Amazon.co.uk Review
The 2007 Christmas special of Doctor Who, Voyage of the Damned is a rip-roaring, hugely entertaining adventure, whose pace, energy and ambition plasters over its undeniable cracks.
With David Tennant in the title role, and Doctor Who fan Kylie Minogue stepping into the role of his assistant, Astrid, the adventure picks up where the third series of the programme ended: with the Titanic crashing into the Tardis.
With the loose ends quickly resolved, Voyage of the Damned soon picks up its key threads. There's a futuristic Titanic spaceship, a cast of space tourists (with recognisable names from British television, such as Clive Swift and Geoffrey Palmer), and inevitably, impending disaster.
Voyage of the Damned then manages to inject fast action, better-than-expected special effects, and a surprisingly high body count. It's got cracks in its setup, and isn't bereft of flaws (not least a slightly inflated running time), but it is a whole lot of fun, and a great improvement on the previous year's special, The Runaway Bride. It's good, too, that in spite of Kylie Minogue's star billing, her character isn't allowed to dominate the story, and as a result she turns in good work, holding her own in an impressive cast.
In all, Voyage of the Damned is a fun, rewatchable adventure, with plenty in the tank to keep you entertained. Definitely worth picking up. --Simon Brew
Customer Reviews:
Absolutely Terrible.......2008-03-13
While I am a huge fan of Doctor Who, I have to admit that I found this a total let down. The teaser at the end of series 3 had me really looking forward to settling down to a bit of Christmas Who but I was so let down. Christmas Invasion - Brilliant. The Runaway Bride - not as good. This??? ....what can I say. While I'm grateful for RTD bringing back the Doctor, I really think this guy should put his pen away and leave the writing to someone else.
Verity Lambert Must Be Turning In Her Grave.......2008-03-09
VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED became the second most-watched TV programme of 2007, drawing 13.3 million viewers. But, it's one of the worst DOCTOR WHO stories. Prior to airing, this had potential to be another classic. Instead, it confirms the status the Russell T Davies is NOT the best writer of the new WHO-era (that honour goes to Steven Moffat).
The Starship Titanic, while visually-beautiful and authentic, is a carbon-copy of the one from the FUTURAMA (1999-????) episode, 'A Flight To Remember'. Some of the supporting characters, like the little red alien and the Van Hoff couple are likeable and well-performed. But sadly, they are underused, and when they are discarded, the viewers are left wondering why there were created in the first place.
The Hosts, are just gold-coloured versions of the Autons, dressed like angels and their weapons are a laughable concept. Geoffrey Palmer, who appeared in the 1970's serials - 'The Silurians' and 'The Mutants' - is wasted in a all-too brief role.
Max Capricon, when he appears in the climax, is one of the biggest embarrassments in the entire 45-year history of DOCTOR WHO. He is just a poorly-convinced Davros-meets-Cyber-Leader clone. And don't make go over the scenes with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.
Last, and certinaly the least, is Kylie Minogue. Despite all the media attention she got, Minogue, like most of the characters in this Christmas special, is underdeveloped. When she defeats the villain in the climax scene, there's no emotional content. And the Doctor, once again, becomes depressed having fallen in love, which is getting very annoying and dull.
The only good bits about VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED was Clive Swift's wonderful performance as Mr. Copper (Swift also appeared in 'Revelation Of The Daleks') and a cameo appearance from Bernard Cribbins, who will be returning in this year's season.
I don't know what Russell T Davies was thinking when he was writing the script. He's probably lost his enthusiasm for DOCTOR WHO. Maybe they should bring back the people who worked on the show during the 70's like Barry Letts, Terrance Dicks or Philip Hinchcliffe.
This was dedicated to the memory of Verity Lambert, who was the first ever producer on DOCTOR WHO, and passed away a month before this aired. But maybe it's best that she never saw VOYAGE OF THE DAMNED.
Despite this disappointment, I'm still looking forward to this year's season. As for Catherine Tate being the Doctor's new companion, I'm just hoping she won't ruined it like...ugh!...Bonnie Langford did back in the late 80's.
Reviewer: Ben David W
Damned good.......2008-02-17
Oh my! There are a great deal of poor reviews on this dvd, aren't there? It is apparent some people just don't understand the meaning of fun. If you turn your nose up at the idea of a spaceship designed to resemble an old Earth ocean liner, than surely you are the sort of miseryguts who would deride monsters who look like tinpots and have whisks and sink plungers as weapons.
It appears that this episode was too silly in the eyes of many Who fans. Indeed, the main appetite seems to be for darker stories like those done by Steven Moffat and the brilliant 'human nature' episode but they can't always be like that. After a series (though it was fantastic) where the doctor was still a tragic figure after losing Rose, it is a pleasure to see him back in a more cheery episode and as a more cheery doctor. Good on Russell T. Davies for going against the cliche that darker stories are better. In fact, without Russell's writing where would we get wonderfully silly aliens like the Slitheen or the Mox of Balhoon?
'Voyage of the Damned' is a vintage Russell T. Davies episode, mixing the funny with the eerily wierd (a.k.a. the host). The actors do a fine job: as far as I'm concerned Kylie is the best assistant yet. I was interested to read in one of the other reviews that Madonna was originally meant for the role: it would certainly have given a whole new meaning to the Madonna being visited by a 'host' at Christmas time. I'm glad it didn't happen though!I've got nothing against Madonna but Kylie fitted into the role like a glove. Here's hoping she'll return!...her and the cybermen.
Utter pants!.......2008-02-15
An utterly derivative, mind-numbingly boring, inane and childish Dr Who story. Possibly the worst episode to date. Kylie Minogue is simply terrible and her casting was clearly just a publicity stunt. Avoid at all costs!
Desperate measures!.......2008-02-04
Looking more like amateur night at the church hall than a big budget TV show, this Christmas special did itself no favours by employing the services of the impossibly-sweet Kylie Minogue! Her acting "skills" (and I hate to use the word in vain) have definitely not improved with time and one would have to wonder what the producers were thinking when they considered her for the role! Quite frankly, her halcyon moment came and went 18 years ago, so attempting to recapture it on a cult TV show at Christmas time stinks of desperation! As a point of interest, the script was originally written with Madonna in mind, but when she very wisely snubbed it, Minogue's people were waiting in the wings like common street beggars to snap it up! They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but feasting off other artists cast-offs is something else altogether!
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