| INVADERS FROM MARS by Mark Gatiss |
| Story 28 Synopsis: Still trying to get Charly to Singapore, 1930, the Doctor takes her to NYC, 1938, in time for Hallowe'en. Mobster Don Chaney has found an alien, which is creating lazer guns, which he intends to sell to the FBI. Cosmo Devine is a respectable man of town, and wants to bring in the Nazis. Glory Bee is a sultry lady, who wants a Private Investigator to track down a Professor Stepashi, who is being forced into atomic research, so that she can take him back to Russia. Meanwhile, on the radio, Orson Welles is about to make broadcasting notoriety, with a reading of HG Wells' The War Of The Worlds. Oh, and the aforementioned alien is about to germinate, and two more of its kind are on the way in their spaceship. This isn't really a synopsis, is it? Anyway, Devine allies with the aliens, who do want to invade, but are a bit useless. Glory gets thrown off Brooklyn Bridge, and dies. Stepashi creates a prototype bomb to finish off the aliens. The Doctor uses Welles' broadcast to confuse the aliens, and Chaney turns out to be a thoroughly decent bloke, albeit a mobster. |
| Review:- Following a predominant comedy, guest starring umpteen 'comedy' stars, we have this, which also features umpteen 'comedy' stars, and is, according to Gatiss, a bit silly. Hmmm... For saying that it is very simplistic, it does entertain, and keep the attention. I can pick out Simon Pegg as Don Chaney (ho ho, wonder who he's named after?) for being entertaining. I thought the gun noise sounded quite good, and a more intriguing sound effect than many that Big Finish have done. Many other reviewers have complained that the accents are a bit dodgy, akin to those in Minuet In Hell. To which I say, of course, what is your problem? Is that your outlet, to complain about something so trivial, as if it matters. Did it really spoil it for you? Shouldn't you get a life? I do think that episode 1 sets up a story that isn't quite as exciting as follows in parts 2-4. I also find it a bit cob that with a title like that, the Martian angle is just a red herring. Come on, given the simplistic titles coming up, this is still too much. The 'filthy joke' is a bit much, too. But what can you do? |
| Disclaimer: I own a copy. |