Doctor Who: Lux Review - 6 Ups & 4 Downs
Does Lux shine bright? Or does Doctor Who's RTD2 era need a bulb change?
During his first era as Doctor Who showrunner, Russell T Davies established a template that would form a rigid backbone for each season. Opener on contemporary Earth, trip to space, meeting with famous historical figure, return of classic era monster, rinse, repeat.
For his second era, he appeared to throw all of that away, delivering experimental, format-defying episodes like 73 Yards and Dot and Bubble. Did this mean that we were in a new, unpredictable era where we couldn't second guess where RTD would take the TARDIS next?
Lux reveals that RTD2 absolutely has a format. As with last year's Space Babies, we took our new companion to the furthest reaches of space in The Robot Revolution, before Belinda Chandra is introduced to her first Pantheon member in Episode Two, which now appears to be the "Meeting with a God" slot.
With its high-concept monster and evocative setting, Lux should have felt exciting and new, but more often than not it feels like a scratched and discoloured film print, spooling through one more screening to a bored and distracted audience.
10. UP - Mr Ring-A-Ding
Traditionally, Doctor Who monsters are actors in rubber suits, actors inside metal cans, or actors in motion capture suits. So it felt brand new and exciting to see Mr Ring-a-Ding, a traditional, hand-drawn animated character. Director Amanda Brotchie has a real sense of space, and perfectly manages the eyelines, allowing the Doctor, Belinda and Reginald to interact with Ring-a-Ding in a way that feels naturally fluid.
Mr Ring-a-Ding's hand-drawn animation is key to the monstrous transformation in the climax. As he saps the Doctor's regeneration energy to become three dimensional, Ring-a-Ding loses all the charm of the 2D version, becoming a bloated, empty caricature. It's a subtle but brilliant commentary on so many lifeless CGI "upgrades" of beloved two-dimensional cartoon characters over the years.
Alan Cumming is unrecognisable as the voice of Mr Ring-a-Ding, really giving it his all as the all-singing all-dancing... pig... man... pig man? Cumming also balances comedy and menace brilliantly, making Ring-a-Ding a unique and unforgettable villain.
The only downside is that a lot of money clearly went into Mr Ring-a-Ding, meaning that other elements are less well-realised...