SFX IV Review

SFX. Issue #115. March 2004. A rather nice picture of Eliza Dushku on the cover. Erect nipples. Yum. Sorry. Go to page 86. Review. As follows:

Red Dwarf
SEASON FOUR
A fourth outing of the cult science fiction sitcom only boys seem to like…

DVD RELEASE
1991 Dirs: Ed Bye, Paul Jackson
Starring: A scouser and his mates
Cert: TBC Running time: 180 mins
RRP: £19.99 Released: OUT NOW!
Reviewer: Steve O’Brien

The original template for Red Dwarf was actually – and hold onto your seat here – Steptoe and Son in space. What a different a budget gives you. The first two series were battleship-backdropped duologues mostly, better for comedy fans, worse for science fiction fans. But with a budget came bigger special effects, more ambitious SF plots, more characters and gradually everything that made the show a good comedy faded away leaving in its place a bloody good science fiction show.

That was Red Dwarf‘s fundamental problem. It was frequently a better SF show than it was a comedy. Its plots easily out-did Doctor Who and Blake’s Seven for pure SF inventiveness but it was often too muggy and smuggy to really charm as a comedy.

The one good development in season three was the addition of Kryten and it’s in season four he comes comfortably into his own, particularly in the episode “DNA” where the ever-brilliant Robert Llewellyn gets to perform sans make-up as Kryten becomes human. “Camille”, in which all the crew get their perfect mate, is also very good, and Ace Rimmer’s debut in “Dimension Jump” is great, if only because you wish he could crop up a little more often.

Look, if you’re a fan, you’ll buy it and if you’re not you won’t. But look at the Nation