The Champions Chase a Nazi, 25 March 2017
Nazi Field Marshall von Splitz has spent 25 years in prison for war crimes. Now released, he and his band of Nazis are trying to track down a nuclear device. The Champions are charged with finding it first.
The Final Countdown is another strong episode. These Nazi stories always seem to be good. I think it might be because, as Nazis, there's no doubting their evil intentions. I like the fact that The Champions stay one step behind von Splitz and his gang for most of the episode. It makes things more thrilling. I also like the way they put together the pieces to locate the bomb. The whole thing is nicely paced and capably directed by John Giling. The supporting cast, larger than most episodes, is an interesting mix. Finally, I enjoy the fact that all three of The Champions have something to do in The Final Countdown - even though Craig and Richard to their best to send Sharon away at the end.
8/10
The Champions Steal Military Secrets, 25 March 2017
The well-respected Lord Mauncey enters a super-secret underground facility and attempts to steal File F. File F contains information on the country's defense systems. When confronted, Lord Mauncey remembers stealing the file, but has no idea why he would do such a thing. The Champions are called in to investigate. If they are able to bypass the elaborate security system and obtain File F, it will prove security isn't tight enough.
When I finish going through all the episodes, I plan to make a list of my five favorites. Nutcracker will be in the running for a place on that list. It's really well done with plenty of action, intrigue, and spy-type stuff. The various locking mechanisms guarding File F are a joy to watch. Richard's scenes as he attempts to get to File F are as suspenseful as any in The Champions. The episode was directed by the very able Roy Ward Baker - another genre director I usually enjoy. The highlight of the supporting cast for me was David Langton of Upstairs Downstairs fame as Lord Mauncey. I'll also add that John Franklyn-Robbins plays a fantastic villainous dentist. The biggest negative I can write about is the lack of anything substantial for Sharon to do in Nutcracker. As is too often the case, she's left on the sideline.
8/10
The Champions Go to Prison, 24 March 2017
Craig goes undercover as an inmate in a prison to get close a prisoner who may or may not have stolen something from a foreign embassy and may or may not be working as a spy. The plan is to have Craig breakout of jail with his new cellmate to discover what he took, where it is, and who he's working for.
As my rating indicates, while I don't think it's a total washout, I'm not much of a fan of Full Circle. First, I just don't care for the plot. I'm not sure how to explain other than to say plot didn't work for and I didn't find it overly exciting. The whole bit where Craig switches identities with his fellow escapee makes no sense at all to me. Why do it? Second, The Champions never get much of a chance to use their powers. In one scene, Richard is savaged in a fight with three attackers. How did that happen? Third, Sharon contributes nothing to Full Circle. She arrives in London to provide assistance, but is sent packing by Richard before she has a chance to do anything.
That's not to say it's all bad. Full Circle features an incredibly strong cast, including Patrick Allen, Martin Benson, and Gabrielle Drake. All are top flight talents. The episode was directed by the usually reliable John Giling – responsible for one of my all-time favorite Hammer films, The Plague of the Zombies. Here, though, I think his talents are wasted on a weak script.
In the end, I can't justify rating Full Circle any higher than the wishy-washy 5/10.
5/10
The Champions in North Africa, 23 March 2017
A small North African country is in turmoil and on the verge of civil war. World opinion is that the former leader's son, known as they Bey and living in exile in Rome, might be able to reunite the country. Whether through coercion, bribery, or straight out kidnapping, The Champions are charged with gathering the Bey and returning him to his home country.
What worked for me:
1. Jeremy Brett – Best known for playing Sherlock Holmes, I was surprised to see Brett turn up in The Champions. He's quite good as the Bey.
2. The Changes to Sharon – There are noticeable changes to Sharon's character in Desert Journey. First, she uses her femininity in a much more obvious manner than in any of the previous episodes. The outfit she wears to the party is scandalous compared to her normal wardrobe. Second, the more natural look she has on the ride across the desert is especially welcome. She never looked better.
3. The First Two-Thirds – The first 2/3 or so of Desert Journey are fantastic. The bombing of the peace the peace conference, the kidnapping of the Bey, the flight and landing at the abandoned air strip, and the journey across the desert. Really good, fun stuff.
What didn't work for me:
1. The Final One-Third – The final minutes of Desert Journey are a real let down. Sharon, Craig, and the Bey make it across the desert and just sort of wait for Richard to show up. He eventually does. This leads to a finale that is so predictable it almost ruins the whole episode.
Overall, it's a decent enough episode that really could have been so much better with a better written 3rd act. Still, a 7/10 seems about right.
7/10
The Champions Go Undercover, 23 March 2017
When a very prominent scientist is found dead in the streets of London, Nemesis is called in to investigate. Richard goes undercover as an electronics expert and is hired by a secret research project known only as Project Zero. He boards a plane, gets knocked unconscious by a gas, and arrives at an underground laboratory in an undisclosed location. Richard discovers a group of scientists working on a weapon capable of destroying nuclear devices from a considerable distance. After his cover is blown, Craig and Sharon are forced to also go in undercover to find him. Can they escape, catch the baddies, and destroy the weapon?
Project Zero is one of my favorite episodes from The Champions. It does most everything right. To start with, Project Zero lets The Champions use more of their powers than most episodes. And, all three members of the team get an equal chance to shine. Sharon actually gets an opportunity to do more than play the all too frequent damsel in distress. Here, she saves the day. The episode is packed with all the goodness you could ask for – action, intrigue, fight scenes, and some real spy-type stuff. The writing in Project Zero is as good as I've seen in the series. I've gone back and checked it out and Tony Williamson seems to have been responsible for some of the better episodes in the series. Direction is also as good as I've seen in the series. Don Sharp, director of some really nice Hammer films, does fantastic work on Project Zero. And the supporting cast is top notch, with Rupert Davies and Jan Holden making particularly good villains. I also got a real kick out of seeing Nicholas Smith, albeit in a small role, playing a killer. Overall, it's a fantastic episode.
In writing about recent episodes of The Champions, I've highlighted new powers that each episode presented. In Project Zero, we learn in the pre-credit sequence that Sharon has the ability to distinguish between vintages of wine. While it's impressive, I'm not sure how handy that would prove in a fight against a super- villain.
9/10
"Is that a monkey?", 22 March 2017
Big, dumb, fun. If you went into Kong: Skull Island expecting much more than that, you were in the wrong theater. Big, dumb, fun was all I was expecting and Kong delivered. I've seen numerous reviews criticizing the movie for being little more than big, dumb, fun. Well, entertainment is the primary reason I watch movies. Character development, a deep philosophical meaning, or gigantic plot holes hardly matter if I'm having a good time watching a movie. And I had a great time watching Kong.
There's just so much about Kong: Skull Island that appealed to me. First, it's a total action movie. The film gets off to a fast start and rarely slows down. I can't imagine Kong's final fight scene being any more thrilling. Second, I got a real kick out of the special effects. Kong never looked better. And the skull crawlers were amazing. I don't think I've been as impressed with special effects in a movie since I saw Jurassic Park back during its initial release. Third, John C Reilly – what a great actor. Very funny stuff. Fourth, Brie Larson's tank- top. Not sure I need to say more. And finally, the interesting island natives. I do wish the movie had slowed down just a bit to explore these people. Their story would make a terrific movie where Kong is in the background and not the central character. Overall, there's so much eye candy on display, presented often at breakneck speeds – that's what I like about Kong: Skull Island.
My biggest complaint is with Samuel L Jackson. I know I'm tempting fate and the wrath of fanboys everywhere, but Jackson's character really annoyed me. It's the same character he plays in just about every single movie he appears. He's turning into a one-note actor. I know people enjoy the character Jackson plays (and I did the first half-dozen time I saw it), but how about something a little different?
8/10
The Champions in Cornwall, 21 March 2017
On holiday, Sharon visits an old, large house in Cornwall because of her (apparently real) interest in architecture. She is sent away by the owner, but feels that something is amiss. She returns only to be taken prisoner by two hooded monks. Richard and Craig know something is up and head to Cornwall to investigate. Once there, they find tales of witchcraft and uranium mining. They also find an imposter Sharon.
I watched The Night People and enjoyed it quite a bit. The episode moves at a nice pace. The witchcraft angle gives the proceedings an interesting touch. And it's always nice to see the three Champions get just about equal screen time (even if Sharon is locked in a room for most of the episode). The supporting cast is strong, with Jerold Wells and Adrienne Corri in all too brief appearances. There is more humor in this episode than most. The banter between Richard and Craig is a welcome touch. But there are problems that keep this from being one of the better episodes. First, it just doesn't feel right. I said in the previous episode that it felt more like Mission Impossible than The Champions. Well, The Night People feels more like The Avengers than The Champions. The witchcraft storyline would have been perfect for Steed and Mrs Peel. Second, the ending is a real let down. Printing bogus government documents is hardly an exciting venture for the baddies to be involved in. And, The Champions never really get a chance to do much or use their powers. Finally, I don't understand why Sharon didn't just escape. Unless she was trying to gather information, she could have just about walked out - easy peasy.
I always get a kick from seeing what new powers The Champions will unveil in each episode. It might be something like super hearing or telepathy or night vision. In this episode, Craig demonstrates his abilities at pickpocketing and speed typing while Richard shows of his skill at cracking walnuts.
7/10
