KryptonSite's DVD Review Column #2: Doctor Who & The Sarah Jane Adventures
Reviewed
by Craig Byrne
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Read previous installments of the KryptonSite DVD Column:
#1 (10/08) Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 & Supernatural Season 3
In our second journey into recent DVD releases, we take a look at some new offerings from BBC Video featuring Craig's favorite British television series - Doctor Who. Enjoy the reviews!
Doctor Who: The Brain of Morbius
Starring Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen
BBC Video
4 episodes on 1 disc
Release Date: October 7, 2008
Years before the current incarnation of Doctor Who was conceived, there were seven different actors to play the character of The Doctor over a 26-season run. (Eight if you count the 1996 TV-movie) The most famous of those Doctors - and the one that you see when Doctor Who is referenced on shows like The Simpsons or Family Guy - is the fourth and longest-running Doctor, Tom Baker.
And this is where I make a confession: When I watched the original Doctor Who episodes in sequence with my best friend, I didn't warm to Tom Baker's Doctor very easily. I really, really enjoyed Jon Pertwee's interpretation, perhaps because it was the Pertwee era where we started. I also wasn't too big on Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith, his companion, as I had grown quite attached to her predecessor, Jo Grant.
"The Brain of Morbius" changed all of that.
I don't know if it was the newer production team of Philip Hinchcliffe and company, or the growing cooperation (and ad libbing) between stars Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen, but as soon as he referred to Sarah Jane Smith as his "best friend," I was hooked. Also, despite being a very dark story with echoes of Frankenstein, Baker and Sladen both incorporate some humor and flow together seamlessly. They made the show fun as a viewer, and the creative people behind the scenes were creating some of the best Doctor Who there is.
This DVD is just as good as the four episodes contained within; there's a look at the designs of the sets for the episode, and there is a behind-the-scenes documentary that is over a half an hour long. There's even a virtual set tour. Not bad for an episode that originally aired more than 30 years ago.
For a long time I was stuck as to what old Who serial I would recommend to someone who was only familiar to the new stuff; now I know my answer. I highly recommend "The Brain of Morbius" as an example of the best old Who had to offer; you won't be disappointed. This Doctor Who DVD gets a 5 out of 5; like I said, if you're familiar with only the new stuff, this is a perfect taste of what came before.
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Doctor Who: The Trial of a Time Lord
Starring Colin Baker, Nicola Bryant, Bonnie Langford, Lynda Bellingham, and Michael Jayston
BBC Video
14 episodes on 4 discs
Release Date: October 7, 2008
The Trial of a Time Lord was the longest Doctor Who serial ever, even though one could argue that it's really four different stories combined. The producers of the show created an arc throughout the season where the Doctor was, well, on trial.
The character was "on trial" in reality as well - this season aired 19 months after the previous one, in a long hiatus, and the producers were charged with creating this different approach rather than some self-contained stories as originally planned.
The Doctor in this era is Colin Baker, an actor who puts forth an excellent (albeit hammy) performance but unfortunately is plagued by a hideous costume. The Trial box set features a lot of extras exploring this controversial era for the show with Colin at the center of it all.
The Trial of a Time Lord is perhaps best viewed the way I originally saw it - marathon-style, back to back. It'll take about seven hours though it'll be less if you do what I did and wisely skip "Terror of the Vervoids." When you get to "The Ultimate Foe," the series' final episodes, you feel like you've reached the end of a video game or a great journey. It's well worth it.
Michael Jayston is excellent as the Doctor's nemesis in this story, The Valeyard. Arch-enemy The Master also makes an appearance. The episodes themselves - such as the previously-mentioned "Vervoids" - have a lot of ups and downs. I personally enjoyed "Mindwarp," "The Mysterious Planet," and "The Ultimate Foe," but your mileage may vary.
I also want to take this time to personally apologize to Catherine Tate for ever suggesting that Donna could be as annoying as Bonnie Langford. Eeeuch! While Donna was a character I came to love, Mel was not so lucky.
Unfortunately this story is the swan song for Colin Baker's Doctor; when the show would return again, Sylvester McCoy would be in the lead role. Despite this, Baker has been a great sport, participating in show events and DVD extras, and also performing in many audio dramas from Big Finish where, thankfully, we don't have to see the costume.
The DVD extras on this set are just as impressive if not even better than the episodes themselves. There's a documentary on the entire Colin Baker era; there's also a look at the show's famous cliffhangers, from 1963 all the way through sequences from the new series. There's a really horrible "Doctor In Distress" music video that has a song that will stick in your head whether you want it to or not. There's also a Children in Need appearance by many of the then-surviving Doctors and companions, many of whom were in costume.
If you're a fan of classic Doctor Who, you will love this set; if you are looking to get into it but haven't seen much yet, The Brain of Morbius may be a better choice. Either way, the folks at 2entertain and BBC Video put together a really nice package here; 5 out of 5 for the extras, 3.5 out of 5 for the actual episodes.
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The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete First Season
Starring Elisabeth Sladen
BBC Video
6 stories on 4 discs
Release Date: October 7, 2008
The final Doctor Who release from last week featured the character I came to love in "The Brain of Morbius," and that's Elisabeth Sladen as Sarah Jane Smith. Her character returned in the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion" and it wasn't long before her own show was commissioned.
Unfortunately, it's a children's program, and as such it's made to be a bit silly at times. Characters such as the Graske, the Slitheen, and the threat of Bubble Shock are just silly, and made me feel a little odd being as old as I am and still watching. However, the presence of Lis Sladen as Sarah kept me watching.
I think I might enjoy the series a bit more if the robotic dog K-9 had more of a presence; I wish his creators would allow him to appear with Sarah more rather than pitching their own non-BBC project. I love the tin dog; what can I say?
The producers of this show did do a few things right, however. After "Invasion of the Bane," they jettisoned the quite annoying character Kelsey and replaced her with charismatic Clyde. Another character who I don't really care for, I hear might be on the way out, and I hope that is true. One character in the show that I do like is Luke, an artificially created boy who becomes Sarah's "son."
This is a GREAT set for kids; I have no doubt that they would love it. As an older viewer, it can be a little taxing, which is too bad because being a kid's show should not mean dumbing things down. The original Doctor Who is a perfect example of that. However, Lis Sladen is still wonderful, and eagle-eyed viewers might even spot photos of Harry and the Brigadier in her attic. Also, despite it being 30 years since she first left Doctor Who, Elisabeth Sladen is STILL beautiful.
As for the DVD extras... there's a lot of great stuff, but unfortunately nowhere in the packaging does it say what is on which disc. This is made even worse by the menus, meant to be a re-creation of Sarah's attic, but still quite confusing as to what you can find where. I did manage to find a great interview with Elisabeth Sladen around the time the Doctor Who episode "School Reunion" aired and I liked that a lot; but the other stuff was just a confused mess. (Incidentally, I wish more American TV-DVD allowed for the talk show appearances to be on the sets)
Of the three DVD sets reviewed in this column, however, The Sarah Jane Adventures is the weakest. As I said, kids will love it - especially those into Harry Potter and that sort of thing. But as someone older, I think I wanted something even slightly more mature, and I was disappointed with how confusing the DVD extras were to access. 3 out of 5 for me.
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Next up in the KryptonSite DVD Review column... we'll surprise you! (In other words, we have no idea!) See yo usoon!
