Review Triple Bill!!! - War for the Planet of the Apes, Despicable Me 3, and Transformers

As a quick heads up, this post is going to be my last one up here for a few weeks, likely until at least the start of August. I'll be going away for a while and won't be seeing any movies when I'm away, so there won't be a review for "Dunkirk"; there won't be a review for "Cars 3"; and, perhaps most sadly of all, there won't be a review for "Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie". I'll try and catch as many of these as possible as soon as I'm back, and then I can do another post like this where I can quickly review a few at once. That said, they're reviews for another time so let's talk about the 3 movies in here. June and July have undoubtedly produced some of the great films of the year so far, with "Wonder Woman", "Baby Driver" and "Homecoming" being released in these two months alone. So, do any of these films continue the trend? Does "Transformers: The Last Knight" revitalise the franchise? Is "Despicable Me 3" finally an entry in the series as strong as the original? Is "War for the Planet of the Apes" the conclusion that the rebooted trilogy of Apes movies deserves? Well, let's jump in and find out!

Transformers: The Last Knight - Bay To The Max

I saw this movie on release day in the cinema, which you'll see below is the 22nd of June. You might be wondering, but why has it taken you so long to get round to writing up a review then? Well, you actually have to write about this movie in small bursts, otherwise the stupidity of the entire affair will begin slowly killing your brain cells the more you think about it. I like to compare the Transformers franchise at this point to the Fast and the Furious series. Both have silly, over-the-top action; both are infamous for their writing and acting; and both are seemingly critic-proof (hopefully until now when the final figures are revealed). However, there is one key difference: the Fast and the Furious movies know exactly what they are, and Transformers still takes itself overly seriously throughout. The plot revolves around a staff left on Earth during the time of King Arthur to a drunken Merlin and the race in the present day to find it, all while Optimus Prime slowly returns to Earth under the new guise "Nemesis Prime". The writing in the movie presents this story in an extremely pretentious manner, so determined to fool the audience that they are watching something of a higher standard than they are, seemingly convincing themselves in the process. The story is full to the brim with problems and quickly falls to pieces under scrutiny. The characters and acting don't fare much better either, with practically every character being a cliché. Mark Wahlberg is a surprisingly uncharismatic lead while Michael Bay continues to infamously degrade women through Laura Haddock's Vivian (whose name I literally count' remember for most of the movie). The only good character in the film is Anthony Hopkins' Sir Edmund Burton. It's a testament to Hopkins that he didn't sell out to this series and actually gives his performance his all, easily becoming the most entertaining part of the movie and carrying every scene he is in. The movie is also a film-making shambles behind the scenes, with terrible cinematography and frequently changing camera ratios throughout proving a serious distraction. So what reasons are there to see this movie besides Hopkins' performance? Well, as you might have expected, the visual effects and CGI are always on point. Michael Bay has a real talent as a film-maker for being to envisage the final product as he films his movies and therefore knows how to make his actors move, and the CGI look more realistic in the end result. The action is also appropriately over-the-top and insane, and, while it makes no sense, it can be fun to watch. This movie is simply maximum "Bayhem" and nothing more. If that's your cup of tea or you go in expecting nothing more than that, then there's a chance you might have some fun with this one. For the rest of you, keep a safe distance.

Rating: 3/10

Original Release Date: 22nd of June, 2017

Starring Mark Wahlberg, Laura Haddock, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, Gemma Chan, Stanley Tucci, and Anthony Hopkins

Despicable Me 3 - Third Time, No Charm

If I was to sum up "Despicable Me 3" in a single word, it would be this: competent. The animation is fine, and certainly has more effort put into it than a lot of Illumination Entertainment's other efforts, most notably "Minions" and last year's "Sing", the latter of which reused character models to an absurd extent. That said, it still lacks a great amount of detail, particularly in facial animations, backgrounds and other textures. The voice acting is decent, there's nothing inherently wrong with it, as the actors do the best with what they have been given. However, there is still a surprising lack of emotion put into the performances, making it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level and understand them more. This is of course not entirely down to the actors, but also relates heavily to the flaws of the script. The screenplay, somewhat unsurprisingly written by an insane 4 people, is a general mess. Characters are poorly developed throughout, and no real lessons are learnt over the course of the movie. Generally with these kids films at the very least I expect some sort of message for the younger audience, no matter how generic, so it was shocking that even this was absent from the story. The plot on the whole is a collision of ideas which might have worked if they had been fleshed out more, but unfortunately these are extremely underdeveloped to the extent that they are as engaging as they would have been in the initial boardroom pitch. The primary problem which applies to all of these stories is that they are nothing we haven't seen before, whether in this series or elsewhere in cinema: Agnes loves unicorns; Lucy wants the girls to see her as a mum; lead characters get fired and need to capture a villain to redeem themselves; and there's even a generic and clichéd twin brother plot shoehorned in here. Need I go on? Several of these are actually raised and resolved within 3 scenes, which is particularly troublesome where the writers (or, one of them at least) is trying to inject some emotion and conflict into the script. By wrapping these up so quickly, there's little time to become attached or invested in the conflict at hand, and ultimately each of these feels like filler to pad out this 80-minute film. As I said though, the film is fine and does have some entertaining elements. The Minions have (mercifully in my opinion) been toned down a lot in this outing and are regulated to their own subplot, which actually has some entertaining visual gags. Trey Parker's villainous Balthazar Bratt is a wildly enjoyable presence, and is easily the most fun part of the film, using his insane weaponry, disguises (including one resembling certain trending politician right now), and nostalgia every time he is on screen. Ultimately, although there is a general lack of charm and heart in the script as a whole, the rest of the movie is competently made. Fine animation and acting elevate this above recent entries in the series, but not quite to the heights of the original. It's an average movie, but a watchable one, especially if you know what to expect at this point.

Rating: 5/10

Original Release Date: 30th of June, 2017

Starring Steve Carrell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Pierre Coffin, Julie Andrews, Steve Coogan, and Trey Parker

War for the Planet of the Apes - Forged in Fire

Some of my favourite movies in recent years have been the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" movies, the first being "Rise" and the second being "Dawn". Both are incredible films, and now director Matt Reeves has returned with "War for the Planet of the Apes" to forge an ending for this revitalised trilogy of films. So, does it meet the expectations and the high bar set by it's predecessors? Absolutely. This is a truly beautiful film, with the effects of the apes going above and beyond all expectations. I may go so far as to see that these are the best visual effects and CGI that I have seen in a live-action movie. Ever. If this film doesn't get some recognition for it come awards season, it will be truly criminal. The actors behind the apes manage to also give some great performances through the CGI and visual wonder, particularly lead ape Andy Serkis as Caesar. The raw emotion that Serkis and his co-stars are able to convey throughout the film is something brilliant to behold. The human actors also give great performances. Woody Harrelson excels as the formidable and intimidating Colonel, but the performance is a strangely accessible one, and you'll find yourself unexpectedly sympathising with him later despite the atrocities he commits. Production design and make-up of course both deserve shout-outs as well, with the Apes series having excelled in creating practical sets throughout all 3 movies now. The score is also outstanding, with Michael Giacchino's intense, heart-pounding music accompanying every action sequence but also including emotional tracks and a haunting piano in some places. The aforementioned action is also great to watch. You might be surprised by a slight lack of big set pieces throughout but the movie more than makes up for it with some brutal sequences when the time comes. However, where the movie truly excels is in the writing. Although there is some slightly tone-deaf comedy at a few (infrequent) points courtesy of Steve Zahn's Bad Ape character, this is a shocking, harrowing, and emotional film, truly conveying the horrors both sides of this conflict have had to endure for the past 15 years in this world. There is also a second conflict in the movie which is somewhat even more engaging however, and that is the internal conflict of Caesar himself. We see him struggle throughout the film with the decisions he has already been forced to make for the good of his people, even questioning if he himself is becoming that which he so strongly looks down on. The struggle between mercy and vengeance is a theme which has been recurring throughout all of these movies, especially in Caesar himself, and it is spectacular to see Matt Reeves continue to explore these ideas, and inspire some thought-provoking messages and imagery for the audience to consider long after the film has come to it's end. In short, "War for the Planet of the Apes" stands not only as a stunning movie in it's own right, but it serves as an incredible ending to this series, firmly cementing it, in my mind at least, as possibly the greatest trilogy of films I have ever watched.

Rating: 10/10

Original Release Date: 11th of July, 2017

Starring Andy Serkis, Woody Harrelson, Steve Zahn, Karin Konoval, Terry Notary, Judy Greer, and Amiah Miller

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" Movie Review - #HomecomingKing

"Oh fantastic", I'm sure many people would have said sarcastically as soon as yet ANOTHER Spider-Man movie was announced, making for the sixth big screen movie starring the character and third reboot of the franchise in a mere fifteen years. So what's different this time? After the collapse of the "Amazing Spider-Man" series, Marvel Studios and Sony reached an agreement to allow the character to be used in the MCU, as I'm sure most people know after his brief appearance in "Captain America: Civil War" last year. Now the character has been given his own movie set within the MCU alongside the Avengers. With executive producer and Marvel godfather Kevin Feige partly overseeing production, the movie is finally here and it already stands in my mind as the best of the six Spider movies. Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker, a typical high school student who of course has a secret identity as New York's friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man. Immediately the story is far more gripping than other Spider-Man movies given it's enhanced focus on Peter as a high-school student. The character of Spider-Man is at his best when we see the constant struggles to reach a balance between his life as Peter Parker and his vigilantism by night. Not only do we see his in this movie as our favourite Wed Head, but he's also trying to impress a returning Tony Stark (once again played by Robert Downey Jr.), as well as balance his school activities, work, his home life, and a blossoming romance with classmate Liz (played by Laura Harrier). Oh, and there's also the small problem of an arms dealer known as the Vulture (Michael Keaton) due to his high-tech wings, who is flooding the streets with alien weaponry. All in a day's work. It's an engaging conflict we see the character forced into with himself, as we see him constantly have to make difficult decisions due to his commitment to his secret identity but desire for more beyond that. That said, it's not all glum in this story, and, as in previous instalments, director Jon Watts knows that this is a story which has to be told in a fun way. This is hands down one of Marvel's funniest movies, and every joke in the movie hits it's mark.

The characters in the movie are also extremely well-executed for the most part, at least in terms of the main cast. Tom Holland is in my opinion the best version of Spider-Man to ever grace the silver screen. Holland perfectly achieves a balance between Peter Parker and Spider-Man that both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield failed to capture. While Maguire was a great Peter and Garfield a great masked hero, Holland is the best of both worlds. He comes across as the perfect socially awkward nerd that Peter needs to be to make his situation, particularly with Liz, all the more relatable and enjoyable to watch. That said, he's also a great deal of fun when he puts on the suit and turns into the confident, cocky teenager that comes hand in hand with the character. A hero is only as good as their villain, however, and Michael Keaton puts in brilliant work as Adrian Toomes AKA The Vulture. Early on, we are given good reason to find his actions believable and sympathetic, and Keaton perfectly sells the emotional moments the character is graced with. It's also great to see a Marvel villain not hell bent on world domination/destruction and is just out to make money; it's a refreshing change of pace that makes Vulture one of Marvel's most enjoyable villains. The rest of the acting in the movie is also excellent. Robert Downey Jr. is of course excellent once again as Tony Stark, this time in a mentor-type role, while Jon Favreau also returns as head of security Happy Hogan. New cast members to the MCU are also excellent. Laura Harrier is great and defies expectations as love interest Liz through her brilliant dynamic with Holland; Jacob Batalon is fun as sidekick Ned; Zendaya's Michelle has some memorable moments; and Marisa Tomei's Aunt May is entertaining as a younger version of the character unseen in the movies before now. However, while the acting is all solid, the supporting cast is slightly underserved in the writing department. Their characters are fairly clichéd, and some of the arcs they go through are rather predictable. For example, this character is clever and thinks they don't need friends. How do you think that story is going to end? It's a real shame because the main characters are written so brilliantly, only for the supporting crew to be given the short straw by the writers. Thankfully, it's still fun watching them thanks to the performances the actors give.

Spider-Man, now sponsored by Stark Industries

Since this is a superhero movie, there are of course action sequences scattered throughout the city and are constantly entertaining. The film achieves a perfect balance between the down moments of the high school setting and Peter's everyday life (although these re perhaps given a slight prominence), and the action that comes hand-in-hand with his duties as Spider-Man. However, due to the lack of experience this Spider-Man has in fighting crime on a significant scale, the sequences are also given an added sense of tension, particularly later in the film when the Vulture begins to play on a lethal level. Every hit our hero takes is given the appropriate weight to it, and, as an audience, we feel every loss and beating he takes throughout the film. Not only this, but the action was surprisingly original throughout, and was not like anything ever seen in a superhero film before, a pleasant shock given the constant talk of "superhero fatigue" these days. Never before have we seen aerial battles on the scale that having a flying villain like the Vulture allows, and the frequently advertised plot device of Spider-Man's new suit (courtesy of one Tony Stark) also contributes to this. Not one to be satisfied with a simple suit to just fight crime in with basic web shooters, Iron Man has decked out Peter's suit with gadgets and gizmos never used in a Spider-Man film before and, as more and more are unveiled, the action becomes crazier and crazier. Thankfully, given that point, the visual effects of the movie are also on point. The CGI is all incredibly convincing and never breaks the immersion of the action in the movie itself. All of the effects associated with Spider-Man himself are phenomenal, as well as those glimpsed with other villains like the Shocker and alien technology gathered by the Vulture, but the primary effect I have to highlight is the that of the main villain himself. I had some serious concerns about the translation the Vulture would undergo from comic panel to a big screen production. It is one of the many comic book ideas which, when seen on the page, are so ridiculous that is becomes hard to imagine them working in a live action context. Seriously, just look up the classic Vulture costume on Google and you'll see what I mean. However, I have to then give a round of applause to the effects and costume department for their work here. Rather than adapt the classic look, the crew on the film have thankfully taken a different route to give the villain a more monstrous mechanical look which looks as good idle as it does in flight on in the middle of a combat situation. It's a truly excellent effect which works within the grounded corner of the MCU.

And there was me thinking the Vulture couldn't work on the big screen

Very quickly, there are a few other aspects of the movie which I would like to give some admiration to. Firstly, Michael Giacchino's soundtrack for the movie is excellent. Although the main theme itself is borrowed largely from the Avengers movies, it still works as a basis for the movie itself. It is the other music that make this music stand out to me, and in particular Liz's Theme and the Vulture's Theme. The latter especially I love. The slow and eerily quiet piano riff which opens the music only to be followed by a deep, booming repeat of the same tune gives the piece a terrifying feel to it, almost like a predator (a vulture even) circling or hunting its prey. This is particularly admirable given that Marvel's soundtrack are infamous at least in my mind for being incredibly unmemorable. It's great to be able to highlight one more to add to the very small ranks of Marvel's great soundtracks. As a side note, it's a further testament to Giacchino's talent as a composer that he was composed two of the soundtracks which stand out in my mind (this one of course, and the other being from "Doctor Strange" last year). Secondly, the cinematography in the movie is excellent, as it needs to be with Spider-Man. Particularly near the beginning of the film, the camera work as it follows out hero's movements through the urban neighbourhoods of Queens, New York are extremely well filmed and incredibly fun to watch. Finally, although this is a smaller point in this instance given the grounded setting of this movie in comparison to a lot of other Marvel movies recently, the production design in relation to the sets, make-up and costume design is excellent. This has been a consistent point across practically all of Marvel movies, but it's still nice to give it a mention.

Tom Holland and Laura Harrier have great chemistry throughout

There is not much left to say about "Spider-Man: Homecoming". Almost all of the movie is executed perfectly. With never a dull moment to weigh it down, director Jon Watts has delivered an extremely fun movie, with excellent writing and a consistently hilarious script, filled to the brim with jokes which always land. The acting is also excellent on all fronts, and the action is extremely entertaining and often surprisingly original. The effects, cinematography and music are also all excellent. The only fault I might put to the movie is that some of the minor characters are slightly underdeveloped, but that is nowhere near a big enough problem that I should recommend against you seeing this movie. If there is one final thing I should mention, it's a reassurance to all of you who have watched the trailers for the movie, and in particular the second trailer which seemed to give away a lot of plot details and even outline the entire plot structure. I can promise each and every one of you that, even as a comic book fan, I was frequently pleasantly surprised when watching the movie. With plenty of twists and turns throughout, the movie is always engaging and exciting to watch. Thanks to the fantastic writing, cast, and action, "Spider-Man: Homecoming" stands in my mind as one of Marvel's best movies, and I truly can't wait to watch this one again. All I can say is thank goodness Marvel and Sony reached the deal they have. It's good to see our friendly neighbourhood web slinger back home where he belongs.

Pros

• A balanced and fun story
• Tom Holland as the best Spider-Man
• A phenomenal supporting cast
• Constantly funny
• Entertaining action sequences
• Stunning visuals
• A brilliant score

Cons

• A few underdeveloped characters

Rating: 9/10

Original Release Date: 5th of July, 2017

Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Laura Harrier, Zendaya, Jacob Batalon,  Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, Donald Glover, and Robert Downey Jr.

Doctor Who: Series 10 Review - Part 2!! (Episodes 7-12)

Well, there we have it guys. This series of Doctor Who, Peter Capaldi's final series as the Time Lord, finally came to a close last Saturday night with "The Doctor Falls". Although there's still his Christmas special left to come, this means that it's time for me to talk about the second suite of episodes from the series. I've already reviewed episodes 1-6, which you can check out by clicking here. This is my way of giving my full thoughts on the whole series, rather than giving a single article, since I feel like this allows me to talk about each episode individually and judge them in their own right. If I had to comment, I would say that the second half of this series was considerably weaker than the first. Although the first had a few weaknesses, they were far outmatched by it's strong moments. This half is more of a mixed bag, which dips and slowly builds up towards the finale episodes. It's been a mixed series to be sure, so to wrap up my thoughts on this entire series, let's talk about episodes 7-12 of series 10!

Episode 7: The Pyramid at the End of the World

Way back when the episode titles for this series were announced, I was talking with them in a group chat with some friends. My friend Louise highlighted this particular episode as the one she was least looking forward to due to the stupidity of the title, and the fairly poor synopsis we were given at the time. I agreed. That said, once we get past the behemoth title and take into account the episode's place in the so-called "Monk Trilogy", and the episode turns out to be far better than anyone dare expected. The plot of the episode is surprisingly mature in it's exploration of consent and what people would give up to live, even freedom. The episode also cements the Monks themselves as a truly intimidating force unlike in the previous episode "Extremis", and the narrative structure is engaging and interesting, keeping the audience guessing between the links between the action of the Doctor and the work of the lab scientists. As always, the acting is on point and the episode looks the part as well. That said, it's not all perfect. There's an obvious lack of logic on show, particularly in the final moments where there were a number of ways to solve this without the Monks' intervention, and the episode is fairly repetitive, particularly in humour. However, that doesn't make this a bad outing, and it in fact stands as one of the most solid of the series.

Rating: 8/10

Episode 8: The Lie of the Land

Well, this was disappointing wasn't it? Not only disappointing, I'd actually go so far as to say a bit of a mess of an episode. Quickly, with regards to the good parts of the episode, the soundtrack was easily the best of the series; the acting was fine (but not good from everyone besides the main cast); and the Monks and other visuals still look impressive. That racks up a grand total of 2 points. Now that that's out of the way, let's talk about everywhere the episode went wrong. First of all, the pacing of the episode was ridiculously fast. We are simply thrown straight into this dystopian future 6 months after the Monks took over. We are given no time to get to know the

underground workings of this possible future, or the true mindset of the rest of the people, and therefore it felt considerably less impactful. This might have worked if Bill had simply woken up in this world, but we learn she has lived here for 6 months as well, and therefore she does not even act as the usual audience surrogate. The episode is also riddled with plot holes. Why would the Monks leave their pyramid completely undefended? Why would the Monks even consider leaving the Doctor alive after their takeover, especially after he has constantly proven himself a threat to them? Why has Steven Moffat once again resorted to his usual cringeworthy resolution of emotions being the saviour of the human race? And can anyone explain how, just how, the Doctor is able to pull off a regeneration fake-out all of a sudden? This was the ultimate tease to fans of the series, with the scene being strategically placed throughout all of the marketing to suggest to audiences that a regeneration scene was imminent. Ultimately, however, it simply made no sense and only served to create yet another plot hole in an episode full of them. Finally, at the end of all of this, one very prominent question remains unanswered: what exactly were the Monks and what were their end goals. Sure, they wanted to take over the Earth but...then what? I fear their true nature is one which will remain mysterious for the rest of the show. A truly disappointing episode to be sure, particularly as the finale to a trilogy of otherwise great episodes.

Rating: 2/10

Episode 9: The Empress of Mars

The pain continues with this one. Let me tell you a couple of stories about watching this. The episode opened in NASA and, as soon as the "God Save The Queen" message appeared, I turned to my parents who I was watching with and apologised, because we knew what we were in for. Not only that, but my dad fell asleep soon after but woke up before the episode was over. He groaned when he saw it was still going and then got up and went to bed. That about sums the episode up really. I honestly don't know what happened to this series around this point, as the episode makes countless mistakes. Again, the only good thing about the episode is the visual effects and production design of the episode. The Ice Warriors are completely practical, and we have to respect the incredible make-up and costume design, while the sets also look great. Unfortunately, that is purely aesthetic and doesn't make an episode. Everything else in the episode was dreadful. The story, as I've hinted, was absurd and ridiculous. The problem was that we have seen all of this before, and the whole thing was incredibly dull and bland. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the worst thing any TV episode or movie can do is bore you, because it has then failed at it's (in my view) primary objective to entertain you. The acting from everyone (main cast included) was terrible, but in particular from the Ice Warriors and the Victorian soldiers. Another thing, you know how TV episodes are meant to have characters who are interesting and developed? I could not honestly describe a single character in this episode as a character. They are all clichés, with incredibly predictable arcs and "development", if you can call it that. Generic villains, heroes, and conflicts in short. Not only that, but the episode does not advance the overarching story of the series in any way, only showing Missy briefly at the end (and pointlessly), and the whole affair felt like a filler episode. Uninspired garbage, and equally as bad as the week before.

Rating: 2/10

Episode 10: The Eaters of Light

Oh thank God, finally, an improvement on the last two episodes. Although classic series' writer Rona Munro's "The Eaters of Light" does not match the heights of the series so far (which is to highlight "Knock Knock", "Pyramid" and "Extremis"), it's a solid enough episode. The acting in the episode is great, besides Rebecca Benson's Kar unfortunately who I found to be an incredibly irritating presence (although that largely comes down to her having very little to work with in terms of writing), and the story is actually interesting. The monsters are interesting for how little they are explained, and the cinematography is actually very good. However, where the episode largely comes to pieces is the writing. The characters are not very well developed and no conflict within the episode is explored in any meaningful way. Once again, Matt Lucas' Nardole is an incredibly pointless part of the episode and could easily be removed. It's unfortunate at this stage in the game that I am still questioning this character's worth. The plot, no matter how interesting, yet again quickly disintegrates when you start to think about it as well. Also, the visual effects of the episode are strangely terrible, something which I do not find at all acceptable at this stage in a series where the effects have been solid for the most part. One final issue is the pointless appearance of Missy at the end of the episode. Although she is a great character and Michelle Gomez is a joy on screen, these appearances grew extremely tiring at this tail end of the series, and the scenes are clearly only shoved in to allow show runner Steven Moffat to give the illusion of an overarching arc. A mixed bag of an episode, but a solid one regardless.

Rating: 6/10

Episode 11: World Enough and Time

This episode had so much to live up to in my mind. From the start this was the episode I was most excited about. It had the most intriguing synopsis of them all, seemingly pitting the Time Lord against time itself as he sets out to fix a mistake he made. It also promised to make Michelle Gomez' Missy relevant for the first time this series. As well as all this, it boasted the return of the original Mondasian Cybermen and that of my favourite Doctor Who villain, John Simm's Master. So did it deliver? To put it mildly, absolutely! Under the superb direction of Rachel Talalay (who also directed Capaldi episode "Heaven Sent" and some episodes of Sherlock), the episode is a fantastic exploration of time and the consequences of time travel, as well as the true horrors of the Cybermen. This was a big character episode for Bill, who spends her time largely isolated from the Doctor and it is a great illustration of what companions the Doctor has abandoned must go through, but with a much darker endgame in this instance. The horrors of the Cyber conversion make for some of the creepiest sequences this series, particularly the volume scene, and the return of the Mondasians with their same sing-song voice from 50 years ago was a terrifying moment. And of course John Simm, for however little he was in this episode, was an absolute delight to have back as The Master! Clear chemistry with Missy from the off and giving a thankfully more toned down performance than in "The End of Time", he was clearly being set up to play a much bigger role in the finale. If I have one complaint, it isn't on the episode itself, but on the marketing. The whole episode felt like opening a Christmas present and knowing what it was the whole time. If the BBC unfortunately hadn't spoiled the return of Simm or the Cybermen, they would have made for more effective reveals in my opinion. However, that doesn't detract from the quality of the episode itself. Throw in the usual excellent acting and phenomenal production design on all fronts, and I can safely say that this is not only one of the best episode of the series and one of the best episodes of the Capaldi era, but I dare say that if I had waited a few weeks to make my top 20 episodes list, this would have broken it with no trouble at all.

Rating: 10/10

Episode 12: The Doctor Falls

Here we go, yet another finale of Doctor Who that fails to live up to the episode that came before it. Don't get me wrong, "The Doctor Falls" is by no means a bad episode and it is fact one of the stronger outings of the series, but I can't help but feel like it was uncertain in how to resolve each plot point from the excellent "World Enough and Time". Rachel Talalay returns to direct this instalment, and it's extremely clear here where she's comfortable. The emotional writing and smaller down moments between characters are superbly shot and acted all round, but the action is only competently directed. The cinematography is more jarring and it's coupled with some frequently (and strangely) awful effects work, particularly on the explosion on show here. It's clear the writers really didn't know exactly how to make the Cybermen the intimidating foe they needed to be here, and they came across as more cannon fodder than anything else; little more than tin soldiers for the Doctor to push over. Thankfully, it was these emotional moments that were the focus, particularly on Bill. However, that said, I hope I wasn't the only one hoping for a bit more death here. I've been called out for going dark in group chats but, honestly, there was a surprising lack of stakes here or reason to care for the most part. The fact was that I never felt like any of the townspeople, Nardole, or a number of characters had a really chance of biting it here. Once again, the acting was on top form here. Peter Capaldi and Pearl Mackie deliver some of their best work here, especially the latter due to her situation, and Michelle Gomez and John Simm make for a great double act as the Master(s).  It'll be sad to see Gomez go and it was great to see Simm return to play an embodiment of pure evil once again (although he was rather pointless in the grand scheme of things). One final thing I'll mention is Bill's ending. It was jarring to a point to see Heather return, but it does feel like a strong send-off from which the character may or may not return, as the character is brought full circle from where she started 11 weeks ago. All in all, "The Doctor Falls" was an emotional and strong finale to the series. Although it's action was lacking, it more than made up for it in it's performances, down moments, and production design for the most part. Oh, and the ending scene. An interesting set-up for what is sure to be an emotional farewell to Peter Capaldi's Time Lord.

Rating: 8/10