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If this were truly the fifth series of BLACK ADDER, we'd expect to see the familiar cast of characters put in a single time period for a few episodes of mirth in the context of that time. Instead, perhaps inspired by Rowan Atkinson's own trip in the TARDIS, this is BLACK ADDER meets DOCTOR WHO.
The comedy, here, comes from sending Blackadder and Baldrick on a search for historical artifacts in a faulty time machine. As might be expected, they can't quite work the controls, so they go through the titular "back and forth" movements through time, meeting up with familiar faces from the series' (and Britain's) past.
It's great fun--much, much better than A CHRISTMAS CAROL at making multiple time zones work. Heeding the rampant criticism of A CHRISTMAS CAROL's "future" scene, writers Curtis and Elton have Blackadder only barely venturing into the future, here. Happily, they place Blackadder firmly in the past, with a wider range of actual historical (or at least legendary) figures than ever before. Blackadder's sharp criticism of historical greats like Shakespeare, Wellington, and Robin Hood will leave you laughing. But the best part is perhaps the ending, which holds unique satisfaction for long-time BLACK ADDER fans
Still, it's not a five-star effort. Just as in BLACK ADDER'S A CHRISTMAS CAROL, the need to visit all these time zones means that the characters along the way don't get the attention they deserve. Writers Curtis and Elton are guilty here of taking the easy historical joke from each time period and then running like hell. It's not a HUGE sin, because the jokes are very, very good--but there's nevertheless a sense that Curtis and Elton would've done better by simply choosing one epoch and staying there.
Also, I think that while this filmed production has higher production values than its siblings, it's not necessarily the better for it. In particular, I would've traded all the sumptuous location shots for a studio audience. As a television series, BLACK ADDER had a very syncopated, rhythmic prose; as a film, it's missing the punctuation of a studio audience's laughter. It's not just that it's minimally less enjoyable to watch without the laughter, it also affects the actors somewhat. In some scenes, the actors just slightly lack the timing and the energy they've had on other BLACK ADDER projects.
Laying these two objections to one side, however, you really should get this film. While I think some of its humor is vastly improved by having seen the television series--and even better enhanced by knowing some British history ---converts to the cult of The Black Adder could certainly do worse than to start here.
The actual content itself is about 31 minutes long, with an 18 minute long "Baldrick's Diary" (Which is really a making-of featurette), some witty "Who's who in Blackadder" Bios narrated by Actor Tony Robinson, and 5 minutes of Historical tidbits touching on spots visited by Blackadder & Baldrick during the "Film", also narrated by Robinson. There's also some trailers for other BBC DVD's.
The Film itself is more like an episode of the series writ somewhat larger; A modern-day Blackadder and his manservent Baldrick use a home-made time machine to visit various spots in history. The usual suspects return, including Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, and Miranda Richardson. There were a few chuckles, but no real laughs until the end-credits song. Hardly worth the price, especially since the description on the box seems to imply that the actual movie is an hour long, not that EVERTHING on the disc equals an hour. Blackadder completists will certainly buy it, and enjoy it, but it should have had either more content or a lower price point....
This special episode (allegedly the final one) was made in conjunction with the much-hyped 1999/2000 New Year's celebrations at Britain's Millennium Dome. The plot follows the latest descendant of the Black Adder clan in an attempt to win a bet involving (among other things) a fake time-machine and a pair of antique underwear. Much to everyone's surprise (especially Black Adder's), the time machine actually works and Black Adder and his ever-present servant Baldrick find themselves shooting back and forth through time. As they attempt to find their way home, the pair lands in periods ranging from the Dinosaur age to the Napoleonic Wars and even the court of Queen Elizabeth.
The latter destination is especially significant, because it was also the site of much of the series' finest hours, "Black Adder II." Unfortunately, despite the presence of Miranda Richardson and Stephen Fry reprising their roles from the original series, this is actually the weakest part of the show. It feels forced as if the actors were straining to recreate what they once did intuitively. The program is on much better footing in other eras, such as an encounter with Robin Hood (played by occasional "Black Adder" guest Rik Mayall), where the actors seem to be having fun with the new situations.
Fun really is the key word here. Except for the brief attempt in the Elizabethan segment to turn back the clock to an earlier incarnation of the program, everyone seems to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. And while it doesn't quite hit the (incredibly) high mark of earlier installments, by no means does it disgrace the series good name. In addition, for those who've never seen "Black Adder" before, it serves as a nice introduction to the remarkable flexibility of the series.
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