Movie Review: Scars of Dracula (1970)

Scars of Dracula (1970) directed by Roy Ward Baker

This late entry in the Hammer Dracula series starts with the local villagers burning the castle of Dracula (Christopher Lee) who has sucked the blood out of one of their daughters. The fire ruins most of the castle but fails to kill the vampire. Years later, Simon (Denis Waterman) is celebrating the birthday of Sarah (Jenny Hanley), his girlfriend. She's also infatuated with his younger brother Paul (Christopher Matthews), a Lothario who has to leave town because of a tryst with the burgomaster's daughter. He flees to a countryside town where the local innkeeper won't give him shelter. He heads to the local castle where he is hosted by Dracula, to his everlasting peril. Simon and Sarah search after Paul, leading into a conflict with Dracula (and those incompetent villagers).

The movie doesn't stint on gore or cleavage, typical Hammer offerings. Lee gets a lot of screen time, which helps, though his performance is less than in other Dracula films. The plot is a bit ramshackle, with some seemingly random killings and a slow investigation. Dracula commands a lot of bats which do some of the killing for him, especially a slaughter at the start. The fake bat unfortunately looks very fake (how does it hover in place?), and when a group of bats appears, they only fly through the scene one at a time, underlining the fakeness at the cost of terror. The ending is more satisfying with a dramatic and unexpected kill for the Count. Also, it's fun to see Patrick Troughton (the Second Doctor in Doctor Who) as Dracula's lackey.

Mildly recommended--this was just okay. Lee's other Dracula films are more satisfying.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Web of Fear (1968)

Doctor Who: The Web of Fear (1968) written by Mervyn Haisman and Henry Lincoln, directed by Douglas Camfield

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) has trouble flying the TARDIS (go figure). The trouble isn't really his fault as some entity is trying to trap him in the Space-Time stream along with companions Victoria (Deborah Watling) and Jamie (Frazer Hines). They manage to break free and land on Earth. The TARDIS winds up in the London Underground. London has been abandoned by the locals due to an infestation of Yeti, which are alien robots. The military works to contain the problem, bringing on board a scientist named Travers (Jack Watling) who has had previous experience with the Yeti, and even with the Doctor (in an episode called The Abominable Snowmen, which I must hunt down)! The mystery is on as they search for who controls the Yeti and how to stop them.

This six-parter is notable for the first appearance of Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney), though he's only a colonel here, not "The Brigadier," and UNIT is not introduced. The Yeti are much more menacing and real-seeming than many of the classic Doctor Who baddies. The mystery keeps the plot moving along, as does the standard running around. Even with so many episodes, the story does not drag out or have slow spots. The cast are in fine form. As I've said before, Troughton has an excellent take on the character and is a delight to watch.

This serial was thought lost but five of the episodes have been recovered. Only the audio from Episode Three exists. The visuals were recreated through animation, much like some previous restored serials. I have to say the animation here is really atrocious. The characters move awkwardly and stiltedly, almost as if it was a rough cut of the animation, not a finished product. I don't know if they were being cheap or rushed, but Doctor Who deserves better! I found that episode hard to watch because of the poor visual quality. 

Mildly recommended--classic Doctor Who in classic form but the rough animation is really hard on the eyes.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Macra Terror (1967 and 2019)

Doctor Who: The Macra Terror (1967 and 2019) written by Ian Stuart Black and directed by John Davies (1967) and Charles Norton (2019)

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) arrives at a futuristic Earth colony somewhere in space. The colony is idyllic in appearance. The workers are happy and well-fed with celebrations almost every night. Cheery music announces work shift changes. The only problem is the occasional worker who claims he sees creatures crawling around at night. A worker named Medok is just such a fellow. He's been assigned for "re-education" but flees imprisonment. When the TARDIS lands just outside the colony, Medok bumps into it. The Doctor and his companions (Jamie (Frazer Hines), Polly (Anneke Wills), and Ben (Michael Craze)) subdue Medok. His pursuers thank the Doctor for capturing the insane criminal. The Doctor isn't so sure Medok is crazy. They all go back to the colony where the strangers are feted by the locals. The Doctor is still curious about Medok and the overly Utopian nature of the colony. His investigation reveals some darker secrets.

This series of episodes is another case where the video has been lost but the audio survives. The BBC created animation based on production photos to pair with the audio. Since the animation is not interwoven with leftover footage from the Troughton series (which was filmed in black and white), this series is in color (or colour, I suppose). The animation isn't great but it gets the job done and the Macra creatures probably look better than they did in the original broadcast.

The story is a little slow, a reflection of the pacing back then. It's a standard Doctor Who plot and well executed. Troughton is delightful as always, even in animated form.

Recommended for classic Doctor Who fans, if you are okay with the animation replacement.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983)

Doctor Who: The Five Doctors (1983) written by Terrance Dicks and directed by Peter Moffatt

The Fifth Doctor (Peter Davison) experiences some cosmic illness and is sucked back to the Time Lords' home world of Gallifrey. But not to just any part of Gallifrey--he's been pulled into the Death Zone. The Death Zone is an ancient area where combatants were placed to provide gladiator-style entertainment. The Zone was sealed off by Rassilon, a Time Lord with great powers and an even greater moral sense. As it happens, not only is the Fifth Doctor hijacked, but also the First Doctor (played by Richard Hurndall, replacing the late William Hartnell), the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton), and the Third Doctor (Jon Pertwee). The Fourth Doctor (Tom Baker) is also kidnapped but he gets trapped in the time vortex and does not arrive on Gallifrey.The four Doctors travel to the Dark Tower at the heart of the Death Zone. The Tower is Rassilon's tomb, a place that legendarily can grant amazing powers.

The other Time Lords see the disturbance of the Doctor's timeline and send in the Master (Anthony Ainley) to get the Doctor out of the Death Zone. Sending in his worst enemy seems like a bad idea and none of the Doctors wants to work with him. They go through a lot of shenanigans to get to Rassilon's burial chamber, where the true mastermind behind the scheme reveals himself and tries both to achieve immortality and eliminate the Doctors.

The episode celebrated the twentieth year of Doctor Who. Baker did not want to come back for this special episode, so footage from an unaired episode was used to shoe-horn his Doctor in. The plot is a nice excuse to bring back not only the previous incarnations of the Doctor but also a lot of beloved companions and villains, some in minor cameo roles. Viewers need a bit of familiarity with these Doctors in order to appreciate a lot of the jokes and references. Without that background, the episode is probably much less interesting and enjoyable.

Recommended, but be sure to have some knowledge of the first several incarnations of the Doctor.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Krotons (1968)

Doctor Who: The Krotons (1968) written by Robert Holmes and directed by David Maloney

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) lands on the Gonds' planet. They are a simplistic tribe of people who are dominated by the Krotons. Hundreds of years ago, the Krotons landed on the planet and war broke out with the Gonds. With their superior technology, the Krotons won and enslaved the Gonds. Currently, their big demand is the offering of the two most intelligent Gonds to be companions to the Krotons. Those Gonds are never seen again. The Doctor and his companions discover that the Kroton companions are being killed. Things have got to stop and the Doctor is ready to take action.

The story is fairly interesting. The menace is presented early but the whole situation is explained at a slower pace. The show holds off on showing the Krotons, which is good since the outfits are really unimpressive. They look like boxy, shiny robots with leather skirts hiding the actors' legs. Not scary at all. What they use the intelligent people for is interesting if not believable. Troughton is great as always.

Recommended if you can handle the poor visual design of the villains.

TV Review: The Power of the Daleks (1966)

The Power of the Daleks (1966) written by David Whitaker, directed by Christopher Barry

The first full story with the Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) has been lost for nearly fifty years. The BBC tapes were wiped and foreign prints were destroyed. Audio versions of the episodes (six in all) exist, as do production photos. The story has been recreated as an animated version on this DVD release.

The new Doctor lands on the planet Vulcan (no relation to the Star Trek planet), which is colonized by humans. The colony has a few problems. Some rebels are stirring up trouble. A scientist has opened up a spacecraft that had crash landed a hundred years ago. Inside are defunct Daleks. The Doctor tries to warn him and others of the danger, but the revived Daleks (because that was bound to happen) play themselves as servants to the humans. At least until they are powerful enough to strike (because that was bound to happen).

The plot moves slowly but steadily and satisfyingly. Seeing the Daleks as sly and deceptive is an interesting twist for characters who are usually shouty and bloodthirsty. The Doctor's companions, Polly and Ben, have the challenge of dealing with a new Doctor whose personality has changed along with his face. This Doctor is not quite sure of himself at first, but he is also sly and deceptive. Troughton has a nice playfulness about him, even at the beginning of his run as the Doctor.

The restoration's quality is weak. The animation is very crude, almost like they had paper cut outs they moved around on the screen. The actors' performances are reduced to their vocal performances. No one moves smoothly or convincingly, making it hard to immerse oneself in the story. Worse, a lot of the sound effects (like feet moving, switches flipping, and background noises) don't match up with the visuals, making the restoration look cheap and sloppy. With how successful Doctor Who has been in the past decade, one would think they could put more money and effort into this restoration. It's okay for a filler episode here and there but for a whole series of episodes, it looks really bad.

Only recommended for Doctor Who completists. The story is a good one. Since I already love Troughton's Doctor and the Daleks, I was able to put up with the poor production values.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet (1966)

Doctor Who: The Tenth Planet (1966) written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, directed by Derek Martinus

The First Doctor (William Hartnell) has his swan song when the TARDIS lands at the Earth's south pole in 1986 (which was twenty years in the future from the original broadcast date; now it is over thirty years ago!). He and companions Polly (Anneke Wills) and Ben (Michael Craze) arrive at a base directing various space ships. Things go haywire when a new planet shows up, coming toward the Earth. The new planet is absorbing energy from the Earth (and the space ships). If that wasn't bad enough, a ship from the new planet lands by the base and the aliens who come out are Cybermen (in their very first appearance).

The story has a lot of fairly convincing science (writer Kit Pedler was a medical doctor in addition to being a science fiction writer) and impressive looking sets. The "mission control" set has plenty of levels and sciencey equipment. The humans have a hard time getting their space ships back on the Earth; they have a missile that could be used to destroy the other planet, but as usual for Doctor Who, the characters discuss the moral and physical ramifications of using a planet-destroying weapon. Will the earth be in jeopardy too? Can they kill off a whole other race? I found the story quite interesting.

The production did have some challenges. Hartnell collapsed during the second episode, requiring some quick redistribution of his lines while his character recuperated in a different room for a couple of episodes. Hartnell recovered enough to act in the last episode. The end of the episode features the first regeneration of the Doctor (thus the first appearance of Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor). Unfortunately, the fourth episode was lost in the BBC archives and only bits of it are extant. All the audio was available. This DVD has an animated fourth episode that works to finish the story. It also has a version of the fourth episode that was released on VHS--photos were substituted in for the missing video with subtitles to explain any story details. The reconstruction is less satisfying than the animated version but still interesting.

The Cybermen are great villains--they are basically humans that have taken so many cybernetic attachments that they all they have left are organic brains. Everything else is robotic. In the process, they've shed emotions, living solely by reason (it would be interesting to see a match-up between Cybermen and Vulcans). If the Cybermen are in trouble, it's only logical to take what they need from others, even if that involves the death of others. Their cold-hearted methods makes them unnerving. Their voices have a computer cadence that is also off-putting. Considering other 1960s Doctor Who baddies, the Cybermen costumes are impressive though certainly not as sleek as their 2000s counterparts.

Recommended.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death (1969)

Doctor Who: The Seeds of Death (1969) directed by Michael Ferguson and written by Brian Hayles

Second Doctor Patrick Troughton lands on Earth in the late 21st century with companions Jamie (the Scottish highlander) and Zoe (scientific wiz). They discover the planet has become completely dependent on T-Mat, a sort of teleporting system that has reduced every other form of transportation to museum pieces. The system starts having problems because the relay station on the moon has been overrun by invaders--the Ice Warriors of Mars! Taking over the moon base is only the first step in their nefarious plan to conquer the Earth.

The six-episode series is a mixed bag. The Ice Warriors' costumes look a bit fake (baggy rubber suits that make their movement awkward) but their hissing, whispery voices (they are a reptilian race) are effective. The plot moves at a good pace and has only one or two head-scratchingly bewildering moments. Patrick Troughton is a fun Doctor, able to do comedy and drama without looking silly. Bigger issues like the overextension of technology and the need for adaptability are nice themes which naturally flow from the story.

A fun if not outstanding series.

TV Review: Doctor Who: The Moonbase (1967)

Doctor Who: The Moonbase (1967) written by Kit Pedler and directed by Morris Barry

Second Doctor Patrick Troughton tries to land the TARDIS on Mars, so naturally they show up on Earth's moon. The year is AD 2070 and the Earth's weather is run from a moon base near where the Doctor and companions land. The base has a virus or plague that is slowly incapacitating the workers (who are all scientists). Blame falls on the newcomers though the real problem turns out to be an infestation of Cybermen!

For two of the four episodes, the video has been lost. Animations were created to fill in for episodes one and three, much like for the Reign of Terror DVD. The animations don't really capture the amazing expressiveness of Troughton's face, though otherwise they match the visual style of the story well enough. The audio is the usual high-quality sound effects from the BBC. The Cybermen are a classic and enjoyable set of villains--they aren't shouty and over-the-top like others but still have plenty of menace. Seeing the female companion Polly asked to make coffee is nicely balanced with her coming up with a chemical concoction to take out the Cybermen. She's not just a pretty face who screams and passes out when the Cybermen show up (though she does do that too).

Recommended with the caveat that it's half-animated which may be a turn off for some viewers.

TV Review: Doctor Who The Tomb of the Cybermen

Doctor Who The Tomb of the Cybermen written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis

The Second Doctor (Patrick Troughton) travels with Jaime and Victoria to Telos, home of the Cybermen. An archeological expedition from Earth is there as well. They all meet at the electrified doorway to the tomb of the Cybermen (who have been dormant for hundreds of years). The Doctor helps them get inside and they explore the various rooms. The Doctor is very cautious about exploring the tomb and uncovering its secrets. The place has a good, creepy atmosphere and lots of weird gadgets. Cyberman technology is based on symbolic logic so they have to overcome plenty of puzzles to get things to work. It makes for good drama and the fun techno-babble. As things progess, it is clear that the financiers of the expedition have an ulterior motive in searching for the Cybermen.

Troughton as the Doctor is great fun. He has a disheveled look and wry sense of humor that belie his brilliant, calculating mind.  He has wonderful chemistry with his companions, the 17th century Scotsman Jaime and the Victorian-era Victoria.

The visual effects are all over the place. The "defrosting" of the Cybermen looks impressive. On the other hand, in a fight scene a wire and harness on one character is blatantly obvious. At first, I thought, "What is that thing sticking out of his back?" but then saw him lifted up by another character. The music and sound effects are top-notch, building some great atmosphere.

This is a fun, classic adventure with the Doctor.