Red Dawn has all the ingredients of a classic Doctor Who setup: NASA astronauts landing on Mars, ancient alien ruins, and a lurking Ice Warrior menace… but it never quite manages to turn its premise into something compelling. The pacing is sluggish, the dialogue often clunky, and the plot feels stretched thin over four episodes. The result is a story that drifts past without ever making a real impact, more background noise than gripping drama. Even the “base under siege” format, usually a reliable source of tension, is handled with a lack of urgency or atmosphere.

The one standout idea—that teenager Tanya Webster is part Martian, cloned from DNA found on an earlier probe—is a brilliant concept, but it’s introduced too late and without any narrative build-up. There’s no meaningful arcfor Tanya, and the reveal ends up feeling like an afterthought. Similarly, the Ice Warriors are present but uninspired, sticking rigidly to their usual honour-bound archetype without adding anything new. The story’s one moment of emotional depth comes in Part Four,when Zzaal, the Ice Warrior leader, is granted an honourable death beneath the Martian sunrise. It’s a poignant beat that hints at what Red Dawn could have been—but it arrives far too late to redeem the rest of the tale.

While the production values are decent and Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant give solid performances, even they can’t elevate the material. Justin Richards, usually a dependable writer with a knack for high-concept ideas (as seen in Theatre of War), delivers a script that feels more like a first draft. Director Gary Russell doesn’t bring much energy to the proceedings either, continuing the uneven tone of Big Finish’s early releases. Ultimately, Red Dawn is a forgettable entry in the Monthly Adventures—serviceable, but never inspiring.