Review of Biggles: Adventures In Time

Introduction

Imagine if you will the concept of the `time twin`. Somewhere in history there exists someone who is related to you in a mysterious way. A temporal soul mate so to speak, who when in a time of peril and dire need, can summon you through the mists of time to aid in a fight against desperate odds. Or vice versa of course. Imagine also the situation, it`s Friday evening, I`ve had a few too many bevies, and staring bleary-eyed at a computer monitor through misty contact lenses, I spy a DVD for 50p shy of a fiver, a film that I barely remember from my childhood, one that I vaguely enjoyed. A few days later, a thump on my doormat serves as an unwelcome reminder of the perils of overindulgence. Which seems more likely? Anyway, today I`m reviewing Biggles: Adventures In Time. Ahem.

Jim Ferguson is the man with the time twin. He runs a celebrity catering business in New York, which is just about to leap into the big time. However a far more literal leap into time is about to take place as Jim encounters a mysterious old man in his lobby asking odd questions. Giving him the brush-off, he returns to his apartment, only to be struck by a bolt of lightning sending him hurtling back to 1917 France. He`s immediately confronted by a crashing biplane and manages to rescue the stricken pilot before the plane explodes. He has just enough time to learn the pilot`s name, James `Biggles` Bigglesworth before he is whisked back to 1986. The next day he once again encounters the old man, who introduces himself as Commodore William Raymond, a veteran of the First World War. He goes on to explain the time twin theory, and that fate has selected him to help Biggles and his friends to defeat a German secret weapon that could change the course of history, and that he should remain prepared for bolts from the blue at any time.

Video

The picture is a rather disappointing 4:3 pan and scan. I`m not sure what the original ratio was, the only hint is the music video, which has footage of the film in something like 1.70:1, but that is no indication. The transfer is hardly worth mentioning, soft, grainy and with a fair bit of print damage, it`s probably the first print they could find, transferred directly onto the disc. The image is indistinct in places, dull throughout and generally looks like old television. The special effects are far from special, and the only real saving grace is some quite exciting aerial footage of old biplanes. Still, it is a budget disc.

Audio

The sound is a DD 2.0 English kind of Stereo track. I say kind of, because you`ll be hard pressed to notice any kind of separation in the channels. It`s all very dull and front focused, a little hiss, occasionally crackly and has a general lack of liveliness, but the dialogue is clear throughout. For those of you who like cheesy 80s pop music, there are a couple of prime examples in this soundtrack. No subtitles by the way.

Features

Well that`s a turn up for the books. For a low specification budget disc, Biggles comes with a nice smattering of extras.

The disc comes in an Amaray case, with a picture of a WWII fighter on the cover. Someone failed GCSE history.

Anyway, on the disc you`ll find the obligatory trailer as well as a couple of TV spots.

The making of documentary here is quite substantial, coming in at 25 minutes with interviews with the cast and crew, behind the scenes footage, as well as info about the stunts and the effects.

There are text filmographies for the cast and director, and quite a substantial piece on Peter Cushing.

There is a 2 minute slideshow gallery set to that wonderful 80s pop.

Speaking of which, there is a music video on here from the Immortals with No Turning back. The group perform, cheaply bluescreened against some film footage, and is that Queen`s John Deacon playing guitar?

Ah, nostalgia. There is a Mirrorsoft computer game promo reel that advertises Biggles for the C64, Amstrad and the humble speccy. It`s a naff Green Beret clone if you`re wondering. Mirrorsoft also made Dynamite Dan, and the Spectrum version of Tetris, the best version of Tetris ever, trivia fans.

Finally there are clips from Saturday Superstore, where Sarah Greene asks a precocious brat his opinion of the film, as well as a clip from Blue Peter, with Janet Ellis going on location to find out about the film and patronising viewers the way only Blue Peter could. (Don`t bother entering the competition)

Most of the extras are obviously transferred from carefully hoarded videotape. You can still see the skew in the bottom of the screen. Obviously there are no subtitles, and nothing is anamorphic.

Conclusion

Biggles was the last feature film that Peter Cushing made, before he settled down to retirement. It`s an unfortunate film to have as a swansong. I may have liked it when I was a kid, but looking at it with more critical eyes, Biggles comes across as nothing less than a travesty. That isn`t to say that there is nothing of entertainment value in it, on the contrary, I find Biggles hideously entertaining. I have never read any of W.E. Johns` books, but even I take offence at the mauling that his characters receive. Biggles was made in 1986 and the producers obviously jumped on the Back To The Future bandwagon. With the most pathetic contrivance yet, the time twin, a modern day American was sent hurtling back to win the First World War.

This isn`t enough to kill the film though, as with a decent cast and a thoroughly tongue in cheek attitude, the potential was there for an irreverent romp. Unfortunately the cast with the exception of Peter Cushing as Commodore Raymond just aren`t up to the task, and indeed play it far too straight. Alex Hyde-White as Jim Ferguson is forgettable. He really doesn`t do enough to carry the film, but he`s the epitome of competence compared to the rest. The key role of Biggles is woefully miscast, with Neil Dickson fumbling his way through the performance. He`s visibly ill at ease all the way through, and physically he looks more suited to playing one of the Germans rather than a British Flying Ace. Speaking of the Germans, there is an absolutely laughable, and cliché ridden encounter where Biggles meets his opposite number, Von Stalhein. If you have seen the Blackadder Goes Forth episode, Private Plane where the Germanic Ade Edmondson captures Blackadder, you will have a grin on your face watching this scene. Some completely risible dialogue marks the confrontation between the two aces, and all that is missing is a "For you ze war is over!" I was in stitches.

It`s hard to believe that in 1986, this film received a Royal Premiere. Poorly written, poorly filmed, poorly acted, the dialogue is terrible and there are gaping continuity errors. The only redeeming features are the stunning aerial sequences and the wonderful eighties electronica soundtrack. (I know, there`s something wrong with my taste in music) It`s hard to get the theme "Do You Want To Be A Hero? Hero" out your head. This is a prime example of how not to make a film. As a result it`s thoroughly enjoyable from start to finish. Seeing Pat Butcher as a nun at the end is merely the icing on the cake.

Biggles is just plain terrible, the disc and the film both. However the extras are certainly enough to engender warm feelings of nostalgia. If you want to spend 90 minutes watching a film so bad that it becomes unintentionally hilarious, then Biggles: Adventures In Time is something of a treat. Recommended to masochists everywhere.