done. Perhaps people will remember his angry pleading when making his speech in the Zygon Invasion, the grieving, angry man in Heaven Sent, or the determined, the mad old man who played a guitar on a tank in The Magician's Apprentice, or the ruthless man who confronted Half-Faced man in Deep Breath. There are so many moments to choose from.

Peter has also been great off  screen as well. There have been countless images of him on twitter, signing autographs and posing with the fans he meets on location. His mind may have been on more important matters like the actual filming but he never let it show. We've been lucky to have had such a great ambassador for the show. It's very unlikely we'll get another Doctor who has fond memories of The Web Planet.

Of course, we have to remember that there is still a third series and one special to go. The Twelfth Doctor's era has been great so far and the last two series have been, in this blogger's opinion, the best that Steven Moffat has produced.  Hopefully, Series Ten will reach the same heights as the previous two and the 2017 Christmas Special will give Peter the brilliant send-off that he deserves. After that it will be interesting to see what Peter does next. I wish him well in whatever he does.