Firstcontact
Hailing Frequencies Open!
HATE TO SEE IT
Rob Graham, email Yes, The Rings Of Power is slow, and not as good as the classic movie trilogy, but it’s still intriguing and very enjoyable and looks visually stunning. House Of The Dragon, meanwhile, is turning into a worthy successor to Game Of Thrones with an excellent performance from Matt Smith. Lenny Henry has suddenly reinvented himself as a serious dramatic actor in this, The Sandman and Doctor Who, and has been surprisingly good. Morfydd Clark is the stand-out for me as the young Galadriel, who I can easily see turning into Cate Blanchett in years to come.
But I’m dismayed and disgusted by reviews from racist fans. It’s okay not to like a show, but review-bombing it is idiotic. See also She-hulk: Attorney At Law, which has been light, silly fun. Hate-watching just to review-bomb will just drive up viewing figures, which is all that streaming services care about.
DOCTOR OOOOH
Robert Macdonald, email If Doctor Who is to survive in this age of multi-streaming platforms it must appeal to those used to Stranger Things’ big-budget storytelling. Whilst the relaunch’s effects have been great, they need to be more than great. The stories need to be more like later-era Tom Baker: expansive. Whilst the effects were occasionally off, the scripts and execution were excellent… Jelly baby, anyone?
NOPE
Quintin Bynoe-ogle, email Do you offer any prizes to the writers whose letters are chosen for the letters page? SFX: What, isn’t the awe and envy of your peers and the toasty glow of global fame enough?