Warning: include() [function.include]: URL file-access is disabled in the server configuration in /home/584/galli/www.gallifrey5.co.uk/public_html/review_hornsnimon.php on line 23
Warning: include(http://www.gallifrey5.co.uk/navigation.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: no suitable wrapper could be found in /home/584/galli/www.gallifrey5.co.uk/public_html/review_hornsnimon.php on line 23
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'http://www.gallifrey5.co.uk/navigation.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/share/pear:/usr/share/php') in /home/584/galli/www.gallifrey5.co.uk/public_html/review_hornsnimon.php on line 23
| THE HORNS OF NIMON :: VHS REVIEW
by Stephen Mills
Added Sunday,
June 8 2003
|
||||||||||||||||||||
» THE PLOT ... |
||||||||||||||||||||
| The peaceful planet
of Aneth was once at war with the mighty Skonnon Empire. Now the Skonnon
ships have returned to the skies of Aneth, demanding tribute. But
as the final consignment is being taken to Skonnos, an accident forces
the ship off-course… The Doctor decides that the TARDIS is in need of an overhaul, and after materialising in deep space, dismantles most of the ship’s key circuitry, immobilising the time/space machine. Nearby is the stricken Skonnon spacecraft, and both ships are seemingly caught in a gravity field that could destroy them… On the planet Skonnos, the mysterious Nimon lives in a labyrinthine complex, promising a great future for the Skonnon Empire on receipt of the tribute. But what does the Nimon plan for itself…? |
||||||||||||||||||||
| » THE COVER ... | ||||||||||||||||||||
Generic, boring, dull. Sorry, can’t think of anything else to say about the cover.
[Click the cover for a larger version] |
||||||||||||||||||||
| » THE STORY ... | ||||||||||||||||||||
I’ve just listened to an interview with Douglas Adams. I was struck by something that he said. Doctor Who it as it’s best when comedy and drama work together and that no matter how absurd a situation is, it does have real implications and that something which is absurd can actually be frightening. I would argue that The Horns of Nimon is very definitely a product of Douglas Adams view of the story. Writer Anthony Read presents a number of concepts, which, on their own, would show Doctor Who at it’s terrifying best. The idea of Aneth handing over youngsters for sacrifice means that life must be terrible for the children of Aneth. The idea that they are also prepared to hand over the radioactive Hymetusite crystals and the children reinforces the mental images that we are given of Aneth. Read writes the Skonnons as an almost fascistic like race, with an obsession on oppressing the weak. It’s perfectly displayed by the co-pliot’s attitude towards the Anethans. It’s shown when he shouts "weakling scum" at them every time he sees them, and secondly, rather than helping Romana and the children of Aneth when they are trapped in the complex, he decides to take charge by waving a gun round. The only other interesting character on the printed page amongst the Skonnons is the leader Soldeed. On the printed page, he is a strong-minded leader, who is prepared to lead Skonnos into out-an-out war with the rest of creation. We see him ritually rallying his troops just before they receive their part of the great contract and sentencing the co-pilot to death. We also see his intolerance to accept the alternative point of view, when Romana and the Doctor try and explain the true events of what happened aboard the Skonnon spaceship.
However, for all the intelligence in Read’s script, the production team sadly destroys it. Adams made this point, that whenever something in the script appears that is meant to be funny, the cast decide to do silly voices and walks. The production team do their best to undermine these terrifying concepts. In terms of the acting, the regulars are arguably the most impressive. While Tom Baker certainly appears to be tired, there are still times when you can see Tom desperately doing everything to make the program the best it possibly can with odd line changes here and there, having special props to cause amusement. However, his real skill is showing utter resentment at what the Nimon are doing. Lalla Ward also comes off very well from the script, giving a strong performance, which shows her anger at the co-pilot, Soldeed and the Nimon. Ward is given some strong material in the script, and she plays it to the strengths. One could almost argue that this is amongst Lalla Ward’s best performances in the program. As ever, David Brierly’s vocal performance is not a patch on John Leeson’s. The guest acting is absolutely atrocious, with more or less everyone destroying the script’s subtleties. The co-pilot, played by Malcolm Terris, can’t deliver a line to save his life (certainly not convincingly), I cringe every time I hear him say "The Nimon waits for no man!". The rest of the performances are sadly dull/unnoticeable with Michael Osborne’s Sorak being a classic example. Simon Gipps Kent and Janet Ellis are fine as Seth and Teka, but really don’t make much of an impression on the viewer. Then we move on to the other noticeable actor from the production, Graham Crowden. Don’t get me wrong, in a good mood, his performance as Soldeed is strangely alluring, but he does nothing to enhance the script’s good side. Instead, he just hams everything up, playing the megalomaniac villain. I would defend Crowden’s performance on the basis that it’s enjoyable, but sadly, it devalued the story that Read was trying to tell, so I can’t.
It doesn’t really help when the actors had hooves on their feet, which means they couldn’t chase anyone convincingly down the corridor. Therefore, any sense of terror that they could have installed into the audience is instantly diminished. Another move I learned about is that director Kenny McBain vetoed an idea to make the Nimon heads hidden underneath masks. It’s a shame as this might have enabled the Nimon to actually present something looking remotely alien, rather than a tall guy in a suit. I’ve said all I can say on The Horns of Nimon. Don’t get me wrong, every time I watch it, it’s a strangely enjoyable experience, yet every time I watch it, I see a lot of lost potential. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| » OVERALL SUMMARY ... | ||||||||||||||||||||
|
A strangely enjoyable episode, certainly worth it if you can find it a discount. You can purchase The Horns of Nimon without having to move from your chair, by clicking here to order it from Blackstar.co.uk. |
||||||||||||||||||||
| » TECHNICAL DETAILS ... | ||||||||||||||||||||
All screen grabs and images appearing
in the above review are Copyright (C) BBC Worldwide Ltd 2003. |
Arguably
though, the scariest idea shown in Read’s script is the Nimon.
They survive by ingesting the life force of living material such
as flesh, and we see the larder of children in the background. Arguably,
the most terrifying moment is when Teka touches the Husk of one
of the Anethan sacrifices and it collapses into dust. The whole
concept of the Nimon, creating Black Holes, swallowing planets in
the process just so that the Nimon can travel in space is an excellent
idea, giving the Nimon a Universal threat. In fact, in a clever
piece of writing, Read sends Romana in one of the capsules to see
Crinoth, one of the worlds previously destroyed by Nimon, where
she encounters Sezom, and it quite clearly brings home the threat
presented by the Nimon.
The
Nimon, a scary concept on paper, appallingly done on screen. » All reviews are © to their respective authors and may not be reproduced elsewhere without prior permission