Doctor Who messes with the Aztecs

Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Aztecs Special Edition on Blogcritics. 

The Aztecs, the latest Doctor Who Special Edition released to DVD by the BBC originally aired towards the end of the show's first series. The serial consists of four half-hour episodes, which aired in May and June of 1964. It is now available on a two-disc set, complete with a wealth of extras.

As The Aztecs opens, the TARDIS lands in a tomb in 15th century Mexico. Upon emerging from said tomb, Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) is mistakenly hailed as an incarnation of an ancient high priestess. Considering she knows quite a bit about this period of human history, she decides it might be best to end the Aztec's practice of human sacrifice here and now, which, in her estimation, could spare them from their eventual extinction at the hands of Spanish conquerors.

At stake in The Aztecs, are the consequences of changing of history. If presented with the opportunity, should anyone alter the present, even if it is possible to rending the world a better place? Or is it preferable to let events run their course, considering that every bad thing still contributes into civilization as it evolves.

If you're satisfied with the present, why  risk messing it up by screwing with the past? What unintended consequences could the wreak havoc with the world? Is it even possible to change events, or are certain paths predestined?

These are questions wrestled with since the idea of time travel was first explored, and certainly since the beginnings of Doctor Who nearly five decades ago. There aren't easy or certain answers, and they are still debated today.

Doctor Who does itself a service by addressing them so early on in the show's history, and in a way that viewers would find relatable, as Barbara's intentions are noble. It's intelligent storytelling, and an excellent example of what Doctor Who has to offer the genre.

The Doctor (William Hartnell) is shocked and appalled that Barbara would even consider mucking up events. His mindset and values are not well known, especially at this point in the show's run, but clearly changing history goes against his grain. This makes for some tension between the Doctor and his companion.

The Aztecs is an exciting adventure, with lots of subterfuge and danger. Ian (William Russell) is tasked with battling to the death; there is poison and betrayal. It makes for a great and entertaining batch of episodes, even while raising some important moral issues.

Besides the action and musings, though, The Aztecs still finds room for humor. Both the Doctor and his granddaughter, Susan (Carole Ann Ford), accidentally become romantically involved with locals from the time, and must try to gracefully exit the situation without destroying local custom. This combination of so many elements makes The Aztecs a very good entry, indeed.

Which isn't to say that it's perfect. The fight scenes, like many shows of this era, feel stilted and fake. The backdrops are not always convincing. But this can be chalked up to budgetary issues and the style of the era, and not a complaint directed against the show.

The DVD picture and sound are far from the best among the Doctor Who serials on the market. However, considering that it comes from the earliest days of the series, the efforts taken to restore it should be appreciated. The technical quality could definitely have been much worse, and most fans will just be delighted to get to experience this classic tale at all. Guest stars in The Aztecs include Keith Pyott (The Prisoner), John Ringham (Just Good Friends), and Ian Cullen (Emergency - Ward 10), all of whom do a fine job.

There are many, many bonus features with this set. The audio commentary track is done by Russell and Ford, accompanied by producer Verity Lambert. The expected photo gallery and PDF materials are also present, as is an optional Arabic soundtrack for episode four. Big Doctor Who fans won't want to miss the previously lost story of Galaxy 4, tacked on here with the complete episode three, only recently recovered.

There is a half hour "Making Of" as well as several short featurettes, including one on design, and one on restoring the episodes. "It's a Square World," the very first Doctor Who skit, is included, and there are specials on the Spanish conquest of Mexico and the making of the film Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 AD. And there's even more than what I've listed.

Not all of the extras are directly related to The Aztecs. It's interesting to get some history of the time period, even if its a bit baffling as to why so much Doctor Who content pertaining to other stories is included. All in all, though, The Aztecs Special Edition is a jam-packed, very satisfying set.

Doctor Who The Aztecs Special Edition is available now.

Doctor Who cowed by The Reign of Terror

Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Reign of Terror on Blogcritics.

The BBC finally released the Doctor Who eason one finale, The Reign of Terror on DVD this month. Besides Marco Polo (which is lost, but has already been released as a condensed reconstruction), this is the last serial of the first year that hadn't yet been available on disc.

The Reign of Terror begins with the Doctor (William Hartnell) attempting to take Ian (William Russell) and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill) home, but instead they land in France in the 18th Century, at the time of the French Revolution. It doesn't take long for our heroes to get involved in events, and instead of getting to relax, Ian and Barbara are drawn into one more predicament.

I have a lot of issues with The Reign of Terror. I understand why the Doctor and his companions would seek period clothing, to blend in, but do they have to choose garb that will incite violence against them? And then not change? Once they realize what is going on, why not just find the TARDIS and leave? Why would they consider messing with history, and tell those living in this time of things yet to come? Are the law enforcement officials so inept that the main characters can skirt around them and escape imprisonment on multiple occasions? And there seems to be a little more overacting than is usual, even for actors of the period, especially from Carole Ann Ford, who plays Susan, the Doctor's granddaughter.

I'm not sure if I just haven't watched enough of the very early episodes of Doctor Who to get a feel for what the series was like back then, or if the show was still finding its footing. Or maybe, in this instance, it's just a misstep of a serial, writing full of plot holes, and execution that doesn't really give viewers much to get invested in, which I find unusual for Doctor Who.

There is definitely a formula to the older Doctor Who serials, in which the Doctor and his friends are invariably separated; some get captured, they escape, others get captured, and this tends to happen several times before they can sort things out. Yet, usually there is a larger arc or a moral issue to ponder. I did not detect that second layer in this particular batch of episodes, only the surface, rote method of storytelling. Not to mention, in the middle of a war, there should be a level of danger and chaos, which is absent here.

I also am not thrilled with the portrayal of France. For exterior shots, we get crude sketches. There aren't any crowd scenes, despite what is going on, and it's hard to keep track of which guest characters are trustworthy or not. I understand, budget was probably a serious consideration, but it makes the tale feel more fake than it needs to be, taking us out of the story. Overall, I am underwhelmed.

That being said, I do give credit for the restoration project. The episodes themselves look dated, to be sure, as it is awfully hard to make something so old have clear picture and sound. This DVD release is grainy, though mostly consistent throughout.

But my compliments go to the animation of the two missing installments. They use the original audio tracks, or so it seems, and the animation style matches the sets, costumes, and performers better than expected. It isn't as good as watching for real, of course, but the effort to fill in the gaps and make the story still flow seamlessly is a resounding success.

I also really enjoy Hartnell in this. While the others actors are mostly forgettable, Hartnell is charming and funny, stealing most scenes, especially the ones in which he is without the other main players.

Even though The Reign of Terror is not a Special Edition, it does contain quite a few extras in the one disc set. There is a twenty-five minute Making Of featurette, in which Russell and Ford, among others, participate. A set tour of the animated recreation is present, as are galleries of both stills and drawn images. Plus, there's the usual PDF materials and audio commentary on all six episodes, the animated ones being a bit different from the originals.

All in all I can recommend this DVD because it does finish out the first season, and because there is something worth admiring in the way that the production team brings us previously lost parts of the story, even if the plot itself leaves a little something to be desired.

Doctor Who - The Reign of Terror is available now.

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Planet of Giants doesn't intimidate Doctor Who

Now available on DVD is the second season premiere of the classic Doctor Who, originally airing in the fall of 1964. Entitled Planet of Giants, the story finds the Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Barbara (Jacqueline Hill), and Ian (William Russell) finally making it back to 1960s Earth. There's just one caveat: they've all been shrunk to only 1" tall.

Yes, Planet of Giants is the inspiration for several stories that came after it in film culture, including the movie Honey I Shrunk the Kids. Our heroes encounter giant bugs and have trouble even getting around. Short distances become long journeys. They're even too small to make themselves heard by normal sized humans.

Of course, Planet of the Giants is not just about how the Doctor and his companions get around while being tiny. There is a murder that must be uncovered, as well. A man named Farrow (Frank Crawshaw) has invented a very deadly insect spray. Too deadly, it turns out (is there such a thing?). When Farrow tries to cancel the project, he is killed by Forester (Alan Tilvern, Who Framed Roger Rabbit), a guy who stands to profit greatly from the poison.

There isn't much the Doctor and his friends can do in their current state to stop Forester, or expose his heinous acts. Luckily, they aren't alone in their suspicions. A telephone operator named Hilda (Rosemary Johnson) notices something funny going on, and tells her cop husband, Bert (Fred Ferris). Forester's assistant, Smithers (Reginald Barratt) also grows wary of his boss.

On a side note, might this Smithers be the inspiration for the sidekick to evil boss Mr. Burns on The Simpsons?

Planet of the Giants does show its lack of budget or special effects technology more than many Doctor Who serials, having to rely heavily on visual tricks for its premise. The story is definitely ambitious for the resources of the time, and while it might have been slightly better made in a later era, Who should be applauded for taking on such a task.

Most of the writing is very well done, as usual. There is only one thing that bugs me, and that is how can someone be healed from an illness just by growing in size? Is the TARDIS technology really so good that it can enlarge people, but keep microscopic things inside the body tiny?

While presented as three episodes on television, Planet of the Giants was originally written and filmed in four parts. Much of what was cut were scenes for Hilda and Bert. Unfortunately, someone at the studio didn't like the lack of focus on the show's leads during that time, and so ordered episodes three and four to be edited down to a single half hour combined. The lack of insight into supporting character development is regrettable. This DVD attempts to correct that injustice, offering both episodes in full, recreated using new animation and dialogue. Eight minutes of a look behind the scenes at this process is included. For that alone, this DVD set is well worth fans' time.

There are also a lot of other features. The expected audio commentary is this time handled by Clive Doig, a vision mixer, Sonia Markham, make-up supervisor, David Tilley, floor assistant, and Brian Hodgson, special sounds creator. The discussion is moderated by Mark Ayres. There are also the typical photo gallery and PDF materials.

The set includes two interviews. One shows Carole Ann Ford in 2003 making a Doctor Who documentary. The other is Verity Lambert, from the same documentary. These aren't really fresh, but they are nice to have included if one hasn't seen them before.

Interestingly, there is also an Arabic audio option.

Despite Planet of Giants being made in the mid-'60s, the picture and sound has been restored pretty well for the digital era. It's far from perfect, of course, but it's better than many black and white releases from the same time frame. Taking into account the BBC's lack of preservation efforts in that decade, it's really remarkable that we get a quality this good.

Check out Doctor Who Planet of Giants, available now.

If you like my reviews, please follow me on Twitter! Check out my website, JeromeWetzel.com! Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who Planet of Giants on Blogcritics.

Doctor Who brings "The Sensorites" to DVD

BBC has just released the classic Doctor Who serial "The Sensorites" on DVD. This six-part tale is from season one of the series, originally airing in the summer of 1964. The Doctor (William Hartnell), Susan (Carole Ann Ford), Ian (William Russell, Harriet's Back in Town), and Barbara (Jacqueline Hill, Romeo & Juliet) find a spaceship whose inhabitants are apparently dead. Or so they think until the "dead" begin to wake up. But the ship is trapped, forced to stay in orbit of the Sense-Sphere, where the Sensorites live. This race has had a bad encounter with humans, and it's unclear whether they mean to harm the travelers. Can the Doctor broker peace?

"The Sensorites" introduces the Sensorite race, which isn't a particularly memorable one. They are a scaredy-cat species, at least as afraid of the humans as the humans are of them. They are terrified of the dark and loud noises, and quite oddly, cannot recognize members of their own race. This particular characteristic is incredibly weird, and surely not realistic. It is hard to comprehend how a culture could function when they can't tell one individual from another. This is not delved into in depth, but on the surface, at least, it doesn't make a lot of sense.

The Sensorites, despite their timidness, do still prove a threat, or at least, certain Sensorites do. Some of these aliens wish to kill the Doctor and his companions, while others just want their help in curing a disease inflicting the race. Which want which? Again, impossible to know, because no one can tell which Sensorite is which, making it easy for one in power to be replaced.

One thing that "The Sensorites" can be credited for is being the frontrunner to the rebooted Doctor Who race, the Ood. The Ood are from the Ood-Sphere, which is, apparently, in the same solar system as the Sense-Sphere. Many consider the Ood a better set of characters, but those fans should thank "The Sensorites" for laying the groundwork, which in present day has been built upon.

As much as the Doctor is the star of the series, Susan is center stage in "The Sensorites." Like the aliens, she possesses telepathic abilities, which allows her to help solve the mysteries that the group faces. She also speaks of her home planet, enriching the back story of a character not well known. Ford is up to this challenge, really making Susan quite interesting in this installment, and it's too bad that she doesn't get more focus more often.

In the end, it is discovered that the Sensorites are being poisoned by humans on the planet, who have become monsters. The offenders are stopped, and sent home to be treated for madness. It's an unexpected twist, and not one that seems particularly brilliant. There isn't really a set of clues that leads to this discovery, but rather, it's tossed in at the last minute. Slightly disappointing.

What "The Sensorites" does well is deliver a sci-fi experience. The look of the alien world is pretty, well, alien. The set builders use lots of curved lines to differentiate the architecture of the Sensorites. Being that this is made in 1964, and predates most filmed science fiction, Doctor Who really had room to play at making a new environment, and they do so very well. There is also a general level of creepiness infused in much of the adventure, owing to the slow burn unfolding of the plot, wonderfully capturing a tone of unease in this strange place.

"The Sensorites" DVD comes with some pretty great extras. Twenty-one minutes are devoted to looking into the writer of this serial, Peter R. Newman, who, strangely enough, has only one other screen credit. There is a seven minute extra examining what a Vision Mixer does, and two minutes cover how the Sensorites' voices were developed by said mixer.

The commentary track has a lot of voices on it, but it is moderated to avoid being too confusing. The performers behind Ian and Susan are present, as well as some guest stars, the director, Frank Cox, and a couple of crew members. In all, there is a wealth of information to be gleaned from these tracks. Also included is a photo gallery and PDF materials, which include some design sketches. Pretty neat.

For a serial so old, "The Sensorites" looks good. The audio and picture have been remastered, of course, and perhaps that's why it took so long to reach release. The work is fantastic, and one may be surprised at how nicely it is presented, considering.

Buy Doctor Who - "The Sensorites," available now on DVD.

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Article first published as DVD Review: Doctor Who - The Sensorites on Blogcritics.