The Secret of Room 12Peace has reigned for some time – but can the Nekross really be the only aliens interested in planet Earth?

Things may seem to have been brought to a conclusion in the finale of the second series of Wizards vs Aliens (and if you didn’t see that, there’s a handy recap at the start of this episode, as well as regular mentions of the key character points which continue to affect Tom) but there’s far more than just the Nekross out there. This season opener, broadcast initially as a one-hour special, sets out the series’ stall for its third year, setting up various plotlines which are by no means all resolved by the end of this story, and introducing some new characters who are taking the show in a slightly different direction.

Writer Phil Ford, new producer Derek Ritchie and director Mark Everest have produced a cinematic spectacle to kick things off, with a solid mix of practical and CG effects to back up a character-led story. The new aliens are very different from the Nekross – considerably more subtle in some ways! – but when the Nekross finally make an appearance, they’re different from how we knew them before, with Lady Lyzera promising to be an intriguing adversary in the coming weeks.

Verdict: Wizards vs Aliens outgrew the perception that it was a replacement Sarah Jane Adventures some time back; hopefully this series can maintain the high standard of this opener. 8/10

Paul Simpson

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