Tag: Red Dwarf

Red Dwarf: The Promised Land

Red Dwarf: The Promised Land

dir. Doug Naylor (Dave, 2020)

Red Dwarf: the Promised Land (poster)

Nostalgic and fun, packed with gags both familiar and unpredictable. Production values are surprisingly high and the feature-length format allows for a better story than those of recent series. Ray Fearon plays a first-rate villain. A fitting endpoint (maybe?) for the franchise.

Crime Traveller

Crime Traveller

by Anthony Horowitz (BBC, 1997)

Crime Traveller

Quirky police investigations marbled with time paradox. Though made in the late 1990s, Crime Traveller gives off a 1970s vibe (with commensurate production values plus Michael French doing his best Bodie impersonation). As a boon for Red Dwarf fans, Chloë Annett co-stars.

 

 

Red Dwarf, Series XI

Red Dwarf, Series XI

by Doug Naylor (Dave, 2016)

Red Dwarf XI

Even though it’s comprised now solely of what in earlier series was incidental humour, and careful plotting has been replaced by a laissez-faire ‘Let’s see where we are when we run out of time’ approach, it’s hard not to love Red Dwarf.

 

 

Red Dwarf IX: Back to Earth

Red Dwarf IX: Back to Earth

by Doug Naylor (2009)

Naylor_Red Dwarf IX

Though much welcome after the decade of Dwarflessness following Series VIII, this three-part 21st anniversary special exhibits a slow-moving stiltedness that belies its imaginative premise. Fans are encouraged to create their own director’s cut: a ruthless edit down to one regular-length episode.

 

Red Dwarf X

Red Dwarf X

by Doug Naylor (Dave, 2012)

Naylor_Red Dwarf X

Although still somewhat an aging caricature of its earlier series, Red Dwarf X brings back the laughs through six cleverly constructed (if frivolous) episodes. ‘Lemons’, in which the Dwarfers misassemble a flat-pack anti-aging machine, consequently time-travelling and meeting Jesus, is a highlight.

 

Red Dwarf VIII

Red Dwarf VIII

by Doug Naylor (BBC, 1999)

Naylor_Red Dwarf VIII

Returning to the eponymous mining ship, Red Dwarf became unabashedly silly and yet managed also to transmogrify into a creature of ephemeral comedic brilliance. ‘Cassandra’ is a classic episode, while elsewhere, amidst the rampant caricaturing, a long-suffering Captain Hollister steals the show.

Red Dwarf VII

Red Dwarf VII

by Doug Naylor (BBC, 1997)

Naylor_Red Dwarf VII

Danny John-Jules’ portrayal of the Cat remains tainted by cross-pollination from buck-toothed alter-ego Duane Dibbley, but the (re)introduction of Kochanski is enough to shake up what had become a staid crew dynamic and revitalise — at least somewhat — Dave Lister’s comically vagabond existence.

Derelict Space Sheep