Product details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Product Description
From Amazon.co.uk
Burdened by the most irritating trio of companions in the history of the show, (Adric, Nyssa and Tegan) Peter Davidson's recently regenerated Fifth Doctor finds that they are Four to Doomsday when the Tardis materialises inside a vast starship with a multiracial crew from Earth's distant past. Downloaded into computer chips are the memories of the three billion survivors of the Urbankan race, and the Earth is to be their new home. Meanwhile Monarch, a giant green frog-thing, wants to travel back to the Big Bang to meet God, whom he is convinced is himself.
The Alien-influenced spaceship sets are striking, and there are enough ideas to make a decent adventure. Unfortunately, the gentleman autocrat Monarch--your only opportunity to see distinguished actor Stratford Johns maintain his dignity while dressed as a giant green frog--is far too reasonable and easy going an opponent for the Doctor. The ideas underlying the plot are barely explored, and in constantly trying to find something for three companions to do, the pace slows to a crawl and dissipates any suspense. Fatally, there is an almost complete lack of action. Following Peter Davidson's introduction in the mind-bending Castrovalva this is thin stuff indeed. --Gary S Dalkin
Product Description
Another adventure for everyone's favourite Time Lord. When the TARDIS makes an unscheduled landing on a mysterious spacecraft heading towards planet Earth, the Doctor (Peter Davison) and his cohorts are surprised to find that the crew members are drawn from a variety of ancient Earth cultures. Their leader, however, is a frog-like alien known as Monarch (Stratford Johns), and the more the Doctor finds out about his plans for the future of Earth, the less he likes them.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Peter Davison's second serial playing the eponymous Time Lord was actually the first that he recorded; you'd never know this from his assured and breezy performance, although there are a few moments of clunky humour that don't sit well with his earnest demeanour - left over from his fourth incarnation perhaps?. Davison's `wanderer in eternity' is both dashing and as fiercely intelligent as any of his predecessors; he also brings a fresh inquisitiveness and real energy to the role; something that had been lacking in Tom Baker's twilight years on the show.
The story itself is pretty routine; The Doctor and his three companions (Adric, Tegan and Nyssa) arrive on a colossal spaceship and meet its pilots; three amphibian-looking Urbankans. The aliens claim to be visiting Earth as tourists, but their uncanny abilities to replicate the human form, plus the fact that their ship is stocked with androids posing as Earthlings, leads the time travellers to uncover an altogether more sinister purpose.
Perfectly adequate as a lead-in to The Fifth Doctor and his companions; this serial does suffer from being rather static. The best performance comes from the excellent Stratford Johns as the power-crazed Monarch, whilst his fellow Urbankans `Persuasion' and `Enlightenment' are also well played. The music is atmospheric without being intrusive, and the set designs and costumes are effective; reflecting a time in the early 80s when the show still had a pretty healthy budget.
DVD extras here include Davison's first recording session; intriguing as a reminder of how slow it all was in 1981, but rather odd and stilted without the incidental music. It also contains the amusing scenario of Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) demonstrating that he was unable to act his way out of a paper bag.... Read more ›
The story itself is pretty routine; The Doctor and his three companions (Adric, Tegan and Nyssa) arrive on a colossal spaceship and meet its pilots; three amphibian-looking Urbankans. The aliens claim to be visiting Earth as tourists, but their uncanny abilities to replicate the human form, plus the fact that their ship is stocked with androids posing as Earthlings, leads the time travellers to uncover an altogether more sinister purpose.
Perfectly adequate as a lead-in to The Fifth Doctor and his companions; this serial does suffer from being rather static. The best performance comes from the excellent Stratford Johns as the power-crazed Monarch, whilst his fellow Urbankans `Persuasion' and `Enlightenment' are also well played. The music is atmospheric without being intrusive, and the set designs and costumes are effective; reflecting a time in the early 80s when the show still had a pretty healthy budget.
DVD extras here include Davison's first recording session; intriguing as a reminder of how slow it all was in 1981, but rather odd and stilted without the incidental music. It also contains the amusing scenario of Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) demonstrating that he was unable to act his way out of a paper bag.... Read more ›
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
....Not at all!! This isn't the most gripping or well produced of the Fifth Doctor's adventures, however it makes up for this with the deployment of a solid villain and sterling support from all current companions. After the intriguing post-regeneration trauma of Castrovalva, Davison seems to have come to terms with the role, whilst Nyssa, Tegan and Adric have gelled as his bickering but emotive fellow time-travellers. Production values seem to have slipped - particularly evidenced by an unconvincing spaceship and a baddie reminiscent of the Vogon warlord in Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Nevertheless, believable characterisations and a robust storyline ensure that Four to Doomsday can sit quite comfortably alongside Enlightenment and The Caves of Androzani, and certainly does the new era justice.
11 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
THE FIRST STORY Peter Davison recorded shows the awkwardness of the new regulars as they try to settle in. The younger cast (presumably brought together to invest a fresh, innocent quality back into the series after the more mature Doctor/Romana relationship of the year before), are a mixed bunch. Davison is instantly appealing, even if he lacks some of the otherworldly edge needed for the role and Janet Fielding has real potential. Sadly, Sarah Sutton's Nyssa is too dull and mannerly to set the screen alight, while pudding-bowl-haired boy genius Adric got on everyone's three-penny bits!
Nevertheless, following a stilted first episode, this emerges as an intriguing tale. The mood and narrative style are reminiscent of the show's earliest days but the concepts are very contemporary (for 1982). Stratford Johns is a wonderfully charming villain and his schemes are both engaging and barking mad. There is wit rather than all-out clowning and the design is gorgeous to boot. Not a story to illicit the panning it has received by others here, or great acclaim either - it's a diverting, middling episode with some interesting ideas and perhaps best if - like me - you watched it go out as a kid where the rush of nostalgia is as powerful as for anyone old enough to remember earlier years and equally influential on one's opinion.
Nevertheless, following a stilted first episode, this emerges as an intriguing tale. The mood and narrative style are reminiscent of the show's earliest days but the concepts are very contemporary (for 1982). Stratford Johns is a wonderfully charming villain and his schemes are both engaging and barking mad. There is wit rather than all-out clowning and the design is gorgeous to boot. Not a story to illicit the panning it has received by others here, or great acclaim either - it's a diverting, middling episode with some interesting ideas and perhaps best if - like me - you watched it go out as a kid where the rush of nostalgia is as powerful as for anyone old enough to remember earlier years and equally influential on one's opinion.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. A. Anson
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
It all looks great. We're planted on this space ship with the Doctor, Nyssa, Tegan and Adric, and they explore a ship very slowly. Then they meet some people and, uh, then some more people. Series 18 made it very clear that we would have to sit through 25 minutes of storyline before any action happened, and I was fine with that. I'd got used to 25 minute of character introduction and scene setting, and grown to like it. The problem is that, well, about half way through the third part of this story I realised if there WAS going to be any action, it wasn't going to last very long. I remember saying to my friend "This is like the Doctor Who equivalent to Deep Space Nine: Very little happening in the far future."
Christopher H Bidmead's influence is still visible; problems are solved inventively and scientific ideas are thrown about unnecessarily (but certainly not as interestingly as during Bidmead's own scripts). I wouldn't have minded sitting through parts 1-3 if part 4 was somehow climatic, exciting and a great payoff, but you never get the sense of urgency and excitement you got from the classic stories.
It's a shame, as the central idea is an intriguing one but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Christopher H Bidmead's influence is still visible; problems are solved inventively and scientific ideas are thrown about unnecessarily (but certainly not as interestingly as during Bidmead's own scripts). I wouldn't have minded sitting through parts 1-3 if part 4 was somehow climatic, exciting and a great payoff, but you never get the sense of urgency and excitement you got from the classic stories.
It's a shame, as the central idea is an intriguing one but the execution leaves a lot to be desired.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Spot On!
You can't go wrong with many of the old doctor who stories and this one is no exception. A classic.
Published 3 months ago by zzubmota
4.0 out of 5 stars
...And in this corner, TEGAN VS ADRIC!!
Great story highly underated.
Peter Davison - The Doctor
Janet Fielding - Tegan
Sarah Sutton - Nyssa
Matthew Waterhouse - Adric
(Ranked 173rd in 2009... Read more
Peter Davison - The Doctor
Janet Fielding - Tegan
Sarah Sutton - Nyssa
Matthew Waterhouse - Adric
(Ranked 173rd in 2009... Read more
Published 9 months ago by TARDIS Traveller
3.0 out of 5 stars
Boring and out of character
After the good start with Castrovalva, this story is a disappointment. The first episode promises a good story, but after that it goes downhill. Boring, boring, boring. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Raphus
3.0 out of 5 stars
An average outing from a great Doctor
The average-ness (is that even a word?) of Four to Doomsday is in no way a reflection of Peter Davison's acting abilities as one of the best Doctors (bar David Tennant) in my... Read more
Published on 10 Jun 2011 by Norman Cheeseworthy
3.0 out of 5 stars
'We had personalities but no characters...'
...which is Janet Fielding's assessment of Tegan, Nyssa & Adric on the commentary track, & which explains why, despite perky performances, they often come across as dull &... Read more
Published on 23 May 2010 by John
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth seeing, but nothing special
The Doctor (Peter Davison) and his sidekicks arrive on a spacecraft run by a trio of frog-people on course for the Earth. On board are a lot of people from various Earth cultures. Read more
Published on 8 Feb 2010 by StormSworder
4.0 out of 5 stars
Ignore negative reviews
It was pretty good and had quite an interesting story. You could see Peter Davison just starting to develop into the role which is cool to watch. Read more
Published on 29 Oct 2009 by L. Whitehurst
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pensive, slow paced, but never dull
Although Peter Davison is 'my' doctor from childhood, I never saw all the episodes. Dutch television eventually dropped the show arguing it was too scary for kids. Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by D. De Gruijter
4.0 out of 5 stars
Pleasantly Surprised
I held of buying this one for a while thanks to the unenthusiastic reviews. But having just got a copy and watched it all in one morning I can say it was a lot better than I... Read more
Published on 11 Jan 2009 by Varian Beauregard
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some nice elements but mixed in with a fair bit of filler
Barcode: 5014503243128
I have always liked Peter Davison's Doctor so to go back and see where it all began for him was certainly an interesting experience. Read more
I have always liked Peter Davison's Doctor so to go back and see where it all began for him was certainly an interesting experience. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2008 by L. Green
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
