Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This is a 43 minute Christmas special from over 25 years ago. Well.. what can I say: The whole thing is very British from start to finish, but only rarely actually funny. But this perception may also be because I was never a great fan of Rowan Atkinson's humor. However, I love Stephen Fry and don't mind Hugh Laurie and Jim Broadbent. It's a pretty different version of Charles Dickens' famous "Christmas Carol". The film's director is not particularly known, but the writer is. It's the man behind the very successful "Love Actually".The worst thing about this one is probably the really annoying audience laughter. They are really losing it about unfunny sequences like the "subtle plans" part or also think it's funny to talk about peeling one's tangerines. They really burst out with laughter on that one. Or when Atkinson's character has a fist as a present for the other guy near the end and just keeps hitting him repeatedly. Absolutely not funny at all. Fairly embarrassing try-hard humor, in fact. There are lots of spectacular costumes in here, but the script really leaves me wanting for more. A lot more. The best thing for me was maybe the catchy Blackadder melody in Christmas fashion. Everything else is very forgettable here. Not recommended.

Dr Moo The obligatory Christmas special it seems is something that every British sitcom has to do at least once in it's run and none managed it quite as well as this. Four incarnations of Blackadder are present: Elizabethan, Regency, Victorian and Space-Age versions. It's the third of those on whom we focus."Mr Ebenezer Blackadder is the nicest man in England," says the narrator (Hugh Laurie) and immediately we know there's something wrong. Don't panic though, Rowan Atkinson still give us a man as sarcastic and cynical as we'd hope for. This time round he's merely not nasty. He is rather gullible though, something for which advantage is taken of him repeatedly and orphans, goddaughters and monarchs all cheat him out of cash, food and presents. Other Blackadders would listen to Baldrick's (Sir Tony Robinson) advice not to give in to them but this one is too kind to refuse them.Robbie Coltrane as the spirit of Christmas is an incredible piece of casting by the production team and his character shows up over night to tell Blackadder to keep up the good work, congratulating him for not being like his ancestors.Cue some classic Blackadder II, via flashback, as Lord Edmund cheats Melchett (Stephen Fry) and Queenie (Miranda Richardson) into signing an execution order for Melchett. All the regulars of series two are present, sadly minus Tim Mcinnerney, and revisiting the Elizabethan court is a delight.Next it's on to Blackadder The Third as Edmund cheats the Prince out of his Christmas presents with one of the finest cunning plans we'll see in the whole series. This leads to one of the greatest twists you'll ever see in a TV show. I won't ruin it for you, since it's a reveal everyone deserves to experience at least once spoiler-free.So, what if Ebenezer became bad? The spirit is unwilling to reveal it, but he eventually does as Blackadder sees a descendant become ruler of the universe if he becomes bad or be a half-naked slave if he becomes good. It's a no-brainer: Bad guys have all the fun!The future segment is done with a deliberate level of cheesy effects and music - think oldschool Dr Who and you're almost there - and to see this new Blackadder is an incredible moment. I'll always welcome a new incarnation of the title character and if we ever do get Blackadder V this should be the setting for it.In short, this is an excellent addition to the Blackadder series and is actually better than many of the "main" episodes serving as a nice substitute for pathetically wet christmassy television and a great entry point for new fans to meet Blackadder for the first time. It's a shame IMDb only let's you give ratings up to ten because this deserves to get 11/10. Not to be missed.

de_niro_2001 Why hasn't the BBC shown this more often at Christmas instead of constantly reshowing the 1973 Morecambe and Wise Christmas show. It's great and I never saw it until this Christmas just past. It features Erkan Mustafa in his best known role other than Roland Browning (his only role other than Roland Browning!). Rowan Atkinson is great as usual. It is interesting to see Jim Broadbent when he was relatively unknown. He doesn't really look any different. Robbie Coltrane plays the ghost of Christmas and his first appearance is, we know now, an uncanny prediction of things to come. When he first appears he kicks the door down and he has long hair and a shaggy beard. And this was even before J K Rowling had thought of Hagrid. But here he hasn't come to tell Ebenezer Blackadder that he has a place at Hogwarts. The visions of the future are a bit reminiscent of 1970s Dr Who. I just love Blackadder's inevitable comeuppance at the end.

grendelkhan Blackadder is back and Dickens has him! Join us as we look in on kind-hearted Ebenezer Blackadder and his assistant Baldrick. He is the biggest patsy in London, until he is visited by a Chrismas spirit (who has been imbibing in a few spirits of his own!). A look at his past and future sets Blackadder on his true course.The gang is all here for this one, with all of our favorite haracters and actors back for the fun. The only bad part is Baldricks costume in the future. Boy, that'll give you nightmares on Christmas!If you're tired of false sentiment and prefer the Grinch before his heart grows, catch this one. Bah, humbug, indeed!