As Good As It Gets

It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

The series class seems to have split audiences rather dramatically. The majority, myself included, rate the programme highly, but the minority that don't, really seem to hate it. I can't see why anyone who likes sci-fi would dislike it so much, having said that, appreciation of anything is a subjective thing. I wouldn't normally do this, but some off the criticism has been so extreme and unfair, l think it justified to counter them as part of the review. Coal Hill School/Acadamy is a place that sporadically appears in Doctor Who as a place where strange occurrences happen with some regularity. Being a school does mean the main protagonists are students and staff, but that's as near to being Buffy The Vampire Slayer that it gets. It's not a knock off Buffy as some claim as the "universes" they inhabit are completely different. A few critical reviewers claim that "sexuality" looms too large and there are unnecessarily gruesome moments but it's also untrue. Class happens now and in all aspects of character traits, storyline and development is simply up to date. We live in a time of great social change and that is reflected in the writing in a factual non judgemental way. I suspect that some were expecting the show to be pitched at a family audience like Doctor Who, but it was not intended to be. In that sense, as Torchwood was designed to be more grown up than Doctor Who, Class takes that further and is clearly intended for a maturer audience than that. It has grown up themes presented in a grown up way and is patently for an adult audience. I love the individual stories and the overall story arc. It's extremely well written and,m importantly for me, consistent itself and with where it fits into the Doctor Who universe. Patrick Ness has done a great job. As has to be expected a little time has to be spent developing the characters, but I think it was done well and doesn't affect the pace of the show. All the actors give really good performances. I'd be remiss if I didn't say that Katherine Kelly and Greg Austin are superb. Kelly in particular is an actor of such immense and versatile talent that her name alone makes me want to watch a programme and she does not disappoint. Sometimes a viewer has to get used to what they are watching and have to allow character introduction. It as true for Class as any series, but the show is never hindered by it. My advise would be, if you aren't sure about the show at the start, keep watching as you won't regret it.

Class is yet another spin off from the Doctor Who universe. This time around its teen angst in the Time Lords world replete with college romance, issues of friendship and fitting in. I'm well past this stage in my life but my biggest issue with this show, isn't its teen demographic focus. The reality is the sci fi action is far too thin on the ground. The result is a series that feel more like Adrian Mole, with a few not too close encounters thrown in. Unlike Sarah Jane, the excitement is simply absent from Class, leaving a series that might appeal to youngsters on the emotional front but has little more to offer. Five out of ten from me.

I definitely liked this series despite the amount of negative things I have to say about it.The whole story started very quickly and I felt that over the series, there wasn't enough building of tension to be fully engaging; it was just one thing after the next and I never felt like the characters acted like they were in grave danger. Some of the acting was difficult to believe, like there wasn't enough weight behind it; a disconnect between the character and the actor. I'm not sure if it was over- acted, or if the emotional scenes were just in the wrong places, or perhaps whether it was because of the script that it didn't seem like it didn't allowed the characters to develop and flourish. I didn't like the fact that there were characters introduced (such as April's dad) that didn't really add a lot to the plot. The only thing binding together the whole story line was the Shadow Kin, otherwise each episode felt very self contained. And on the subject of the Shadow Kin. They were not scary or menacing enough. The fact that they make jokes completely takes away from any impact they could have had. The inclusion of the weeping angels at the end was surprising; there having been no reference to them at all. It seemed a bit pointless to have them at the end, when if they had have been included earlier on, that could have been really good. When April and Ram go to the Shadow Kin world, it's like it's the most casual thing. It needed more peril and just came across as very underwhelming. The fact that they made Tanya 14 was just so unbelievable, the actor did not look 14 and the whole character was not one of a 14 year old. I couldn't stand April's mother, her story line didn't add much and she was so patronising to April and Ram. In fact, all of the parents didn't seem to care that their children's lives were in danger and there didn't seem to be much of an attempt to stop them. Ram's personality changed constantly; not liking the rest of them, then liking them, back and forth and his character seemed vague. There was too much focus on football, and again, did not add a lot.In the first episode, my initial reaction was that the theme song seemed completely out of place, sounding very upbeat whereas the series definitely had a dark tone. (Also why wasn't the actor's name who plays Matteusz in the credits at the beginning like the others? he was just as much a part of the series). The detention episode was good in the way that we learn more about that characters (could have come earlier or even served as a first episode) but that they somehow correctly guessed everything about the rock and the fact that it made everyone argue being the main point of conflict was certainly not thought out well enough.Apart from all these negatives, I think Charlie and Matteusz's relationship was very strong throughout and and just felt more real and believable unlike April and Ram's. The diversity of the characters and cast was good. The visual effects on the whole were good, the music fitted really well and the editing was good too. Miss Quill's character in general, and especially her snide and humorous remarks, were enjoyable. I liked April's song in the last episode, that was really lovely.All the way through, I was comparing it to Torchwood whose series 1 was so,so much more hard hitting and engaging than Class. It really drew you in in the first episode, establishing characters fully and built on that really well. Class had a strange combination of really gory and adult scenes, yet quite some young-seeming ones all interspersed with sarcastic quips, some of which were enjoyable. It was like a combination of Doctor Who and all its spin-offs, but I'm still confused where to place it. I am giving it a generous 6. Class was a really good concept, but I think it just fell short.

OK, so Class is, on its own, a very good show if you are a young adult (like myself) and are into sci-fi. Of course, compared to Doctor Who, it can't compete but by looking at it from an objective, individual point of view its rather brilliant. After watching the first two episodes, I wasn't hooked but I liked it. But by episode 3, I think the best episode of the series (so far), it really highlighted Ness's capability as a writer. Class was still going through its growing pains for the first couple of episodes but, for me, the series started to shine as it progressed. The characters really developed into something unique and special, particularly April who has become one of my favourites. 'Her' two parter focused on her character's development which was done really well, even if the actual story wasn't amazing. After watching "Detained", the sixth episode, made me start to properly love the series as much as Torchwood. The acting, particularly by Greg Austin (Charlie) stood out and helped the lesser experienced actors along Episode 7 was different. But in a good way. Ms Quill, who had really been the comic relief of the series had uncovered a completely different side of her character, opening up to the viewers in a way. I am really looking forward to the finale, the trailer looks amazing and hopefully Patrick Ness can really end this new, ambitious series on a high. I would love a second series and I think not only will it help the show itself but also Doctor Who since there hasn't been a spin- off, which makes the Whoniverse bigger, for 5 yearsOverall, a decent television series with a whole lot of potential in it