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 | Black Guardian - calm down! |
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| What: | The Black Guardian Trilogy (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 2010 |
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| Rating: |   8 |
Season 20 was to feature a returning villain in each episode, and these three feature one from Tom Baker's Key to Time series...
'Mawdryn Undead' kicks things off brilliantly, with a really timey-wimey, dimensions-and-all-that story. The Brigadier returns (as a school teacher - it's obvious Ian Chesterton was meant to come back!) and we also meet Turlough, who proves to be the most inept assassin TV has ever seen. The story (literally) ends with a bang, and its ending is very satisfying.
'Terminus'... it sends a shiver down any Who fan's spine. Dodgy model work (more on that later), lepers and a fat dog - this is as horrid as the green-brown colour that graces the box, and it's one of the Doctor's all-time clangers. The only good scene is the one with Nyssa leaving (WHY?!) and of course the super Black Guardian.
'Enlightenment' is a funny one. It's great TV, yes, and a super story - don't get me wrong: but is it good Doctor Who? For me, it's a bit too... well, good. It all seems too suptuous, too grand, and I'm glad it's been re-imagined as a movie, which is the format in which it belongs.
The extras are nice on this set: optional CGI on the first two, a 3-part documentary narrated by 'Floella Benjamin OBE' (something tells me she insisted on those letters being included) and of course the Enlightenment Special Edition. My one problem is the effects on the latter - they're a bit out of date by about 4 or 5 years it seems, but the movie format alone helps it stand out.
| What: | New Beginnings: (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
A new computer = a new, more detailed review of this boxset, exclusively for the TARDIS Library.
'The Keeper of Traken' sees the return of the Master after several years. 'The Deadly Assassin' was his previous appearance, where he sported an uber-creepy skeleton-style mask. Geoffrey Beevers preferred not to wear it here, but his performance is just as good as Peter Pratt's. Nyssa puts in a good appearance, as well as Anthony Ainley (odd to see him playing a good guy). Tom Baker is very David Tennant in this adventure, esp. when talking to Adric in the TARDIS. The story itself is very average, but it links well to the next...
'Logopolis' is one of my favourite Tom Baker stories. Christoper H. Bidmead injects a very real, science-based theme to this and the next story, and it's nice while it lasts. The entropy theme is very similar to the momentous finales and story arcs of 21st-century Who, and we have a nice mention of the E-Space trilogy of a few stories back. The
Master is superbly played, as is the Monitor and of course the Doctor: Tom Baker in his last, most sombre performance.
'Castrovalva' is a story of two halves. Parts 1 and 2 are pretty rubbish (mainly set in the TARDIS), and Parts 3 and 4 are set in an Escher-based impossible city. The final stand against the Master is great to watch, but we learn in 'Time-Flight' that he survived...
The extras are strong - my favourite is the documentary on the changeover between Baker and Davison.
Overall, a great start to 2007's DVDs - despite me writing this in March 2010.
| What: | Cat's Cradle: Witchmark (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Mark List, Midland, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 7 |
This story was pretty well written. The imagery was good and well thought out.
I thought that this story was well thought out and kept my attention. However, I am still not sure how the Cat fit into the last 3 books.
This would have been better as a stand alone story than trying to be the conclusion to a "trilogy" of stories that didn't really have anything to do with one another.
| What: | Cat's Cradle: Warhead (New Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Mark List, Midland, United States |
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 6 |
This book was only OK. It was a great idea for a story, but I was bored with the jumping it did.
It didn't follow a coherent track. It could have been better if it had followed a clear path.
Sometimes mystery and not stating what is going on works in a story. In this one it didn't.
| What: | The Space Museum / The Chase (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matthew David Rabjohns, Bridgend, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 6 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
There are usually stories that are put to the back of the que in Doctor Who wrongly. They are often judged forgettable or just plain terrible. But what is strange is that The Space Museum is neither of these in any huge way. Yes, the acting may sometimes be like polythene compared to twelve inch steel, but there is plenty to offer in this story. Everyone says how intriguing the first episode is, and this is true, but the last three arent quite as bad as many people make out. There is good comedy moments aplenty, a good section of Doctor Who is when Willian Hartnell is placed in that memory chair, and the things he makes appear on the mind scanner are just plainly frigging comedy of the highest order. And the fights for the time seem quite well done overall, especially the ones involving William Russell. And good to see Maureen getting to lead the revolution for a change. So that is quite a good defence for this first story in this dual release.
The Chase has even more comedy, but also some very nasty moments too. We get to see the daleks being paticularly nasty to the aridians, just killing for no other reason than they are of no use at all. And then theres the excellent looking final battle sequence between the daleks and the mechanoids. Very good indeed for the time. I dont like Richard Martin's overtly rubbish talk about this serial. He doesnt give himself enough credit! Some of the comedy again on this story is brilliant too. Morton Dill especially, one of the best comic scenes of Doctor Who altogether. And all the cast are excellent on thiis.
The farewell of Ian and Barbara is very well and nicely handled. A genuinely happy goodbye, with William Hartnell's bluster being just because he knows he'll miss them more than anything else coming across clearly. A great set of two stories that shouldnt be as put aside as they often are....
| What: | The Space Museum / The Chase (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Matt Saunders, Buckinghamshire, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Thursday 4 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
Great to see these again, as I got rid of my videos many years ago. Well, sold them. The Space Museum is a little rubbish at times, but generally good fun. WH plays the part of the Doctor with a bit of humour, and Ian is wonderful with his fisticuffs!! Some of the acting is terrible, but I like the first episode very much. Creepy.
It also leads very nicely on to the Chase. A classic story in my eyes, and one that delivers some great humour too. Great to see the Mechanoids of Mechanus (how very Terry Nation!) and I love the Empire State Building bit.
The extras were great too - particularly enjoyed the visit of Ray Cusick popping to BBC Wales - brilliant. Well done Restoration Team.
Good to see more WH on DVD - there's not much left for them to bring out now - only four more to go, so it was good to have these in 2010.
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| Heeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Davros! |
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| What: | Revelation of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 March 2010 |
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| Rating: | 9 |
After the great 'Resurrection of the Daleks' the previous year, Doctor Who's script editor Eric Saward again penned the year's story featuring the pepperpots from Skaro. Instead of a gun-blazing, time corridor-hopping thriller, we have a creepy story full of black humour. Clive Swift plays the brilliant Jobel with Terry Molloy back as an ever-sinister Davros, although Jenny Tomasin's Tasambeker is not exactly my favourite character. Alexei Sayle's DJ adds a great dimension to the story as well. Two main criticisms: the Daleks - they do nothing! They are more boring than funeral directors, sliding about the corridors of Tranquil Repose with no-one even so much as turning a head! Also: where are the Doctor and Peri? It takes 10 minutes for them to even appear, and it's five minutes into Part Two when they actually enter the actual building!
The extras on the story are good; praise must go to the great making-of documentary.
| What: | Destiny of the Daleks (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Saturday 27 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
'Destiny of the Daleks' was the final story written by Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks. He had been writing for Doctor Who since late 1963 and although he was a great writer he did tend to repeat elements - a lot! I won't list them (they're available in DWM 418) but it's a good thing he decided not to write for Who again, as by now, 16 years later, these elements are becoming tedious bordering on annoying.
Luckily there are a few saving graces. Davros, although poorly played by David Gooderson, has some cracking dialogue ("Supreme Dalek?! That is a title I will dispute!") and the Movellans (who look rather silly) do add another dimension to the story which unfortunately was never really repeated.
The extras on the disc are quite good. The CGI Effects are the best feature, as some of the original sequences are diabolical, and there's also 'Terror Nation', a documentary on the Daleks' creator - this is, however, too short.
| What: | Only Human (BBC New Series Adventures novels) |
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| By: | Clayton, Encinitas, CA, USA |
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| Date: | Friday 26 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
I've read a good chunk of Doctor Who books now and this is the funniest one so far, the other DW books seemed to focus on action and drama, with tid bits of humor, this book does a good balance of them all.
What goes around comes around. Everything comes together in a bitter sweet end for Lucie.
A strong story which completes the journey, the ending sudden, is very sad.
An excellent ending, goodbye lucie we will miss you loads.
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| Great start for a new friend! |
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Tiny wings has real atmosphere, creating a sense of time and place with a great foe.
The introduction of the doctors new partner is handled very well. Dialog is very strong, perfect for the period, bringing out values and views we would find tough to handle today.
Whilst the method of defeating the enemy isnt original, simply burying the problem at the end was a little weak.
However tiny wings is a great listen, despite the ending.
I tried to like this book I really did but but after starting to read it I had to check the front cover to see if I had in fact picked up a doctor who book.
The style of the book Ill leave others better qualified to describe as either good or bad.
In my case I saw Dr who on the cover and so bought it and raced home to enjoy a usual Dr Who style adventure or brain racking detective type Who book.
It was neither of these, I mean lets face it Dr who is a cult classic because of the previous style story's if we wanted something different there is plenty of that on the other shelves.
Now I know the styles of writing can be be different from who book to who book so I said what the heck and tried to enjoy the book anyway.
As I said I tried but it just bogged me down trying to work out who is who and all these references to things that don't exist, and where is the doctor in most of the book any way.
No, literary experiments are well and good but this was too much, I did fight my way through the book and eventually worked out the bits of the story that could be worked out, but did I enjoy it ? NO
As previous people mentioned this is obviously a two part combined effort.
While most seemed to prefer the second half I found both fairly entertaining in their own ways.
And that's the rub, both story's were so different.
I found the first half very detailed and the characters were very 3d and the aliens/gods seemed to care about the humans.
But by the second half (the half that had the doctor in by the way) it all seemed adventure story first characters second,the aliens didn't seem to give much of a toss any more.
the villain of the piece was hardly seen and the Master seemed to be tossed in for good measure.
The Brigadiers reuniting had a very wizard of OZ "and I liked you best of all scarecrow" feel and the passion in the fast half had drained completely away.
The first part was a fair character story and the last part would have made a fair target books style story but the two just didn't seem to combine to make one good story.
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| No companion? "It's never been done..." |
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| What: | The Deadly Assassin (BBC classic series DVDs/Blu-rays) |
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| By: | Huw Davies, Taunton, United Kingdom |
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| Date: | Sunday 21 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 10 |
Looking at DWM's recent 'Mighty 200' survey, it's good to see 'The Deadly Assassin' in the Top 20, which is where it belongs. This is a cracking thriller, with superb cliffhangers (yes, even that silly train!) and great characters.
The imagery of the story also stands out. The design is brilliant, as well as the Master - reduced to a goggle-eyed 'husk', he looks positively menacing and really quite creepy.
The DVD of this story is also good. We have the usual informative making-of, plus and interesting look at Doctor Who's 'Frighten Factor'. One feature that isn't brilliant is 'The Gallifreyan Candidate', looking at the similarities with the book and film 'The Manchurian Candidate. Also worth a look is the often-overlooked photo gallery.
Overall, one of 2009's 'must-haves'.
With its interesting plot and excellent villans, this a particularly good EDA and Blum and Orman's best book yet. recoommended
Some people will like this book and some people will hate it, i enjoyed it. It is a very unusual sort of doctor who, it is set in a fantasy setting, a bit like lord of the rings and they go on an epic quest. It is fairly well-written and I enjoyed it immensly, the only problem I have with it is when the writer adds in strange bits where it is like seeing throuh a camera; it doesn't really fit in. Overall, very good!
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| Not the best, but not too bad either! |
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The atmosphere and tension in the book is very good. The writing is fairly average but the plot is interesting. Worth reading
A good plot is spoiled here by bad writing, the ideas behind it are excellent but it ends up being a struggle to read through.
| What: | Seeing I (BBC Eighth Doctor novels) |
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| By: | a person, hayfield |
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| Date: | Sunday 21 February 2010 |
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| Rating: | 8 |
Once again, quite a good book from blum and orman with an interesting villan and excellent plot. Probably slightly better than vampire science. I enjoyed this immensly!
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| Good plot, but very boring. |
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This book has a very good plot, but it is written in a very boring way. Just as in, Genocide, paul leonard's writing is both boring and confusing
