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JaspaWest
Reviews
Invasion (2021)
Let's watch people emote
I don't often write reviews, and I write negative reviews even more rarely. But Invasion epitomises one of the worst trends in contemporary dramatic writing: the idea that you can give a thin (or in this case non-existent) plot the illusion of depth by having the actors look anguished as they wrestle internally with some emotional trauma - usually the death of a spouse, lover or child. The unlucky cast of Invasion are required to do this for minutes on end, while perhaps staring out over a desert, or sifting through a box of belongings. These interminable shots drag the pace from glacial to a standstill. What minimal plot elements are scattered between this unenlightening parade of emotion are scarcely original, but you can at least pass the time by playing "where have you seen this before?" with your fellow sufferers. Some aspects of the series really are unforgivable, though, the handling of the Sam Neill strand being by far the worst. Invasion is apparently coming back for a second series, but I won't be joining it. I'll be staring out at some distant vista, mourning silently for the hours of life I lost in its company.
Reichenbach Falls (2007)
A well-told literary joke with a slightly over-long punchline
There's a great deal to like in this very well-produced drama. A warning to readers: the biggest plot spoiler is in the cast list - if you know who Richard Wilson is playing then you're half way to spoiling the whole joke as soon as he appears.
And yes, it is very much a joke. Until you realise the fact, a lot of the writers' decisions seem a little too cutesy. Why is Buchan's colleague, who's undercover as a busker singing Gerry Rafferty's "Baker Street", called Gerry? Why is John Sessions's Character called Professor Bell, the same name as Conan Doyle's tutor, immortalised in both "Murder Rooms" and "The Strange Case of Sherlock Holmes & Arthur Conan Doyle"? Is there a connection between the name of Ian Rankin's detective protagonist, Rebus, and Codex, the name of the record label we see spinning on Buchan's turntable? Why does Newsnight Review, on which Rankin regularly appears, have such a prominent place in the story?
The answer, of course, is that this film is about the games that writers play with their readers. And their characters (there's a big clue in the title. Really). And the fact that writers don't always get things their own way with either. The denouement, when it comes, is genuinely effective, and enables the viewer to enjoy everything that's gone before. Unfortunately, that point is a little too far before the end of the film, and what follows is somewhat too stretched out. Nonetheless, the whole package works well, and features excellent performances from both Alec Newman and Nina Sosanya. This is the sort of genre-bending production that BBC Four has made its own - long may it continue.
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Leaves no cliché unturned
I'd forgotten how good Galaxy Quest is until I caught it tonight on television, the first time I'd seen it since it was originally out in the cinemas. As other reviewers have said, it carries off an astonishing balancing act that manages to hit all the right notes, combining laugh-out-loud comedy with some genuinely moving scenes that could easily have teetered over into schmaltz.
It somehow achieves the feat of being both merciless and affectionate, poking fun at all the clichés of Star Trek and its legions of fans, without ever being snide or mean-spirited. It gets us to laugh our socks off at a bunch of cynical, played-out has-beens, and then feel genuinely uplifted when they discover that they can turn from frauds into heroes. It lets us smirk at the obsessive indulgence of sci-fi fans, and then share their joy when that obsession is the key to averting disaster.
The child-like innocence of the aliens who have interpreted the Galaxy Quest television series as a collection of historical records is beautifully realised, being both hilarious and touching. The performances of both aliens and humans are excellent across the board, and it would be unfair, if not impossible, to single out anyone for special praise. (On a purely visual level, though, some comment has to be made regarding what is perhaps Sigourney Weaver's most glamorous screen role, far more reminiscent of Barbarella than Ellen Ripley.) Comedy, drama, and a feel-good ending - this film really does have it all. So why is it that the writer of the story and co-writer of the screenplay has nothing else listed in the IMDb?
How good is it really? Well, good enough to finally prompt me into writing a review, after years of being only an IMDb reader.