AUTON 2
Auton 2: Sentinel, written and directed by Nick Briggs, takes place two years after the events in Auton. Returning cast members are Michael Wade as Lockwood, Bryonie Pritchard as Dr. Sally Arnold, Andrew Fettle as Sergeant Ramsay and George Telfer as Graham Winselt. A UNIT lorry of Autons suddenly gets hijacked, and UNIT's Containment One, with Lockwood
and Doctor Sal Arnold is called upon to help. But then Lockwood is pulled away from his team to work with
yet another team and their Scientific Adviser, Natasha Alexander, and is not about to mention to them that he seems to be receiving
images of the Autons' movements. And Alexander is hiding things from him as well. This is a fast-paced and intelligently written story that yet makes allowances for newcomers. Twice,
just when a new viewer might be wondering what is going on, a good recap of pertinent events from Auton is inserted. The passage of two years is apparent: people have moved on, and red tape and bureaucracy have snarled things again. Or have they?
There are mysteries for returning viewers as well: Why is Lockwood receiving the images? Why have the Autons taken over a village but left the inhabitants alive? Why have the villagers welcomed the Autons? The video has several pretty locations, a good-sized crowd of extras both in the village and as UNIT soldiers,
and a good explosives budget. Special effects are extremely well-done. There are several CGI effects that rival what is available on the TV screen
today. There are also the regular trademarks of a Nick Briggs story: interesting camera angles and tricks, strong characters, and his cameo appearance (always welcome to me). A number of the actors in this video were also in the Audio Adventures he directed ("Island of Lost Souls"). The cast also invludes Jo Castleton as Natasha Alexander, John Wadmore as Colonel Wilson, Warren Howard as Daron, and Patricia Merrick as Charlotte. Whether you enjoy a nice UNIT story with lots of explosions, and interesting story exploring psychic abilities, or you just think the Nestene is one of the best baddies around, you will enjoy this video. There is also a segment from the UK Sci-Fi Channel on The Making of Auton 2. I do highly recommend it.
"Republica" "Republica" opens with the ending of a trial, then jumps to England in 1658 and the death of Lord Protector Cromwell. The Professor and Ace arrive in London in 1998--but in a strangely different London. There's no pollution, but there are anti-grav lifts. The political structure is also...off. America is a colony of the republic of England, as the Puritans continued to run England as a Commonwealth after Cromwell's death in 1658. The descendant of King Charles II, living in exile in France, still seeks to be restored to the throne and decides to try now, in 1998, against an elderly Lord Protector. The Professor and Ace get caught up in the struggle between the two factions while trying to uncover what caused the change in history.
McCoy and Aldred fall easily into their old roles. There is a wonderful affection apparent in their dialog. The secondary characters are well developed and seem very real, even to the passerby complaining that his wife burned his lace collar. The choice of unique and distinct voices for the various parts makes it easy to tell the characters apart.
Besides Sylvester MacCoy and Sophie Aldred, the cast includes John Wadmore as Le Compte, Andrew Fettes as Devlin, Bryonie Pritchard as Somerset, Michael Wade as Lambert, George Telfer as King Charles, John Ainsworth as Equerry and others, and Alistair Lock as additional voices. Producer and director Bill Baggs' experience with audio dramas, from the AudioVisual Adventures to the Stranger audios, shows in how well a scene is set with just a careful placement of sound effects, music or dialogue. The story flows evenly, and explanations are fitted in smoothly (even for Americans unfamiliar with English history) as Ace and the Professor work out what is different in this 1998. There are some wonderful humorous bits as well, some quite slyly understated.
The music by Alistair Lock is very good - I quite like the theme music - and adds a richness to his post production effects. "Island of Lost Souls" Scientists at a secret base in Greenland during World War II observe strange mutations in the nearby sea creatures, and one scientist vanishes just before Ace and the Professor (who insists they are in the south of France) arrive. The Professor studies the mutations and also learns that the base is conducting experiments in radar and sound technology. When the missing scientist reappears alive when he should have died from exposure to the cold, the Professor realizes that the experiments may have set something free.
This story is a mixture of historical thriller and horror that works rather well. There're elements of similarity between this and John Campbell Jr.'s short story "Who Goes There?" (filmed as The Thing), but an additional complication adds another level of tension to the story.
Aldred and McCoy are a great team and, again, there's an interesting cast of strong characters believably presented, with Julia Righton as Gudrun, Nicholas Briggs as Hendrix, John Wadmore as Connor, David Bracken as Oluffson, writer Mark Gatiss as Kell and Anthony Butler as Houser. . Post production and music (I really, really like the theme music) are again done by Alistair Lock, while Nicholas Briggs directed as well as acted. Briggs's previous experience in directing BBV's Auton series and the AudioVisual Adventures is also apparent, as he knows just when to up the tension with a background heartbeat effect or a faint slithering.
I highly recommend both "Republica" and "Island of Lost Souls".
reviewed by Kathy Sullivan
reviewed by Kathy Sullivan
by Mark Gatiss
by Mark GatissReturn to Sullivan Writings page