RED DWARF - BACK TO EARTH: I've been looking forward to these special episodes since they were first announced. Ten years after the end of the last series (or season) of the show, RED DWARF has returned. I think after such a long wait, no matter what we got wouldn't have lived up to what people wanted. Plus things being a little rusty after such a long time was to be expected, at least it was if you're realistic. So... what did I think?
Right off the bat, I think instead of splitting the specials, which are all one story, into three bits and showing them over three consecutive nights, the story and viewers would've been better served by showing it all in one chunk. The first episode was slow going and short on laughs, which didn't help the ratings for the two following nights. Like most movies, the first part serves mostly as setup. I think if it had been written as three separate episodes, the first part would've been written differently to fit that mold. Anyway, I pretty disappointed by the first part and I thought the second and third parts were better.
Despite it not being able to live up to the hype built up in the minds most fans, it was nice to see the characters again. For the most part, they've all aged well, and I'm sure the makeup department helped with that. I also thought that the new Red Dwarf sets looked pretty good. In fact, watching the show in widescreen and seeing it shot in HD was a bit jarring. It was also strange to hear the show without a studio audience (or in the case of series 7, a recording of an audience watching the episode before it aired). I was surprised to find that I actually missed the laughter.
Right off the bat, I think instead of splitting the specials, which are all one story, into three bits and showing them over three consecutive nights, the story and viewers would've been better served by showing it all in one chunk. The first episode was slow going and short on laughs, which didn't help the ratings for the two following nights. Like most movies, the first part serves mostly as setup. I think if it had been written as three separate episodes, the first part would've been written differently to fit that mold. Anyway, I pretty disappointed by the first part and I thought the second and third parts were better.
Despite it not being able to live up to the hype built up in the minds most fans, it was nice to see the characters again. For the most part, they've all aged well, and I'm sure the makeup department helped with that. I also thought that the new Red Dwarf sets looked pretty good. In fact, watching the show in widescreen and seeing it shot in HD was a bit jarring. It was also strange to hear the show without a studio audience (or in the case of series 7, a recording of an audience watching the episode before it aired). I was surprised to find that I actually missed the laughter.
Part one consisted of some exposition, but it didn't resolve the cliffhanger of the final episode from ten years ago. (I guess we can assume the unaired ending from the special features on the DVD is how that was resolved?) Instead, it raises the question of which Rimmer are we seeing in these episodes? Is it the revived by the nanobots Rimmer (2.0)? If it is he died somehow and became a hologram making him Rimmer 2.5? Is it the original hologram Rimmer (1.5) who went off to become Ace Rimmer at the beginning of series 7? This Rimmer seems to remember the despair squid adventure, so it would indicate it was original hologram Rimmer. It's all a bit confusing.
Part two and part three are mostly a BLADE RUNNER parody. Lifting scenes and lines directly from that movie. (Coincidentally, BLADE RUNNER was on cable on Saturday night. I watched a bit of it and laughed at how exact the homages in the DWARF specials were.) The much-hyped in media reports CORONATION STREET crossover bits weren't horrible like everybody seemed to fear they would be. They weren't brilliant or anything, but they weren't cringe-inducing by any means. Mostly these two episodes played with the idea of what these fictional characters would do upon being sent to our world. Of course, the resolution could be seen coming from the very first episode by any fan of the show...
(Spoilers in the next two paragraphs!)
The "Back To Earth" title and the plot summaries used in news stories (and I imagine UK TV listings) about the crew coming to Earth after discovering they are fictional characters was a huge hint this was pretty much a sequel to the brilliant finale to series 5, "Back To Reality" where the crew are attacked by a squid that excretes a fluid that makes them have a mass hallucination. In the hallucination they all wake up and the past five years spent on the Red Dwarf are a virtual reality game they were playing. It was one of the best episodes of the show, and I guess for whatever reason, it was decided to go back to the well on that one.
I was surprised they managed to keep Chloe Annett's appearance quiet. Then again, I remember them mentioning she was involved when the specials were first announced, then they stopped mentioning her in all of the news articles, etc and everybody thought she had dropped out. I thought she looked a bit weird with the copying of Sean Young's BLADE RUNNER hairstyles though.
One thing I was a bit disappointed by was the rumor about Bill Bailey being Holly 3.0 was false. That's the ideal choice if neither of the first two Holly actors want to come back.
Hopefully, these specials did well enough that DAVE decides they'd like to commission a full series. (The actors are all willing and the sets are built!) I imagine DVD sales will play a part in that, so if you want more RED DWARF, buy the DVD when it comes out. (It's supposed to have tons of stuff they cut for time.) I may hold out for a US release, but if we don't get it in a timely fashion, I'll just import the UK disc.
Part two and part three are mostly a BLADE RUNNER parody. Lifting scenes and lines directly from that movie. (Coincidentally, BLADE RUNNER was on cable on Saturday night. I watched a bit of it and laughed at how exact the homages in the DWARF specials were.) The much-hyped in media reports CORONATION STREET crossover bits weren't horrible like everybody seemed to fear they would be. They weren't brilliant or anything, but they weren't cringe-inducing by any means. Mostly these two episodes played with the idea of what these fictional characters would do upon being sent to our world. Of course, the resolution could be seen coming from the very first episode by any fan of the show...
(Spoilers in the next two paragraphs!)
The "Back To Earth" title and the plot summaries used in news stories (and I imagine UK TV listings) about the crew coming to Earth after discovering they are fictional characters was a huge hint this was pretty much a sequel to the brilliant finale to series 5, "Back To Reality" where the crew are attacked by a squid that excretes a fluid that makes them have a mass hallucination. In the hallucination they all wake up and the past five years spent on the Red Dwarf are a virtual reality game they were playing. It was one of the best episodes of the show, and I guess for whatever reason, it was decided to go back to the well on that one.
I was surprised they managed to keep Chloe Annett's appearance quiet. Then again, I remember them mentioning she was involved when the specials were first announced, then they stopped mentioning her in all of the news articles, etc and everybody thought she had dropped out. I thought she looked a bit weird with the copying of Sean Young's BLADE RUNNER hairstyles though.
One thing I was a bit disappointed by was the rumor about Bill Bailey being Holly 3.0 was false. That's the ideal choice if neither of the first two Holly actors want to come back.
Hopefully, these specials did well enough that DAVE decides they'd like to commission a full series. (The actors are all willing and the sets are built!) I imagine DVD sales will play a part in that, so if you want more RED DWARF, buy the DVD when it comes out. (It's supposed to have tons of stuff they cut for time.) I may hold out for a US release, but if we don't get it in a timely fashion, I'll just import the UK disc.
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