 |  |  |
 | Reviews for The Key To Time |
|
| | |
There are 4 reviews so far. To add a review of your own for this item, visit the voting page.
| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
|
| Date: | Monday 14 January 2008 |
|
| Rating: |   9 |
A fantastic Box Set
| | |
| Box Set Version 2-Itself is a key 2 time |
|
| | |
| By: | Charles G. Dietz, San Jose, CA, United States |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 3 March 2009 |
|
| Rating: | 9 |
I was expecting my box set version 2 US special edition to be a cover containing the 6 individual dvd covers like the original US Box set, but no it was a booklet covering all of the episodes and the 7 dvds. Much smaller space than the bulky original. Very ecological. I love the extras. Buy it for that if you have the 1st US box set
| | |
| "The Key to Time is miiiiine ahahaha..." |
|
| | |
| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
|
| Date: | Sunday 7 February 2010 |
|
| Rating: | 10 |
It was a brainwave on 2|entertain's part to re-release this superb boxset at the end of 2009, as it gives us normal folk the chance to see one of the best series of Doctor Who, without having to fork out over £200 for a limited edition set.
'The Ribos Operation' is a cosy affair. With new companion Romana, this is a breath of fresh air for Who, and Robert Holmes gives us a little gem of a story about a stupid warlord being duped by a hilarious conman, played by Iain Cuthbertson - brilliant.
'The Pirate Planet' is a debut to Who for H2G2 writer Douglas Adams, and this story is just what we'd expect of him. Brilliant, well thought-out sci-fi, and lots of gags throughout. Bruce Purchase as the Pirate Captain is especially good.
'The Stones of Blood' is the best of the six - Doctor Who's last great 'gothic' story (discounting maybe 'State of Decay'). The location filming is great, and Beatrix Lehmann as Prof. Rumford gets my award as the best one-off Who character, partly as she is so much like my own grandmother.
'The Androids of Tara' is a very domestic piece.
Although the acting is stellar, the story for me doesn't have enough scope - Grendel's aim appears simply to take over an estate. So what, I ask myself.
'The Power of Kroll' has its moments, but it is by far the weakest of the boxset. Even Robert Holmes had his bad days, it seems; 'The Krotons', 'The Space Pirates', and this. The story plods badly, and the characters are shallow, and at times its difficult to work out what's meant to be happening. Pity the monster's ace.
'The Armageddon Factor' is the last of the six stories, but although it does provide a satisfactory conclusion to the quest the fact it has six episodes means it suffers from Episode Four and Five Drag Syndrome. We are, however, given a delightfully insane villain in the Shadow, and the Black Guardian (later to appear in Peter Davison's era) also pops by briefly.
With a collection of average or good stories, and some superb extras ('A Matter of Time' on the Ribos disc is especially good), 'The Key to Time' is a must-buy, and now there's a standard edition out it can be enjoyed by one and all again.
| | |
| The finest series in Who history. |
|
| | |
| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
|
| Date: | Saturday 9 October 2010 |
|
| Rating: | 10 |
The Ribos Operation may not be well liked by some, as it is more a character piece than an action piece. But Robert Holmes again delivers some cracking good matierial. The comic duo of Garron and Unstoffe after Jago and Litefoot have to be the best double act in the series history. They really seem to enjoy working together and clearly relish the script. Paul Seed is also brilliant, as the bad tempered soldier Graff Vynda K. And even Prentis Hancock delivers again with his Captain. The shrivenale isnt quite as bad as many people make out either. This story is a brilliant start to the best single season in Who history.
The Pirate Planet again boasts mega performances, Mary Tamm already becoming one of my favourite companions for a long time. i love her Romana far better than Lalla, and Lalla is brilliant enough. And Bruce Purchase shines as the Captain, the best maniac in the whole of the Who series. He is so over the top and camp and brilliant. And the Queen Xanxia is particularly evil. A well scripted character. And Tom's appreciate it scene is an excellent bit of moralising, played to perfection.
The Stones of Blood boasts some of the best female characters of the series. Susan Engel and Beatrix Leahmann are simply unbelievable. And the Ogri arent all that bad either. Even if one can see a bloke pushing it into shot in one scene. Thats part of the character of Doctor Who anyway. De Vries is another good character too. And that camper scene is frankly very vivid and gruesome. All the right ingredients. And the Magara are simply fantastic creations.
The Androids of Tara may be prisoner of Zenda, yes that is true. But this isnt a hindrance in the slightest. Yet again this story has a brilliant central villain. And Mary gets a little more to do as Romana. She has such charm that she steals all the scenes shes in. And her Princess Strella is totally different from Romana too. I love the final scene with K9 out in the moat! And the sword fight is one of the best of the series.
The Power Of kroll is wrongly called weak. Kroll is excellently realised. Rohm Dutt is another Bob Holmes brillant character. And so are all the inhabitants of the refinery. John Leeson is seen for the first and only time of the series. And the swampies are a good alien race. And the sets arent actually all that bad either. The back stretching is original.
The Armageddon Factor ends this perfect season on an excellent high note. Valentine Dyall is brilliant in the final episode, managing to make his presence felt for the small time he has on screen. And William Squire is terrific and coolly evil. Lalla Ward plays Astra well too. Tom is at his best. And Drax is a revelation! Never thought we'd have this silly a character in the series, its excellent! This season was faultless. It is the best season overall in the history of the show. Yes, and its produced by Graham Williams! That brilliant bloke! Thanks mate for seeing these stories come to fruition!
