Contact

[Serena Lewis]

This one is pretty good, and has some great moments (Such as Green beating up Frank ), but it's not one of my faves.

Pros

1. Eagle. That is one seriously cool bird.
2. Plot was quite entertaining. I'm quite interested in psychic stuff, and thought the torment shown by Frank as he's trying to beat his brother was very good.
3. The guard turning away when Frank asked if Blue could threaten him. Heehee...
4. Green, as mentioned above, beating up 'Frankie Boy'. You gotta love her! The Colonels comment afterwards was great too. Very...dignified, but grateful.
5. Frank. Excellent sense of humour. If he wasn't a crook, I'd probably fall for him.
6. 'It got in my way.' Blue is so cheesy macho, isn't he? Suits him though.
7. The Lincoln Memorial looked fab. I paused it, and, from what I know of that memorial the words were all correct, readable and such.

Cons

1. No Ochre. Well, guess she can't be in them all.
2. Like I mentioned on the old NCS episode reviews, this episode seemed slow to me. I have no idea why, it just...does. Doesn't really detract from the episode as a whole, it's just peculiar.
3. Ending was a bit of a letdown. Kinda boring.
4. Frank believes Spectrum too easily.

White: Earth is at war with an alien civilization.
Frank: You're kidding me?!

It's just a little thick of him. He also says he doesn't remember anything, then goes on to quote the Lincoln Memorial.

Bloopers

1. The sunglasses have one lens shattered and (I think) an arm broken off at the foot of the mountain, but they're intact when White passes them to Scarlet.
2. A few times, Frank seems to get a see-through collar. Also, that prison gear. I know that it's not supposed to be fashionable, but those prisoners look like bananas!

Little Things

1. Why was Green messaging White anyway? Not important, just wondering...
2. The lack of blood when Frank fell disappointed me. I'm not a psychopath or anything, and am completely aware they can't show much blood on NCS, but couldn't they show a little?
3. Grr...I was outraged to discover a bit had been cut out of the DVD. When I taped Contact off the TV, there was a bit before the commercial break where Scarlet said to Frank, 'Now you're going somewhere you can't run away.' On the DVD, this is cut out. Why???
4. Scarlet is wearing his boots at the end. I don't think he should be because his legs are broken.
5. When Frank passes Blue the 'Pot Snack', the fork moves and shows reflections. That is so cool; minor detail, but all the better for that. Attention to detail!
6. The Colonels book. Instrument of Destruction. Now, I paused and zoomed in on the back cover (Yes, I'm that sad.) Does anyone recognize this blurb? I just thought it may be from an actual book. BTW, '...' are words I couldn't make out.

Once again...Science Fiction...taking age old elements - Spiders, Rats and Toads of an almost...he molds a sophisticated...fearful that the end...

Anyone know this?

Rating: 6/10

xx

[gojohnniegogo]

Interesting one this, not a favourite of mine, but not at the bottom end of the scale either.

Best Bits: Car chase! We like a good car chase! The vehicle Frank was driving was pretty cool.
The Eagle, we've had a Mysteron Dog, and now a Mysteron Eagle. Strange choice though, in OCS they'd probably just have had a cliff-slide to force him to his death.
Bit of action for Colonel White, when he gets to have a short scrap with the Mysteron replicant. And we get a bit of character development that reinforces the relationship between Green and White once the opponent is defeated.
Destiny took a back seat!

I liked the ending though, even though Frank was an inmate, he got away and you are supposed to be happy with him getting away for helping save Washington. Nice we get a bit of an open ending instead of being spoon-fed a bit of cheesy loved-up dialogue anyway!

[Father Unwin]

This episode doesn’t really do it for me and yet it contains what, in my opinion, should be the most exciting action sequence ever seen in any Gerry Anderson series. The strengths, as always in NCS, are the characters with their brilliant motion capture and keyframing – I can’t imagine a puppet taking out Frank in the way that Serena did!

The weakness, which seems strange to acknowledge 40 years on, is that vehicle sequences would have been far better using real models and real explosions. It is nothing to do with nostalgia or rose-tinted glasses.

I know that the term Supermarionation refers to the puppets but there should be a similar term to describe the wonderful vehicles that were a key factor in the success of all those old series - how about ‘Meddings Modelscaping’.

In the past we have seen models/puppets combined with live action footage in The Secret Service. However, what I would like to see is a blend of models and motion capture – this would be the best of both worlds.

The exciting action sequence that I referred to above was when Scarlet used the Albatross to scoop up the pickup truck from the road and then blast off into the stratosphere at full power before ejecting to safety. It’s a brilliant idea and would have been sensational using models and real explosions.

Just imagine for a moment if this had been done in an original episode of Thunderbirds... Substitute the Albatross for a slightly modified version of Thunderbird 2 adapted so that instead of rising up on legs to reveal a vehicle in a pod it used a similar ramp device to the Albatross.

Jeff Tracy: “OK, Virgil, here’s what we do! Use Thunderbird 2 to grab the pickup truck and head for outer space. Give it everything you’ve got! Use the escape pod to eject at 200,000 feet.”

Gordon Tracy: “But, Dad! That means destroying Thunderbird 2 and risking Virgil’s life!”

Jeff: “I know, son, but Virgil understands the situation – it’s his life against millions. As far as Thunderbird 2 is concerned, well machines can be rebuilt – people can’t.”

[shadokp]

The Story - I'm with everyone on this one - not my favorite probably because of the weak plot of two brothers with a psychic link although this leads to some interesting and scary look into the Mysteron mind. The location and story is pretty good and taking place in the United States gets my interest abit more than usual.

The Animation - Some incredible showcase moments including Washington DC and the Bald Eagle.

Other - The chase and the pick up of the bomb are some of the best action moments of the series. I like the humor level in this one as it never really went too far.

The Ongoing Tally - Frank's brother falling


On screen Death Count - Frank's brother, can't remember his name, and who knows how many at the Thunderbolt plant - security staff?

KP