Week of 25 January 2010
Undercover *** (Stars John Clements, Godfrey Tearle, Tom Walls, Michale Wilding, Mary Morris; £15.99, UK cert 12) It’s 1941 and the Germans have invaded Yugoslavia. Captain Milos Petrovitch is leading the guerrilla war effort while his doctor brother Stephen pretends to collaborate with the Germans in Belgrade in an attempt to gain inside knowledge and thwart the aggressors. This Ealing Studios production was shot with an entirely British cast and released during the war presumably as a piece of morale-boosting propaganda. It’s an engaging if somewhat predictable drama but there’s a decent enough script (albeit with predictably dated dialogue at times), solid performances and a few exciting explosions as the Yugoslav resistance does battle with the Nazis. No extras — Justin Bateman
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Week of 11 January 2010
Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God ** (Blu-ray; Stars Bruce Payne, Mark Dymond, Clemency Burton-Hill, Ellie Chidzley, Tim Stern; £19.99; UK cert 12) Regular visitors to Games Workshop might enjoy this latest addition to the D&D franchise, but for everyone else it’s likely to be rather unimpressing. A sequel to the unloved Jeremy Irons-starring Dungeons & Dragons of 2000, Wrath of the Dragon features a bunch of heroic types trying to capture a MacGuffin from an evil sorcerer in order to prevent him from inflicting evil dragony carnage on their neighbourhood. With special effects and production values that bring to mind an ever-so-slightly souped-up version of the BBC’s Merlin, everything about Wrath of the Dragon is just about adequate. The plot could have been drawn up in minutes by a ten year old role playing enthusiast, but the cast nevertheless make a decent fist of the script, and it never teeters over into hammy embarrassment even during intense discussions about the best way to hide from orcs or dispatch dragons. Coming so soon after Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings adaptations, this low-budget effort seems a little bit redundant. With swords and sorcery done so comprehensively in recent memory, the meagre scope of D&D is unlikely to impress anyone. Not awful, just underwhelming. Extras: Table Talk - A video snapshot of D&D gamers and their experiences / Selected Scenes x 6 / International Trailer. — Adam Boult
Doctor Who: The Complete Specials *** (Stars David Tennant, Michelle Ryan, Lindsay Duncan, Euros Lynn, Andy Goddard, James Strong, Graeme Harper; £39.99; UK cert 18) So, David Tennant has left the Tardis. After a very successful five-year run, in which he was often voted "the best Doctor of all time", here are Tennant's final five outings. Well, three to be exact – the final two-parter, The End of Time, was not available for review. So what we have here is The Next Doctor (the 2008 Christmas special, set on Christmas Eve in 1851 in which Cybermen stalk Victorian London); Planet of the Dead (the 2009 Easter special, in which a London bus takes a detour to an alien world); and The Waters of Mars (a dark, scary thriller that sees the Doctor land on Mars, at a base in peril). Great acting all round, particularly from Tennant, but sometimes Russell T Davies's writing seems a little overblown. But it's been a great run so far, and roll on the new boy – Matt Smith – in the autumn. Extras: Doctor Who Confidentials. — Stuart O'Connor
And Then There Were None ** (Stars Oliver Reed, Elke Sommer, Richard Attenborough, Gert Frobe, Herbert Lom; £15.99, UK cert PG) Based on Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name, this 1974 adaptation has an all-star cast and a exotic setting. The plot, for the uninitiated, revolves around ten people with skeletons in their closet being invited to an empty house by a ‘mutual acquaintance’, a Mr U. N. Owen. The host, who is mysteriously absent, leaves a tape to be played which reveals each of the guest’s darkest secret, all of whom initially deny the claim made. Then, in the manner described in the poem ‘Ten Little Indians’ a copy of which is left in each room, one by one people begin to die. What should be an exercise in suspense and intrigue is strangely free of both. True, there is some mystery as to who is responsible but as there are no clues whatsoever, the viewer can’t really even play detective to guess who dunnit. So while it’s stylish and well acted, it’s also cold and oddly flat. My advice? Read the book. No extras —Justin Bateman
The Lost Continent ** (Stars Eric Porter, Tony Beckley, Niger Porter, Suzanna Leigh, Hildegard Knef; £15.99, UK cert 12) A steamer ship sets sail from Freetown heading towards Caracas. It soon transpires that Captain Lansen (Porter) has some illegal high explosives on board, a danger which is heightened when a hurricane hits. Fearing oblivion, some of the crew and passengers abandon ship, only to find themselves in a misty netherworld filled with carnivorous plants and strange and dangerous creatures. This 1968 fantasy thriller from Hammer is bizarre, to say the least. Character background is given and plot points are introduced only to be abandoned, while the story lurches from one set piece to another without warning. The monsters are brilliantly ’60s B-movie , all rubbery limbs and bright green neon eyes and it’s by no means boring. But the total lack of explanation for what is going on and a somewhat perfunctory ending is slightly frustrating and unsatisfactory. No extras —Justin Bateman