Doctor Who Into the Dalek review. SPOILERS!

Let's make no bones about it- this was series "one"'s Dalek for the Twelfth Doctor.

That said, Into the Dalek is done from a different perspective. And I mean that literally, as the Doctor, Clara and the soldiers who have recruited them to heal the Dalek are all shrunk Innerspace style to fix it.

The Twelfth Doctor's first episode was hit-and-miss for me, whereas this was very much a return to form, with some great lines from the man himself. I like Capaldi's darker Doctor (though it's nice to see that his search for good in people- even his enemies, is still going strong), and I suspect he will grow on me even more as I become more used to his new quirks. 

But this episode highlights the ongoing problem for me. Clara.

In fairness she fills more of a gap with this episode (a Donna shaped one surprisingly) by pointing out to the curmudgeonly Time Lord, when the Dalek reverts to it's natural tendencies, that doing so isn't the only thing a Dalek can do. Under the right circumstances they can appreciate beauty and a (sort of) respect for the universe at large.

So what's this got to do with my problem with Clara? Well to my mind, doing what she did in this episode, pushing the Doctor to see a different point of view, to learn something and not take the situation as read, is what the companion has always needed to do. With Clara and Amy the storylines tended to focus on some weird "unrequited love" or they themselves being "the most important girl in the universe". But they aren't supposed to be. They are the audiences guide through a journey with a being who has seen and done almost everything in the history of everything. They are there to enforce a sense of humanity on someone who may come across as cold or uncaring in certain situations. 

Take for example The Fires of Pompeii (I know ;D) and Donna's push for the Doctor to save someone, anyone even just one from the disaster happening at that moment. He does of course, and becomes less cold and cynical and more human in doing so. 

The problem with Clara, for me, is that she started out more than a little in love with the Doctor, and that's just something that was old when Russell T Davis introduced Martha. It was done with Rose, and it was a novelty. But we've now had Martha, Amy and Clara in that position, and it's really not unique anymore and it's kind of tainted Clara for me a bit, they wrote her that way right off the back of Amy and the Doctor's relationship and have about-faced her for Capaldi's Doctor.

I guess the point I'm very messily trying to make is STOP MAKING THE WOMEN FALL IN LOVE WITH THE DOCTOR. 

Anyway back to Into the Dalek (and if you've read this far without burning an effigy of me, or just falling asleep congrats!).

The pacing of this episode seemed better. There was a definite threat with a deadline, there was consistency- the solution to the problem was introduced early and it made sense to return to it for the resolution. The daleks confrontation of the Doctor, what was inside of him highlighted the inner struggle the Doctor has faced for sometime, further cementing him as the Doctor without beating me as the audience around the head with it. The visuals were stunning. The space battle and the interior of the dalek were very well realised, while at the same time not losing the retro feel of a show made in the UK on a bit of a budget (something I like quite a bit).

We were introduced to former soldier (and future companion) Danny Pink, Clara's fellow teacher at Coal Hill, and Journey Blue, an excellent potential companion, cruelly dismissed by the Doctor for fighting for what she believed in, others. I can't wait to see what Danny will bring to the show, a nice comparison with the Doctor- a guilty conscience trying to do right in the world.

All in all I enjoyed Into the Dalek much more than the premiere. Though the theme tune could do with a little more oomph.

Deep Breath.. (brief) SPOILERS for Doctor Who

Well I'll be honest, Doctor Who was hit-and-miss for me. The plot was *very* thin, and it wasn't until the end the Capaldi felt like the Doctor. But he does feel like it at the end, and that's the main thing.

The new mystery could go either way- good or bad, and hopefully doesn't introduce us to another River Song (my money's on Mystery Lady being Rani) and I REALLY wish Clara would disappear into Time and Space. Sorry but I'm not a fan. And I spent a large chunk of the episode wondering if she'd suffered a blow to the head, as Clara seemed to have forgotten then very nature of who the Doctor is and the Regeneration process. I mean, she did supposedly travel through the Doctor's entire timeline, she KNEW he Regenerated, and yet her reaction (over the top) was one of betrayal. I know it's the writing but c'mon, consistency would be quite nice.

On the whole it was a little underwhelming. I'm of the firm opinion that Steven Moffat can write intriguing stories, but can't showrun Who worth a damn.

I AM looking forward to seeing Peter Capaldi as the now fully Doctor, Doctor though.

*Edit* My comment on the SFX website's review. Because I thought it was more coherent.

High points;

- The Doctor's "entrance" at the end saving Clara. THAT was the Doctor.

- The heroic entrance of Vastra, Strax and Jenny.

- MATT!!!!!

And then there was the rest of it. Even including NEW, new viewers, it felt like the writers were ramming it down our throats that Capaldi was still the Doctor. Which I really hope isn't going to be a thing they do every time this character regenerates. Please just stop.

And I still don't really like Clara. Yes she showed she had some balls in the captive scene, but it doesn't excuse the characters loss of memory regarding the Doctor's very nature. I don't remember her having a scene where she forgets she's known the Doctor throughout his lives. But I could be wrong. So much time has passed since I saw the Trenzalore episode, maybe the Doctor DID wipe her memory? I just don't like her. I don't *care* about her like I probably should. But maybe I'm just tired of the whole "most important girl in the universe" shtick.

And I still don't really like Clara. Yes she showed she had some balls in the captive scene, but it doesn't excuse the characters loss of memory regarding the Doctor's very nature. I don't remember her having a scene where she forgets she's known the Doctor throughout his lives. But I could be wrong. So much time has passed since I saw the Trenzalore episode, maybe the Doctor DID wipe her memory? I just don't like her. I don't *care* about her like I probably should. But maybe I'm just tired of the whole "most important girl in the universe" shtick.And I still don't really like Clara. Yes she showed she had some balls in the captive scene, but it doesn't excuse the characters loss of memory regarding the Doctor's very nature. I don't remember her having a scene where she forgets she's known the Doctor throughout his lives. But I could be wrong. So much time has passed since I saw the Trenzalore episode, maybe the Doctor DID wipe her memory? I just don't like her. I don't *care* about her like I probably should. But maybe I'm just tired of the whole "most important girl in the universe" shtick.Like

THE SPIRIT OF FIREFLY LIVES ON!! *Spoilers for Guardians of the Galaxy*

See that image up there? That shocked face was what I sported when I left the cinema yesterday afternoon. (After the end credits of course).

Guardians of the Galaxy is CRIMINALLY GOOD. 

But before I gush about what was soGoddamngood about it, I shall present the few niggles I had.

• The story- based around the destructive properties of some Infinity stone, was a bit weak. It was a McGuffin, the ever increasing presence of unobtanium that seems to fill movies. That's not a bad thing per se, there are after all only a few stories that can be told )and it IS the way they're told that is all important). But that doesn't mean that the main plot didn't feel like it kicked in until the end of the second act.
• More Gamora next time please. Of course we saw her kicking ass and taking names (well, teeth at least), but all the time we were really only told how dangerous she can be, and it'd be nice to see a little more of it.
• Nebula. The second adopted daughter(or daughter. It's a little hard to figure from the dialogue at times) of Thanos the Big Bad. Another trained assassin that gets little or no screen time. She comes across as psychotic, where Gamora is conflicted and repentant. I'm not a fanatical feminist, but you'd have to have been living under a rock to tell there are so few female characters in the Marvel universe that stand on their own (and not a love interest- which I'll come to next..), that these two feel a little squandered.
• The love story sub-plot. I mean.. just why? Well maybe not why, Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana have great chemistry- actually their characters do too. So my question isn't necessarily why so much as why now. They could have left the love story for the sequel, and just had the flirty banter in this film like Natasha Romanova and Captain America seem to partake in.

But that's enough of my nitpicking. On to the good stuff!

• The look of the film! It truly is beautiful, the space scenes (particularly when they reach Nowhere) is just stunning, and the movie balances splashes of bright, comic-style colours with dark and gritty cities wonderfully. There seems to be a recurring theme with DC movies to Nolanize everything, and make it unrelentingly dark and "real". Marvel has never really tried to do that- and when they do there is usually a splash of colour somewhere on screen (like Tony Stark's imprisonment in the Afghan caves. It's dark and a seriously bad position for his character to be in, but the fires of his forge, and his brand new arc reactor shine out).
• The ships, the Milano in particular I desire. The look isn't unique, unique (I got the distinct impression of Babylon 5) but I still haven't seen too many ships with that much colour on them. I'd imagine this ship, this movie looks amazing in IMAX.
• The humour. The introduction of Peter Quill as Star Lord HAS to be one of the best, the funniest of the current Marvel batch. You just don't expect such a bad-ass looking bast*rd to start doing a Gene Kelly in the middle of a dead and decaying civilisation. And it is glorious. The rest of the cast do a phenomenal job with these characters. Groot and Rocket are the scene stealers for much of the movie (and you really have to keep an eye on what's happening in the background with them in a lot of scenes, because that's where the good stuff tends to be). Drax is such a deadpan snarker he'll be used as the trope namer after this movie. Plus the showdown with Ronan is not entirely what you might expect from and action movie- and yet it still works because it is so in keeping with the Peter Quill we've been introduced to!
• The fact that it doesn't tie-in with the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to neatly releases it from the trapping of the larger mythology. It's nice to see The Collector, and Thanos and know what they've done without shoe-horning the Avengers in to the mix. The delayed gratification will make it all the sweeter when the Avengers and Guardians eventually meet up *rubs hands in glee at the thought*.
• It's just so nice to see a space opera style movie again! Yes I know we've had Star Trek, and we've got Star Wars coming up soon.. But this film follows in the footsteps of Wars and Trek at their best- with a dash of Indiana Jones thrown in!
• Howard the Duck. And not the 80's abomination. 
• Firefly lives on! Okay we all know that, but this movie captures that same humorous, irreverent tone and couples it with the bright lights of the MCU. It also helps that the big damn hero's mind-set of the characters is alive and well in these Guardians.

I'm not saying there aren't issues with the film, but there aren't a lot of films that are 100% free of niggles. But this movie is such fun, and both takes itself seriously and doesn't that I can't see any fan of the current crop of Marvel movies finding it wanting. My boss asked me what I thought of it and wanted a ranking out of ten. I gave it a nine. And I don't give that high a rating on just any old flick!