Starfall [AUDIO/2010.12.2]

★★★☆☆

  My opinion on Starfall as a whole can be accurately summarised by my opinion on the main leitmotif of the score. It's a beautiful piano tune, perfectly capturing the breezy and romantic magic of 1970s New York... and it's used far too many times. I mean, really -- there's repetition and then there's repetition. I'm enamoured by the music and the initial sting, but by the end I'm wondering why they couldn't come up with any more, anything new. That's exactly what I feel about Starfall: it's atmospheric and conceptually tongue-in-cheek, fun to listen to, but it very slightly outstays its welcome. The central conceit (whether or not Mimsy Loyne is the baddie of the piece) being too predictable, and it being dragged out for more than half the runtime contributes to that fatigue immensely. 

  Nonetheless, I'm on the positive side when it comes to Starfall. Demon Quest as a whole is a pleasant experience, a chance for Tom Baker to be as brooding and quirky as he wants to be and for Susan Jameson and Richard Franklin to dip themselves in the craziest of adventures. In each release, I can almost feel the fun they're having on the booth, and that's an important factor to why these audios are so addictive. Starfall's aural recreation of 70s New York City and its comic-book conceit (a down-on-her-luck woman receiving amazing superpowers!) are so fun as a whole, and a great off-kilter fit for the character of the Fourth Doctor. What a cliffhanger as well -- I can't recommend this, and the entire series as a whole -- enough.