Excellent, Without a doubt!!

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

This episode does so much wrong I can make a whole review listing stupid stuff from it off the top of my head. -The kid has both DC and Marvel comics. Either he's smart enough to appreciate Marvel or he's dumb enough to be a DC fan - he can't be both.-The Doctor never explains why he was setting up a trap on top of the roof. -The Doctor doesn't spend Christmas taking the kid around the universe trying to get the thing out of him (this is just a better idea for a story I came up with - also it doesn't make a whole lot of sense that the Doctor doesn't try to get the thing out of him).-The music is mixed so loud that its next to impossible to understand anything anyone is saying. -Its pretty dark. Normally, I wouldn't be against that but this is a special, something that people who aren't regular fans of the show are more prone to watch. I don't see how putting some of the ugliest character designs I've ever seen in your special is a very good idea. -This is a Superman parody. On its own, that sounds like it could be good, right? The problem is that they do nothing with it. The "love interest is a reporter that can't tell the difference between friend and hero even though they barely do anything to alter their appearance" isn't funny on its own. Its frustratingly annoying unless there are jokes.-Its not funny. I'm not saying that Doctor Who is a comedy, but its usually somewhat light-hearted, even in more serious episode. This is a show that is somewhat known for witty (and sometimes goofy) banter. There are a few scenes that try to be funny but they barely work. Only one or two jokes actually work, and that's being generous. There is Pokemon Go reference that was already dated when it came out, and it doesn't even make sense in context. Its a very bad idea to inject internet culture into your movie or show because by the time it comes out the internet has moved on. A guy being a "Manny" isn't funny on its own. The only thing that's funny about this episode is how much it fails. -This ends on a cliffhanger that will never be resolved, and its painfully stupid. Honestly this episode has a set up that could have gone in dozens of different directions (one of which I mentioned). They did nothing with the plot they picked, and I wouldn't even recommend this episode to fans of the show.

I've been a Whovian for the better part of half a century. I go back to Patrick Troughton.I have thoroughly enjoyed this rebooted Doctor Who since Ecclestone. I think that Tennant and Smith were fantastic. Their companions have been superb also.I have tried to enjoy Capaldi's tetchy incarnation but its been a challenge. That challenge has been getting bigger since Clara left us. I do hope the coming season breathes new life into the franchise.But if this 'special' is anything to go by, my hopes are dwindling. First the premise. Aliens invading the Earth.... Oh wait. That wasn't the premise this time. Just a byline. Almost a distraction from the actual premise which was just a weak rip off of Lois and Clark.I waited a few days before writing this review because I wanted to see it a second time... It didn't help.Since Clara left us its been downhill.And can somebody tell me what Matt Lucas' irritating character adds to the program?

This Christmas special opens in New York City with the Doctor hanging outside the window of young Grant Gordon; once inside he gives Grant a small crystal which he mistakes for medicine and swallows… it is no ordinary crystal; it has the power to make the users dreams come true and this young boy dreams of having similar powers to Superman! Twenty four years later the Doctor is back in New York investigating the sinister Harmony Shoals Corporation; also there is reporter Lucy Fletcher and Nardole, who has become The Doctor's latest companion. The find a room full of brains in jars; brains that want human hosts as part of an alien invasion plot! They are captured but then they are rescued by a flying superhero known as The Ghost. We soon learn that he is Grant Gordon and when he isn't The Ghost he is working as Lucy's nanny. It turns out he has known her since they were children but she has no idea that he has superpowers. Lucy is determined to find out more about The Ghost but he tries to keep his identity secret. While this is going on The Doctor tries to find the details of Harmony Shoals' plans and with the help of The Ghost thwart them.When I saw trailers for this special I wasn't too optimistic; it looked like an attempt to cash in on the popularity of superhero lately and the New York setting made me think the creators were just trying to attract more US viewers. It is possible that this was true but ultimately it didn't matter as the story was rather good. I liked the alien invaders; they were suitably unpleasant and were just about as scary as one could hope for in a show aimed at a family audience; the way their heads opened was delightfully disturbing. The story played with the conventions of the superhero genre in an enjoyable way; never taking itself too seriously but equally not being deliberately silly. The cast did a fine job; Peter Capaldi continues to impress as The Doctor and Matt Lucas made a surprisingly good companion in the role of Nardole… I know there will be a new female companion next year but he showed that a male companion can work. Justin Chatwin did a solid job as Grant/The Ghost and Charity Wakefield was pretty good as his love interest Lucy. Tomiwa Edun and Aleksandar Jovanovic also impress as the story's villains. Overall this was a really solid episode which thankfully didn't overdo the fact that it is a Christmas special.

There was really nothing that excited me about the return of Doctor Who for the Christmas special; generally they are only so-so episodes, and too often they overplay the seasonal aspect and throw lots of glitter-like aspects into the mix (by which I mean stuff that looks nice from a distance but is a mess and an annoyance when you get to it – source, I have a small daughter and lots of things with glitter stuck to them, and over everything else). On top of that the promotional poster looked cheap and silly – much like the superhero costume itself; and the title (The Return of Doctor Mysterio) screamed of cheese. So, like Doctor Who generally, I almost come at it now with a much lower bar for what will work for me – ie if it is not awful, then it must be one of the good episodes.And by that yardstick, this Christmas special was quite enjoyable. It featured a topical (if overdone) genre of superheroes, had some sinister creature elements, showed restraint in a lot of areas, and generally was interesting in what it did with the characters. Generally it was greeted by those around me in the same way – satisfied indifference, which I do think is sometimes what this show is happy with – particularly in these big seasonal event shows. However this is not to say that the special is a good watch, because it isn't, and there is a lot to be irritated by. It wastes the aliens – it has some sinister images and ideas but doesn't follow them up, and the invasion plot really has limited menace. It does have a nice romantic plot but it doesn't do it that well, it is very much BBC sitcom level (and that is not a good thing). I liked the restraint it showed regarding the seasonal stuff, and that Matt Lucas was not a big part of it and was really limited in his impact (enough to be a good addition, not enough to be too annoying).In the end it is an okay Christmas special but suffers from the same issue that much of Doctor Who – it really doesn't know what it wants to do, and feels produced by committee. The mix of content doesn't always work, and as usual we end with the Doctor being all dark and alone – something Capaldi can work with, but is never really fleshed out as it should be. In the context of Christmas Day though, it did work well enough to pass muster thanks to the state of the audience, and the low expectations/requirements the vast majority will have brought with them.