I Watch Films: Biggles: Adventures In Time

 

Biggles (1986)

Jim Ferguson, a 1980s catering company manager, finds himself on the Western Front of WW1 in 1917, in the company of James Bigglesworth (ā€œBigglesā€) a pilot. Returning to his own time covered in the dirt of his adventure he encounters a mysterious man (Peter Cushing) who invites him to London to explain.

Biggles in trying to find out about a secret German weapon, and Ferguson accidentally brings back the photographic plate. The mysterious man is Air Commodore Raymond, once Biggles' commanding officer, now in charge of the ā€œSpecial Air Policeā€ with a headquarters in Tower Bridge. In between daring WW1 adventures he explains that Biggles and Ferguson are ā€œTime Twinsā€ linked across time and space.

Two of Ferguson’s colleagues come across to London, worried about him. Chuck decides to have him committed, presumably so he can be promoted in the catering company. Debbie is sceptical when he explains, then she’s brought through to 1917 too. Ferguson claims she’s a nurse to Biggles and his pals (Archie, Ginger and Bertie).

In the 1917 storyline Biggles’ enemy is Erich von Stalhein, a German fighter pilot who wears a mask while flying (wise, it’s cold up there and they’re always having to get into the wind). At one point he captures them in a nunnery and arrange a firing squad which is rather rude as although they’re sneaking around behind enemy lines they’re in uniform so should be treated as prisoner’s of war. Ferguson is dressed as a nun (he came through having just gone for a shower) and helps them escape.

Ferguson returns to 80s London at the most inconvenient moment possible, while he’s firing a gun. The police chase him, but it turns out that Biggles has come through and rescues him. They meet Raymond and they get the location of the German weapon (it works on sound). Then Biggles steals a Met Police helicopter and they return to 1917 for the finale.

Biggles was a famous boys adventure character, his stories originally based on real WW1 flying. Later they got a bit more off the wall (the author wrote them from 1932 until his death in 1968). But did they need a "modern" (very 80s) time travel component to make them palatable to the kids? Probably not.

Watch This: Entertaining time travel world war one adventure
Don’t Watch This: The comedy elements are generally poor, and concentrated on the 1980s, the most dispensable part of the story

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