Honestly now, if somebody had said to you five years ago that 2005 would see a revival of Battlestar Galactica praised for its gritty realism, would you have believed them? Nah, course you wouldn't. And after last year's live action Thunderbirds debacle (kiddie geniuses saving the world, I ask youå) the new CG revival of Gerry Anderson's legendary puppet series Captain Scarlet certainly had a lot to live up to.
Having sat through an hour of screaming brats throwing cakes at each other on Ministry of Mayhem (and that was just Lee from Blue and the presenters), those who tuned in to ITV1 last Saturday morning must have sat staring at the screen in shock. For not only is the new-look Captain Scarlet top-notch telefantasy entertainment, it's also unremittingly grim, nasty and totally unsuitable for younger kids. Gruesome deaths? Check! (Man squished to death inside a car crusher) Resurrected corpses? Check! (Captain Black's hand punching through the top of his coffin must surely have causes some sleepless nights for the ickle ones). A hero who's been brought back from the dead and who's now no longer human? Check!
Gerry Anderson's team has done a fantastic job at bringing the Captain Scarlet story bang up-to-date. All of the ships and vehicles are recognisably similar to the ones in the original puppet series, but they now feel a lot 'heavier' and realistic than before (which is more than a little ironic).
Even the new voices are just about tolerable - it'll take a while to forget the dulcet tones of Francis Matthews and Ed Bishop, unfortunately. In fact, the only thing about the new series that seemed to misfire was the music - a complete lack of any kind of recognisable theme tune melody is a real shame. And as for the reworked 'Chris Evans rapid head swivel from one camera to another' music - sheesh!
But still, a magnificent reworking of an old telly classic. Now let's keep our fingers crossed that the revival of another old telefantasy series is equally as good. Let's just hope that Doctor Who doesn't get scheduled in the middle of Dick 'n' Dom in Da Bungalow...
