Red Dwarf (TV Series) Back to Reality (1992) User Reviews

The greatest episode of Red Dwarf for me

[snoozejonc · 10/10 · 12 December 2020]

Starbug is attacked by a sea creature on an ocean covered moon.

In my opinion Back To Reality contains a truly excellent sci-fi concept, explores some interesting themes and in addition it manages to make me laugh.

The sci-fi concept at the time of writing was pretty original and how it's incorporated into the story is flawless. Considering everything happens in less than 30 minutes, it's an exceptional piece of film-making. When I first watched it as a boy I came away with my head spinning. I won't go into plot detail not to spoil.

Other themes such as the nature of reality and the power of the totalitarian state are not explored in massive depth but they are used perfectly for what the episode requires and do enough to capture the imagination.

All performances are excellent and for once you truly sympathise with all four main characters in the situation they are put in. There is one scene where Craig Charles, Chris Barrie, Robert Llewelyn and Danny-John Jules have to physically perform something together and it works brilliantly for the plot and as a hilarious sight-gag. This is something you could see actors doing on a theatre stage in one of those minimalist productions where props are not allowed. In addition, Timothy Spall has an an excellent and memorable cameo.

Back To Reality for me is where Grant and Naylor peaked and is not just an essential episode of Red Dwarf but is also a classic BBC.

Lost in Reality

[hellraiser7 · 10/10 · 18 November 2017]

Warning do not read unless seen episode.

This is my favorite episode of the entire show, it no doubt predates the movies"The Matrix", "Abres Los Ojos"(Open Your Eyes), and "Ready Player One". It's true this premise has just about been done to death but this was one of the first and still the best.

It all starts out like any other episode but then suddenly the unthinkable happens when we see the ship destroyed. I remember seeing that for the first time thinking OMG, it took seconds for that to register in my mind but then suddenly something else happens when we see the graphical text game over, I then suddenly thought "what the hell?" I really like how the whole thing is executed, I honestly before the reveal believed the crew was back in reality and they were in some sort of virtual RPG game, this premise alone is kinda prolific on the online gaming subculture we have today. The fact that everything that happened in the past season was one big video game, didn't bother me at all in fact the way it's handled it just made things all the more interesting because it then introduced another big mystery to this episode which is who everyone was and what kind of a world they've inhabited.

I really like Timathy Spall in a big scene of the episode. It's was just funny how he was pointing out all of the things they've missed in the game they were playing and what they've done wrong. It's funny because it's kinda stating the truth on the difference between experienced and inexperienced gamers.

Two of my favorite scenes was of course the reveal of their actually identities. My favorite one was Kat's which of course became the iconic Dwane Dibbly. This is Kat's personal nightmare as he is just a complete opposite to his vanity obsessed self, Dwane is a person with no style or style disabled in fashion. He also has a really strange goofy look he's almost like a live action Mad Magazine character which just adds to the humor with a Moe style cut and buck teeth; this suggest that Dwane is also kinda a nerd.

My second favorite scene is the car chase in which there is no chase at all. It's is fraking hilarious at it's practically an improve skit, I won't say any more than that you just have to see it to believe it.

Like any good video game it's an episode worth getting lost in.

Rating: 4 stars