DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘The Enemy of the World’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Doctor Who’ – ‘The Enemy of the World’ on Blogcritics.

The BBC’s Doctor Who has seen many episodes lost in time, especially from the early seasons, due to studio practices that flew in the face of preservation. This is highly regrettable for the many fans of the franchise, especially those of us that came of age well after the original run, having never had the opportunity to see all of the adventures of the infamous Time Lord and his various companions. But from time to time, stories long missing have been recovered and restored, to the delight of viewers the world over. This month’s Doctor Who DVD release, “The Enemy of the World,” is one that benefits from just such a discovery.

“The Enemy of the World” is the fourth serial of the fifth season, originally airing in December, 1967 and January, 1968. Five of the six episodes had not been seen in some time, but were discovered in Nigeria last year, meaning the entire serial can be released as it was broadcast, unlike others which have been augmented with stills or animation to fill in the gaps. A departure from the typical Doctor Who story, “The Enemy of the World” pits The Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines), and Victoria (Deborah Watling) against a dictator bent on domination whom looks awfully familiar.

Yep, Troughton plays both the hero and the villain in “The Enemy of the World,” a science fiction trope that has been repeated over and over again, including on Star Trek at around the same time. Perhaps not highly original, and certainly the capability of showing two Troughtons on screen at the same time is primitive, it’s entertaining for the audience to see one of their favorite performers in a different light, and it gives the lead a chance to stretch their acting muscles. The writing here is a little weaker than some, with less care taken to explain away the physical similarities, but that could be a boon, as some shows went into cheesy territory in their desire to give answers. Thus, while the whole thing may seem a little stale from a modern perspective, if one keeps an open mind, one might find the project an enjoyable viewing experience. It’s a decent story, over all.

The story is set in Australia in 2018, not too far from our own era. It’s always enlightening to see how the people in the past expected the world to turn out. For instance, “The Enemy of the World” takes the stance that we would be further along in the globalization process, with more large-scale organizations ruling over huge swaths of the planet. Obviously, while there has been some progress on this front, especially in Europe, this is not the case. Though, events unfold differently on this version of Earth, so perhaps its not unrealistic, just not the outcome reached because of prior circumstances. It’s not the only thing that the story gets wrong, showing a 2018 far behind the technology spectrum than we are in 2014.

I think what is portrayed says something about the era in which it was written, more than where we currently are as a society. Part of this vision is a darkness. The people here live underground, convinced a nuclear war has made the surface uninhabitable, except for grotesque mutants. Whether this is the truth or not is irrelevant in pondering the larger themes, a window into how scared some were in the 1960s about the destruction of the world. Obviously, a third world war has yet to emerge, and personally, I doubt very much that it will any time soon. But it’s cool that the installments, set in the near future, have one thinking much more about the past.

Disappointingly, “The Enemy of the World” lacks any extras, a rarity for a Doctor Who title, as most are jam-packed with bonus material. It is similar to last month’s release, though, which also contains lost episodes found at the same time. Both were previously made available on iTunes, and a DVD may have been hurried along, though I do not have any facts to support that theory. The good news is, the BBC is not shy about releasing Special Editions down the road, so for now, fans can enjoy the serial for the first time in a very long time, and eventually, we’ll probably get an edition more to most buyers’ liking.

Doctor Who – “The Enemy of the World” will be available beginning this Tuesday on a single disc DVD.

DOCTOR WHO Gets Caught in "The Web of Fear"

Article first published as DVD Review: 'Doctor Who' - 'The Web of Fear' on Blogcritics.

Fans of Doctor Who can rejoice! A long lost, but oft-lauded, serial from 1968 was recovered in Nigeria last year. The Web of Fear, the fifth serial of the fifth season, now gets the DVD treatment in the latest release from the BBC. Five of the six episodes are present, with the audio recording of episode three mixed with still photos in order to present the entire story on this single disc set.

On its own, The Web of Fear is a terrific tale of terror. The Doctor (Patrick Troughton), Jamie (Frazer Hines), and Victoria (Deborah Watling) try to escape a threat in space and end up in London. There, they encounter a military group facing off with an unknown threat. Going below the earth, the Doctor and his companions find a rapidly spreading foam and some pretty scary monsters. The race is on to figure out who the bad guy is and how to stop them.

More than most Doctor Who episodes, The Web of Fear is frightening. With the style and tone of a horror movie, suspense is built with shadows and sounds, relying less on action sequences, as befit the show’s budget. The director does a stellar job of building tension with clever shots and an eerie score, keeping viewers on the edge of their seats throughout the brilliantly tangled “Whodunnit?” mystery. The writing holds up extremely well, and buoyed by a terrific guest cast, including returning player Jack Watling as an older Professor Travers, this is one of the better serials from this era.

The Web of Fear is also important to the continuity of the larger Doctor Who universe. It is a sequel to The Abominable Snowmen (which sadly remains lost), and also to the 2012 Christmas special, my personal favorite holiday outing for the good Doctor, The Snowmen.

It features the Great Intelligence using Yeti to try to invade the city through the Underground, the set up of which is in an episode of the modern-day reboot, and brings back a popular character from a previous serial, as well as introducing UNIT and Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), who are a major part of Doctor Who moving forward.

Those familiar with the more recent Great Intelligence stories will notice a lot of similarities in the way the villain is handled. The GI is fond of natural weapons and controlling life forms entirely. It also favors a cold weather motif, and seeks to add to its brainpower. Seeing how well the Great Intelligence is used here, it is no wonder it made a big impression on the people who make the series now, and it’s easy to see why they wanted to bring it back.

As far as picture and sound quality go, one would expect The Web of Fear to be severely lacking, given that the prints were found in not-so-nice conditions, not taken care of or preserved in any real fashion. Yet, most likely due to a high talented restoration team, it looks pretty darn good. There are visual flaws, of course, showing the age of the installments themselves. But considering what it’s been through, The Web of Fear is sharper and more detailed than I expected, with a soundtrack that is quite defined for a mono presentation.

The Web of Fear lacks special features entirely. This may come as a surprise to Doctor Who fans who eagerly snap up each new DVD, usually jammed with tons of bonus material. One reason we may be left wanting here is because the story might have been rushed into release, having only been discovered a year ago, in an effort to spare fans of a longer wait. Another may be that the money for the project went into the episodes themselves, clearly presented with care. Whatever the cause, that probably just means the title is ripe for a Special Edition down the line.

Even without extras, though, I still recommend checking out The Web of Fear. It is a compelling, well-made story that stands the test of time and features some terrific performances and production. It’s also cool to fill in such a glaring gap in the Doctor Who universe, connecting dots that many thought could never be connected.

Doctor Who – The Web of Fear is available now.

Doctor Who opens 'The Tomb of the Cybermen'

BBC's Doctor Who - "The Tomb of the Cybermen" gets the special edition treatment in its release this week. The earliest complete Second Doctor serial, "The Tomb of the Cybermen" finds the Doctor (Patrick Troughton, The Omen, Knights of God), Jamie (Frazer Hines, Emmerdale), and Victoria (Deborah Watling, Invisible Man, Take Me High) joining an expedition into a mountain. The rock supposedly hides the remains of the extinct Cybermen, who mysteriously disappeared centuries ago, but soon the adventurers learn that the antagonistic robots may not be as dead as first thought.

The Cyberman are a great recurring Doctor Who foe who continue up into the present series. Revealed to be invented on a twin planet of Earth, unlike the Earth-made parallel version Cybermen of the modern era, they are a machine that originally was organic. These cyborgs want nothing more than to survive, which they often do by trying to conquer. This September 1967 serial, as indicated by the title, features this very popular race.

A man named Klieg (George Pastell, From Russia With Love, The Mummy) is a member of a group who values logic and intelligence above everything else. Thinking he is like the Cybermen, and they will serve him in exchange for being woken up, he frees them. This is a mistake, as the cyborgs turn on him quickly. Even after the Cybermen leader is destroyed, the robots still will not listen to Klieg.

Is the mistake of logic Klieg's or the Cybermen's? Klieg expects obedience, but isn't that because he expects gratitude, an emotion? Of course the Cybermen do not possess such reasoning. Klieg's logic is faulty. Perhaps he is too smart for his own good, overlooking something that should be common sense. In the end, his great intelligence leads to his undoing.

It can be argued that the Doctor is very smart, too, like Klieg. However, the Doctor knows when to keep his "eyes open and his mouth shut," as he tells the disgruntled logistician, and that serves him far better than the alternative.

Of course, Klieg cannot know that the Cybermen already have a leader and a plan while sleeping in their "tomb." They are not extinct, but merely waiting. It's a clever idea, really, to wait until no one is expecting a threat from them, then, taking their 'savior's' ship, stage an invasion. In this way, by following the ship back to its origin, they can pull a surprise attack on a planet that they know is advanced enough to benefit them. And to robots, what's a few hundred years sleep?

A fun continuity note, the Doctor admits to being about 450 years old in "The Tomb of the Cybermen." He also says he can remember his family, when he really wants to. It's a rare glimpse into the mysterious, complicated being at the center of this series.

Not only is "The Tomb of the Cybermen" a great story, but this two-disc DVD set has plenty to merit a purchase. For those who bought the original release a decade ago, this one is digitally remastered, and it does look good, even with a 4:3 black and white picture with mono sound. It appears as crisp and clean as can be expected, given its age. Add to that the wealth of new bonus features, and even those who shelled out money before should probably purchase it again.

Among the new extras is a fresh audio commentary track featuring Hines, Watling, and script editor Victor Pemberton. Also included is the original commentary that Watling and Hines did for the earlier DVD release, as well as a three-minute introduction by director Morris Barry.

A number of featurettes expound upon the story in this serial. "The Lost Giants" is a 27-minute look at the making of "The Tomb of the Cybermen," with cast and crew participation. Fourteen minutes, titled "The Curse of the Cybermen's Tomb," examines the connections of this serial with ancient Egypt. Many elements of the tomb in these episodes are drawn from human history, though obviously adapted with a sci-fi spin. Given the human connection of the race's origin, this seems appropriate. "Cybermen - Extended Edition" gives a pretty thorough history of the cyborgs in half an hour, beginning with their introduction in 1966, and continuing into the rebooted series.

Seven minutes are given to the VidFIRE process, which is how the quality of this release is achieved. There is also a three-minute interview from special effects guru Jack Kine, title sequence tests, a photo gallery, the expected PDF materials, and a recreation of the battle from "The Evil of the Daleks." There is a lot here, so much so that it will take longer to get through the extras than it takes to watch the episodes themselves.

The BBC has really done a top notch job, updating this once-lost tale into a fully-fleshed out, extra-laden DVD set. Doctor Who - "The Tomb of the Cybermen" Special Edition is on sale now.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Click here for every Doctor Who review I've ever written. Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Tomb of the Cybermen (Special Edition) on Blogcritics.