Spoiler-Free Review of "Asylum of the Daleks" (from Den of Geek)

[Monsieur Tabernac]

From:
http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/doctor-who/22331/doctor-who-series-7-asylum-of-the-daleks-spoiler-free-review

Asylum Of The Daleks is a surprising start in one or two ways. After
all, from the title, and the trailer, you might be thinking this is an
all-out action blockbuster of an episode. It isn�t. It�s got more in
common with a good, thinking survival horror movie, such as The Thing,
than it has a rampaging Dalek war. That's aided by the fact that the
excellent production design and effects work continues to close the
gap on what you can see at your local Odeon on a Saturday night.

That�s not to say there aren�t Daleks, though. There are tons upon
tons of the things, of varying vintages. What's more, Steven Moffat
has found ways here to cleverly evolve them, and also pay tribute to
their heritage. Even before the credits have rolled, there�s something
that might just make long-term fans sit up with added interest. Just a
little touch, to give further evidence that it's a long-term Who fan
at the helm of the show.

That said, Moffat has described the Daleks as the most easily
defeatable villains in the past, and perhaps that�s one reason why
he�s never penned a full episode around them himself before.
Predictably, though, he�s unpredictable in his approach, and he makes
some very rewarding choices with how he chooses to involve the
Doctor�s most infamous nemeses.

What�s particularly impressive is that he brings tension back to the
Daleks � with the help of some excellent direction from Nick Hurran �
for the first time since Robert Shearman�s terrific Dalek, way back in
2005. He also manages to play with them a little, and find interesting
new things to do with a foe that�s been around for nearly 50 years.
Asylum might not be your favourite Dalek story of all time (there is
stiff competition in that regard), but it�s a very good one, and
there�s a very clear effort that�s been made to shake things up a
little.

It�s not just Daleks that Moffat�s concerned with in this episode,
though. Picking up from the end of series six (albeit not directly),
with people believing the Doctor is dead and Amy and Rory not
travelling with him, Moffat spends some quality time with his lead
characters. Particularly Amy and Rory, and how their relationship has
developed since Christmas.

Which is as good a time as any to salute Karen Gillan, who gets better
and better, and the underappreciated Arthur Darvill. Darvill is
brilliant, whether as a generous comedic actor or as a core of
emotion, and he�s on top form here. It perhaps goes without saying,
too, but we�ll say it anyway, that Matt Smith utterly owns his role,
and his ability to shift emotions in a split second remains a
cherishable, rare talent.

The sum total of all of this is a really, really good slice of
Saturday night fun, that puts a good Dalek story at the heart of an
episode that�s impressive for reasons beyond its foes. It�s frequently
funny � Moffat hasn�t lost his touch with excellent one-liners � and
emotionally involving too. It also takes the Daleks to some quite dark
places, with a fresh, unpleasant edge. And, as with many of Moffat�s
episodes, it�ll ignite the Internet within seconds of it finishing.

Bottom line, and we'd better stop for fear of giving anything away,
Doctor Who remains in tip-top condition, that much is clear. And as a
kickstarter to what looks like a pivotal and massively ambitious
series ahead, Asylum Of The Daleks is a very impressive way to begin.
Congratulations to all concerned: it really is possible to continually
evolve and subtlely change a show with such a long pedigree to it.

[The Doctor]

In article <vvfn289rf91d469s8...@4ax.com>,

I look forward to this.
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