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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Revelation revamped, 13 Jul 2005
I've always enjoyed this story. Some of the complaints of the previous reviewers I've considered its strengths - the fact that the Doctor and Peri are sidelined thoughout a lot of the story is an interesting departure and one that allows an exploration of other aspects of the Dr Who universe.The other characters that take centre stage are fantastic - from the brilliant double acts of Tasembeker/Jobel, Takis/Lilt, Vogel/Kara, Grigory/Natasha (does anyone else think that they're like an alternative universe version of Star Trek DS9's Bashir and Kira?) and of course Orcini/Bostock to stand alone characters such as the DJ (Alexei Sayle!) juxtaposed with old favourite Davros who here shows other sides of his character - in particular dispensing relationship advice to Tasembeker! It is indeed wrong that the Doctor leaves the planet in the hands of sadists Takis and Lilt, but this just goes to show that he's fallible - and perhaps suffering from a lack of information, having been out of the thick of it for a lot of the story. This being a DVD, mention has to made of the extras, which do not disappoint. There's a 45 minute documentary "Revelation Exhumed" provides a fascinating insight into the making of the story, and a commentary by Graeme Harper (dir), Eric Saward (writer), Nicola Bryant (Peri) and Terry Molloy (Davros). Odd that Colin Baker is missing from both of these - but perhaps fitting considering his absence from a lot of the story! There are also a couple of features to beef up the story for modern viewers - subtly rendered new CGI effects to replace some of the low-budget eighties clunkers, and a 5.1 surround sound alternative audio track - painstakingly reconstructed using the original audio plus the occasional re-recording of the odd line by the original cast. There's more too, but I'll leave you to discover them yourself when you - naturally - purchase this first class DVD.
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Something surprising in the catacombs..., 13 Jul 2005
By A Customer
Typically, REVELATION has never been a favourite with most fans. About the nicest thing they're likely to say about it is "it's the best Colin Baker story", which is damning with faint praise as Colin Baker is never going to win the acclaim of say, Pertwee or the other Mr Baker. Nor is the short list of TV Colin Baker stories (broadcast originally between 1984 and 1986) usually held up as a bright beacon of TV excellence. So basically this DVD release is going to be met with a large amount of indifference or even scorn, and I want to say right here how much of a shame this is! REVELATION should not be filed away as an example of 1980's tat, but instead should be held up as one of DR WHO's masterpieces...yes that's right: MASTERPIECES!Not only is the serial the best Colin Baker story, it's the best in the whole of the 1980's. Only 1984's THE CAVES OF ANDROZANI (also directed by REVELATION's superb Graeme Harper) can boast a production, a script, a cast and an emotional impact this impressive. But where ANDROZANI had a dodgy "Magma Beast" monster, REVELATION has no such shortcomings. There is not one prop, one set design, one special effect that really embarrasses, and when one considers the tiny budget that Harper and his team had to work with, this should make our fanboy (and girl) jaws drop. But of course we're not going to because received wisdom tells us that it's not as good as TOMB OF THE CYBERMEN, or PYRAMIDS OF MARS, or anyone of a dozen other stories that time after time gets cited in polls as "classic". I despair sometimes, I really do... The cast is one of the best ever assembled for a DR WHO, and includes magnificently subtle/grotesque/tragic/hilarious turns from the likes of William Gaunt, Clive Swift, Eleanor Bron, Trevor Cooper, Alexei Sayle, John Ogwen and Hugh Walters. Here we have a gallery of almost surreal characters, based on figures from literature (THE LOVED ONE, DON QUIXOTE) or cinema (the Wicked Queen from SNOW WHITE, LAUREL & HARDY) interacting in the most fascinating ways possible; as if this were some kind of bloodsoaked carnival or dance of death. The streak of black humour and focus on mortality is surprisingly mature for something that is generally regarded as a children's programme, but it's never exploitative or sickening. It's surprisingly literate, even theatrical, and the actors bring such a sense of gravitas and intensity to it all. I cannot commend these performances too highly to you, nor can I refrain from singing the praises of Terry Molloy's Davros. Here at last we see a Davros not only equalling but surpassing Michael Wisher's original 1975 version in GENESIS OF THE DALEKS. Davros is once again a real person, not just a ranting mad scientist with a prune for a face. He speaks to Tasambeker with what sounds like a horribly peverse kind of love, he has a black sense of ironic humour and we even feel sorry for him at moments. Colin Baker is excellent as the Doctor and proves here(if it ever needed proving) that with the right script he was an excellent choice for the role. He's ably supported by Nicola Bryant's feisty companion and in this story he's more likeable, more caring, more...well, Doctor-ish than he's often given credit for. The only controversial casting decision appears to have been Jenny Tomasin's Tasambeker. Writer Eric Saward states in the DVD commentary that he thinks she was miscast, and that she hadn't "found" her character. I personally disagree, and I rather like what she does, but even if you take Saward's line, surely she's not so bad as to totally spoil this wonderful piece of television? The extras too are great. A fantastic documentary on the making of REVLATION, behind the scenes footage, a marvellous CGI special effects option, music only option(Roger Limb's score adds a brillant layer of atmosphere) and a commentary with Bryant, Saward, Molloy and Harper all make this a must have package. In short I cannot recommend this disc too highly. Sadly not everyone is going to agree with this, but next time there's a poll of favourite WHO stories, let's have REVELATION where it belongs...in the top 10! (No sniggering at the back please).
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19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"You are a fool Orcini, you cannot kill me! I am Davros!", 14 Jul 2005
"Revelation" is not really a Dalek story, it's a Davros story with some Daleks thrown in and a cameo by The Doctor. Many would site this as the stories main weak point, after all The Doctor is completely superfluous to the plot, and his presence makes absolutely no difference to the events that have been set in motion or their resolution. As for the Daleks they are reduced to mere foot-soldiers, lurking in the shadows and occasionally threatening people in rather high-pitched tones. The Doctor and Peri don't even come in contact with any of the central characters until the second episode! It is indeed a peculiar narrative, but it works. Maybe The Doctor should have had more to do with the outcome, but his smaller role in events allows Davros to take centre stage and the supporting characters to flourish. The Daleks too work well in this respect, kept mainly in the background and seen only occasionally gliding through the misty corridors of Tranquil Repose, they retain a sense of menace and are nicely underused until the finale. Graeme Harper manages to bring the whole thing to life beautifully, he has a keen sense of what works dramatically, and visually this is one of the most polished and impressive stories the series ever produced. Saward, an often unfairly maligned writer has delivered probably his finest script here, a multi-layered story dealing with predominately adult themes, littered with memorable lines, strong supporting characters, drug references and excessive violence. Strong stuff for it's pre-watershed timeslot. I'd like to add that I for one like the DJ, He quickly becomes likeable, as we see him converse with Peri & kick some Dalek b*tt! and is perhaps the heart and soul of the whole story, so it's a real shame that he's exterminated so quickly. But this is a Davros story after all, and I have rarely been so enthralled with an actor's performance. Terry Molloy is utterly superb, in what is truly his superlative appearance as Davros. Some don't care for Molloy's take on the mutated Kaled scientist, and prefer the power-house performance that Michael Wisher so memorably gave us in "Genesis", they tend to feel that by the 1980's Davros had become nothing more than a lunatic, and lacked the subtle nuances of Wisher's definitive portrayal. This is of course a matter of opinion. I love both actor's take on the role, but Molloy's performance is marvellously restrained in "Revelation", the actor obviously aware of the need to make Davros resemble a real person rather than your archetypal two-dimensional villain and Davros has never been more cold and calculating than he is here, always one step ahead of every other character in the story, he outsmarts all of them, and the only mistake he made was in not anticipating the arrival of the renegade Daleks. I particularly enjoy the scene in which "The Great Healer" attempts to control his temper in front of Kara, and be diplomatic but cannot conceal his true totalitarian qualities, ordering her instead of asking , his softened tone of voice frequently returning to "rant mode" as he attempts to keep up the charade. It is an impressive insight in to his true character, flawlessly played by Molloy. Once again the creator has become more interesting than his creations. He also appears to have harnessed the powers of the Dark Side of The Force, as he now has the exact same ability to shoot blue lightening from his fingertips as Emperor Palpatine did in "Return Of The Jedi" and "Revenge of The Sith" respectively and can also hover about the place! What a bad-ass! But I digress, Revelation is a true classic, definitely the finest story of the Colin Baker era and an excellent choice for release this year. I don't need to see the features to know that this is an essential purchase for fans old and new. I can't wait to see Graeme Harper back in the directing chair for the news series! As judging on the strength of this and the classic "Caves of Androzani" we're in for a real treat!
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