Scream of the Shalka

November 13, 2003 3:11 PM

The Doctor's back ... again .... this time he's an animated Richard E Grant (looking oddly like a vampire). Strange goings on in the east end of London and whatnot. Just the right amount of mystery and unanswered questions. Also an interesting use of flash animation.
posted by feelinglistless (12 comments total)

Yay! I'll need to carve out some time to watch this and see this "interesting use of flash"
posted by jazon at 3:36 PM on November 13, 2003

"A landlord with a long broomstick telling everyone to be quiet." Coolness.
The Doctor's a little Lance Hennriksen-gaunt, but not quite vampirish (most of the white guys in this seem a little pale). And what was that line about "They keep sending me where bad things are going to happen."? Please don't let Doctor Who turn into "Quantum Leap"!!! I just wish they'd put up a title at the end of each part; I ended up waiting like a fool for a half-minute after the first two, waiting for something else to happen.

Otherwise, good story, good graphics, good voices; (Cosgrove-Hall is the animation house behind another Brit icon: Dangermouse!) I'm definitely going back for more. It just shows what a waste it would be if the Tories succeed in shutting down BBCi (on the argument that Brits' paying TV taxes are subsidizing the internet fun of foreigners, while commercial media can't afford to compete with only advertising to support them - aw, poor Rupert Murdoch.)
posted by wendell at 3:52 PM on November 13, 2003

I'm looking forward to the Doctor's rematch with the boil.
posted by homunculus at 4:15 PM on November 13, 2003

Empire Magazine say this thing is set in Lancashire. Have I missed something?
posted by feelinglistless at 4:31 PM on November 13, 2003

The prologue's set in New Zealand, although they tellingly mispronounce "Ruapehu" and "Turangi". I thought the characters dealt with finding a creature from outer space with surprising calm.
posted by John Shaft at 5:33 PM on November 13, 2003

Quote from the radio ad:

Doc: "Why did you only invade a tiny bit of Lancashire?"
EvilThing: "Our ambition is greater than that."
Doc: "What? You mean... Notinghamshire?"

This looks so good I could piss myself. And now both Withnail and I have played him. Coolcoolcool.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:39 PM on November 13, 2003

Lancashire? Isn't that where the Doctor found the 3000 holes, or was that somebody else?

John Shaft, I can dig it (sorry), but I think they used the "I can't move" device just to simplify the Flash animation... But I still like it. Not as much as Civil_D, but then he's wearing black trousers..
posted by wendell at 5:44 PM on November 13, 2003

For those of you playing along at home, my reference to "black trousers" goes to a sign I once had on my desk saying "Working here is like pissing yourself while wearing black trousers. You get a warm feeling, but nobody notices."

Dang, there goes another train.
posted by wendell at 5:47 PM on November 13, 2003

Hmm. "I know about Monsters. I'm ... The Doctor". Not sure I quite liked that line, but otherwise pretty good. And I (rather surprisingly, since they're "only" Flash) quite liked the new opening credits and music :)
posted by kaemaril at 7:25 PM on November 13, 2003

Does anyone still have the link to the last online Dr. Who? Seems that in it there was a young lab assistant and an old man who had the key to something or other and a huge pile of books, that's all I can remember.
posted by Lynsey at 10:15 PM on November 13, 2003

This regeneration of the Doctor will be satisfactory. Nicely aloof and pompous until the love of humanity starts to come through.

And there is precedent for the "They send me places" kind of adventure. In fact, most of the Third Doctor adventures are more or less just that.
posted by ilsa at 10:24 PM on November 13, 2003

Lynsey: sounds like Shada.
posted by John Shaft at 12:50 AM on November 14, 2003