The Sarah Jane Adventures (TV Series) Invasion of the Bane (2007) User Reviews

Excellent slice of children's entertainment

[DVD_Connoisseur · 8/10 · 1 January 2007]

"Invasion of the Bane" is excellent quality children's drama. In fact, as this show aired on New Year's Day in the UK, I bet there were a fair few adults enjoying another adventure with the Doctor's old companion.

Elisabeth Sladen continues to be delightful as Sarah Jane Smith. She may be a little older than when she had her TARDIS adventures with Messers Pertwee and Baker but she remains captivating and stylish nonetheless.

This series does a great service for fans of Sarah Jane. The Sarah Jane Smith we saw at the end of "School Reunion" was a woman who had missed out on life. In "Invasion of the Bane" we see her blessed with a new start.

Samantha Bond, free from her Moneypenny role in Bond, is a joy in this episode as the evil baddie, Ms Wormwood.

Youngster Yasmin Paige is excellent as the child star of the show, Maria. She's able to convey humour magnificently in this episode.

Quality entertainment for young and old alike.

Sarah Jane & company.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 7/10 · 11 December 2019]

Following the return of Doctor Who in 2005 a spin-off was wanted and the excellent Showrunner Russell T. Davies came up with the idea of using the hugely popular character Sarah Jane Smith. Sarah Jane had been a companion for the 3rd and 4th Doctors in classic Who in the 1970s and was often voted the best companion. She was given a spin-off in the early 80s with fellow former companion K-9 which was called 'K-9 and Company' so the robot dog took top billing! After a wonderful return in the episode School Reunion in 2006 The Sarah Jane Adventures was devised and this pilot episode was created to set up the series which turned out to be a big hit.

The storyline involves an invasion by the Bane who were villains introduced in Family of Blood/Human Nature. Sarah Jane has continued as an investigative journalist who looks into strange events and deals with aliens with help from K-9, an alien computer called Mr. Smith and and a sonic lipstick! She investigates a soft drink company called Bubble Shock which she discovers is being used by the Bane. Her new neighbours are a single father Alan Jackson and his daughter Maria who gets caught up in events and befriends Sarah Jane.

The story is a good set up for the series and introduces Sarah Jane's alien investigations nicely as well as establishing Maria (Yasmin Paige) very well as a gutsy young girl who has a strong relationship with her father. The father, Alan (Joseph Millson), is engaging too. His estranged wife is a deliberately annoying character who makes for some humorous exchanges.

Long term main character Luke is introduced in this episode too and he is endearing right from the start. The main plus though is Sarah Jane who is as vibrant, intelligent, strong and admirable as ever, played to perfection by the fabulous Elisabeth Sladen. The acting all round is high quality and the script is strong. The concept works incredibly well right from the start.

The Bane are not nearly as scary or effective as they were in their Doctor Who debut but they are a suitable alien threat and there is plenty of action, fun and peril.

My rating: 7/10.

Invasion of the Bane

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 17 March 2018]

After Sarah Jane Smith's return in Doctor Who in 2006 with David Tennant's Doctor. Russell T Davies realised the potential for a childrens spin off series.

Almost 25 years after K9 and Company, Invasion of the Bane was a pilot that launched the Sarah Jane Adventures. It even included K9 in a cameo.

Sarah Jane is now investigating alien goings on. She is intrigued by a new company launching a fizzy drink which has become very popular.

Moving in next door is a teenage girl, Maria with her father who has recently split up from her mother.

At first Sarah Jane appears distant, but she meets up with Maria, her new friend Kelsey and a newly created boy, Luke at the Bubble Shock fizzy drink plant. A factory run by aliens and the drink is something not fit for human consumption.

There is a lot that is right with this pilot. It is fast moving, it has excitement, it is squarely aimed for kids but with just enough nostalgia to keep older Doctor Who fans satisfied. Some of the special effects were very good. It is noticeable that the black hole special effects sequence involving K9 was taken from the Doctor Who episode The Impossible Planet.

Some tweaks were made when the series properly launched with the character of Kelsey being replaced by Clyde.

Great Start To Fab Series

[movierocket · 1 January 2007]

The Sarah Jane Adventures is the second Spin-off to come from the success the revival of Doctor Who back in 2005,revolving around the further adventures the Doctor's former companion Sarah Jane Smith again played By Elizabeth Sladen. It comes after the 1st Spin-off TorchWood starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Hartness(as featured the 1st series of the revived Doctor who and more details of Torchwood connection to Doctor who series can be seen through the 2nd series of the show.) Unlike TorchWood which was aimed at an adult Audience,this this spin-off can be viewed by the whole Family Together.

The 60-minute pilot, titled Invasion of the Bane, is co-written by Russell T. Davies and Gareth Roberts. The story will focused on Sarah Jane's investigation of a popular and addictive soft drink called Bubbleshock.

Well what can i say except that the episode was Great from start to finish which action,suspense and some laughs and i'm really looking forward to watch the full Series when it is Shown on TV.

Overall i give it 10/10 for great start to a what looks like a Fab Series.

Invasion!

[wetmars · 7/10 · 10 August 2020]

Man, this is a sweet, fun little show. This was a great episode, great drama, great introduction to the other characters.

Sarah Jane Adventures are Marvelous!

[asta2500 · 10/10 · 3 January 2007]

What a pleasure to see the Sarah Jane Adventures on the BBC... and most of all, to see Lis Sladen reprise her role as Sarah Jane Smith. The entire production is absolutely slick and enchanting, and the story brings Sarah right where we imagine she would be... Lis does an amazing job making us believe that this is the same Sarah we know and love... And I LOVE the gadgets... (without giving anything away...) I love this show and I hope to see every episode! I am now a follower not only of Dr. Who (a fan since I was a child) but also Torchwood and now Sarah Jane... the links to Dr. Who make both of these shows sparkle that much brighter, although they certainly stand on their own!

Invasion of the Bane-Review

[rohanumpleby-34057 · 7/10 · 12 August 2023]

Ignore my old review. I was young and nervous, yes the review was tragic. But anyway regardless of that, this is the best spin-off from Doctor who. It has a lot of heart, is very Entertaining. And has some great stories throughout its run. Aired in 2006-2011 so the pilot Invasion of the Bane is the first review. So let's get into it.

The Cons,

Will start of with the negatives, not that there is much. The acting throughout the episode is a mix of good and okay. It can sometimes be a little over the top, especially Elizabeth Sladen, who usually has a cheesy grin. And her acting isn't all that great, but it's a kids show. On the whole it's not terrible, but it's not her best performance. The directing is awful at times, there's a wide shot, and then seemingly gets closer as the Bane screams 'Sarah Jane Smith'. And there's some other shots that feel like they could of been taken for longer, but it's like they run out of time and just cut out randomly. This however happens twice, so overall it doesn't happen too much, but the few times it does happen is rather strange and bizarre. Although, maybe they didn't quite have the technology to quite pull off what they wanted to in the episode. And for me it doesn't work, it feels clunky and cuts out and feels rushed, because they needed to hang onto these moments for longer. Although time for the pros.

Pros,

The story, albeit sort of outdated for today's standards is an impressive start to the siries. Maria played by (Yasmin Page) has just moved in with her dad, after her Mum and dad split up. It's a good introduction and develops her character well, as we already know something about her past life. And it's a great introduction for her into Siries 1. Sarah Jane, Mostly being frosty and turning out to be colder then ice. And turns out to be rather rude, and not very welcoming as a person. At the start she seems unlikeable. I think for me this works, because this gives her some base level development. The Factory, with an irresistible well-made drink contains Bane. The Banes design for it's time is pretty impressive. It's a layered suit, and the layers work, as it gives them a bit more character growth, and some much needed depth. Kelsie is a stuck up, self centured person, that thinks she's hard. When in reality she's about as hard as pancakes. And consistently screams in this episode, she's a pretty disposable character, with not much character growth. That's where her character suffers off, with the lack of development. She's also as flat as pancakes. However, the design of the building bubleshock is big. Has lots of colours, making the tension better, and has some funny moments. Like the toilet scene. And I like the archatype, that is made from the Bane. Yep, there's plenty to talk about, in this episode. And the Bane controlling the world, where almost every human has drunken there drink. But I like how the episode is centured around the factory, that all builds up, and sets the groundwork for the rest of the siries progressing forward. It's a good starting place, the characters don't have so many locations to go through. Which is a good thing, because if they were, then it would be pretty messy. And would make the story even more clunky. How all the Characters got a chance to save the world, was also brilliantly done. As it hinges on this moment, thus making it more meaningful to us as a viewer and them as the characters. The Factory blowing up, yes they could of done it in a different way. But it works with the overall story, as they show it blowing up there's a great character moment along side that when Maria, Sarah and Luke cheer when they realise they have saved the world. And I like I said it's a good moment, because the unlikeable Sarah Jane is now a hero. It's a bit of an underdog story in that sense. And the Long scene where Sarah and Maria are thinking of naming the archetype, and then they come up with Luke. It's a nice character moment, it builds up to this cool moment, where Sarah then gets to tell us about her ALWAYS wanted to name her son Luke. And then mentions a man, who's also mysterious. And that man is the Doctor. So this scene connects better with the overall world of Doctor who. Which is why for me, it's a good moment. And overall a fun Entertaining episode, that is well paced. And the Music for the siries, is great. It's very catchy and memorable. And the rest of the music for the episode is pretty spot on to. It's catchy, and isn't over bloated or overly loud. It's slow, but works effectively. And I can't put my finger onto why it works, it just is great. Murray Gold has always been great. Now time for my verdict.

Verdict,

7/10 Great Introduction to the siries, highly Entertaining! And definitely recommend.

8/10

[rohanumpleby · 8/10 · 31 August 2019]

It's GOOD WHEN THE BANE was on it. I thought it was impressive. And truly brilliant shouldn't be 7.5/10 , it should be 8.0/10. And in many words it is truly a good start. Little bit weird but then it does the job. And it is good to see a spin of from a truly fantastic show Doctor Who. The spin off is good. I feel like they should do series 6 though with a different women being Sarah Jane instead and they should keep the younger ones helping her, That's just what I think anyway, but I know why they didn't because she was the best one that they had. And like I said it is a perfect start. It is probably as good as the first stories on the first series as doctor Who. And yes Sarah jane smith is a very popular Tv show.

Huge amounts of fun.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 19 August 2021]

It's a regular, mandatory thing for children to want to watch adult shows, it's almost never the scenario in reverse, The Sarah Jane Adventures changed all that.

What a fun start, two main reasons, firstly Sladen herself, still beautiful, still wonderful, and universally loved by a fan base, secondly Russell T Davies, who knew how to write a good story, and new how to aim at an audience. Almost the total opposite of Torchwood.

Samantha Bond is a hugely respected actress, and she is tremendous here as Ms Wormwood, clearly relishing the part, and playing off Sladen incredibly well.

It's nicely made, well put together and well acted, there's just enough to interest mature Dr Who fans, and it's light enough for youngsters.

It comes to something when you see episodes of this show receiving much higher numbers than the Jodie Whittaker led episodes.

Good fun, 8/10.

Pilot: Not great but at least, unlike Torchwood, it seems to know its target audience

[bob the moo · 4 January 2007]

Maria and her father move into a new house. Maria's new friend Kelsey tells her that the last people in her house went crazy, claiming all sorts of nonsense about aliens and the like. Maria says nothing but she has already seen her neighbour doing something mysterious the night before. She goes with her friend to a free tour of the local Bubbleshock plant – a soft drink that everyone seems to love, seems to be everywhere and is being promoted with the apparent aim of total saturation. Maria smells some sort of rat and has her fears confirmed when she learns that new neighbour Sarah Jane Smith is also looking into the plant and mysterious boss Ms Wormwood.

Although I knew it was not aimed at my age group I decided to give some time to this most recent attempt to hold up Russell Davies as some sort of god. Having found that Torchwood was like a children's programme dressed up for adults (supposedly) I was interested to see what he would do with a grown up form of children's drama. The end result is pretty mixed but benefits from knowing who it is aimed at and who its audience is going to be for the most part. This is well seen in the pilot episode. Aside from some clunky setting up of the characters and relationships required for the series proper, this pilot has a bit of satire, special effects aliens, drama, tweenies and action. None of it is very good but it all works well enough for a very early teenage audience as it is much more interesting that the majority of dramas churned out for kids – particularly some of the sitcom style comedies from America.

As an adult I found it all a bit basic with the satire and the aliens lacking teeth, the action without a lot of substance and the characters thin, but at least it was clear from the series that this was not meant for me! I would say that older children should still be served good product for their viewing (they are not idiots – they can cope with challenging material) but this is still "good" by the standards set by the rest of the material in the time slot around it. The performances are not great though, which was a shame and hopefully is something they can overcome. Sladen appears to be unsure of her character and is a lot les interesting than she was in her recent Dr Who appearance. As a result Sladen drifts from scene to scene and appears uncertain of who she is – something that will need resolving. Better is young Paige/ Potentially an annoying little brat, she is actually quite down to earth and gives a good account of herself. It is obvious what her character will be over the series (she is basically Rose but with all the romance stuff gone!) and she seemed able to work with that. This shows up support from Porsha Lawrence-Mavour really badly though. Again it is clear that Lawrence-Mavour will be the cynical friend across the series but my god she was annoying after five minutes never mind five episodes (even her name is annoying!). She has a touch of realism about her but her dialogue is irritating and her character poor – her presence in each scene took away from what was actually quite an OK chemistry between Sladen and Paige. Knight was OK but again his character is weak; hopefully he can grown into his role within the character dynamics and not be as wet as he was here. Bond lacked teeth and seemed to rely on the mood music to do her job for her; it looks like she will be a reoccurring character so hopefully the series can use her better than in this pilot. K9 was sadly limited to a brief appearance and his location in a black hole seemed like a convenient way of keeping him out of the way so his rare appearance can be an event – he was cool though.

Overall then a solid enough attempt at a kid's sci-fi drama show. It doesn't totally make use of the potential and was not as good as I had hoped it would be but it did the job for its target audience of older pre-teens. At this level it will work for what it is but if it improves the performances, tightens the characters and plots and provides material closer to recent Dr Who story lines then it could be much better. However, like I said, at least it is aimed at children and works for children as opposed to Torchwood that seems to have been aimed at adults but mainly works best for older children.