Storm Warning (Contains Old Sword of Orion Review)



The Sword of Orion review is outdated. Please click here
Storm Warning by Alan Barnes

Ok, Into the main range. This is The best starting point for Big Finish, even better than the Marian Conspiracy. The Eighth Doctor’s only TV appearance is definitely a major disappointment. This is where The Eighth Doctor begins for the sane people, and It’s a heck of an introduction.
Bring Me Knitting: People say that the Sixth Doctor’s redemption is Big Finishes greatest achievement, and I’m quite grateful for that, but The Eighth Doctor was built off of nothing, and the Sixth had quite a few enjoyable stories. The eighth doctor was a blank slate, and from the moment that he’s introduced, jabbering to himself about Agatha Christie, he’s instantly likable. And if you didn’t like him then, his speech about adventure near the end will win you. 
Charlie Pollard, Edwardian Adventuress: Introducing A Doctor and a companion together almost never works. 
If it goes right, you have stories like Spearhead from Space or The Eleventh Hour. If it goes wrong, you have the trio of stories where the entire cast changes at the start of the Fifth Doctor’s era, which isn’t that bad, more clunky, as well as Rose, which I believe is a crappy story despite what everyone else says about it, or even a story that’s incredibly eh like The Woman Who Fell To Earth. Luckily, Big Finish gets it, as per usual, and Charlie is genuinely interesting, and even better, she isn’t a young girl from modern day London! Charlie’s resourcefulness during the story, figuring her way onto the R-101, by knocking out a steward and taking his uniform, for no real reason other than “Well, I could do it.” She’s the ultimate companion material, and might be just as likable as Eight is in it.
The Monsters: There are plenty of aliens in this story, but one of my favorite things about it, is that the story just casually included Space Pterodactyls as side villains.
Ramsey the Vortisaur is rather fun, and Charlie picking him up at the end of the story is adorable. The real monsters of the story are much less interesting, and they absorb most of Part Three so they can exposition constantly, and that is at least competent, but the creature in the diving suit is such a fantastic creepy idea, and they probably should have stuck with that, because less is so much more here. But luckily, the stupidly named Uncreators are only the main threat for a bit, because Rathbone is so much better in every way. The monsters are definitely the weakest link of the story, but the story is strong enough that it can ignore them.
Regrettably, although Rathbone is better than the un-creators, he’s also kind of terrible. His accent is the worst thing about him. He’s also incredibly smarmy and detestable, and not in the way that you want to see more of him, like Umbridge from Harry Potter or Kai Winn from Star Trek. 
Overall: Storm Warning is a fantastic introduction to the second best Doctor of all time, and it happens to include one of the best settings in a Doctor Who story ever.
It’s overlong for what it is, with incredible pacing issues. It could be done in an hour with ease. But it’s at the very least entertaining, and at it's best when the doctor and Charlie feature most in the plot. If it stayed on the ship with the Vortisaurs and the triskele remained an unknown figure, it’d be better. You can tell this review was written at two different times. My original opinion on it was a nine, and my joy for the Doctor and Charlie seeps into my opinion of it. I’m thankful for what it did, but a relisten makes the flaws shine through. I’d say at the moment my opinion is a 8.5/10, but it’s absolutely beautiful in what it does right, and absolutely should be your first Big Finish, at least in the main range. 

Sword of Orion by Nicholas Briggs

THIS REVIEW IS NO LONGER MY OPINION, DO CLICK HERE INSTEAD OF BEING SUBJECTED TO OLD OPINIONS THAT I AM ONLY KEEPING UP HERE IN THE NAME OF HISTORICAL INTEREST, AND I'M GOING TO MAKE YOU SCROLL DOWN TO GIVE YOU EVEN MORE REASON NOT TO BOTHER























I had heard bad things about Sword of Orion, but given my propensity to like things other people hate, and so I tried listening to it anyway. I couldn’t finish it. 
I as such, can’t give a full review to it, but I can at least write a Warning for all those who are inclined to try this story: Don’t. I could chalk this up to it being an early script where Big Finish didn’t really know what they were doing, but considering how they had already written Marian conspiracy and The Holy terror, even that’s unfair to sword of Orion, but at least the actors are trying: 0.5/10



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