| ||||||||||||||||||||||
MALL.ShopperFavorites.com
Best Prices
Shopper Favorites Web Search |
DVD : Doctor Who - The Hand of Fear (Episode 87) |
- Good episode for beginners.Although "Hand of Fear" doesn't seem to appear on fan favorite lists for "Doctor Who," it is one of my favorites. Also it is great episode to introduce Doctor Who to a person who has never seen it before or who has never seen the classic series (as apposed to the new series which started in 2005).
I think it has all the elements that make "Doctor Who" what it is. A funky and creative alien monster; a trip in the Tardis, the Doctor's time-space machine; a suspenseful situation; and it depicts a caring relationship between the Doctor has his traveling companion Sarah Jane Smith, in her last episode as a regular.
The DVD also has great commentary from Tom Baker and other actors appearing in the episode.
Rating:
- Sladen's Swan Song....Sort OfDespite being a solid serial, "The Hand of Fear" is probably best remembered for being Elisabeth Sladen's exit from "Doctor Who." The story begins with the early obliteration of a criminal and then hurls the viewer into a modern day quarry where we find the Doctor (Tom Baker) and Sarah Jane (Sladen) in the middle of a blast at the quarry. Once they are rescued, a hand that Sarah Jane has discovered overtakes her and leads her to a nearby nuclear plant in order to, as the Doctor later explains, regenerate itself. After a failed attempt with the Doctor's companion, the hand takes successfully takes control of a plant employee and takes on a female form of the being known as Eldrad. The being, played by Judith Paris in a costume that resembles Rebecca Romjin's Mystique from the "X-men" films, has plans to return to its home planet of Kastria in order to reclaim its rightful power. The Doctor agrees to help Eldrad return home, but what is Eldrad really up to?
The cast is very solid. Paris works wonders as the female form of Eldrad. She captivates the audience in each scene. Glyn Houston portrays Watson, who heads up the nuclear plant and he does a fine job. Rex Robinson portrays Dr. Carter, an unfortunate acquaintance of Sarah Jane while she's under the control of Eldrad's hand. Tom Baker, arguably the most popular Doctor, is in top form, trading quips with Elisabeth Sladen and bumbling his way through all of the chaotic events that are going on. Sladen does very well also.
When the story is resolved, Sladen makes a somewhat anti-climactic exit. It works even though it lacks much of the chemistry that she and Baker possessed. She would return in later serials as a guest star including reprising her role in the new series alongside David Tennant as Doctor #10, as well as appear in "K9 & Company" and a brand new series aptly titled "The Sarah Jane Adventures." Few companions throughout Who history grabbed the attention and the hearts as Sarah Jane did. In fact, I'd say that only Rose from the revived series comes close.
The DVD is excellent. It comes with all of the regulars established by the Doctor Who DVD releases from the BBC, as well as an engaging "Changing Time" documentary about the serial and the development of Sarah Jane and Doctor #4. Perhaps the best feature that I found was the "Swap Shop" segment wherein we get to see Sladen and Baker interact with youngsters via telephone. It proves just how much of the fourth Doctor really is Tom Baker in real life.
An excellent serial, a decent send-off for Sarah Jane and some very good special features make this a good investment for any Who fan. I highly recommend it.
Rating:
- This episode is great! It is the Law! This episode is great!The Doctor must solve the mystery behind a dismembered hand that has taken possession of his companion Sarah Jane Smith
Rating:
- The Hand of Fear... another great storyI remember seeing The Hand Of Fear back in the 70's and it was great then and just as great now. It is wonderful to see this story without the snow or streaks that I was used to seeing when watching it on a PBS station on a UHF channel many miles away! The acting was good, the characters interesting and the effects where not to bad. I love the interviews and behind the show stories.
My only issue, as with all of the DVD's is that you can't watch the whole story (like you could on PBS) without the half hour segments being broken up by credits.
You will enjoy the fourth Doctor and Sarah (her last show :-( ) as they face danger with another ruthless enemy!
Rating:
- Decend to the thermal chambers with 'The Hand of Fear'.Not bad quite enjoyable but falls far short of being exceptional. I'm going to tell you how I came to this conclusion but first a quick plot overview.
The Tardis lands in a quarry the Doctor and Sarah realise to late that an excavation explosion is about to take place. Sarah is burried in rock when she's dug out she found gripping a mysterious stone hand with a stange ring. She's taken to the hospital unconscious,but soon is awake in a trance like state zapping all who would stop her with the ring, saying, "Eldrad must live.",while carrying the strange hand with her in a Tupperware container.
The Doctor soon realizes she's headed to the local nuclear power station for the hand feeds off radiation. The Doctor must avert total disaster and
save Sarah from the hand's influence and discover the truth about Eldrad before it's too late!
The reason I only gave this three stars is simple. I believe science-fiction lives and dies under repeat viewings. I bought this used on VHS from Amazon about three years`ago. I watched it a couple of times and then didn't touch it again. When this came out on DVD I bought it and when I watched it for the first time I thought why haven't I watched this more recently this is fantastic. But on repeated views I realized why I had let it lay dorment so long.
The simple fact of the matter is it gets weaker with repeated viewings. Some Doctor Who's get stronger with repeate viewings because you see new things you notice bits of dialogue you haven't noticed before see small plot points you didn't notice before ect. Or it leaves one with such a depth of emotional meaning it all but demands to be viewed again and again.
This story real doesn't have those things. I don't notice new plot points or bits of dialogue. And the only major emotional resonance it has for me is the warm effectively written parting of the ways between the Doctor and Sarah at the end of the story.
The story has some strong points among them the excellent acting of Judith Paris as Eldrad and the wonderfully creppy acting of Elizabeth Sladen.It's nice to see Elizabeth Sladen get to stretch her acting muscles in her final story.
This story has an above average look. The Eldrad costume is one of the most memorable and realistic looking costumes ever seen on Doctor Who. The costume and prosthetic work hold up well even by modern science-fiction show standards. And Judith Paris looks stunningly attractive in it. Also this story looks great because good location filming at a real nuclear power station. And I give credit to the unique design of the sets of Eldrad's home world.
But in the end even with exceptional acting, excellent costumes and good locations and sets. The story it's self is still only a three star affair.
Now on to the special features. There is a very good and informative commentary featuring,Tom Baker,Elisabeth Sladen and co-writer Bob Baker and Judith Paris who plays Eldrad. Tom has become some what infamous for bad commentary but seems to come to life with Elizabeth Sladen around. I've noticed he's done decent commentary before with Elizabeth and does a decent job with her again here.
Also I greatly enjoyed the documentary 'Changing Time' wich focuses on what it was like for Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen to enter and leave thier respective rolls on Doctor Who. Really good stuff I liked it alot. Good interviews with Tom Baker and Elizabeth Sladen. This also features interviews with other Doctor who actors,writters and directors.
Another good feature is respectable information text. This disk also features a interview from the 1970's with Elizabeth and Tom on a kids show.
Anyway an enjoyable if unexceptional story. If your just starting your Tom Baker era Doctor Who collection you might want to start somewhere else. But if you already have an advanced Tom Baker, Doctor Who collection like I do then by all means, decend to the thermal chambers with The Hand of Fear!
MALL.ShopperFavorites.com
|