I watched this BBC production "The Great Martian War" and found it a hoot to watch, especially for those that have spent the last several years watching History, History International, PBS and/or BBC productions sealing with historical events such as WWII, the Depression, Rise of Hitler, etc.
Yes, as the previous viewer says, they re-use the same "historical" film clips from the War (1913-1918) over and over and over. Because that is EXACTLY what they do in the shows they are making a parody of!! Plus, think about it-- how many bits of film do you suppose you'd SEE from the Martian War? Watch a documentary on WWI and see how many times you see the same clips. If I had a beef with technique, it would not be the low budget graphics (which, again, lends itself to being a "documentary", not a sci-fi movie) but the fact that the past interviews seen in the film, although they go for the quality of film or video for the time still seem a bit out of sync. The 1990s interviews, for instance are still a bit too clear for video transfer. The 1970s look more like 1980s videotape, for instance.
Of some interest is how they splice the history of WWI into an alternate history of the Great Martian War. The rise of underwater sea war and power (for instance), the general use of new technology for warfare, the sinking of the "Aquitania" that begins to drive the Americans to enter the War, etc. Even the end-- with the spread of the "Martian Flu", parallels the spread of Spanish Flu after WWI. All and all, I'd say a "documentary" to be seen by those fans of the History Channel (back when it played history shows) and historical documentaries in general. If you are looking for "The Avengers" science fiction, go look somewhere else.
Yes, as the previous viewer says, they re-use the same "historical" film clips from the War (1913-1918) over and over and over. Because that is EXACTLY what they do in the shows they are making a parody of!! Plus, think about it-- how many bits of film do you suppose you'd SEE from the Martian War? Watch a documentary on WWI and see how many times you see the same clips. If I had a beef with technique, it would not be the low budget graphics (which, again, lends itself to being a "documentary", not a sci-fi movie) but the fact that the past interviews seen in the film, although they go for the quality of film or video for the time still seem a bit out of sync. The 1990s interviews, for instance are still a bit too clear for video transfer. The 1970s look more like 1980s videotape, for instance.
Of some interest is how they splice the history of WWI into an alternate history of the Great Martian War. The rise of underwater sea war and power (for instance), the general use of new technology for warfare, the sinking of the "Aquitania" that begins to drive the Americans to enter the War, etc. Even the end-- with the spread of the "Martian Flu", parallels the spread of Spanish Flu after WWI. All and all, I'd say a "documentary" to be seen by those fans of the History Channel (back when it played history shows) and historical documentaries in general. If you are looking for "The Avengers" science fiction, go look somewhere else.