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The premier of the 1984 season of Doctor Who, this release is actually one of mixed feelings for me. This was my first introduction to the classic Doctor Who episodes, not to mention that it contains one of my favorite iterations of the Doctor, played by Peter Davison. However, then the cast and crew themselves admit it was a pretty bad and rushed adventure (partially due to accidental governmental interference), then you know it's probably not that great. This particular adventure kicks things off with the Doctor and his companions winding up in an undersea base in 2084, exactly 100 years in the future from the serial's airing, with the world on the brink of war between 'two major world powers.' That's right, it's another (or the same) Cold War. However, interfering with all this are two races of aliens: The Silurians and the Sea Devils, both of whom evolved on the Earth long before Humanity grew up there - and both of them returning villains from previous adventures. Combine this with a nuclear saboteur hiding on the station and an impending nuclear war... either from the Silurians or from Humanity itself... can the Doctor do anything? Or is humanity doomed to go out in 2084 with a bang? When it comes to the writing, this isn't a particularly bad episode. The only problem is that the serial could probably have been done in 2 or 3 episodes with a similar effect. The Cold War theme is a good one, but the writing goes out of it's way to avoid mentioning exact countries - instead being as vague as possible, removing a lot of the 'oomph' of the script at times. Combine this with some seriously iffy special effects (the aliens, for example, look like something our of a silly children's aquarium, with the dreaded Myrka looking like a silly fake monster who can't kill anything), and you have a somewhat underwhelming serial from the get-go. However, the acting does rather redeem the episode pretty easily. The guest-stars are somewhat campy in their acting, but work well for the serial and decently for the tone. Meanwhile, Davison really shines here as the Doctor - trying his best to solve the whole problem without killing a soul, despite the actions around him. It's a real treat, and probably why I so enjoy the Fifth Doctor as a whole, despite the quality of some of his stories. Rounding out this release is a rather impressive collection of extras. Standard is, of course, the commentary track featuring Peter Davison (the Doctor), Janet Fielding (Tegan), script editor Eric Saward and visual effects engineer Matt Irvine. Included as well is a 31-minute feature on how the serial came together, and all of the problems surrounding just trying to get this serial out without scrapping it like an earlier Who serial had to be almost 5 years ago. Also included, among other bonus videos, is a quick 13-minute special on the creation of the sea-monsters for this special, which is quite interesting when they get to the Myrka. This is not the best Doctor Who adventure, not by far. However, the acting (especially from Davison) is good enough to redeem this feature in my eyes - and the bonuses more than make up for the real flaws in the episode. Not for a newbie to the franchise, but it should go alongside the other DVDs in a Who fan's collection.Read full review
What an incredible DVD. You can watch the original version, then turn on the commentary and learn what 4 of the actors thought about the episode6, throughout the broadcast. There are interviews with the special effects departments, and the difficulties they had working within time and budget constraints. Then when everything circles round---the original point is clear. We have to live with the decisions we make. LOTS of additional info we never knew--GREAT historical details---wonderful!!!
i found nothing bad at all plenty action and very entertaing and funny and the price was just right and arrived on time as well.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
Love it good time good price. Great!
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
Great story
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: New
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