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DVD Reviews: September 2009 Doctor Who DVD ReleasesBy Craig Byrne - KryptonSite WebmasterThe modern era of Doctor Who has not only brought out quick releases of the new series, but BBC Video has also amped things up a bit to put out the "classic series" releases on a speedier schedule than before. This means a lot of DVD goodness for fans of the new stuff as well as the old. In this column, KryptonSite's Craig Byrne takes a look at the releases that have come out this month.
Released onto DVD this week, this latest Doctor Who DVD release first aired on the BBC in the United Kingdom on Christmas Day 2008. Coming soon after actor David Tennant announced he was leaving the role, many people went into this expecting David Morrissey's "Next Doctor" to be the real deal. (And maybe he was... watch the show!) While this isn't as rewatchable as the previous year's Kylie Minogue Titanic story "Voyage of the Damned," it's still an enjoyable romp and better than the "Planet of the Dead" special that followed it. My favorite sequence in the whole hour is a montage of images showing the nine previous Doctors. Although we saw a few of them on a journal in the "Only Human" 2-parter in Series Three, and the Fifth Doctor in "Time Crash," it's the first video acknowledgement of what has come before, and yes, Paul McGann "counts." That made me happy. On the subject of "next Doctors," this special affirms to me that I wish David Tennant were staying with the series indefinitely. He's a fantastic actor, and one of the best Doctors the series has had. Extras on this 1-disc set are seriously lacking. There's no commentary on this set, and the only extra is "Doctor Who At The Proms," a concert special at Albert Hall from last year. Although Freema Agyeman, Catherine Tate, and David Tennant are all involved, and the music is great, I have a feeling the experience would have been a lot better to see in person. It's not a bad bonus feature, but it's really a "watch only once" sort of thing. I hope a DVD set containing all of the new specials comes out once they've all concluded. Because one episode with minimal bonus features is a little disappointing, even though it is well priced at under $10 at most online outlets. Order a copy from Amazon.com and support the KryptonSite Network!
Speaking of "one of the best Doctors," before the new series the most memorable actor to play The Doctor, for many people, was Tom Baker. "The Deadly Assassin" is one of his most notable stories in that it is the only Doctor Who serial before the 21st century in which the Doctor doesn't travel with a companion. In "Assassin," the Doctor is summoned to Gallifrey - his home planet - for a story that looks into Time Lord politics and the return of one of his deadliest foes. The story also involves a violent confrontation for the Doctor in a virtual world known as The Matrix. Did I mention this story was broadcast in 1976? Although this story makes the Time Lords act a lot more human than they probably should, it's still one of the best stories in the classic range, and a great addition to DVD, no matter how much Mary Whitehouse had fits about the violence. As for special features, there's new commentary including Tom Baker (always a treat!) and a look at the classic novel "The Manchurian Candidate" which inspired some of the themes in this story, as well as features on the "frighten factor" of the show and a look back at the Mary Whitehouse thing. Definitely a recommendation to those who'd like to see how Doctor Who was done in 1976, especially those who have never seen a story with the Time Lords. ("The War Games," which will be released later this year, is an even better look at the Time Lords, but that's not out yet!) Order a copy from Amazon.com and support the KryptonSite Network!
Another welcome release from the Tom Baker era, this time featuring the Doctor and his then-relatively-new companion Leela (played by Louise Jameson) opposite a mysterious glowing skull. Some of the effects are silly (wait until you see the slithering Fendahleen - one of those cases where they shouldn't have even bothered) but it's still an enjoyable 4-part story. Audio commentary features Baker and Jameson with some of the guest stars, and there's an interesting "After Image" documentary looking at the making of the serial, featuring interviews with many of the folks involved (including the folks who made the Fendahleen). Of particular interest is an interview with a woman who was made up to be the Fendahl in the episode. This release also includes deleted scenes. While not holding a place in Doctor Who history like "The Deadly Assassin" has had, it's still one of the classic series' better stories. Order a copy from Amazon.com and support the KryptonSite Network!
Confession time: Before this story, I had never seen much of the infamous "Season 24" of Doctor Who. The Mel material from "Trial of a Time Lord" scared me and I've been warned against Sylvester McCoy's first story, "Time and the Rani." I'd seen Chapter One of "Dragonfire" and it was painful to watch. So, I went into this DVD with a lot of caution. Surprisingly, it's quite a lot of fun! The effects are terribly realized - worse even than the robot in "Robot" - and Keff McCullough's music is overpowering, but that's part of what gives "Delta and the Bannermen" a special cheese factor. There are some celebrity appearances in this, such as the Mad Hatter lookalike Ken Dodd, but at least for me it doesn't distract as much as, say, bad bus-flying special effects do. "Delta and the Bannermen" isn't one of Doctor Who's best but it is charming. Probably more for the hard-core fans or those who'd like to see what it was like when the show was trying to do special effects that were beyond their means. I'd also like to know how the DVD makers could clear "Rock Around The Clock" among the music when Happy Days couldn't even pull that off for their Season Two set. The inclusion of the proper music does make me happy, though. One other bit: Originally the Doctor and Mel said they were going to go to 1959 Disneyland. While I shudder to think of how badly this would have been realized back then, I'd love to see such a story done today. Maybe if the show were rerun on ABC... There are a lot of extra features, including commentary with the Seventh Doctor, Sylvester McCoy, and others. There are several other features from the time the show aired, and a retrospective on the Seventh Doctor era of the comic strips (which also looks into the period of the "New Adventures" novel range). All three of the Classic Series discs have "Production Note" subtitles which is one of the best parts of having old Doctor Who on DVD. Order a copy from Amazon.com and support the KryptonSite Network! Come back later this week for some more DVD reviews. Lots of good stuff came out this month!
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Doctor Who: The Next Doctor
