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1 100% arc plot free, which may surprise some people, considering the title*
(* although, with the proviso, we won’t actually know for sure if it’s arc plot free until the finalé, of course)
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2 A big tearjerker – biggest since Moffat took over, probably – but not cheesy, just genuinely emotional
3 It’s also great science fiction (except for one teensy “fairy tale” element to the resolution); it takes a clever idea, explores it and examines its moral implications…
4 …leading to hell of a moral dilemma
5 All of which could mean that it’ll be a bit of a bum-shuffler for the kids at some points (there are some lengthy dialogue scenes)…
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6 …but the robots, a big chase scene about 10 minutes in and the action-packed final quarter should make up for that
7 It opens very similarly to a certain Patrick Troughton story (anybody who’s seen the trailer can probably guess which)
8 There are some very striking and diverse images – who’d ever have thought that the spirit if THX 1138 and Alice in Wonderland could mix in one show?
9 Something new is cool now
10 Karen Gillan’s best performance so far – she is utterly amazing
11 Amy gets to perform a famous dance (briefly)
12 The same, very long word is uttered nine times in the teaser
13 There are some very handy robots. Except one
14 Someone has a smiley face
15 Rory gets to wear glasses again
16 Rory suggests a novel solution to a Christmas problem
17 There aren’t many guest stars
18 The Doctor’s in it throughout, but takes a back seat to his co-stars (for a sneeze and you’ll miss it reason)
19 The robots have some nifty CG enhancements and a bunch of catchphrases kids’ll love to imitate
Dave is a TV and film journalist who specializes in the science fiction and fantasy genres. He's written books about film posters and post-apocalypses, alongside writing for SFX Magazine for many years.
