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Copyright © 2009 Flaming Dog Media, LLC. All rights reserved. |
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A SMEGGIN' GOOD TIME |
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by Jason P. Hunt Fans of "Red Dwarf" can celebrate. So can fans of Blade Runner. What do the two have in common? "Red Dwarf: Back to Earth". Lister (CRAIG CHARLES) is still the last human on the ship Red Dwarf, and Cat (DANNY JOHN-JULES) is still landing on his feet and hating water. While Rimmer (CHRIS BARRIE) and Kryten (ROBERT LLEWELLEN) supply many of the one-liners.
The original cast returns for this one-off episode that picks up nine years after the show went on hiatus after season 8. The basic plot line isn't original: after being attacked by a giant squid in the ship's water storage tank, the guys get sucked through a vortex and experience "dimension slip" into our world, where they discover that they're nothing but characters in a television show. Lots of tongue firmly planted in cheek in this one. The scene in the TV store has some pretty clever moments, especially when Lister reads the copy off the back of the DVD box, exactly as it is on the one I have... Now on a quest to discover if they have a future, Lister and the gang set off to find their creator (RICHARD O'CALLAGHAN), who informs them that their fate is sealed. And we're tripping the rift into Blade Runner land - complete with the Zhora chase, the elevator up to the creator's suite (which looks a lot like the original), and the little Japanese geisha girl popping treats in her mouth on the giant screen. Even the visit to the shop of Mr. Swallow (in homage to the shop of Mr. Chew) is a well-studied, well-executed scene. ("I only do noses!" Mr. Swallow says...) In the meantime, the Cat keeps making little origami squids... he's not Eddie Olmos, but he wears the coats well. The DVD has all three episodes of the "Back to Earth" arc, and you can watch them all together or as separate episodes. Bonus features abound - commentaries, behind-the-scenes segments, deleted scenes, bloopers, trailers, web videos, photos, and the Easter Egg. (you look for it. I'm not tellin'...) The Blade Runner material alone is worth the price of admission. They're so well-done, I was laughing out loud in appreciation. The attention to detail shows these guys care about what they're doing, and care about delivering the goods. "Back to Earth" delivers the goods, and makes you wonder what happened in season 9... I know there wasn't a season 9. But it's in the story. So there. And word from Dimension Jump is that Doug Naylor announced an order of 6 brand new episodes for 2010. So get ready to lie, shipwrecked and comatose, with your mango juice. 9 out of 10 ###
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RED
DWARF: BACK TO EARTH2
starring CRAIG CHARLES Visit BBC America for more! |
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