Doctor Who Series 7 Episode 2 - Dinosaurs On A Spaceship - Review

Starring: Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, Arthur Darvill & Mark Williams

Written By: Chris Chibnall

Directed By: Saul Metzstein

 

Perhaps with the exception of the upcoming episode, The Power Of Three, every episode in the first part of Series 7 is like a movie poster. Each has a very distinct style and different settings, but none more so than Dinosaurs On A Spaceship. This is one of the most ridiculously brilliant titles you could have come up with, but it also means that we should expect a fun action-packed forty-five minutes. Let's face it, if you have an episode called Dinosaurs On A Spaceship, and it's not fun, something's not quite right.

 

After receiving a message for help from the Indian Space Agency in 2367, the Doctor is made aware of a huge spaceship hurtling straight towards the Earth. He is then tasked with the job of averting the ship's trajectory so that the Earth is kept safe, but only has a limited time to do so, before the ship is shot down with missiles. Recruiting a gang consisting of ancient Egyptian Queen Nefertiti and Edwardian game hunter, John Riddell, as well as picking up Amy, Rory, and accidentally bringing Rory's dad Brian along, the Doctor heads up to the ship. Onboard the group discover that the ship is home to … dinosaurs!

 

Dinosaurs On A Spaceship definitely lives up to the sense of fun it needed to offer. Whether it be using stun guns to blast a pack of attacking raptors, or escaping from laser-firing robots by riding a Triceratops, or even getting caught up in a chase with Anykylosaurs at the start of the episode – it's just pure and simple fun. The episode doesn't shy away from its B-movie roots, and it's all the better for it. Not only is it immensely enjoyable, but even things like the comedic dialogue was on point this week, thanks in no small part to Matt Smith's delivery. As a comedic presence, the Doctor absolutely shines in this episode, and has such a great energy and enjoyment towards his surroundings. The titular dinosaurs are also well realized, and far better than they were in the 3rd Doctor's Invasion Of The Dinosaurs in 1974. While I really enjoy Invasion Of The Dinosaurs, I'll be the first to admit that the dinosaur effects are terrible, even for the time, and they are easily the weakest parts of that story. But here, the dinosaurs are much better thanks to a nice blend of CGI for the raptors and pterodactyls, while Tricey the Triceratops is a great practical creation. It's telling that Tricey was so well realized that he even gets one of the most emotional scenes of the episode.

 

It isn't all just fun and laughs in Dinosaurs On A Spaceship, as well also have a surprisingly good villain with Solomon the trader. David Bradley is excellent as such a ruthless and horrible character, one who is willing to commit acts of mass murder, kidnap, bribery and blackmail, just to get what he wants. Solomon is one of many terrific characters in this episode, another being Mark Williams as Rory's dad Brian. Brian is one of the best family members that we've seen in the show for a while, and certainly the best since we last saw Wilfred Mott. Brian is really lovable and whenever he's on screen, it's impossible to wipe the smile off your face. The character serves as a reminder of just how much Doctor Who has missed the companions' family members since the end of Series 4, and when the new companion joins the Doctor at Christmas, I really hope they'll have an on-screen family that can we learn more about.

 

Amy, Rory and Brian are joined by some great, if not strictly necessary supporting characters, such as game hunter John Riddell. Played by Rupert Graves, Riddell is just brilliant to watch, adding so much to the episode's constant sense of fun. He also shares such an irresistible and charming relationship with Nefertiti, that I wouldn't have minded seeing the episode build on it some more. Unfortunately, Queen Nefertiti doesn't get the same level of development as Riddell, and she doesn't really get all that much to do either. The character can feel flat, and the only real purpose she serves in the script is to later become Solomon's “bounty”. Neither Riddell or Nefertiti are absolutely necessary in this episode, and in fact there's no real reason or explanation as to why they're here, but in this instance it doesn't bother me, as they add far more than they take away.

 

Not seen since the latter half of Series 5, Chris Chibnall returns to write the episode, and makes a superb return. Dinosaurs On A Spaceship is well-written and moves at a strong pace, despite everything that the script has to encompass. If you didn't gather from the above synopsis, there's a lot going on in this episode, but with the odd exception, everyone get something to do here. It's up to Amy to learn more about the history of the ship, while Rory gets the chance to use his nursing skills, Riddell gets to defend against a raptor attack, while the Doctor is the one to deal with Solomon. This well-written script ends on a high note thanks to a really, really good conclusion. (Spoiler Warning!) I'm aware that some have criticized the ending and Solomon's eventual demise as being too dark or too out of character for the Doctor, but I'd argue this isn't the case. Last year's Closing Time had a similarly light-hearted tone, and the chance to end on a darker note by seeing Craig get converted into a Cyberman, but opted against this for a cute and charming ending, which wasn't anywhere near as effective. One of the reasons Dinosaurs On A Spaceship is the superior episode is because it doesn't shy away from the dark ending, and instead decides to kill off Solomon at the Doctor's hands. The time was right for the episode to take a darker turn and that's exactly what it did, making for a very impactful ending.

 

So other than Nefertiti, are there any other problems with Dinosaurs On A Spaceship? While I have a couple of issues with this episode, the one that sticks out the most are the two giant robots owned by Solomon. I understand that they may have been intended as comic relief, but the episode was fun enough without them. The robots came across as far too silly to have any sort of impact, and they're the kind of adversary that you could have gotten away with on The Sarah Jane Adventures, but not here. There might also be the odd problem that you pick up on if watching this episode straight after last week's Asylum Of The Daleks. While this isn't so much of a problem on a stand-alone viewing, if you watch straight after last week's episode, it may be somewhat noticeable how similar the ship's interior looks to the Dalek Asylum from last week.

 

But how does Dinosaurs On A Spaceship hold up overall? As I've explained, there's the odd problem to be found, but they barely register when you realize just how much pure fun has been packed into forty-five minutes. This is the kind of absurd concept that only Doctor Who could feasibly pull off, and while this isn't the kind of episode you could do every week, I'd recommend watching Dinosaurs On A Spaceship without inhibitions and just enjoying it for what it is. Here, Doctor Who makes you smile like a big kid all over again.

 

 

Dinosaurs On A Spaceship



7/10