This is How Movies Should Be Made

Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.

The whole world is having nightmares but not Donna's granddad Wilf. The Doctor having been called by the Ood finally returns to the Oodsphere, who make a prophecy of a return of something dark, The Master, and something bigger. The Master returns, brought back by a female cult, but Lucy intervenes, seemingly sending the Master a little crazy. The Doctor meets up with Wilf, discussing his fears after the events on Mars where he played God. Millionaire Joshua Naismith and his daughter Abigail have the Master kidnapped and bound, and try forcing him to repair a piece of technology they've discovered, the Immortality Gate, but two of Naismiths' staff are aliens wanting the machinery for their own ends. Naturally being a genius, The Master takes full advantage of the technology, turning everyone into himself, not Donna, who's placed in mortal danger.Favourite scene possibly Wilf meeting The Doctor in the Coffee shop, it's a very touching, heartfelt scene brilliantly done by both. Wasn't it nice to see some more matures actors and actresses on show.Plots and subplots, one seeming villain, masked by another. It's a very clever plot, cleverly written. I liked lots of it, return of Donna and Lucy (only briefly admittedly,) there's a good pace, good sense of urgency. Humour is provided by The Silver Cloak, again nice to see some older talent, June Whitfield is just delightful. Talk about joy seeing the Doctor in one of my regular coffee shops (The Kardomah) so random. Wilf and The Master are both very welcome returnees. I absolutely detest the Master's ability to jump, shoot beams and turn part skeleton, it does not work on any level. Don't really like the Naismith characters they fail somehow. Poor John Simm, his performance cannot be faulted, but the script is not so good for him, again!! I bet he had fun making it though. WHY DID HE HAVE HIGHLIGHTS!!!!Full of flaws but full of fun, the trailer was stunning, Gallifrey was back!!7/10

After four long years, 64 televised episodes (not counting the animated stories and charity specials) David Tennant was finally hanging up his sonic screwdriver as the tenth incarnation of the now contemporary and reinvented Time Lord. Having just previously featured in two one-hour, one off specials rather than the now requisite thirteen episode (ten story) which would comprise of a whole series (a move made to ease in the transition as new executive producer Steven Moffat took over the reigns from Russell T. Davies and the production team made redesigns to the next series TARDIS, opening credits sequence etc.), Tennant's long anticipated swan song, a two part Christmas special entitled "The End of Time" hit television screens across Britain. The subject of much hype and much speculation considering the ominous prophecy imparted to the Doctor at the conclusion of the passable "Planet of the Dead". The cryptic enigma of who would knock four times would soon be answered. But as if much of the fare that we have come to expect from RTD the premiere instalment of "The End of Time" promises much but delivers little in the way of a totally coherent or inspired and original plot.The premise focus's on the Doctor having to return to the planet earth having received a vision with the aid of the elder of the Ood, whose home planet he was visiting. A vision which concerns the resurrection of the Doctor's arch-nemesis the Master who will in some way play a part in the end of time itself which will mean the destruction of future events that the Doctor currently inhabits with his alien associates. What soon follows is a rather poorly constructed and stilted resurrection scene which utilises the necessity of the inclusion of the Master's widowed wife Lucy Saxon (who married him when he had adopted the moniker of Harold Saxon) requiring the adage of a number of one dimensional Harold Saxon cultists as best be described who with no coherent rhyme or reason (apart from that they're devoted to their "Master") are willing to sacrifice their lives to revive the deceased Time Lord. As you might imagine things don't go according to plan (due to a rather miffed Lucy throwing a figurative spanner in the works) and things come to an end rather disastrously. But not after some mind blowing OTT performances from all involved, yes even Simm. The story more or less develops from there and not well as would be hoped. With the Doctor being reunited with Wilfred Mott, one of RTD's more sublime and wonderful creations and played beautifully by the brilliant Bernard Cribbens it allows the pair to have a ingeniously acted but at times nonsensical moment (given the context of the series history) in a café. The brief moments involving former companion Donna played by comedian and actress Catherine Tate do add an emotional weight to proceedings and do to a slight extent forward the plot but the whole more "spiritual" angle which RTD has rather limply applied to past stories just seems like a rather lazy method of not allowing the Doctor to use his deductive powers and discover things for himself. On top of this is Simm's given interpretation of the Doctor's adversary and fellow Gallifreyan who believe it or not is even more maniacal and twitchy than was last seen in series three's closing episodes. Although his performance is more, fine tuned than in his initial appearance in this episode I miss wily sociopath who the villain was, rather than the crazed Hannibal Lectre prototype that he has been moulded in to. A confrontation between the two rivals within a barren London wasteland though featuring some electrifying and eye-popping special effects is reasonably well handled and allows once the dust settles for Simm to deliver a solemn, reticent performance as he eloquently mulls over he and the Doctor's past childhood on Gallifrey and what they have both become. Both actor's cope with the repartee between their respective protagonists/antagonists well but unfortunately it's a moment that is all too brief and the Master is whisked away by paid mercenaries in the employ of potty millionaire (is there ever any other kind?) Joshua Naismith who requires the ingenious skills of the Master for his own ends which entails the Immortality Gate, a humdrum creation by RTD which is merely a variation of the Nanogenes seen in series one's "The Empty Child/The Doctor Dances" and themselves were ripped off from an old episode of "Red Dwarf". If this isn't bad enough Naismith's need for the Master and the gate which involves his daughter Abigail,(Tracy Ifechaor in a cringe-making and lamentably artificial performance)is shallow and trite to the point of boredom. The Vincocci, a pair of alien scavengers played by "Being Human's" Sinead Keenan and Lawry Lewin are nicely realised by the two and do add something to the part and help move things along although it's to a rather nonsensical conclusion which isn't merely laughable and looks like something out of a bad sketch of "Monty Python's Flying Circus" not to mention it makes the inclusion of the Naismith's practically unnecessary, as they add little if anything to the plot making them nothing more than disposable, gratuitous fodder. But as the episode comes to a close and we hear the beautifully resonant and strengthening tones of former Bond star Timothy Dalton which culminates in a spectacular although not altogether surprising reveal given a certain photo that leaked on to the internet. I couldn't help but get a tad excited as to the prospect of what the following weeks concluding part might bring. But given this was Russell T. Davies who had penned this story those hopes as had been the case before could be so, rudely shattered as had ultimately my hopes for this opening morsel.

This episode is a total mess. It has plots here - more plots there - and more over there - and none of them make sense. For example, there's the resurrection of the master and the whole thing with Lucy Saxon and all those people...what happened to them. Then the master's superpowers...where did they come from. Basically I think the point of the episode was to get as many people and special effects into it as possible. I mean, the superpowers aren't even needed for the story - they just ruin it. The whole episode cannot be described as anything more than little odd ideas stuck together by little bits of loose tape that just marginally form the shape of a story.

As time runs out for David Tennant's Doctor an old foe returns and a greater danger lurks in the back ground; not being revealed till the final scene. Even though he was killed in a previous episode followers of The Master have found a way to bring him back. Once back The Master is hungry, very, very hungry and also quite insane; watching him devour a turkey is a sight to behold. The Ood have alerted The Doctor that time is literally running out so he returns to Earth where everybody is being haunted by a dream which nobody except Donna's grand father Wilfred Mott can remember.The Master is captured by a wealthy individual who has taken position of alien technology which can cure anything; including ageing, he expects The Master to repair the machine so he could bestow immortality on his daughter, The Master has another use for it though, a use that will have effects for almost all of humanity and causes Donna's memories to return; memories that could do her serious harm.David Tennant did a fine job as The Doctor but John Simm stole the show being genuinely frightening as the increasingly insane Master, other fine performances were provided by David Harewood as the wealthy Joshua Naismith, Bernard Cribbins as Wilfred Mott and Timothy Dalton as the member or a race we didn't expect to see again. It was nice to see Catherine Tate return as Donna even if it was a comparatively small part compared to her previous appearances. I found the episode was slightly let down by The Master's ability to shoot beams of energy from his hands and leap hundreds of feet into the air, he didn't need these gimmicks and was much more frightening when the camera was close to his face and he was rambling insanely or devouring something. That is only a tiny complaint though and am looking forward to part two.