Review Detail

Blakadder is one of my favorite shows of all time, Seasons 2,3 and 4 in particular. I've never liked this special because well, it was not as funny as it should have been and it made the mistake of emphasizing spectacle over comedy, much like Season 1 which was the highest budgeted but most inferior of the original series.

This edit fixes the special in every imaginable way. First of all, the ridiculous Robin Hood nonsense is removed--Rik Mayall was ok in New Statesman, but I always found him very annoying in Blackadder, nowhere more than here though, so I'm glad he's out. The trims are all invisible and the story moves along at a great pace. This really helps the humor as there is less fat and a more streamlined narrative. The one thing I missed tho was Blackadder punching W.S. for all the schoolkids of the future, that was a funny line I remembered from the original.

Again, technically perfect, no flaws at all. The sepia tint and credits were fantastic actually, and superbly done. They fit the time travel aspect well and were reminiscent of the gong logo from the Powell/Pressburger films of the 30's/40's. I loved it.

Overall, this is as good as Blackadder back and forth can get and should be seen by every fan of the show. It is a definitive cut.