There are 4,137 reviews so far. To add a review of your own, click on the item in question, then click the Vote link.
| What: | Snowglobe 7 (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | Gary Brook, Brisbane, Australia |
|
| Date: | Thursday 31 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: |   9 |
SnowGlobe 7 is one of the best new series books there is. Mike Tucker is a great author. Very well written, the Doctor is exactly like he is in the show. One of the best things in this book, is who the Doctor and Martha meet after they separate. Martha spends time with a telepathic Flisk called Ku'ra, and the Doctor meets a robot called Twelve. It's a shame Twelve didn't become a companion, though.
9.7/10
| What: | The Bride of Peladon (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
|
| By: | Doug, Matt loves everything ;-) |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 30 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 5 |
First, just a little note about how I view the ratings scale - to me, 5 simply means average (not necessarily poor).
What we have here in The Bride of Peladon is a bit of a mixed up story, which gives us sort of two sequels in one, a switcheroo, and a drop off (for Erimem). We return to Peladon, and circumstances are basically modeled off of the vastly superior Curse of Peladon, complete with the kingdom of Peladon, Alpha Centauri, an Ice Lord, an Arcturan, and Aggedor. But the heart of the story is really not about Peladon. There is what seems like a very improbable evil force lurking there that has been hidden away for ages. It all works into a fairly good fourth episode, which provides a means for Erimem to find a place in which to end her travels with the Doctor. The choice of Peladon for this is, in my opinion, a bit unimaginative and her choice ends up coming off as being quite rushed. As the real story is really not about Peladon, it leaves me asking, Why Peladon? The answer seems to be that it provided a convenient, familiar set of characters to work with, and a somewhat logical, if unimaginative place for Erimem to decide to stay on with.
Nevertheless, as I mentioned, the fourth episode is pretty good, and the entire play is reasonably adequate (though the script and corresponding performances are a bit flaky here and there).
While a good story and idea, it is utterly ruined by Christopher Robbie's dramatic performance as the Cyberleader, seeming quite camp and emotional. Many of the other cybermen seem like proper cybermen, but the leader ruins what could be one of the best.
| What: | Wetworld (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | The Master NM, London |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 29 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
Well, the doctor gets alot of characterization. Martha Jones gets next to nothing to do at the beginning of the book and the rest of the charcaters are well characterized. All in all though, this book is a very good read but gets a tad boring towards the end. Still, a good book!
I now come to evaluate ths little tale and as a who fan I was impressed. What a tale to end on. And on such a high as this, its reguareded as such a classic that in all the DOCTOR WHO videos I have and havent, I'm glad I own this.
The masters last before the TV movie and sylvesters and Sophies swansong together. I loved this episode when i first saw it and i'm glad that they made this as a DVD when they did. A serious WHO FAN would already have this in his or her collection. Its a must!
I'm not keen on this annual, its quite poor to be honest. Theve done even better than this and to be honest, i feel that its a waste of money. A shoddy comic strip x2 and if i had to be frank, the storybooks are worth the while!
Sorry to those who did enjoy this because i didnt.
This annual i have owned now since i inherited my Doctor Who collection off my brothers. This annual should be amoung your collections. There are intersting fact files on monsters and good comic strip to be had. Nice cover art and a promising read for a good hour and a half.
 |  |  |
 | Infinitly Superior!!!!!!!!! |
|
| | |
As much as you may think of this being a cartoon, its not. Its an episode that works rather well but on a grander scale being the fact its a cartoon. I dont think any of you should jump the gun. Its not at all as bad as you may think and i feel that its a welcome addition to the 2007 series!
I absoloutly adore this episode. It features not only the master as played by the great Roger Delgado. I saw a repeat viewing of this on BBC4 only recently and have made up my mind, this episode truely is as DOCTOR WHO should be.
I once intended to watch this on UK Gold when i was small but was made to go to church and missed the episode but honestly, its a beauty!
With quality written all over it, the dialogue, the acting, and the actors themselves. All my fave's....The Brigadier, Mike yates, Seargent Benton, The Doctor as played by John Pertwee and Jo Grant and not forgeting the master of all....Roger Delgado.
This episode is number 1 in my all time favroute Doctor who serials. This episode is as dark and spooky as say for instance Ghost Light or Battlefield. This episode hooked me if i have to be honest. Its got a great plot, the Doctor and Ace are a fully functional team and work so well together that its true that the show should have gone on longer than it was pulled off. The Heamovores are superb, forgive the spelling mistakes however, they and the surporting cast bring something otherworldly to this serial. It was the second to last to be shown and though that has nothing to with why they took DR WHO off the airwaves, it shows that if the episodes had all been as consistently good as all those in season 26, then the show might have continued.
Sylvester and Sophie work really well together and contribute so much to make this easily the best episode Doctor Who had made in ever such a long time.
Its dark, its myserious, its set in WW2 and works exteamly well considering the success the revival has brought to the very same nature in the 'Empty Child, Doctor Dances.' Also, the surporting cast are well established in what they do and its as though they had researched what it was they had rehearsed.
The Doctor played here as a dark and almighty being minipulating events leading up to the end of the series run and the sheer joy of seeing Ace come into her own. Its a wonderful storie and one I appreciate more tha anyone as this re-defined what DR WHO meantn to me. The Doctor should be a mystery to those who are'nt from his time, nor place and had the new adventure taken place during season 27, Doctor Who might have taken a leap tonew hieghts.
Today though, we should be thankful that DR WHO has made a return to our screens and that the Doctor hasnt changed to save his life.
| | |
| Mascarading as a human..... |
|
| | |
The Zygons are magnificent creations. Thier ship looks stunning and the abilities grotesque bu simply horrifying. The fact that they can morph into a human body is something Doctor Who had failed to do in a long time. Broton, what a name. Warlord of the Zygons and of his pet the Skareson. He's a suitable candidate to face the Doctor and does so in style. Thier characters are sly and terribly cunning. However once the Doctor becomes involved, theres nothing on Erath that can get in the way of ruling over his favroute planet.
The Doctor is on fine form here and his character develops a little further in each episode. Sarah to is given something to do and her charcter too develops and Harry, a favroute of mine should not have gone in this episode. He truely is of the most suitable companion material. He, the doctor and Sarah have a great relationship though, he should have stayed. He was a great assest to the DR WHO universe.
Unit to are fantastic. The Brigadier is a fine actor. I am ever so glad that Nicholas Courtney stayed on for as long as he did and hes returning to new WHO too i'm glad to announce to those who havent heard.
All the surporting characters are well suited to what they do best. Benton shows he's not just a tea boy, blasting bombs at the Zygon ship that lay beneath the sea and thier are plenty of laughs to be had throughout for example....the Brigadier wearing a tartan quilt.
The action scenes are brill and the opening of the story is a fantastic way to begin an adventure on such a scale as this. Also, the cliff hangers are some of the best yet and poor old Angus- the landlord.......
I so badly wanted to contribute to this and say that this episode truely is a beauty. I'll start of by saying that John Pertwee is a marvel. He steals the show in terms of charcterisation, motive for what he believes is right and for wanting to make a peace with those he beieves are good and not evil.
Liz Sahw was always one of my favroutes. She knows what she's talking about and has a good scientific mind thats used now and again but is never used to combine her cleverness alongside the Doctors. However, i like her because she had respect for the Doctor. She was his equal in terms of knolage but did on occasion disagree with him when it came down to what she though was right and what was'nt.
The plot is of high standard. The Doctor believes that man can share his planet with the Silurians, though man has already made up his mind and disreguards them for mindless killers where on the contrary, thier inteligent, scientific and as human as man in terms of sharing hostilty towards them in self defence and showing kindness in return for peace.
The Silurians remind me of the sea Devils and are given good dialougue that suits them like thier cousins the Sea Devils. They are shrouded in mystery for the first episode but are taken quite seriously throughout and the plague they set loose amoung one of ther victims is horrific, with pure rage as London becomes infected with a desease that would have killed off the human race altogether.
There are rival factions where the Silurians are concerned as though mimicking the reactions of the humans who disagree with what the doctor has in mind, preventing war and making peace.
Unit also has bite of more than they can chew as they tackle the threat of the Silurians and bring a whole new dimension to DR Who. With Unit around, the Doctor could use them as a tool of making peace with creatures who wanted nothing less for eg The Sea Devils when the Parlimentary secratary puts his trust in the doctors hands in starting a peace. The Pertwee episodes were some of the best the series ever produced and this episode was one of the episodes that had a solid impact on Doctor Who.
Firstly, I would like to say that this episode exceeded all of my expectations on first viewing. I dont own this on video but on DVD but i havent the time to go through all the extra's but this is of a dark nature this episode. One that works really well for a Tom Baker serial.
What I like about this episode is that its got charm. An alien that works rather well from the get go. The hand was an intersting concept not previosly done on WHO before and so made the surprize of the episodes nature Brill.
The Doctor and Sarah's arrival on Earth is another triumph. They for once say that they've landed in a quarry. The build up is alright up until a certain point where you then feel that its gone on for too long but the pair of them work really well together and thats one of the joys of watching this episode.
I love the doctors TARDIS too. I felt that it suited Toms portayal of the Doctor and that there's a real atmosphere blowing inside the old wooden box.
Sarahs swansong was sad for me as she is one hell of a good compainion i felt for the Doctor. Though her parting was sad, the episode ended on a high and we all know now that where the Doctor dropped her off wasnt South Croydon but ABERDEEN!!!!!
Still, shes back with the Doctor and meets him on occasion now and again, and she even has her own show!! What more could a fan ask for? Still, the surporting cast are all very well defined in the episode and all serve a purpose in what they do. Though, the conversion between what Eldrad once looked like and what she turned out looking like spoilt the mix a little and sarah sums it up perfectly by stating 'Why's she a he?' I had to laugh.
But its a fine episode on the whole and I'm glad to own it on DVD even though I havent got it on video. And thats a plus because you dont have to own this episode on video because the DVD offers alot more in terms of what the episode was about by speaking to the actors behind the show and so although it may be something you want to own to complete your collection, what you have on DVD in terms of information given by those behind the episode is worth alot more than just the tape on the video cassete.
| | |
| WE ARE THE MASTERS OF EARTH |
|
| | |
This episode is a true classic. One that stounds out amoungst the rest of that era, apart from the likes of the war machines, the tenth planet all of which were absoloutly fantastic. The Daleks are true to the originals and havent changed since. The robomen are great and they lift the episode high above the rest of the cast.
The Doctor and his companions are on top form and the episode rattles along quite smoothly. The location footage on tape are superb and the scenes of London deserted are amoungst the finest. The surporting cast are brilliant and help to make the dalek Invasion Of Earth super.
| | |
| Destroy him, destroy him at once!!!! |
|
| | |
A real heartbreaker this one. Ofcourse, its a given by the front cover that the Cybermenmake a fleeting return. Up against the fifth Doctor, the cybermen want to expolde a bomb on the planet Earth and crash a space frieghter carrying thousands of cybermen as cargo to the planet, with the Doctors companions on board.
By the time this episode aired, the TARDIS had become cramped/over populated with guests that sooner of later, they were killed of with the best of intentions. After all, this was no longer just childrens viewing but family viewing and because they killed of one of the Doctors trusting friends, it meant that the Doctor who universe wasnt as safe and as trusting as fans and viewers alike thought.
The cybermen are watching from behind the scenes alll the time and have designed androids to deal with the Doctor and friends and a search party of unwanted guests who do somewhat get in the way of thier plans.
The latter half of the episode thats set on the frieghter is a somewhat darker and scarier place that where the TARDIS team first touched down. Once the cybermen emerge, they quickly set the pace and all gets underway.
Theres a feeling of real tension and emotion in the last half hour of the episode. With Adric locked on to the earth, with no hope of escape, we lost a companion that all in all wasnt bad in every sense like some fans insist. He may not have been a companion we could all aspire to be like but hes one who the whole nation mourned for and so the episode truly is as great as the production values and the plot is superb and although Davison isnt a Doctor who really interested me much as he often got stories with not much action, he was as good as all the rest before him and made the most of all the episodes he was given though he does strike me as a moany git of screan but thats just a personal banter.
This episode however will throw you because its one that got the attention of many viewers who actually felt sorrow for Adric and his death and personally, i quite like him.
It was Davison who said that he'd rather have Nysaa as his companion, never mind about Tegan and Adric and that led to Adric being killed off.
This episode is a must for any of you. The cybermen these days dont seem to have as much personality as those in the past and trust me that when youve viewed this episode, youd want to know when thier gonna bring back the cybermen of old!
Ah, this boxset is one in a million. The boxset's clearly featuring the daleks and its worth looking for if you havent got one. There are two videos, Rememberance of the daleks and The chase.
The Chase is in black and white featuring William heartnell as the marvolously portrayed 1st Doctor. The episode really explores the daleks hate for the Doctor, riding through time to destroy him. He and his companion know that they must face the Daleks or else face the consequences. ITs a marvelous episode but its one of the classics, its an enjoyable episode from beginning to end and where the TARDIS takes them, all over!
Rememberance of the daleks is one of my all time favroutes! The Doctor played by Sylvester McCoy plays the part of the Doctor to his strengths. He proves that he has a grasp over the role and the surporting characters are well portrayed. Ace's first real chance to show some light is a joy. Her character is one you can relate to. Shes a teenager from Perivale who just wanted a bit of fun so now that shes with the Doctor, you want to have an adventure with her as she's having one herself. The Daleks are spectacular! the special weopens dalek will blow you away, quite literally. Two sets of Dalek factions fighting one another with the Doctor fighting in between and minipulating events makes for a wonderful episode. Gilmore(captain) fulfils the role of the Brigadier and the episode itself is a fantastic season opener.
Inside, theres a booklet chroncilling the Daleks battles that may well interest you and you may also find that there may be a smaller booklet that gives pockets of information on the dalek boxset.
So all in all, the Dalek boxset is not to be missed. In the classic series of Doctor who before its revival in 2005, Rememberance of the daleks was set to be last adventure featuring the daleks so it was an episode that stuck out in my mind because up until 'DALEK' the daleks are at war with one another and if you read the two 8th Doctor novels featuring the daleks, we are only just learning of the Time war ourselves so this episode is highly reguared as one of the very best in my opinion as it was the last dalek story in production and alongside the Chase, these episodes along with the boxset are a real treat.
| What: | The Clockwise Man (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | Tim, Australia |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 22 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 10 |
Really quite a superb mystery, not what I usually look for in a book but I found it quite satisfying. It might not secessarily been what other people appreciate... which is the only reason I can think of that the rating isn't higher.
Even with the numerous characters and the various elements of the story they represented, it was not difficult to keep track of them and the constant interaction between them all and the Doctor and Rose provided a gripping storyline.
I did find the Doctor and Rose to be just a little off character, but this was set early in Season 1 and written just as the show was getting on it's feet - their characters continued to develop after this book was written. There wasn't very much humour but when it was there it was definitely in the style that Rose and the 9th Doctor shared.
Overall the plot was complex but smoothly carried off, the original characters compelling and the final result entertaining. Definetly scoring a 10 from me.
| What: | The Brain of Morbius (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
|
| By: | Trevor Smith, Nottingham, United Kingdom |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 22 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 9 |
One of my all time favourite 4th Doctor/Tom Baker tales comes to DVD. This has everything, Tom & Liz, a creepy castle, a mad scientist, his deformed assistant, a monster, a group of crazy women with powers, wonderful sets, wonderful performances & a cracking story. The extras are pretty good as well. An in depth making of documentary & a very interesting CGI recreation of the construction of the set. The commentary is also great fun. Essential purchase.
| | |
| The best Sylvester Mccoy outing by far.. |
|
| | |
Walking a fine line between horror and humour has long been a doctor who staple, but here it is done to its fullest potential. This is brilliant viewing.
The Greatest show in the galaxy for me sums up all that was brilliant about the classic series. Nasty alien gods, nasty professors, and add to this freaky and creepy clowns and you get a real taste of brilliance.
Steven Wyatt impressed with his debut, Paradise Towers, but even that isnt half as good as this cracker of a script. The action scenes particularly are extremely well handled and are for once believable. The characters are solid and all well characterised, the acting standard very high indeed.
Sylvester Mccoy is really going places as the doctor now. And SOphie ALdred pulls another great performance out of the bag. Imust admit that my favourite cliffhanger ever is on this stroy. EPisode three when Mags turns into the werewolf, quite a brilliant piece of work. Those teeth look really quite vicious. Even the nicely tinny bus conductor manages to be creepy and eerie.
ANd the visuals are stronger than usual.The god temple is excelletn, and the pit is one of the best ive ever seen. Quite frankly, the new series of doctor who is great, but has still to match this excellent story. Steven Wyatt is the Robert Holmes of the sylvester mccoy period. Great Doctor Who.
| | |
| Two great British TV shows join forces |
|
| | |
| What: | Max Warp (Eighth Doctor Adventures audios) |
|
| By: | C G Harwood, Dunedin, NZ, New Zealand |
|
| Date: | Monday 21 July 2008 |
|
| Rating: | 10 |
My summary says it all. Out of all the British TV programes that we get in New Zealand at the moment these two are my favorate, and to have them together was increadable.
From the opening sequence I was hooked. The play between the Doctor and Lucy was nothing short of brillant. And the male superioty that the Maxp Warp presenters had towards Lucy was spot on (I could so see Jerremy Clarkson saying that to a female host, and lets face it he does say that sort of stuff to James.) I wonder of they were ever tempted t get in the Top Gear crew to do this.
The other through i had while listening to this was how well the Agatha Christie type story worked. Having just watched (and loved) The Unicorn and the Wasp on the TV, i think this did it better. This was a genuine 'Who done it' then the big twist at the end when we find out that nobody realy did anything. Building us up to find out who was the murderer then finding out we have been cheated out of it at the end should have ruined it for me, but in this story it worked.
I have not listened to a lot audio adventures with Paul Mcgann (only Human Reasorces, Blood of the Daleks and Dead London) but if he keeps producing proformances like this then he will fast become my favorate Doctor. And finaly, I don't care if it screws with continuity with the TV show - GIVE MCGANN and SHERIDAN SMITH A TV STORY, they would be brillant. can you amadgen McGann VRS Tennant or better still Lucy VRS Donna.
No hesatation in giving this story 10 out of 10. It has a couple of plot holes in it but just sit back and enojy this. This is a must if you like Doctor who that is more humur than Science Fiction, its a story that tried not to be too serious and i really liked that.
