Let's get it right out there in the open -- the dinosaur effects are naff. There. It's been said. Now, we can move on to discuss an otherwise brilliant story!
Harry -
I didn't check if the DVD release featured updated special effects and CGI dinos, but I'd rather watch this story in the pure original.
Sarah -
I agree. I hate when effects are updated for contemporary audiences. *Shoots a dirty look at George Lucas.*
Harry -
*Shakes head in disgust at George Lucas*
This is probably the Pertwee story I have seen the least. I don't own it in any format and remember watching it only once online, a few years ago. So it was like watching a brand new story.
Sarah -
I thought I had seen it before, but quickly realized I hadn't. A new story! Huzzah!
Harry -
You know old girl, I think this might be the best six-parter of the Pertwee era. It was great stuff from beginning to end.
I'd forgotten most of the story, including the mysterious deserted London that the Doctor and Sarah encounter at the beginning. A nice eerie atmosphere was established immediately. Unfortunately, here in the 21st century I've been conditioned to expect a horde of zombies to come shuffling round a corner in this scenario. It had that feel to it.
Sarah -
It was brilliant. I love the image of Paddy Russell and a camera man going commando on the early morning streets of London to get those shots.
Harry -
There was an unexpected bit of gore too, when they flashed that shot of the looter who died in a car crash. Very grown up Who, this is.
Sarah -
Mac Hulke is not pulling his punches.
Harry -
Well, it felt very grown up until later on, and that spectacular model shot of a T-rex slowly smashing through a building. I loved that shot!
Overall, the first episode was one of the better ones we've seen. It created a great atmosphere, kept our heroes and us in the dark as to what was going on, and included some wild action scenes. Most importantly, the Doctor finally gets to encounter PREHISTORIC MONSTERS! What could be better?
Sarah -
Really, who doesn't love dinosaurs? They speak to the child in each of us.
Harry -
There's a juicy conspiracy unravelled as the story goes on. Certain elements of the government and military are using rogue scientists to deliver Operation Golden Age - a turning back of the Earth's clock to a "purer," pre-industrial time. There, a few thousand volunteers intend to launch a new, Luddite society. What a scheme!
So it turns out that the prehistoric monsters - really the highlight of the story - are merely a ploy to empty out the city of London so that the conspirators can do their conspiring in peace. It's insane!
Sarah -
I have to agree that the plot is completely mad, but I was completely riveted every step of the way!
Harry -
Good thing the cast of extras gave a believeable performance, from classic baddie Peter Miles as Whittaker, to John Bennett's lizard-like General Finch, and best of all, the kindly-yet-obviously-patronizing Minister Grover, played by Noel Johnson.
Sarah -
There isn't a bad performance in the bunch. The regulars and guest actors are all the top of their game.
Meanwhile, Sarah Jane settles in nicely as the Doctor's newest "assistant" -- asking questions and taking matters into her own hands when necessary.
Harry -
Throw in Captain Yates as one of the conspirators, and suddenly the UNIT family is no longer so cosy. Yates' experiences in "The Green Death" must have opened his eyes to environmental and industrial issues, making him a willing participant in the Operation Golden Age plot. But he can't quite cross the line, and remains torn between loyalty and idealism. I love this little subplot.
Sarah -
Richard Franklin is SO GOOD in this story. It's his finest moment in Doctor Who.
But what about Benton? Good old loyal Benton! He's always been a favorite of mine and this is his moment to shine -- asking the Doctor to knock him out so the Doctor can escape, fighting with the General, putting himself under arrest and setting off with the Brig to find the Doctor. He even gets his special heroic image moment with the really big gun in the Land Rover.
Harry -
Solid Benton performance.
Going back to the T-rex, the most impressive model work it got was when it was captured and chained down in the hangar. The crew produced a nice "breathing" effect that made the big guy look alive. I want one.
Sarah -
Does your condo allow pets?
Harry -
I might have to sneak it in.
My gosh, we haven't even talked about the episode three cliffhanger: Sarah wakes up on a spaceship that left Earth three months ago, headed to a new planet in another solar system. It's the ultimate "WHAAATTTTT!" moment.
Sarah -
Those poor, delusional people on the "spaceship!" So well meaning and so clueless. The moment when Sarah walks off the space ship was one of my favorites in this story. This is the Sarah Jane we know and love!
Harry -
Sarah is brilliant here, Sarah. She sneaks into the top secret base, repeatedly escapes from the conspirators, solves the mystery of the spaceship, blows the conspiracy wide open, and even crawls through her very first air shaft. Sarah cannot be stopped!
Sarah -
Go Sarah Go!
Harry -
One more point about the well meaning "space travellers." It was driving me mad wondering where we'd seen Ruth before. So I put on the old "Rob & Toby" cap (remember them?) and discovered that she was Toronto-born Carmen Silvera, who previously appeared in "The Celestial Toymaker" as the Queen of Hearts, among other imprisoned characters in the Toymaker's world.
Sarah -
At this rate, we'll finish our marathon before they finish theirs!
Harry -
Well... you mentioned it right off the bat. The dinosaurs are naff. Whenever they were onscreen, it pulled me right out of the story. Unfortunate. But good on Barry and Terry for trying to pull it off using mid-70s technology. Sure, kids these days, they get Dinosaurs! On a Spaceship! and all that jazz. They don't know how good they got it, do they?
Sarah -
They never do.
Harry -
Well, any parting thoughts before the Doctor whisks Sarah away to the planet Florinia?
Sarah -
I'd like to share my least-favorite thing about this story -- and, no, it's not the dinosaurs. It's the fact that this is Malcolm Hulke's final Doctor Who Story. I will miss his combination of political intrigue and human foible. This season truly is the end of an era.
Harry -
I didn't realize this is the last of the Hulke stories. One of the best writers the show ever had. We'll have to drink a toast to him.
Sarah -
Best Line: "It's not the oil and the filth and the poisonous chemicals that are the real cause of pollution, Brigadier. It's simply greed."
Favorite Moment: Benton helping the Doctor escape.
Lasting Image: Sarah on the "spaceship."
8/10
Harry -
Best line:
SARAH: "It's probably been vandalised."
DOCTOR: "That's a very unfair word, you know, because actually the Vandals were quite decent chaps."
Favourite Moment: the part three spaceship cliffhanger.
Lasting Image: T-Rex.
Was going to give this one a 9, but those dinos were just so naff...
8/10
Our marathon continues with Story #72 - Death to the Daleks...
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