Social and political commentary sidelined by action thrills in “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil”
Timothy Combe, “Doctor Who: The Mind of Evil” (1971) An enjoyable story, even if it is two separate stories mashed together and the seams joining them…
Science Fiction Films
Political philosophy / science fiction action thriller in “Doctor Who: Inferno”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: Inferno” (1970) “Inferno” represents “Doctor Who” at its best as a science fiction / action thriller television series dealing with some very…
Advocating for tolerance and empathy against xenophobia in “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death”
Michael Ferguson, “Doctor Who: The Ambassadors of Death” (Season 7, 1970) After six seasons, and the departure of two actors playing the eponymous Doctor, perhaps the…
The End of Oak Street: dinosaurs as a metaphor for hidden middle class suburban repression
David Robert Mitchell, “The End of Oak Street” (2026) The premise is intriguing enough, and one might detect a critique of 1980s- American-style suburbia (with all…
The ethics of colonisation, enslavement, resistance and intervention in “Doctor Who: The War Games”
David Maloney, “Doctor Who: The War Games” (Season 6, 1969) One of the longest stories in the “Doctor Who” television series, totalling ten episodes, “The War…
A convoluted action / military thriller with a Bond-style villain in “Doctor Who: The Invasion”
Douglas Camfield, “Doctor Who: The Invasion” (Season 6, 1968) This eight-part serial featuring Patrick Troughton as the second incarnation of the beloved British sci-fi hero Doctor…
Backrooms: a science fiction / psychological horror meditation on memory, loss and grief in a nihilistic universe
Kane Parsons “Backrooms” (2026) Originally an Internet phenomenon that appeared on the imageboard website 4chan in 2019, and then branching into videogames and Youtube channels of…
British Films, North American Films
Glimmer of hope and rebirth in a desperate world in “28 Years Later: The Bone Temple”
Nia DaCosta “28 Years later: The Bone Temple” (2025) At the end of the first film in this trilogy, we saw young Spike (Alfie Williams) being…
Bugonia: lampooning American social fragmentation, alienation and the role of disinformation in maintaining class warfare
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Bugonia” (2025) A remake of the South Korean sci-fi / black comedy film “Save the Green Planet!”, this work is just as dark in…
Frankenstein (dir. Guillermo del Toro): a tale of revenge, reconciliation and the burden of immortality weakened by an improbable plot
Guillermo del Toro, “Frankenstein” (2025) After many years of planning and delays, at last Mexican director Guillermo del Toro brings his adaptation of Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein;…