Red Dwarf - Back To Earth Page 8

Quote: Timbo @ April 13 2009, 11:06 AM BST

WTF was the shoot out about?

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To be honest, I think that the entire thing was an attempt by Doug Naylor to say, "look at this. I could direct a movie if you'll give me the money." In every interview Doug has given over the past ten years he has talked about Dwarf being filmic and he even said that the drawings on the Bodysnatcher DVD should have been more cinematic!

I can only assume that putting all of the Blade Runner copied scenes in there was to show that he could do something that looked like a movie. Obviously it's much more difficult to innovate than it is to imitate though. Shame there wasn't a decent script editor on hand to keep Doug's feet on the ground.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 13 2009, 10:54 AM BST

Doesn't have to make people laugh though to be classed as a joke!

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Ahhh, the Stewart Lee school of comedy.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 13 2009, 11:09 AM BST

it would have made a great and tight standard length episode.

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Yes, it would have.

I really liked it (though admittedly, I'm quite forgiving!) and thought it was a great 'special' episode that stood apart from the rest of the series. More like a bonus special then an actual episode.

It obviously gave a big nod to the fans, in the sense of twisting everything around, the fan club stuff and harking back to the 'best episode ever' in 'Back To Reality'. Towards the end, it all started getting twisted and clever and, for my money, was much better in the last two episodes than the first.

That said, the first was quite clearly the first twenty minutes of a film. The tone, the setting up (though it all seemed quite rushed) lent it well to 'cinema', which is what I assume Doug Naylor was trying to do for ten years. As you got further into it, it wouldn't have worked with a studio audience in my opinion.

The self-awareness was great though (especially the sales bloke talking about the Psy-scan exposition) and the Craig Charles 'WTF is going on?' expressions (of Craig Charles the character, not Lister!).

As with Series 7 and 8, it seems to me that Doug Naylor was the 'ideas' man, and Rob Grant was more the 'funny' member of the two, and that came across here. Not to say it wasn't funny, but it was more 'clever' than 'funny', which I liked.

I did laugh out loud a fair bit, in fairness. Like I say, it wasn't traditional Dwarf but it stood alone well.

It made me want more, especially as this is set after series 10 (so it would have us believe!). And let's not forget, even *bad* Dwarf would be better than some of the stuff that's commissioned at the moment!

Dan

Quote: swerytd @ April 13 2009, 11:45 AM BST

As with Series 7 and 8, it seems to me that Doug Naylor was the 'ideas' man, and Rob Grant was more the 'funny' member of the two, and that came across here.

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I really disagree with this. The ideas in this special are all copied from Blade Runner and Back to Reality. Some people may not see that as a problem but that is the truth of it. In Series VIII as well there is some dire plotting.

In Rob's novels I think there are so many ideas that are excellent (and I'm not saying that Rob is a better writer here). Also, so many people have said that Rob was the person responsible for the characters and that Rimmer was his creation. Based on this episode I would agree.

I'm sure that they both had equal talent and I just think that together they were able to filter out the bad ideas and jokes that each of them came up with. There is nobody to do that for either of them now which is why their solo outputs are so inconsistent.

Quote: Matthew Stott @ April 13 2009, 10:54 AM BST

Doesn't have to make people laugh though to be classed as a joke!

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Ahhhh!!! So we're talking joyless gloom! Right I'm with you now.

Quote: Nick @ April 13 2009, 12:06 PM BST

I really disagree with this. The ideas in this special are all copied from Blade Runner and Back to Reality. Some people may not see that as a problem but that is the truth of it. In Series VIII as well there is some dire plotting.

In Rob's novels I think there are so many ideas that are excellent (and I'm not saying that Rob is a better writer here). Also, so many people have said that Rob was the person responsible for the characters and that Rimmer was his creation. Based on this episode I would agree.

I'm sure that they both had equal talent and I just think that together they were able to filter out the bad ideas and jokes that each of them came up with. There is nobody to do that for either of them now which is why their solo outputs are so inconsistent.

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I don't mean that Doug Naylor is not funny at all, and Rob Grant had no ideas at all, just that they it seems their strengths are different. I'm not for one minute suggesting Doug Naylor can't write funny nor Rob Grant doesn't have any ideas!

In series 8, the 'Cassandra' episode is the nearest to 'classic' Dwarf that we all love.

Rob's (Red Dwarf) novel is brilliantly funny, though it does retread a lot of the TV plots. Doug's book (Last Human) has a lot of new ideas in it and is perhaps less funny, but more innovative.

Dan

Quote: swerytd @ April 13 2009, 1:05 PM BST

I don't mean that Doug Naylor is not funny at all, and Rob Grant had no ideas at all, just that they it seems their strengths are different. I'm not for one minute suggesting Doug Naylor can't write funny nor Rob Grant doesn't have any ideas!

In series 8, the 'Cassandra' episode is the nearest to 'classic' Dwarf that we all love.

Rob's (Red Dwarf) novel is brilliantly funny, though it does retread a lot of the TV plots. Doug's book (Last Human) has a lot of new ideas in it and is perhaps less funny, but more innovative.

Dan

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I agree with your comments about the 2 novels. Also I think Cassandra is by far the best ep that Doug has done on his own even if it doesn't match the first 6 series. But again this ep was basically a copy of Future Echoes and not a genuinely new idea.

In Rob's other novels there are great ideas though...Anyway if they don't work together again, then I would be interested to read a new novel by Doug but I don't think I'd watch any new Dwarf eps. They are just not for me sadly.

I'm glad I decided not to come on here until I'd watched all three episodes. I thought the first was pretty okay. The second was a bit poo, the whole idea of them tracking down their creators was rubbish (as it was rubbish in the LOG film) but the third episode fixed that and I was grinning like a loon again by the end. Re-watching the second episode, knowing that it's not real is much better and much funnier. That whole sequence with the Sci-scan was genius.

I really, really want another series of Red Dwarf!

It's also been done in The Last Action Hero, Judge Dredd it ain't exactly original.

I may be the only person on the planet who actually liked The Last Action Hero.

I did It was alright a fun romp.

I liked it not only was it fun, it was actually quite a clever film.

The scene where all the mismatched partners meetup, the animated side kick damn good film.

The general consensus seems to be 'Not great, but not as shit as I thought it would be'.

On the overwhelmingly plus side, if Dave actually commissioned this, would they be open to commissioning more shows in the future? Could this be the return of Red Dwarf?

Time to polish off my script for Dad's Army 2050AD in which Earth is invaded by aliens with Force Commander Mainwaring of the Home Rangers. Featuring such classic lines as 'They don't like it up 'em sir, the Gardarians, they don't like the laz sword up 'em', 'Be quiet Pike, you stupid droid!' and 'I'm posh and I've just shagged your mum'.

But more importantly we seem to agree The Last Action Hero was ace.

And now for me to return to The Dalek Invasion of Perth.

Featuring Kylie Minogue's less talented sister and that Ozzy bloke who rubbed Mimi Rogers tits in Massage.

You'll be exterminated you flamin' Gola!

Quote: Timbo @ April 13 2009, 3:01 PM BST

I may be the only person on the planet who actually liked The Last Action Hero.

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I love it!