Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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36 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Animated Brilliance, 26 Jan 2007
This is my favourite Cyberman story ever and as a result of that I was really looking forward to seeing the animated episodes. How did they do? Well as a fan of archive television I have always got a thrill in watching material that had been lost and then recovered and yet here is something that is technically still missing and yet at the same time isn't.
This is not missing material returned but missing material reconstructed, there have been many attempts over the years to showcase missing Doctor Who material on video but this by far the best, we actually have moving footage to focus our attention on rather than looking at static images or a Doctor Who actor filling in the blanks.
I almost got the feeling of watching two missing episodes and I'm quite sure that was the whole point.
The only downside of the animated episodes is that the six surviving episodes of The Invasion will probably be overlooked in viewers reviews and suchlike, which is a pity as it is, as stated above not only the best Cyberman story but also the best Troughton.
The story acts as a template for the direction that the series took during the Pertwee era, in essence a pilot episode. It was one of the few to be set in the modern day at the time of transmission (1968) and feels very fresh and different from the majority of the sixties episodes, all the regulars are on brilliant form and even though the adventure is eight episodes long there is no real sense of padding, the storyline moves along at a cracking pace.
One of the highlights of the entire story is the performance of Kevin Stoney as the main villain, Tobias Vaughn, he is quite simply outstanding, mixing charm and menace with great panache and is a worthy adversary for Patrick Troughton's excellent Doctor.
The picture and sound quality have been dramatically improved by the Doctor Who Restoration Team, and the batch of special features are generally good, focusing on the original recordings and the animation process, all this is capped off by two super commentaries and production subtitles.
The use of animation provides a golden opportunity for fans to finally see a version of lost Doctor Who episodes that would otherwise never be seen again.
All in all this a very worthwhile project and will hopefully lead to more incomplete stories being animated. Buy this DVD release now.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Classic 'Who' at it's best!, 21 Aug 2007
Although I have not seen many of Patrick Troughton's appearances as Doctor Who, I have always had a soft-spot for his portrayal of the character. I was not disappointed on viewing this story. Seeing this for the first time, I was surprised at how accomplished the whole thing was. The cast from this period fit together perfectly, we see the Brigadier firmly established with UNIT in place, and Troughton's performance has so much character it is impossible not to love him in this role. (This makes it all the more regrettable that so many of Troughton's episodes are missing from the vaults). The story itself is typical Who, and sets the template for much of what was to follow in the Pertwee era. The fact that it is in black-and-white somehow makes it creepier, and the scenes of the Cybermen invading London are one of the most iconic of the series. And what a Brilliant idea it was to recreate the 2 missing episodes by animating the original soundtrack !!This enables many of us to see what would otherwise have remained another of the lost stories. I enjoyed this DVD immensely, and it is presented in the usual high-quality we have come to expect from these BBC releases.Good commentaries too, from Fraser Hines, Wendy Padbury and Nicholas Courtney, who all express delight at seeing themselves in animated form for the first time!. Watch this and remember that this comes from a much different TV era from today...which makes it all the more remarkable in it's scope and ambition. An essential purchase for any classic Who fan, and worth buying for anyone with a passing interest in the show, or in TV sci-fi generally..
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Find them, Packer!...FIND THEM!!!", 4 Nov 2006
So do the 2 animated episodes work? Absolutely! Full marks on this score. The team behind the releases of the original DR WHO stories on DVD have found a new and unique way of restoring lost episodes so we can enjoy all 8 episodes of THE INVASION visually. It's moody, slick, imaginative and tells the story in a filmic and economic manner. Director Douglas Camfield would have been proud. How about MARCO POLO or FURY FROM THE DEEP next?
As a whole THE INVASION is still entertaining and looks even better with its vidFIREd and cleaned up print. The main reason for you to buy this is the great direction and unforgettable set pieces like the Cybermen marching down the steps in front of St.Pauls Cathedral. The script is probably 2 episodes too long and there is some rather embarrassing sexism in the way that Zoe and Isabel are treated. Having said this, there's a lot of exciting moments, great characters and you can see every actor in the production giving it 110% in terms of their performances. Special mention has to go to Patrick Troughton, Kevin Stoney and Nicholas Courtney. Stoney especially is wondrous in a now charming, now villainous piece of acting that would look good in a Bond movie. Don Harper's distinctive music is reminiscent of THE IPCRESS FILE and adds to the somewhat cinematic feel to the story.
The extras are (as usual) excellent. I would say if you were thinking of buying just one WHO story from the 1960's it would be a close run thing between this one and the superb THE BEGINNING boxset from earlier this year. A treat.
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