Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Some nice elements but mixed in with a fair bit of filler, 27 Sep 2008
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. Four To Doomsday is most definitely a mixed bag, but I found much to enjoy in this story, even if it did come in inconsistent bursts.
In terms of the look and feel of the episode, with a new Doctor and a new season, the BBC was obviously keen to impress and as a result we are treated to some very nicely designed sets. Four To Doomsday sees the show at its most Sci-Fi, ideas of technology and intelligence forming a crucial part of the story. But as nice as these elements are, certainly from the first part of this serial you get an overriding feeling that there's just something slightly lacking when compared to other stories of the era.
For starters - and this isn't necessarily a bad thing - but this is a very wordy serial. There is a lot of dialogue, some of it getting pretty deep and at times the story can feel more like a lesson in morality, philosophy and science than an episode of Doctor Who. There are moments when this is done well and it is here that this episode really succeeds, but equally there is a lot of filler too.
The whole thing flows along nicely but nothing much really happens in episode 1 and for much of episode 2. Then we get episode 3 which shows real potential, the tension and drama of the story suddenly being turned right up as all the plot elements slide into place. We get treated to some wonderful bits of dialogue here and for a while it looks like everything is building to an epic finale but then sadly things drop off again in episode 4. So, episode 3 is without a doubt the best of the four, if anything, worth it alone for when Tegan gets angry at Adric and knocks him out.
The companions are interesting in this story, growing into their roles - I've always loved Davison's classic `TARDIS team' as I think it gave a real element of youthful energy to the show. As is standard with the three companions, because of the complexities of giving them all parts to play in the story, all three get sidelined at various moments - Nyssa getting hypnotised, Adric being knocked out and Tegan trying to figure out how to fly the TARDIS. Equally though, all get their chance to shine too, oh, and who knew Tegan could draw so well?
In terms of the villains, the costumes of the Urbankans isn't the best, coming across like a mix between a cabbage and a frog, but Stratford Johns is fantastic with his charming yet egotistical Monarch and his self indulgent banter is a delight to listen to, and along with his creepy assistants Enlightenment and Persuasion, this trio inject much needed gravitas into this story.
Their bizarre fascination with the failings of `flesh' beings is quite unnerving and adds to an overall sinister feel to this story - a sense of sterile conditions populated by `androids' who have settled into a mindless monotony lasting thousands of years. It sent a chill down my spine as the Greek philosopher reveals his true form, holding up the computer chip and declaring `This is me' - great cliffhanger.
Without a doubt the worst element of this story is the ridiculous 'entertainment' room/variety show thing. It's used to pad out a fair bit of the story and ultimately just looks and sounds a bit of a mess and doesn't really mesh fully with the feel of the rest of the serial. In regards to the whole space-walk sequence, again, a nice idea but sadly the effects just don't cut it. Another disappointment was the way the ending comes around far too suddenly, before you know it Monarch is defeated in a flash and everything is resolved.
In terms of extras, as well as the standard commentary you also get some raw studio footage and an interview with Peter Davison but is quite lacking compared to what's on offer on other Doctor Who DVD releases. I'd really like to give this story five stars as there are some really nice elements to it, moments that just remind you why you love Doctor Who so much, but these are scattered in with a lot of filler and ultimately this story's inconsistency lets it down a lot it, and as a whole it just isn't strong enough to warrant a top rating. That said, it's still worth a watch, just maybe see some of Davison's other stories first.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
A good middling story, 21 Aug 2008
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.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Frogs with funny hairdos, 28 May 2009
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.
Rather more entertaining is the short feature `Saturday Night at the Mill'; where interviewee Peter Davison talks extensively about `All Creatures Great and Small' and makes a chocolate milkshake live on air!
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