The premise of this mini-series is the world is harnessing the oil from a carnivorous slow-moving plant for fuel. They have these plants that blind people before eating them contained in farms. Then comes the solar flares that blinds everybody who stares at them. Apparently everything wants to blind us. There are some survivors who didn't get blinded played by Joely Richardson, Dougray Scott, Jason Priestley, and Eddie Izzard.The premise has two sci-fi creations. That's usually one too many. And that's before Eddie Izzard survive a plane crash by piling a bunch of floatation vests in the washroom. How he walks away is pure make believe. And what about the rest of the world? I'm sure there are whole sections of the world that was sleeping through the event. The problematic setups do pile on. If you're willing to forget all the problems with the setup, then the movie is acceptable apocalyptic TV fare. But that's asking too much for me.

Two things happen - lights in the sky make most people go blind, and the world is simultaneously overrun by Triffids, intelligent ambulatory carnivorous plants.Classic stories - of which John Wyndham's The Day Of The Triffids is one - are almost entitled to revisitation by the TV/movie industry every few years. This particular iteration is a two part, 3 hour co-production between the BBC and sundry others, and features Dougray Scott as major protagonist Bill Masen.In this instance, Masen actually works with the Triffids, which were harnessed by his father to produce Triffid oil to defeat global warming in an interesting tweak to the original. In a less pleasing tweak, Masen's mother was killed by Triffids when he was a child, which results in frequent and annoying flashbacks of African natives in frightmasks.Dougray Scott is a dour, unappealing, and frequently unintelligible protagonist. Joely Richardson is a solidly effective leading lady and Eddie Izzard is an entertaining but motiveless baddie.The scenes of a devastated London are very effective, and the Triffids are nicely realised.Which leaves the script, in respect of which one can only say "Oh dear." There are digressions which would be fine in an ongoing series, but which have no place in a miniseries like this. There are illogicalities aplenty. There are characters with no apparent motivation, and unbelievable motivations. The Day Of The Triffids is an easy story to make believable. This effort chooses not to.

The makers of this two-part sci-fi mini-series, whilst bagging an iconic premise that has yet to be remade to death, must have wished they'd set their stall out to make this so much sooner. Having seen Survivors make a return to our screens and the 28 Days/Weeks later movies already capitalise on the startling imagery of a post-apocalyptic UK, this mini-series seemed to be jumping on that same bandwagon. However, the source novel ensures the originality of the plot devices to get the world into a state where carnivorous plants roam free amongst a population mostly disabled by blindness. The story is given a slightly "topical" twist. Although the original novel does mention the spread of Triffids across the world is due to its oil. This story takes that one step further and has the Triffids universally harvested for their oil as a replacement for fossil fuel. The Triffids are known to be dangerous and are therefore kept under high security conditions. Of course, all this goes to pot once the solar light display, watched by most of the world, renders anyone who watched it blind. Unfortunately, from pretty good beginnings, the show spirals downhill dramatically - almost as quickly as London descends into chaos following the blinding lights. Seemingly within minutes, the whole city is panicking with sighted people, once revealed, chased for help even if forced at gunpoint. This seemed to be an attempt to inject some frights and thrills into a slow part of the show and seemed like a direct rip-off of 28 days later. Amongst the chaos we have sighted people bumping into each other with such regularity, you might think they were blind. Dougray Scott is Bill Mason, the scientist who despite working for the Triffid oil company, spends his time trying to understand how they communicate and live. This obsession is helped by unremarkable flashbacks to the death of his mother at the hands, or should that be leaves, of the Triffids. He was having an eye operation following an earlier Triffid attack (in case you were wondering why he missed the light show). Joely Richardson is quite possibly the most famous radio broadcaster the UK has ever seen, given everyone's ability to recognise her voice (she was in a tube station, although seemingly everyone else in there died). Eddie Izzard (yes, Eddie Izzard!) was asleep beneath an eye mask on a plane. He survives the plane crashing by inflating half a dozen lifejackets in the toilet. He then harbours a rather bizarre desire to rule the UK or possibly the world. Even more bizarre is that people actually bother to follow him as their leader. What should be notable, but are actually pedestrian, cameos are:Ewen Bremner as an animal/plants rights campaigner who breaks into the secure Triffid facility. Jason Priestley as a US air force pilot who I can only think was cast in an effort to get some US network interest. Vanessa Redgrave – crazy nun. Brian Cox as Bill's estranged father – who happens to still be researching Triffids. Unfortunately, despite what on paper appears to be a good cast, the whole story evolves at a snails pace. There are no surprises or moments of tension at all. It's B-movie standard at best. It actually makes Survivors look good. I'd recommend the 80's mini-series or the original 1962 movie with Howard Keel for more thrills. see more at www.writeronthestorm.wordpress.com

As timeless stories go, this one is right up there.When a genetically engineered strain of killer vegetation, Triffids, take advantage of a human population blighted by mass blindness caused by the sight of a comet in the sky, only a handful of sighted survivors remain. Forced to choose between their own continued survival and the plight of the blinded, we follow Bill Mason and Jo Payton as they do battle with both the deadly flora and the cancer within, humanities need for dominance.Whilst the story at the heart is expectedly excellent, the embellishments to suit the modern audience don't quite manage to capture the imagination. There are some bright spots, though. The Triffids themselves are very effectively realised, never seeming silly in any way, a genuine peril in this world of genital bombers and rapidly diminishing oil supplies. Eddie Izzard as the demented, power mad Torrence is the star turn, and Joely Richardson's Jo is decent enough, though the characterisation of Mason here comes across as nothing short of bland.Whilst never reaching the heights of creepiness the early 80's series managed, this is nevertheless a competent, if highly mainstream slice of sci-fi, apocalyptic guff.I enjoyed it, but I doubt I'll be watching it again any time soon.