Friday, 15 January 2016

DVD Reviews: Signals Crossed

From episodes that took their sweet time to get here to a DVD that took its sweet time getting here. Anyway, here are my thoughts on Signals Crossed!


Episodes
And with this release, every series 18 episode has been released on DVD here in the UK!
  1. Signals Crossed
  2. Marion & the Pipe
  3. Duncan & the Grumpy Passenger
  4. No Steam Without Coal
  5. Thomas & the Emergency Cable
  6. Spencer's VIP
  7. Toad's Bright Idea
I really like the episodes on this DVD (except Signals Crossed, which I'm lukewarm towards). However, that doesn't change the fact that it's been over a year between the US and UK releases. And, considering only two DVDs were released at a similar time last year in both territories, this is getting beyond a joke. Yes, the UK gets extra content compared to the US version, but that's really not enough any more, especially since milkshake's website has every episode on there and you can watch them for free! Also, adding extra content on the UK version feels unfair on the US as well as they're missing out on it, or getting it on a later release.

Bonus Features
The bonus segments are nothing new, really.

Mr Perkins' Postcard focused on Sodor's bridges this time around. It was a very good segment showing how important they are, and it showcased a couple that I wouldn't mind seeing again, including the steel one and the main viaduct.

The Story Time segment featured Thomas Goes Fishing. There's not much to say about it, really. The illustrations are good, the story is well told and Perkins is pretty fun.

Who's That Engine? featured Spencer this time around. I've always really liked how Arc have shown off each engine in these segments. The main camera angles are still a bit same-y, but that doesn't detract from the work that went into them.

That being said, it was this segment on the US release that inspired me to vent my frustrations with coach designs in a previous post, and it's an opinion I stand by. I like that they're pushing the idea of Pullman coaches for Spencer, but it would be nice if they had the shapes and proportions of actual Pullmans rather than just using a skin deep design.

Anyway, the episode that was talked about after the reveal was Spencer's VIP which was still a great episode that got the idea of a series 9-16 episode right in a more natural way, as Spencer only screwed up once, got a chance to think about his actions and was given a chance to redeem himself. It feels like an Awdry-esque concept, which is excellent.

There were two Really Useful Engines segments featured: one for James and one for Duck. There's not really much to say about them; they both described the characters well and there was a nice range of footage, although Arc's stuck out quite a bit from Nitrogen's. It also felt weird that they described Duck as a "steam engine". Yes, I know that he is one, but considering how much the show is progressing, I'd have thought that he'd be described as a tank engine, at the very least.

The Earl's Quiz was pretty standard, only this release has two quizzes. Questions this time around focused on Emily Saves the World, Express Coming Through!, Thomas & the Emergency Cable and James to the Rescue. The questions are a mix between relatively easy and a tad more difficult, but they can't all be too difficult; they are primarily aimed at children.

At the start of the DVD was the same trailer for Start Your Engines! (click the title for my initial thoughts) that was on The Christmas Engines. This release, for series 19, is coming to the UK in mid-March. It still feels funny that they're advertising a series 19 release when they've only aired seven of the 25 episodes over here (at the time of writing. Seriously, Viacom and Channel 5, get those episodes on the air if you have them!)

Presentation
The presentation is the standard fare for Thomas and Friends; high quality animation and a crisp, widescreen picture. If you've seen Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, The Adventure Begins or any episode from series 19, you'd probably think the colours and lighting aren't as natural here, but it's still brilliantly crafted.

Price
The prices are pretty standard: £7.99 RRP, but the cheapest place is Asda for £6. However, if you have an iTunes account, you can get the episodes in HD for £8.99. Although, with the iTunes release, you don't get the bonus features.

Final Thoughts
This is another rather tough one to rate. The episode quality is great, and if that's what matters to you, then I'd recommend it. To everyone else though? Even if you can get it for the cheapest price you can, there are Thomas DVDs out there that have much better value. You can also watch them for free on the milkshake! website if you're not too bothered about missing out on the bonus features.

This, however, is more of a call to HiT's marketing team to pull their fingers out and get newer releases out in the UK quicker. I really don't care which country your market data says has the "biggest support" as it will always be skewed by the fact that North America has one of the largest land masses of any continent in the world. And considering how dedicated Nintendo are getting Pokken Tournament, as well as Red, Blue and Yellow released for the US and Europe at the same time as Japan, should there really be an excuse for any company to try worldwide releases any more?


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Wednesday, 6 January 2016

Series 19: The Beast of Sodor

And thus, the final scheduled series 19 episode of this block has aired (because Viacom is Viacom and doesn't know how to broadcast properly, to paraphrase a certain phrase I know). So, here's my review of The Beast of Sodor!


You know, I'm kind of at my limit here. While I was perfectly fine defending Henry Spots Trouble by saying "it's for kids", I cannot do the same here. Yes, the fears like the ones on display in series 19 thus far are relatable for children, there's no denying that. But give or take a few characters, this episode has the exact same cast as Henry Spots Trouble. This is where I draw the line; there is no excuse for laziness, especially when the episode you're re-hashing came from the exact same series!

Writing this episode off completely though would be a bit foolish as, in execution, there are moments here that I prefer. For example, adding Spencer to the mix really helps to push Henry's fear well, and it was good that he got his comeuppance. It does feel similar to James and Percy's dynamic in Tale of the Brave, which felt a bit more natural, but it was still rather well handled here, too.

This episode also felt more entertaining than Henry Spots Trouble. The incident with the bull was a real highlight, as was Dowager Hatt. I'm glad that they're using her in Sir Topham's episodes a bit more; their dynamic is brilliant.

Roads were incorporated into the episode as well, which is excellent. It's great to see the team actually take some of the focus away from the railway a bit. It's something I've been wishing for the series to do for a while and this was a good starting point.

And even though, yes, it's another plot where Henry is scared, the end was actually well done, as it feels like he may start to develop from this point onwards. At least, I hope that's what the meaning of the ending is..!

Fan Reaction






The Mad Controller's Corner

Final Thoughts
There's very little more I can add to this one. It just feels lazy as the conflict feels much too similar to Henry Spots Trouble. The cast of characters is also pretty similar, and it's really disappointing that the team would create an episode that feels this lazy. Yes, it's more entertaining, but for me, there needs to be a good balance between the two. I may appreciate it a bit more, though, if the ending actually leads to some much needed development for Henry, if not this series, the next few.

Episode Ratings

Series Rating (so far)
49/70
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Tuesday, 5 January 2016

Series 19: Snow Place Like Home

There's been a heavy focus on the Steam Team so far this series, but this episode puts the focus on Victor and Kevin, which is not only a nice change of pace, but also a very interesting dynamic to focus on. But how did it play out?


As it turns out, it's probably the most sweet, genuine episode so far this series, and it gives us more of an understanding as to why Victor keeps Kevin around: they both care a lot about each other, in a similar way as a father and son care about each other.

The plot itself is fairly humdrum: a character does something they shouldn't and gets into trouble. It's one that's been done a lot, by this show especially, but it works brilliantly here as it's reliant on the strength of the characters.

And the characters are written really well. It's nice that they acknowledged Victor's old home again as it gave his hatred for snow more of a reason in the same way Donald and Douglas' liking of the stuff was back in the day. And, as a childlike character, it made a lot of sense that Kevin would like snow, and be carefree as far as not taking the threat of the conditions seriously.

Victor's hatred for the snow also made his actions when Kevin disappeared all the more brave and admirable as you knew that he didn't want to be out there, but he knew he had to be as he didn't know what had happened or where Kevin really was.

The only real problem is that Emily feels more like a plot device than a character here. I feel that, if Victor had been a bit more anxious to head out and Emily reminded him how much Kevin meant to him, she would've played her own part rather than just being there waiting for her piston rods.

Also, Thomas' role could be called into question here. For one, why isn't he on his branch line? But beyond that, wouldn't Thomas have a bit of a rough journey trying to clear those drifts from hills? Wouldn't it have made more sense to send a bigger engine in snowy conditions similar to those depicted here?

Fan Reaction






The Mad Controller's Corner

Final Thoughts
After a small blip, this episode is a return to form for the series. It's an excellent character driven episode that shows both Victor and Kevin at their best. Sure, it has its problems and, if I had to be nitpicky, it would've been nice to see a narrow gauge engine or two at the depot either as a cameo or saying a line or two about how strange it was seeing Victor out in the snowy weather, but they're all minor quibbles with a real heart-warmer.

Episode Ratings
Who's Geoffrey?: 8/10
The Truth About Toby: 7/10
Lost Property: 9/10
Henry Spots Trouble: 8/10
A Cranky Christmas: 4/10
Snow Place Like Home: 8/10

Series Rating (so far)
44/60
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Monday, 4 January 2016

Series 19: A Cranky Christmas

So Viacom have finally had the decency to allow Channel 5 to air some series 19 episodes! Yep, they're celebrating Christmas with Thomas... one month late (they did air series 13-18 festive episodes during the period, but don't you think new episodes would, or should, take priority?). So here's my review (finally) of A Cranky Christmas!


So, this episode is... rather dull in all honesty. It feels as though it was elongated solely to fit the allotted time.

The plot itself seems to feel similar to Who's Geoffrey? as well. In that episode, Thomas causes an accident and tries to cover his tracks, and Cranky does the exact same here, only he doesn't make up a different crane causing the problem, solely saying "it wasn't delivered", so at least Cranky can say he can create the better excuses, although he'd have to work on his poker face.

As for the crate itself, how did it survive? With the height it fell from, wouldn't it have shown some sign of damage? If not the crate, the wooden pellet it was on! Also, how was Cranky scared of a ship's horn going off? He's been there for years; you'd think he'd be used to those sounds by now!

Also, the job was kept intentionally vague just so they could have the big reveal at the end. even though it felt like it was being foreshadowed that ice would be involved with all the slipping (whether it was intentional or not I don't know, but that's the feeling I got after seeing this a couple of times for the review).

But those are the really memorable moments. Well, except for a couple more things, both of which are positive. First, Thomas and Edward's friendship is still wonderfully genuine and heart-warming. Even if they don't have Edward as the star that much in the future, continually having him on screen with Thomas will always be gold.

Also, even though the episode was rather dull and mundane for the most part, there were a few scenes that were pretty funny. Cranky's reactions were pretty entertaining, as were the Fat Controller's shenanigans. There was also a slow motion "No!" similar to the one from Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, which was great.

Fan Reaction






The Mad Controller's Corner

Final Thoughts
So... yeah, I'm not much for this one. It's not a particularly bad plot, but it does still feel similar to Who's Geoffrey? making it pretty forgettable.

That said, it does have its moments if you do see it. Also, the voice acting was great, especially John Hasler as Thomas and David Bedella who (hopefully) has taken over as the mayor in the UK permanently. He's a great actor who's brilliant as Victor (and should've voiced him in the UK and US from the get go) and he's really good as the mayor as well.

Episode Ratings
Who's Geoffrey?: 8/10
The Truth About Toby: 7/10
Lost Property: 9/10
Henry Spots Trouble: 8/10
A Cranky Christmas: 4/10

Series Rating (so far)
36/50
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Tuesday, 8 December 2015

Series 19 and Viacom

(Yes, I said "Viacom", not Channel 5. I'll get to that)

In a previous blog post, I said that fans often get uppity over things that aren't worth complaining about, especially when they're the ones taking advantage of SI3D enough without one person releasing reskinned models. However, that's not to say that fans shouldn't complain about anything, because there are a few things, especially for UK fans, to find fault with. Case in point, Viacom meddling with Channel 5 and milkshake!, their dedicated block for children's TV.


It's safe to say that, while the 70th anniversary of the show has been pretty big in the US, which has filtered over to the online Thomas fans, the UK has had a real struggle gaining any celebratory atmosphere. Sure there was The Adventure Begins, but that came out 4 months after it did across the pond. Sure, there was a huge campaign for Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure, but the DVD was still released last over here. Sure, Hornby revived their range for 2015... but the models are only just being released.


The point is, every time there's been something to celebrate in the UK, there's always been a "but" immediately after. And if you want a prime example of this ridiculousness, look no further than series 19.


So far, 20 episodes have been revealed to the public. 12 have been released on US DVDs already, 6 have aired in Japan, while Australia is beginning their circulation very soon (next week, at the time of writing, if I'm not mistaken). And the UK? Four. And The Afternoon Tea Express (a series 17 episode) which had aired for the first time at the end of "Thomas Week" because... why not.

Now, I know you're probably thinking "But how can they air episodes they don't have yet?" To that, I answer you with this tweet by SIF:
So, in basic terms, Channel 5 have been intentionally holding these episodes back for no apparent reason.

"But if they have the episodes, surely they'll air some at Christmas, right?" Well... no. Despite initially saying they'd do so in an email received by SteamTeam:
...their actual Christmas schedule is this:
So they've either changed their minds over the past few months, the adviser was fed false information so that those who actually give a damn about what they air have a tiny sense of hope or they were intentionally lying about things to try and get people off their back. Considering 5 is owned by Viacom these days, neither option is off the table.


After all, this is the company that owns Nickelodeon, a channel that's been (potentially) forced to keep SpongeBob SquarePants and The Fairly OddParents going way past their prime solely because they're too scared to create something new and interesting, even though the TMNT reboot they have and Harvey Beaks are some of the best shows to come out of Nick in the past few years.


This is the company who thinks that healthy competition between new Thomas episodes and new Bob the Builder episodes... isn't healthy and could damage either brand. Now, I could understand this dilemma if it was similar to Strictly Come Dancing vs The X Factor but... it's not. Both Bob and Thomas are owned by channel 5. Heck, Bob airs at 7:20am (slightly earlier during Christmas) and Thomas airs straight after!


Would Bob have fared better had new Thomas episodes been aired at the same time? Maybe, maybe not. The sad fact is that we'll never know now, because those behind the scenes didn't have the balls to even try and pair new Bob with new Thomas.


Now in fairness to Viacom, that excuse kind of holds up the first time around. It's a new incarnation of a show and they want to ensure that it gets as much exposure as possible. However, there were more new episodes that aired for four weeks which wrapped up last week (at the time of writing). By this point, the audience for Bob was there, so there's absolutely no excuse to, at the very least, try airing new episodes from both shows. It's not particularly a "ratings war", it's friendly competition.


In conclusion, this is all Viacom's doing. Why? Well, although Channel 5's scheduling (when it wasn't owned by them) was weird at the worst of times (anyone remember them holding only The Christmas Tree Express back in series 16? Or series 17's random scheduling?), they did, at least, get every episode out by the time the year ended. Heck, they aired series 13 and 14 in 2010!


With Viacom in charge though, it's been an absolute mess. Even though Sodor's Legend of the Lost Treasure is airing on New Year's Day as per normal, which is something I guess, they're counting Dinos and Discoveries as part of series 19 - which it isn't - while only airing four episodes of the actual series 19, leaving the others to gather dust. There is absolutely no need for it whatsoever, and it's just another fine example of the UK getting the short end of the stick just because "big business" would rather mess with its audience than give them what they want and deserve.
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Sunday, 6 December 2015

Worst to Best: 2015 DVD Releases

With the final DVD of the year being released, it's time to look back over the year and rank them from the worst to the best.

The only criteria is that the DVD has to have been released in stores in the United Kingdom. There was a huge DVD set revealed by Sam Wilkinson over Facebook, but that won't be featured as it wasn't in any stores.

Anyway, let's begin!

Worst
This was an absolutely disgraceful release. You got Percy's New Friends, Up, Up and Away! and a few bonus features. That's it. And Smyths Toys was selling it for five pounds! Sure, you could get it for free if you spent over £10 on Thomas merchandise, but this was redundant in every sense of the word.

The sad part is that HiT have actually sold a 2 episode DVD really well in the past. Woolworths and the Daily Mirror gave away two Pack episodes (Jack Owns Up and Percy's Scary Tale), as well as three music videos, on separate occasions, and that was brilliant as the content had never been seen before on British shores. Had they done that with this DVD, it might have actually had a purpose.

Thankfully, it's not available any more, but it doesn't take away the fact that this release was the epitome of a cash grab.
Rating: 0/10
...you've got to be kidding me.

Truth time: this blog post was completed on Halloween afternoon. Every entry on this list was decided, and my thoughts were written out. I completed it that early because I didn't think that any other DVDs would be released, and I've waited until now to release the post in case HiT released something on the fly. So imagine my surprise when this came along on November 2nd.

The UK is no stranger to re-releases. The Classic/Complete Series DVDs (series 1-7 at least) have been repackaged multiple times; the last of which included remastered episodes of the first three series. But no re-release has ever taken away content... until this one came along.

As you'll recall (or not; I highly doubt anyone looks back on series 16 fondly, especially now that series 19 is slowly surfacing), Merry Christmas, Thomas! was released at a time where the DVDs were being criticised for not having enough content on them and festive episodes were criticised for replacing Christmas with "winter holidays". In response, this release had six episodes, all of which were re-dubbed to mention Christmas, and there was an extra DVD bundled in called Big Bang Surprise which had five extra episodes.

For this "new" release though? Big Bang Surprise has been completely removed, yet the price is exactly the same price as the original. No, wait, the original is slightly cheaper, yet this offers half the content!

It's pretty obvious to me that this is a blatant Christmas cash grab. But considering they released The Christmas Engines a mere week before, and it has much better value and episodes, there's no need to get this. You can get the original for £5 or series 16 on one DVD for the same price. If you want a Christmas DVD, get Holiday Express from B&M Bargains, which is £3.99. Sure, it won't have CG episodes, but it's still better value than this!

Stay well away from this.
Rating: 0/10

If I could describe every 3 DVD set that's been released here over the years in one word, it'd be this: pointless. All they do is fill up space on retailers' shelves and online stores' warehouses. It didn't particularly help that The Adventure Begins was released on the same day as this. I wonder which one they'd be more drawn towards..?

The kids that this set is targeted towards probably already have the DVDs, and even if they don't, they could get complete series DVDs for around the same price as this set is being sold for, if not cheaper.

Do they have their place? They must do if more are being produced. But I'd rather HiT spend more time and effort trying to get more current US releases over here faster.
Rating: 1/10

Yep, I really think this little of this release. Even at £5, I wouldn't buy this if you gave me the money for it. Because out of all of the releases this year, this was by far the biggest disappointment.

I've heard all of the excuses as to why there's a CG heavy focus on this DVD, and I don't buy any of them. If they really want to make a 20 episode release with a mix of CG episodes, I'd be perfectly fine with that. Just don't market it as a "celebration of Thomas from 1984 to the present" when you're barely going to focus on the era from 1984-2008!

This may be called "1st Class Stories" but, for me, it barely registers as third class.
Rating: 2/10

So if I slated series 16 as the worst of the show, why is this higher than 1st Class Stories?

Because you know exactly what to expect. You know which episodes will be on this release, it's just a case of how much it's sold for, and I think it was sold at a very good price.

That said, I think my review of it was too kind rating-wise, and I really wouldn't recommend it to anyone whatsoever. But if you really want a series 16 release, don't bother with the individual four-six episode releases, just get this. It has much better value.
Rating: 2/10

Out of all the box sets over the years, the best ones are the Smyths exclusives. Released around October for Christmas, this features the two specials from 2013 and 14 as well as the themed 6 episode releases that were, formally, never seen on TV.

At £20, the value is there, and you can get it free if you spend 40 quid on Thomas merchandise. But, sadly, it has the exact same problem as the previous box set: the kids this is targeted at probably have the DVDs separately already. Also, the DVDs are probably around £5 each anyway, so parents don't need to go to Smyths to get the set.

That said, it is the easiest way to get them if you don't have them, so yeah, I'd recommend it. But only if you don't have any of the releases in the set.
Rating: 5/10

Series 17's DVD releases finally concluded... two years after it aired on TV. Seriously, you could easily watch these episodes on milkshake!'s site very soon after it aired, yet it took two years for them to reach a DVD?!

Sure, they added two episodes compared to the US, which added value, but the fact remains that this took two years to get here. But I can't really hate it as it's still a good DVD.
Rating: 7/10

Dinos and Discoveries produced... a mixed bag as far as episodes go, but I appreciated it a lot - and still do - because the episodes that were on it were, at the time, only on that DVD. Sure, they may have made it on to TV screens now, but I still think it's held up well throughout the year. And, since my review, the price has dropped to as low as £4.50, so the value is very strong.

I like this release, even now. Even if some of the content isn't as strong as the rest of series 18, it's not unwatchable in any way, shape or form.
Rating: 7/10

The second most recent release on the list has some of the best festive episodes in the show's history. But it's been a year between the US and UK release which, in all honesty, I've really been getting sick of. In an era where information is more readily available, HiT needs to really think about doing more to make sure that both the US and UK markets are well catered for with releases like this, because all the waiting does is boost piracy and moaning fans begging those who have the new shiny shiny to share it with the world due to the combination of impatience and the inability to get the same thing that others have. It's also, for this reason, that so many people import new US DVD releases.

Regardless of that, I still think this is OK. Like I've said, the episodes are brilliant and the bonus features aren't that bad either.
Rating: 7.5/10

I'd like to apologise for my mistake. In the first draft of this post, I thought there was a 12 day gap between the UK and US version. But nope, there was a year and two day gap between the two...

That has no effect how much I like this release as there were two extra episodes, and they were all really good, but it strengthens my grievances; the UK gets screwed royally with all but one of the episodic releases. I would much prefer them putting more effort into getting new releases over here faster than constant box sets and, yes, even the complete collection releases.
Rating: 8/10

For the last four years, the specials have been the highlight as far as DVD releases go, but this was hyped to oblivion. With weeks of cinema screenings, four performances at Cadogan Hall to music from the Royal Philharmonic and a lot of press coverage, it may have been one of the most hyped yet.

In the end though, I think it deserved it as, well, it really was special. With an action packed, dramatic story, tense drama, brilliant characters and a hilarious sub-plot featuring three little engines who, had someone said five years ago that they'd be returning, I'd have laughed at them and called them delusional as I never thought it would happen for multiple reasons (that and I was a real jerk back then).

Sure, it was released a tad later here compared to the US, but can we really complain when it was shown in cinemas in July? The bonus features are also a bit thin, but the special in itself was worth the cost.
Rating: 9.5/10

Best
If this was a "last minute project", as Sam Wilkinson says (I don't disbelieve him, by the way), I'd have loved to have seen how amazing it would've been had they put more time into it.

In all seriousness, this isn't just the best DVD this year, but one of HiT Entertainment's best Thomas & Friends DVDs ever. It literally has everything: a strong story with a lot of heart and character moments. It was a nice touch adding Old Reliable Edward, too.

The only two drawbacks is that it was an Asda exclusive that fans had a bit of trouble finding when it launched (although demand outstripping supplies is a really good thing) and Brits had to wait four months due to red tape, meaning that some had seen it all by the time it released here.

Even so, I loved it then, I love it now and I'll probably love it until I stop being a fan or I pass away (whichever comes first)
Rating: 10/10

So which was your favourite and least favourite release this year? Leave me a comment below, tweet me (@ChrisTomson2013) or reply to the journal that this post will be included in on DeviantART!
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