There are 4,124 reviews so far. To add a review of your own, click on the item in question, then click the Vote link.
| What: | The Time Travellers (BBC Past Doctor novels) |
|
| By: | Hatman, he'll never turn back |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 28 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: |   7 |
this review might actually be good...
this book has more twists than the fingers of a certain stick insect. they are quite good. well, sort of.
other titles for this book:
the hat bearers
time hats
anything with 'hat' in the title
the actual ending leaves a lot to be desired.. like my reviews. this is the longest I will ever write, so be grateful! Otherwise your past, present and future will end! (soon...ish)
| What: | The Wheel in Space (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 28 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
"The Wheel In space" is one of those classic missing stories that is genuinely a classic. The only knocks against it that I can see are that it is probably one episode too long, some of the science is highly questionable, and the character of Jarvis is underwritten and overacted. These are minor drawbacks, however, and the main story itself is a cracker. The Cybermen are clever here, not just big and menacing. Similarly, the people on the Wheel are not stupid, and perform as the competent scientists and engineers that they are. David Whitaker's flair for believable motivation means that there are few obvious gaps in the plot. We also get introduced to Zoe, who is really the first female DW companion since Barbara who has a distinct personality and will of her own, and is not "wet," to use a British term.
| What: | Doctor Who and the Pescatons (Miscellaneous audio dramas) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Wednesday 28 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 4 |
This is an interesting low-budget audio adventure produced in 1976 while Doctor Who was still running. Elisabeth Sladen had already left the TV show by this time, but agreed to add some dialogue to this production. Mostly, it is Tom Baker narrating. The story itself is reminiscent of Victor Pemberton's other DW contribution, "Fury From The Deep," involving sea-dwelling aliens with a taste for human flesh. It genuinely suffers from not being a full-cast drama, and no matter how deep Baker's voice goes when he says "Down....Dooown....Doooooown," it still cannot add enough drama and pace to make it interesting.
| What: | Earthshock (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
|
| By: | Hatman, the country he didn't die for |
|
| Date: | Saturday 24 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 1 |
rubbish. not 'exeeeeeelent'.
| What: | The Ice Warriors (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
This is a strange one indeed. There are a couple of inexplicable bits. One is that if it is the year 3000, and the glaciers are moving over formerly occupied land, then how does everyone know that the Ice Warriors were buried in pre-historic times? And how could they have been trapped in ice for all that time if that part of England was not covered by ice for thousands of years? Despite some fast and loose "explanations", the story itself works essentially by pitting competing worldviews against each other. Thus, we get the Ice Warriors' unchecked militarism against the Doctor's pacifism, Clent's desire for absolute order and predictability against Penley's free imagination, science against anti-science. The one real problem in the whole story is Victoria, who spends the whole thing sobbing and pleading and doing absolutely nothing to advance the plot or fight back.
| What: | The Underwater Menace (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 4 |
The Underwater Menace is definitely one of the lesser of the Doctor Who TV productions, a silly mad scientist story that goes into total implosion due to bullonium well above critical mass. We have to believe: a) that there was a real Atlantis, b) that its people somehow survived in total isolation from the rest of the world, c) that only mad professor Zaroff managed to figure out where it was, d) that the Atlanteans believe mad professor Zaroff's lies, e) that Zaroff is a kind of universal genius capable of deriving both miracle foods and nuclear generators, etc.... And as for the rest of the characters, well there is a stock Irishman, a stock rabid priest, a stock stupid tribal leader, etc... Only Patrick Troughton rescues this one.
| What: | The Abominable Snowmen (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
This is an interestingly different story, given a historical setting without any historical characters. Why exactly an invading intelligence would choose an isolated monastery in Tibet escapes me. Nevertheless, this story has "something" that compels one to listen. Somehow, one becomes concerned for the little monastery and its inhabitants valiantly struggling to figure out just what is going on.
| What: | The Moonbase (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
My favorite kinds of Doctor Who stories are the surreal ones (The Celestial Toymaker, The Mind Robber, Warrior's Gate) and the assault ones (The Wheel In Space, Earthshock, The Curse Of Fenric). The Moonbase is tense and does not insult the listener's intelligence. Furthermore, we do not get stereotypes and stock characters. The Moonbase commander, for instance, is rather open-minded and not prone to rash or stupid actions. The other characters are intelligent scientists and technicians who put their minds to solving problems, not to panicky hysteria. The one big problem in the story is Jamie, clearly an afterthought and left hallucinate phantom pipers and other pseudo-scots silliness.
| What: | The Moonbase (Vinyl Who TV audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
My favorite kinds of Doctor Who stories are the surreal ones (The Celestial Toymaker, The Mind Robber, Warrior's Gate) and the assault ones (The Wheel In Space, Earthshock, The Curse Of Fenric). The Moonbase is tense and does not insult the listener's intelligence. Furthermore, we do not get stereotypes and stock characters. The Moonbase commander, for instance, is rather open-minded and not prone to rash or stupid actions. The other characters are intelligent scientists and technicians who put their minds to solving problems, not to panicky hysteria. The one big problem in the story is Jamie, clearly an afterthought and left hallucinate phantom pipers and other pseudo-scots silliness.
| What: | The Celestial Toymaker (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
Long considered one of the lost greats of Doctor Who, The Celestial Toymaker probably works better with the visuals than in pure audio format. Too much of it needs explaining, and much that does is confusing, such as the bits with the chairs and the dancing floor. Still, the idea is interesting, and I like the surreal Doctor Who stories in general (including The Mind Robber and Warrior's Gate). The Doctor Who format works very well for these kinds of stories.
| What: | The Myth Makers (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
The first of Donald Cotton's irreverant takes on history is much better than the lamentable "The Gunfighters." Here, since not much is known about the actual Trojan War, Cotton can play with events, using realism to undercut the epic. Character reactions are very much like readers' reactions to The Iliad. Cassandra is annoying and everyone but her thinks so. Good stuff, that. On the other hand, there is also a severe problem in the plotline involving Vicki. First, of course, we have the love at first sight bit, which is rarely convincing, and less so given the thousands of years of knowledge separating Vicki from Troilus. Second, there is what we know happens to the Trojan women after the fall - most are sold into slavery and prostitution. Having the couple escape with Aeneas's party just is not convincing. Third, the various stories involving Troilus and Cressida make it clear that Cressida is older than Troilus, a widow, and ultimately betrays him to save herself the fate that befalls the other Trojan women. Probably, it would have been better to have Vicki leave in the midst of The Daleks' Masterplan, and save the weird Katarina interlude.
 |  |  |
 | Keep The Happy Pills, Lose The Crabs |
|
| | |
| What: | The Macra Terror (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 6 |
The Macra Terror is by turns intriguing and cliched. On the one hand, the society that is just too happy to be true is interesting in itself. Clearly, brainwashing of some sort has to happen, and that Ben gets brainwashed into it provides some good drama. The bad part is that all of this is down to some paranoid crabs. Pushing off the responsibility for faults in human society by saying it is caused by an outside influence simply ducks the writer's responsibility to investigate the main idea. While it might not be "Doctor Who" enough without a demonstrable baddy, in this case the story probably would have improved without one.
| What: | Galaxy 4 (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
Galaxy Four has several interesting ideas to keep it going. One is that a society run by women will in the end not automatically be more loving and virtuous than one run by men. Another is that outward appearance bears no correspondence to personal virtue. In other words, Galaxy Four is effective in conveying its anti-prejudice theme by showing that prejudices run in several directions, not just the usual brands of racism and sexism. Its defects are that the situation of the story makes it difficult to sustain for four parts, so that we get a drawn out hostage scenario merely by changing hostages midway through.
| | |
| Entertaining, But Overrated |
|
| | |
| What: | The Web of Fear (TV episode audio soundtracks) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Thursday 22 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 7 |
Considered one of the "classic" lost stories, The Web of Fear is probably a classic because most of it is missing. There is not much need to rehash the story as it is well-known. Its virtues include solid performances from the regulars, a convincing performance by Nicholas Courtney, and some very tense scenes. Some of the problems involve the main rationale - that the whole invasion is designed merely to ensnare the Doctor. The anticipated spectacular showdown between the Doctor and the Intelligence gets scuttled mainly to give justification to a sequel. The characters of Evans and Chorley are both rather stereotypical and tiresome. In the end, there is enough good to justify its 6-part length.
A good example of the Peter Davison era. Great cast and not bad effects. Cliffhangers are good too...
| What: | The Stealers of Dreams (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
|
| By: | Hatman, nobody will ever know what he did |
|
| Date: | Tuesday 20 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 8 |
Quite good..ish. a bit absurd. like the traveller
CU captures the dicotomy of the Sontaran military structure perfectly, an army cannot have soldiers all the same rank and some Sontarans are breed not to be cannon fodder but the officer elite. The idea of the gentic breakdown is a good one too and having 2 Sontarans battle it out to become the new genetic template for their species is interesting. Of course we're expected to cheer for the one helped by our 2 heroes as he slowly comes to understand the human psyche and realise that ruthless aggression is not always the right way, which is exactly why he loses and his rival wins. A genius bait and switch manouvre that really takes the listner by surprise, I highly recommend this story :)
| What: | The Juggernauts (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Sunday 18 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 6 |
The idea of having the Mechanoids return to face off against the Daleks again gets totally derailed by bringing Davros into the picture. Instead of Mechanoids v. Daleks Mechanical Smackdown II, both of the metallic creations get subordinated into props for what is really a Davros story. As Davros stories go, this is a fine one. And, of course, where Davros goes, there must be Daleks around somewhere. However, that makes the Mechanoids superfluous. As far as they are used, there might have been any old type of robot.
A plus in this one is that Bonnie Langford gets some of the strongest writing for her part. We get to see her not as a dimwitted screamer committed to vegetarianism, but as a skilled technician with a strong will and appealing personality.
| What: | The Game (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Sunday 18 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 6 |
The Doctor 5 + Nyssa audios have been fairly solid, on the whole. "The Game" will not knock your socks off, but it is representative of Davison-period Doctor Who. The basic story is that the Doctor has taken Nyssa to see a great peace negotiator in action. The planet in question has turned warfare into a constant bloody game. The Doctor arrives and quickly, totally by accident, finds himself embroiled in the politics. Typically for the Davison Doctor, he desperately wants everyone to give peace a chance, but no one is listening. It is particularly humorous when the Doctor's attempt at an escape turns into an especially brilliant move in the gory game of Naxi, making him a planetary hero overnight for absolutely the wrong reason. The game of Naxi itself is a kind of extrapolation of Rugby and Football, all the violence left in, all the game taken out.
On the downside, there are just too many plot twists, as if Darin Henry did not trust the story he had. We get introduced to a new villain with a promise of a return. Perhaps a way for Henry to secure a second commission? Fianlly, Henry plays the story too straight. There are comic moments, but really the whole premise was waiting to become a satire, which never materialized.
| | |
| 2nd Worst, So Far, Big Finish Audio |
|
| | |
| What: | Dreamtime (Big Finish: The Monthly Adventures) |
|
| By: | David Layton, Los Angeles, United States |
|
| Date: | Sunday 18 June 2006 |
|
| Rating: | 1 |
Only the excrutiating "Doctor Who And The Pirates" is worse than this nonsensical trip to nowhere. Trying to turn mythological systems into science fiction is very hard for even the best of writers. It takes a Roger Zelazny to pull it off, e.g. "Lord Of Light." Most of the time, it makes little sense. Whenever it has been attempted in Doctor Who, for instance in "The Daemons," the twist that made it work was to turn the mythology into quasi-science, or at least scientific-sounding explanations. Simon A. Forward, instead, wants to keep the mythology intact, as is. There is no technology behind it all. The result is totally antithetical to Doctor Who and to science fiction in general. To top it off, the mythology in question, aboriginal australian, is so obscure, probably even to Australians, that the story absolutely required the missing scientifical explanations in order for the uninitiated listener to make any sense of it. As it is, "Dreamtime" makes even less sense than "Ghostlight." Things just happen. There is no figuring what is happening or why it is happening. Every "explanation" is just a reference to "the dreaming," as if that said everything. What this dreaming is, what its rules are, how it functions, why it is happening, nothing about it is ever explained. A final insult is the tired old saw, it is all the Doctor's fault. I am beyond sick of this plot "twist." Please, please, Gary Russell, tell all your writers from here on out never to use the "it's the Doctor's fault" ever again.
