I love Doctor Who but this is so much better

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• Publication: The Western Mail
• Date: 2012-10-27
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• Page: 4
• Language: English

Russell T Davies may have brought bought Doctor Who back from the dead but can he strike gold with his latest drama for kids? We asked the real industry experts - Rory Skinner, 10, and his sisters Emily, 12, and 14-year-old Ella from Penarth - to review the first two episodes for us

Rory says...

I really enjoyed Wizards vs Aliens because it had lots of action and things happening and the boy, who is called Tom, was doing things he shouldn't have been doing and getting in mortal danger.

I liked the way that when he used his magic he used it to do things like score goals in a football match and do his homework.

Tom's dad doesn't have any magic and doesn't want him to use his which is unfair.

I love Doctor Who but this is so much better because the action was quicker and the boy just went and did stuff but didn't get all enchanted about it.

I thought the evil aliens were a bit scary. The king of the Nekross has this great booming voice.

I liked it when Tom's dad's car got beamed up to the spaceship and all the strange happenings like a teacher turning alien.

It was great that Tom liked football but hated doing his homework - he's just like me!

I thought it was good they had aliens and wizards together because you don't usually get that, plus the king of the Nekross had the best evil voice going.

Emily says... Wizards Vs Aliens is about a teenage wizards who tries to defeat dark, alien forces. The main character is called Tom. He's an ordinary schoolboy who loves football.

But he's really a wizard and is one of the only sources of magic left in the whole universe. This is because the Nekross, who are a race of aliens, feed on magic, and drain all magic out of wizards.

The Nekross have travelled the universe looking for even the tiniest bit of magic left.

They have flown in a spaceship from planet to planet, sucking up magic as they go and now Earth is the only planet with a source of magic left.

Tom discovers the aliens on a school trip where they have visited a stone circle where aliens once landed.

Tom and a friendless, science geek Benny soon realise aliens are about and the trip goes horribly wrong when they're abducted by a group of Nekross and it is up to Tom to save the last bit of magic all on his own.

I really enjoyed the programme and thought Russell T Davies really did pull magic out of the bag!

Sadly The Sarah Jane Adventures has come to an end but I think Wizards vs Aliens will really take its place on TV.

It will really be enjoyed by Sarah Jane and Doctor Who fans like me I think.

It isn't as scary as Doctor Who but it's as adventurous and fun and sometimes Doctor Who stories are quite hard to follow now.

One thing though, I did realise that the aliens in Wizards vs Aliens are a lot like the aliens in The Sarah Jane Adventures, only tweaked slightly.

I would have liked a bit of a change. The king of the Nekross was very imaginative and over the top though and was one of my favourite characters along with comedy nerd, Benny.

This drama includes comedy too which is what makes it so different from Doctor Who and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

At first I was put off because I don't tend to watch action movies or aliens ruling the earth-type things. I'm more into real life dramas, but once I started watching it I realised, because of the teenage boy Tom, it was more real life and I enjoyed that mix.

Ella says...

If you're a fan of Doctor Who or The Sarah Jane Adventures you will probably love this because it is by the same writer and has similar storylines, jokes and characters.

I've loved Doctor Who for years and found this is was a lot better than some Doctor Who episodes because it's a lot less emotional and isn't as complicated.

It's a lot easier to follow.

You might have thought everyone is sick of wizards after Harry Potter and that we need to move on from magic and vampires and hob-goblins but this is completely different.

Tom's parents weren't killed by a psychotic snake-man, he doesn't go to a school where the staircases move, he isn't haunted by dark visions of evil wizards and prophecies and he isn't geeky.

He's a lot easier to connect with because he's a typical, normal 16-year-old who loves football, hates his dad bossing him around and wants to be taken seriously.

You also may think the title Wizards vs Aliens is probably aimed at seven-year-old boys who like Pokemon and play with Action Men, but it really isn't.

I was put off by the title at first and thought there would be a load of aliens shooting laser-beams at men with white beards and magic wands.

I was surprised to find that it was completely different from what I thought it would be.

It's definitely not what you're expecting to get from the title.

There are lots of characters to connect with and it's quite funny too, especially when Tom's wizard granny opens his dad's beer and causes an explosion in the kitchen or when Tom tells his geeky friend to 'forget' he's seen aliens in their school.

Wizards V Aliens is aimed at a slightly younger audience to Doctor Who, about nine to 13-yearolds I'd say, but I enjoyed it and will watch it again if it's on.

But I probably wouldn't follow the series every week and watch every episode. If I was younger, I think I would though.

You might have thought everyone is sick of wizards after Harry Potter and that we need to move on from magic and vampires and hob-goblins but this is completely different

GRAPHIC: Our reviewers Emily, Ella and Rory tune into the first two episodes of Wizards vs Aliens. See a trailer at walesonline.co.uk/wizards Picture: Patrick Olner

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• APA 6th ed.: (2012-10-27). I love Doctor Who but this is so much better. The Western Mail p. 4.
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• Wikipedia (this article): <ref>{{cite news| title=I love Doctor Who but this is so much better | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/I_love_Doctor_Who_but_this_is_so_much_better | work=The Western Mail | pages=4 | date=2012-10-27 | via=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 November 2024 }}</ref>
• Wikipedia (this page): <ref>{{cite web | title=I love Doctor Who but this is so much better | url=http://cuttingsarchive.org/index.php/I_love_Doctor_Who_but_this_is_so_much_better | work=Doctor Who Cuttings Archive | accessdate=18 November 2024}}</ref>