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A stupendous historical saga, Braveheart won five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director for star Mel Gibson. He plays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish commoner who unites the various clans against a cruel English King, Edward the Longshanks (Patrick McGoohan). The scenes of hand-to-hand combat are brutally violent, but they never glorify the bloodshed. There is such enormous scope to this story that it works on a smaller, more personal scale as well, essaying love and loss, patriotism and passion. Extremely moving, it reveals Gibson as a multitalented performer and remarkable director with an eye for detail and an understanding of human emotion. (His first directorial effort was 1993's Man Without a Face.) The film is nearly three hours long and includes several plot tangents, yet is never dull. This movie resonates long after you have seen it, both for its visual beauty and for its powerful story. --Rochelle O'Gorman ... Read more

Reviews (709)

A Fight For Freedom
Mel Gibson's Oscar winning epic, BRAVEHEART, is a great film. Set in the 13th century Gibson stars as William Wallace, a Scottsman, who returns to his homeland, after a long abscence. Upon his return, he learns that the Scott King has died, leaving no heir to the throne. The country is now being ruled by King Edward, (Patrick McGoohan) a ruthless leader, who cares nothing about the land or its people. William takes charge and vows to fight for the liberation of Scotland. BRAVEHEART is quite a film. From its breathtaking landscapes, shot by John Toll, to its intense battle sequences, the film will keep you "involved" throughout its entire 177 minutes. The script, by Randall Wallace, has its moments of over the top bravado. But it also has some good points as well. Gibson does a great job pulling double duty here, as director and star. Given the film's size and scope, this was not an easy movie to make, doing one job is hard enough...A stunning movie.

The DVD has two main extras on it. The commentary by Mr. Gibson is pretty good. However, my only gripe may be that the length of the film means some gaps of silence and a few moments where he repeats himself. The production feature is nicely produced by HBO but nothing more The only other extra on the disc is the inclusion of 2 theatrical trailers. I would have expected some more extras on the DVD, since its a multiple award winner...Even with my minor complaints, BRAVEHEART, still gets 5 stars from me, and comes highly recommended

A DVD Must-Have for any home video collection!
As a film, this is truly an awe-inspiring masterpiece that joins the ranks of great classics like "Lawrence of Arabia". Paramount did an excellent job in bringing this movie to DVD. The picture is clear and pristine due to the anamorphic enhancement & widescreen formatting which is required to convey the beauty of the film's various expansive wide landscape shots of the Scottish valleys. Audio soundtrack is richly detailed and expansive in its use of surround effects which adds the effect of "being there" especially during the brutal battle scenes. James Horner's music score comes through just beautifully. One aspect of this dvd I really enjoyed is the audio commentary track by the director himself Mel Gibson. He was very cordial, humorous, and at times very informative about the whole affair of making this movie. Just listening to Mel Gibson talk while viewing this movie made it feel as if you were watching it with a down-to-earth friend. You'll get a kick out of it. Trust me! There is one thing though: I just wish Paramount had included the TV clips from the Academy Awards show of Mel Gibson receiving the Oscars and his acceptance speech. The entire crew & Mel Gibson himself so richly deserved the Oscars the film won and including those Oscar clips in this DVD's supplements would have been icing on the cake. This DVD is a no-brainer, you can't get any better than this.

A COMPLETE cinematic experience. Totally satisfying
I saw this movie years ago when it first came out. Most movies aren't as good on second viewing. I just saw it again on DVD and it is BETTER than I remember it.

The acting is superb, especially by the young William Wallace at the opening of the film. Infact all the actors are excellent in this film.

What really takes my breath away in this film is the stunning (pre-computer generated)scenery, music, costumes, the sets and the magnificent battle scenes which really makes Bravehart a complete cinematic experience.

The DVD comes with an entertaining documentary on the making of the film with an excellent full length commentary by director/actor Mel Gibson. A must in any DVD collection. Highly recommended.

Ultra violence meets (...) humour
Mel Gibson must be a very disturbed man. All his films are very violent. "Payback", "The Patriot" and "The Passion of Christ"(which at least I found to be pretty funny though I don't think it was meant to be) all glorify violence.

Catherine McCormack takes off her clothes in this film which is why I give it 1 star and not 0. Unfortunately Sophie Marceau doesn't take off her clothes and even more unfortunate is that Mel does. I found the mooning scene in this movie to be quite childish

This movie is intended for the less intelligent American market rather than for us Scots. All of Mel Gibsons recent films are marketed towards less intelligent people such as George W Bush or the Pope or Mel himself I suppose.

Mel Gibson hasn't made a decent film since "Mad Max 2" yet he continues to make millions of dollars making these awful films.

I guess...
YOU CAN TAKE MY TALENT BUT YOU CAN'T TAKE MY MILLIONS!!!!

The best of the best.
I have made many top 10 movie lists, and they have changed over the years. There is one movie, however, that has never been moved and that movie is Braveheart in the number 1 spot. Many shy from the movie because of it being 3 hours long without even giving it a chance.I think everyone should watch it. You never think the movie is as long as it is when you actually watch it. The battle sequences were the best I have ever seen up until the release of Return of the King, but the battles are still the best in their own light. Every characater is played well, Mel Gibson playing especially well as the lead character William Wallace and his directing is flawless as well. I loved every minute of it and it will most likely always be my favorite movie of all time. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Does a repetitiveness really make a child happy?
It's amazing that this series has last as long as it has. Kids seems to adore it and look forward to each video. My newphews, who are 6 and 7, grew very tired of it after the third movie (My sister was very relieved) They love the first one and watch it frequently and often play act it out. Its true that is much more scary and dark next to the cute and tame sequels. The first movie not only has a bit of violence and it deals with the loss of a parent (which my newphews had to deal with in real life) and the ever present bully everyone had to deal with in school. In the end the characters put aside their differences as they fight against the odds to find true happiness. Even though some parents think the first movie is too intense, it will grow on kids as they get older and stays with them. That's why I actually rented on the first sequel when it came out when I was twelve because I loved the first one so much since I since I was in third grade. I'm twenty-one now and they're still coming out, man! The sequels are great for kids under seven. If you don't want to give them repetitive, low luster stories to demand over and over when they are at such an influential age, give them something that might stick and interest their minds a bit.

Littlefoot Returns....
Ahhh yes, the Land Before Time saga will never seem to cease. But I have to admit, this latest movie had me and my sis clapping, singing, and jumping along with Littlefoot and his friends!! In The Land Before Time:The Great Longneck Migration, longnecks all around the world (including Littlefoot and his grandparents) are having similar "sleep-stories". So they set off to supposedly "save the world". Alas, it turns out to be a solar eclipse, which was a beautiful scene in my opinion. Our hero finally finds his father, Bron (who sounds alot like HAL the computer in "2001:A Space Odysey"). Overall, it's a very heart-warming, sweet little story. And don't worry, no dinosaurs where harmed in the making of this video.

Whyyy..
How could you, Don; Stephen? HOW could you slaughter something so beautiful as the first Land Before Time? I, alike many, own the original on DVD. It was honestly the only one I would buy regardless of the many chapters that surrounded me from all sides, all because they are painful to watch. Why are they painful? SONGS.EVERY.THREE.SECONDS. I honestly cannot stand it and as far as the chapters go, I watched up until The Mysterious Island before I finally lost my faith - but not my love. Fully aware that the rest are meant for children to aide them to grow and to share and to cherish life with every waking morning but why did they slaughter each and every individual character? Sharp-tooth was my ultimate favorite until suddenly one day: "Lets Hug the Carnivore! - Don't Worry, He's Friendly!" I almost fainted, not with relief but shock. He (in speaking of the rex) had always been viewed as an evil and somehow, suddenly, he's friendly!? Someone, aside pointing the obvious of 'its for children!' please explain this... I am in dire need. But aside the point of how the series is dying, I want to both buy this and at the same time - ignore it. A) When I was a child, I always wondered about Little foot's father. What happened to him? Was he killed, did he abandon his mate? WHAT!? Buying this, may answer my questions but I at the same time, do not want to be disappointed. B) Reasons stated above of its obnoxious stature that it had somehow fell victim to.

Why aren't there any characters available?
My daughter loved this movie (along with the other 9) and all she wanted for Christmas was a "Littlefoot". As big a money making machine as this series has been, why on earth aren't any of the characters available for purchase (stuffed, plastic, or otherwise)? Granted, it is annyoing that the characters don't evolve, but the movies fulfill the purpose they were created for and occasionally throw in a moral lesson along the way. The creators just need to take the next logical step to making more $ for themselves and more children happy.

Oh please
In case you hadn't noticed, you weren't the only one who reviewed the movie. I wasn't just replying to you when I wrote my review. You're young-don't you have anything better to do than hassle us "old hags"? (That is, if 28 is an "old hag"). Too funny. At least when I was in high school I had a life. Get a friend, get a hobby, get an education... ... Read more

Reviews (14)

"You're caught in a Temporal Paradox!"
A World Peace conference is in jeopardy! World War III is imminent. Mercinaries from the future are here to kill Sir Reginald Styles, and how are the Daleks tied into it? Not too bad, the regulars are good, which makes it a shame that the Daleks aren't! The Ogrons are more fun to watch in this story, as the Daleks barely even leave there cubby at their headquarters. The time paradox idea is the only thing that really saves this one. Location footage isn't that bad, and the story is, at least, interesting. Who fans had to wait a long time for the Daleks to come back since "Evil..", and they would have to wait more, since the next "decent" Dalek story wouldn't make its appearance until "Genesis...". It doesn't even feel like a true Dalek story. Tolerable.

It's Just another day
Nice tight story this without much of the waste that characterised a number of the Pertwee third Doctor Stories.

I like this adventure quite a bit despite the obvious shortcomings. It begins with a mysterious military figure disappearing into the night and scaring the wits out of our fearless diplomat. UNIT gets involved due to the impending demise of the peace conference but the Doctor does not want to know despite his affected noncholant view of politicians.

Soon he and Joe are caught up in an inter-temporal assassination attempt with the diplomat Styles attaining notoriety as the harbringer of a nuclear holocaust where the reality is quite different. The slimy, smooth canniving controller in the future dupes Joe into providing information which he then passes on to his Dalek masters.

There are some digs here too. The slave population of the future are housed in tower blocks which is a very nice touch considering the social problems they were to be held responsible for in the ensuing years. The off the cuff remark made by the Doctor too about the well stocked larders of the political class uis well made as is his use of the same.

The temporal paradox causes a bit of confusion but not half as much as the Dalex ownership of a method of time travel again.

On the whole though there are some redeeming features notably the controller's recantation of his help to the Daleks. It moves along well and keeps the attention. One of the better adventures.

They're baaaaaaaaaaaaack!
Five years after the fall of the Daleks on Skaro in Evil Of The Daleks, the Daleks reappeared on the small screen in Day Of The Daleks, which was also their third time in colour, counting the two Aaru films.

The international situation from The Mind Of Evil has gotten worse, to the brink of World War III. However, Sir Reginald Styles, vain to the point of arrogance, is the last hope in reconciling the Russians with the Chinese. While working late one night, a guerrilla from the future tries to kill him, and that's what draws UNIT in. The man is later attacked by a brutish Ogron, one of many ape-like humanoid servants who are "as loyal as they are stupid." A trio of other guerrillas try to succeed where their comrade has failed, and capture Jo and the Doctor, who have spent the night at Styles' place. Of these, Anat, the leader, while sharing the fanaticism of her comrades, is civilized. When Boaz, who looks a bit like Tony Curtis, tries to shoot Jo and the Doctor, she says, "We're soldiers, not murderers."

Jo Grant is wearing what I consider a classic Jo Grant outfit--plaid red and blue blouse, red tie, denim skirt, and white go-go boots. As this was the first story of the ninth season, maybe Katy Manning had a few weeks on the beach in the interim. She appears tanner here and more radiant as a result. It also extends to her good charity when sneaking Sgt Benton some wine and cheese.

The Doctor is seen as quite a gourmet, as he helps himself to Sir Reginald's Gorgonzolla cheese and a red wine which he describes as "good humoured... a touch sardonic, not cynical. A most civilized wine."

Although not specifically stated, the Controller's monotone female staff may be a vast improvement on the Robotization process (Dalek Invasion Of Earth).

The notable guest star here is Aubrey Woods (the Controller), who played the goldsmith in The Abominable Dr. Phibes but is probably best known as the candy store owner Bill in Willy Wonka. His defense to the Daleks that "for every guerrilla cell that's destroyed, another takes its place" reminds me of what Israel faced in the 1980's against the Palestinians.

One goof in Episode 1 is where the Gold Dalek talks slower, enunciating each syllable. Fortunately it gets better in the remaining episodes--maybe he hadn't taken his Dalek pep pills then. BTW, one Dalek speaks in a lower register (not a goof) while the others are more shrill. Maybe he sings bass in the Dalek choir.

Another is the guerrilla Shura putting his gun down and trying to contact headquarters. When an Ogron jumps him, his gun is back in his holster.

A third is the Doctor and Jo seeing their future selves while the Doctor is fiddling with the TARDIS. Hopefully, the ending would have had them seeing their past (when they were fixing the TARDIS.) It is included in the novelization, but I guess there were time constraints.

A classic Daleks story, and the first of three Dalek encounters by the Third Doctor. UNIT maintains its credibility as an effective fighting force, and Jo Grant has never been any prettier than here. Be sure and tell your friends if you like this video, and don't forget to tell it to the marines.

INTELLIGENT PREMISE
Although somewhat dissapointing in the realization of the Daleks, this is a very intelligent story on the paradox of time travel and changing history. On the positive side, apart from the story, you have Jon Pertwee, Ogrons (my favorite baddies, I don't know why), the Brigadier, and that wonderful 70's sci-fi electronic music (really sets the mood). On the negative side, you have a bit of overacting (the Controller comes to mind), minimal sets, and of course the minimal involvement of the Daleks. As others have noted, this is not the best Dalek story or Pertwee's strongest episode, but it is still enjoyable nonetheless, with some genuinely scary moments to boot.

"'Boney,' I said, 'an army marches on its stomach.'"
An incredibly ambitious and overrated story that suffers from the inclusion of the Daleks themselves. Had the Daleks NOT been included, and the production team just invented a new alien/monster and/or villian, it might have been more of a success. The main cast is just fine, with a little UNIT humor thrown in for good measure, "Rank has its priveledges..." The Controller isn't too bad, but why does he and his girl assistants have an unhuman glow on their faces? Certainly can't be from stress. And then the Daleks. These Daleks are probably the worst in the entire series, with the most aggravating voices, the silliest staging, and the most pathetic line of formation when they attack Aubrey House. Believe it or not, the Ogrons are better realised in this story than the Daleks. Incredibly disappointing, though it's not without merit, "The Day of the Daleks" is only infamous for nostalgiac reasons. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

What a disappointment!
This movie was a BIG disappointment! I bought it to show to my 4th grade class after we read the book Hatchet. Well, unfortunately this movie is not suitable for viewing in school. Although the book did not have any profanity in it - the movie definitely does!

It doesn't really deserve any stars.
Okay, I'm in the sixth grade, and we just read this book in class, and then watched the movie. I can't freaking believe that Gary Paulsen consented this, much less wrote the screenplay. It's a horrible movie, and does no justice to the book. I liked the book. For some reason it reminded me of Lord of the Flies, except it was less depressing, cuz there weren't a bunch of kids running around killing eachother. Brian had some character, and there was an intellectual side to the book, but the movie..urgh. It was a mockery.

People, Gary Paulsen wrote the screenplay
The reviewers below state that this movie is not worthy of the excellent Gary Paulsen novel. I hate to break this to you, guys, but Gary Paulsen was one of the two screenplay writers of this film. Of course it's not going to be better than the book; no movie ever is. However, it is a pretty good movie in itself. It can stand on its own, and follows the book pretty closely. The movie is about a twelve-year-old boy whose plane crashes in the Canadien wilderness when the pilot has a heart attack. He is the only survivor, and must fend for himself against the many dangers of the wilderness. In a 90-minute movie, there is not much time for character development, as there was in the hundreds of pages alotted for the book. The only thing that bothered me was why the DVD did not have a time counter. This is the only DVD I have ever viewed in which that was the case.

A travesty --- worse than a waste of time
This video is a travesty. It claims to be based on the excellent children's book _Hatchet_ by Gary Paulsen.
This video adds gratuitous profanity to the story, not in the book's text, which makes it unsuitable for many classrooms and age levels.
The video also butchers the plot of the book, and has Brian doing idiotic things which he doesn't do in the book. For instance, Brian uses the blade of his hatchet to mark days in stone. Brian wildly hacks at the lake's water with his hatchet to catch fish. And Brian adopts orphaned bear cubs, managing to catch enough fish for them to grow up on (which they seem to do in a day).
In one of his author tour appearances, Gary Paulsen himself said that he didn't like this film (I don't recall his exact words).
...
This video is not only a waste of time, but is seemingly written/directed by folks who were intentionally trying to wreck the feeling, sentiment and message of Paulsen's book. This is not a mere jazzing up, or telescoping of events to fit the movie time and format. This is really bad. Skip this piece of junk; get the _Hatchet_ unabridged audio book instead.

Hatchet Vs. A Cry in the Wild
As a professor of Reading Education, I use the book, Hatchet, and this video to demonstrate to teachers-in training that books and videos can both serve a purpose in the classroom. First we read the book. With undergraduates, I read the book to them, one chapter per day. With graduate students, they read the book on their own. After we've read the book, we do a "compare and contrast" comprehension activity. Students are expected to write notes about how the two media are similar and different. Using an "H" compare and contrast page (one leg of the H is for Hatchet, one for A Cry in the Wild -- the horizontal leg is used for common items in the book and movie). Once students see and hear Paulsen's talent for crafting words, the movie always is ranked as a distant second. The video also illustrates what Hollywood must do to command a person's attention. For the modest price of the video, it's an excellent way to demonstrate to students of all ages, the power of books over video. ... Read more

Description

Sylvester Stallone creates another sports hero with heart in the Rocky mold, a big-rig trucker using his armwrestling talent to rebuild his shattered life. Year: 1987 Director: Menahem Golan Starring:Sylvester Stallone, Robert Loggia, Susan Blakely ... Read more

Reviews (33)

Better the Secound Time
When I 1st saw this movie I was sooo disappointed...being the HUGE Sylvester Stallone fan that I am I was expecting most of what I saw but it seemed to pathetic to begin with...how realistc is it that a truck driver would also be a professional arm wrestler? The main story of Sly trying to win over the love of his son is heartfelt and sweet but with consideration to the movie I decided to watch it for a secound time and realized that it's a better movie the secound time you see it. You become more open-minded to the odd plot and you accpet the flaws that appear throughout this family film.

Sure its bad
The plot is crazy the kid is annoying but you can kind of cheer for the hero...and at least we don't see any shots of Stallone in a diaper. We have to wait for Stop! Or my mom will shoot (the great epic of 1992) for that.

Painful
Sylvester Stallone arm wrestles for the custody of his child...Need I say more?

A masterpiece of bad cinema
Sylvester Stallone plays an arm wrestler and the law won't give him custody of his son. A laugh riot, especially the scene when Sylvester plows down the gate of a mansion with his truck. There are the little details that makes this movie great too like how Sylvester is supposed to be making a truck run to California but the Grand Canyon and the Sahara Desert are in the background. Also weights in his truck and how come turning his hat on backwards makes him magical? Every time I see this I laugh so hard I cry. This needs to be on DVD.

over the top
I love this movie. i was at school when it came out and have seen it countless of times. Cant seem to find it on sale anywhere, and would love to see it again with the family. I'm just surprised its not out on DVD. A typical Sly stallone feel good movie, thats a must for all generations ... Read more

Reviews (2)

this episode
This video has two episodes that are highly ranked of my favorite episodes. The seal is my second favorite. BUY THIS DVD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tense, as usual
Of the two episodes in this video, the best is The Seal. It is always great to watch the IMF in action. In The Seal, an ancient and sacred seal has been stolen from an obscure country and in the interest of obtaining their favor in the Cold War, it is the team's duty to return the seal.

While this is an earlier episode, you can tell the show was hitting its stride. All the elements are there: timed sequences, the fake accents, a magician, hiding in equipment to gain entrances, fake ids and what is always best - watching the team psych out their prey.

I do not recall having seen this episode and I was surprisingly tense watching this show...there is so much going on and you know there is always the unexpected surprise. This show had everything including a trained cat! Don't miss it. ... Read more

Reviews (8)

If you are not a big Dr. Who and John Pertwee fan don't buy
The Colony is Space is definitely a classic John Pertwee Dr. Who. If you are a big fan
of John Pertwee, this is a must for your collection. I thought the video was okay. If you
are a huge Dr. Who fan I would recommend buying this. If you are not a Dr. Who fan and
are just getting started out, I would not recommend this video. The plot in general was fairly
solid, but too many things going on to concentrate on the plot. The Master arrives, but is a very
weak bad guy character that could have been left out. The video did not drag on like some of the
longer episode ones. The sound quality was fair and archive quality, so I had to adjust the
volume several times while watching. I believe this was a lost episode that was restored from
some old video tapes from PBS. I had never seen this video before until now, and it filled in
the gap for me. The story was classic Dr. Who will all the model ships, fake looking masked
aliens, and fair to poor quality sets. This IS Dr. Who with all the can fix anything,
karate fighting, expert at everything John Pertwee style. If you are getting started I would
recommend other Dr. WHO videos from John Pertwee like: Spearhead from Space,
Planet of the Spiders, Death to the Daleks, and my favorite Frontier in Space.

"Doctor! Come back at once!"
The Doctor gets a reprieve from his exile on Earth, only to do the bidding of the Time Lords. Landing on a planet with Jo Grant, the Doctor gets involved with some colonist close to starvation . Meanwhile, IMC, the ruthless mining corporation from Earth, is trying to remove the colonist from the planet. A very early politically correct/socially aware Who serial. It's also very padded and dull, but still fun. There are some silly-looking natives throwing spears and stones and a mud-fight. Captain Dents's hair-style is way cool...NOT! Not really much to say about this one, but it is far more interesting until the obligatory appearance of the Master arrives. Still, it's got it's moments. You just have to wait a while for things to happen...

Still, it's a Pertwee!
Whether you agree or disagree with the overall story being good or bad, this is still a good way to get your Jon Pertwee/Katy Manning fix. I first saw this on PBS, luckily one episode each Saturday, in 1976.

This is probably the weakest story of this particular season, although it promised a lot by being the first Pertwee adventure away from Earth. I think that too many elements were added for this story (Master, colonists, mining company, natives, Doomsday Weapon...eliminating something from it actually would have created more interest). The ending of Episode 2 is actually a fun cliffhanger.
It was fun to note that Jo Grant's reaction in the TARDIS was no different than most of the other companions before her (bigger inside than out, NOT ON EARTH, OH MY!).

I agree with the other guys
This story is typical of most 6-parters in Dr. Who, strong through the first 3 episodes but then dragged out as if it were really intended to be a four part story but they had to stretch it out.
As I have been collecting Dr. Who videos since the Mid. 90's, and I'm hoping the BBC will release the rest here by 2004, buying or not buying this video was not the question.
The biggest thing that stood out was the photocopied wall in the Doctor's TARDIS, which looked cheap.
Unless you're a collector like myself, I wouldn't recommened this one.

Another story against corporate imperialism
The Master is at it again. This time, he has stolen the file of the Doomsday Weapon from the Time Lords. In order to deal with it, a small group of Time Lords, presumably the Celestial Intervention Agency later mentioned in the Deadly Assassin story, use the Doctor to deal with it. The Doctor and Jo, who happen to be in the TARDIS testing out a new dematerialization circuit, get whisked off to Uxarius, on 3 March 2472.

They meet a group of colonists, headed by Robert Ashe, who are having such horrible luck, that "unless things improve drastically, [their] colony is in grave danger of starving to death." Since their arrival a year ago, they planted subsistence crops in order to reclaim worn out soil, but the crops shoot up, wither, and then die. They also live in an uneasy truce with the local race of Primitives, whom they give food, not helping their dwindling food supply. Not only that, but two colonists are killed by giant lizards. The Doctor and Jo promptly give their help as usual.

As if they didn't have enough troubles, a detachment from Interplanetary Mining Corporation, headed by the cold-hearted Captain Dent, arrive and claim mineral rights, in conflict with Ashe's claim that Uxarius was classified for colonization. An Adjudicator is sent for, however, they normally favour IMC in disputes. The hot-headed Winton, Ashe's deputy, favours an attack on IMC to drive them out, in contrast to the more diplomatically-minded Ashe. On the side of the IMC, there's the mineralogist Caldwell, who begins to question some of IMC's methods of getting their bottom line. The Adjudicator does come, and guess who it is?

Things heat up between the colonists and IMC, whose role in the colonists suffering may be connected. Then there's Norton, a survivor from another colony attacked by giant lizards and Primitives, whose behaviour in Episode Two becomes definitely suspect.

Colony paints a grim picture of Earth back home, "no room to move, polluted air, not a blade of grass, a government that locks you up if you think for yourself", a place where people don't live like human beings but like battery hens in floating 300 story islands. An unflattering picture is painted of corporations. Dent says in true fascist, corporate style, "What's good for IMC is good for Earth." As for the colonists, he doesn't care the least about their hardships. All he cares is about the profits they'll make in gutting Uxarius of duralinium. It's also an interesting look at the leadership styles and decision-making, Ashe, Winton, and Dent in particular, and why they either succeed or fail.

Other things: Mary Ashe says that "there's no animal life, just a few birds and insects." So, uh..., what exactly does that make birds and insects? Apart from that, Helen Worth stands out as Mary, as does Nicholas Pennell (Winton), Bernard Kay (Caldwell), and John Ringham (Robert Ashe), who also appeared as the ruthless Tlotoxl in Who story The Aztecs and the no-longer available The Smugglers as Blake. Another in-joke was a reference to how the Spanish ambassador was mistaken for the Master, as Roger Delgado (the Master) was himself half-Spanish, half-French.

Some padding is apparent throughout this six-parter, but it's a thoughtful story on the reaction against post-industrial urbanization (the colonists) and the ruthlessness of corporations (IMC). ... Read more

Reviews (73)

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street 2 KA
Rod Serling was a very odd person. He went to school to become a P.E. Teacher and ended up wrighting over one hundred stories for T.V. One of these stories is Monsters Are Due on Maple Street. This story, as you've probably guessed, takes place on Maple Street. The characters Charlie, the annoying, smart-mouthed neighbor, and Steve, the actually intelligent neighbor, are two of the lead characters in the story. I think that if Charlie had only listened to Steve a lot of bad things wouldn't have happened.
I don't think this story was very realistic. In a real neighborhood people would go crazy just because the power went out and they certainly wouldn't think it was aliens that did it. People would say, "Oh, there goes the power again." Not "The electricity's off!!"(669). Oh no! The powers out! What are we going to do? (sarcastically) The electricity goes out in our neighborhood at least once every other month. Most people would be in side all day so only about three people would have seen the U.F.O. and they would have been kids. Who would believe them? I think the people in the story really over reacted.
There were a few parts of the story that were unbelievable, like when Mr. Goodman's car started. That was really weird. I really didn't see that coming. There was also when Pete Van Horn got shot. I didn't think anything like that would happen. I knew the ending couldn't be happy. The Twilight Zone never is. The stories always seem to be so tragic. What was Rod Serling thinking? He must have been a troubled child. Any way; I can't believe that Charlie actually thought that Pete Van Horn was a monster. "You killed him Charlie. You shot him dead!"(679) How dumb could he be?
I didn't really pick this story. Ms. Chabot told us to read it. I liked it though. I think it's funny to watch old science fiction shows. I laugh at the cheesy acting and the corny special effects. You can see the strings holding them in the air. I thought it was funny how one little boy made all the neighbors think that aliens were attacking their neighborhood. Nobody would believe that now-days. Maybe people were more easily convinced of those things fifty years ago.
I think the video Monsters Are Due on Maple Street and the teleplay Monsters Are Due on Maple Street are a lot the same. They used most of the same lines and used the same camera angles. Just like this line, "What was that? A meteor?" The story took a lot longer to read though. The video was only a few minutes. The book took days. It had more detail than the video did. Just like when they showed the space ship. You could see at least five strings coming off of it. Every body in the class laughed. It was really funny.

4jk
Rod Serling was a former boxer and a future PE teacher. He takes a path uncommon to jocks and science fiction. He wrote a movie called "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." The characters in this movie are: Charlie the wise-cracker know it all, Steve the wise one, Don the laid back one, Tommy the kid who knows what's gonna happen, Sally his mother, and Pete Van Horn a scientist. You don't here a lot about Pete Van Horn because he leaves Maple Street at the beginning of the movie because he goes to another neighborhood to see if the power is on there. It all happens on Maple Street, USA.

My feelings as I read this book were that I couldn't understand why everybody was fighting and blaming each other. It's like you wanna yell " Jiminy Christmas." It's like what Rod serling said, "The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, and prejudice to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudice can kill and suspicion can destroy and a thoughtless frightened search for scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children... and the children yet unborn.
Pg [684.]

I wonder why the town is so peaceful, now and days you see kids about 13-16 on the street smoking, drinking and doing drugs. You might see parents telling there kids there grounded and then later you see the kids sneaking out the window. I mean come on who in the right mind would believe that? "Maple Street, U.S.A., late summer. A tree-lined little world of front porch gliders, hopscotch, the laughter of children, and the bell of an ice cream vendor." Pg [668.]

My favorite part of The Monsters are Due on Maple Street, is when everybody was accusing each other of who where the aliens. Everybody was bickering and fussing about this and that and everything that was going on. Tommy came running up the street yelling an alien is coming, so Charlie took his shotgun and shot what was coming up the street. It was Pete Van Horn, Charlie shot Pete Van Horn. [He swings the gun around to point it toward the sidewalk. The dark figure continues to walk towards them. The group stands there, fearful, apprehensive, mothers clutching children, men standing in front of wives. Charlie slowly raises the gun. As the figure gets closer and closer he suddenly pulls the trigger. The sound of it explodes in the stillness. There is a long angle shot looking down at the figure, who suddenly lets out a small cry, stumbles forward onto his knees and then falls forward on his face. Don, Charlie and Steve race forward over to him. Steve is there first and turns the man over. Now the crowd gathers around them.] Pg 679.

I felt that the book was good. It was very weird I wonder what's going to happen to all of the other people in the book. I wonder if the aliens are going to take over the whole world. Like hypnotizing all of the animals in the whole world to attack and kill all the people in the world except for one person to tell them how all humans lived and the aliens will all move down to earth and start living like humans. Then the whole world will never be the same again. Are you wondering what happened to that one guy? Well they kept him alive, and hypnotize him to think that the aliens are really humans and he married an alien, which he thought was a human. Are you wondering what happened to the animals? Well there alive to but the aliens experimented on them and mixed all of them up. It is freaky dude. I just hope that one of you aren't the one left not killed, because if I were I would just not feel right but I couldn't feel right because I would be hypnotized. Well I change my mind I would want to be the one left behind because I would act like I was hypnotized then I would get some weapons and kill all the aliens in the world. Then I would search all over the world and try to find pieces of the people that were killed then I would go to a lab and clone everybody so that all the people in the world would be back to life but they would be clones but I still would be happy because all of my friends, teachers, family members and other people in the world would be alive. But before I could clone people I would have to read the manual on how to work the cloning machine, then after I read that I would have to read the manual on how to clone people. Then I would fix all the animals back together. Wow! Sorry got off the subject there. Well the book was good I like it a lot I hope you like it to. So you have to read "Monsters are Due on Maple Street"

1VJ
"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," is a classical episode of the Twilight Zone. I like how it showed that we can be prejudice and suspicious. It's also interesting how all the "monsters", or aliens, had to do was flick on and off a few lights to scare the people. Then the rest was the peoples own doing. The movie is very dramatic, and is almost exactly the same as the teleplay. The fact that it is in black and white makes it even more intense, in my opinion. The video and the teleplay both had the same scene of fright where the lights go out and nothing works. This then goes on to mass confusion, foreshadows the coming of aliens, and shows the weak points of the human race.
The plot advances with chaos. The people get scared and confused. They blame each other for having something they don't. This causes mass confusion and general panic. Things only get worse after that. One thing happens after another. The suspicious grows and the people get paranoid, until someone is killed. This person was Pete Van Horn. "You killed him, Charlie. You shot him dead!" (679)
As the plot advances they also foreshow what will come. The aliens are the ones who cause all the lights to fail, but the humans are the ones who became suspicious. This foreshadows the doom of the humans. The aliens plan to go from Maple Street to Maple Street and do the same to cause the fall of humans. "Then I take this place... this Maple Street...is not unique."
Rod Sterling's theme for "Monsters are due on Maple Street" is you shouldn't be too quick to judge people. Or be suspicious of people who have things you don't. Chaos supports this theme in showing how easily we can become suspicious of others. Then from there chaos and mayhem come. The theme could also be a kind of moral. "They pick the most dangerous enemy they can find... and it is them selves" (682) I think this quote is a good quote to describe the theme.
I think "Monsters are due on Maple Street" is really great. It has a wonderful plot. When I read the teleplay, I thought it was just like the other Twilight Zones. (I have seen a few others. One was about a man being in isolation.) I really enjoyed the Monsters are due on Maple Street. The teleplay was almost exactly like the movie or visa versa. My favorite part in this one was at the end where the sudden quietness is shocking. Then the aliens come and start talking, and it fades out to Sterling's face and he said his "And this is the Twilight Zone." I also like the beginning/ending songs. In conclusion I think the teleplay and the movie were both equally interesting.

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street 1KC
" The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

Rod Serling, a screenplay writer for MGM in the 1950's wrote many famous science fiction teleplays, movies, Broadway shows, and television entertainment shows. Serling has won multiple Emmy awards for his work. He wrote 92 twilight zone episodes that were aired on CBS. They became one of America's most recognized, and most popular television series.
Some of Serling's most famous writings include: "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and "Time Enough at Last". "Time Enough at Last" was written in 1959. I do not know when "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" was written but I assume it was around 1959.
Rod Serling died on June 28th, 1975. He died during a coronary bypass operation in Rochester, New York. Rod Serling's stories of aliens and super natural happenings are entertaining for all to this day. His name will live on in science fiction history forever.
"The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", a teleplay and television entertainment show, was written by Serling in the nineteen fifties'. I love how Serling describes les Goodman's car starting up with no one in it (673). This event brings chaos and unproven assumptions. Other things, such as flickering lights, happen all down Maple Street. They are mostly all blamed on Les Goodman because of his insomnia. These things bring complete and utter chaos.
Confusion breaks free when all of the lights and appliances down Maple Street turn off and stop working (668-669). This advances the plot to confusion. Chaos doesn't come until Les Goodmans' car starts up with no one inside. People turn wild as new and crazy things happen down Maple Street. Sound effects in this section of the teleplay are screams, crying, and gunfires.
Other crazy things happen down Maple Street. Lights flicker, appliances turn on and off, and again chaos starts up (683). Mostly these things are blamed on Les Goodman. They think he is an alien because his insomnia sometimes wakes him up. So to occupy himself he takes walks at night and claims to be looking at stars. But the families all down Maple Street think he is looking for his alien friends. This foreshadows who is behind all of the chaos and confusion.
I thought Rod Serling's teleplay, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", was very realistic when referring to human nature. Even though it is believed that alien or outer space life forms are not real. The car starting then produces this assumption.
I thought it was interesting how Serling never gave a definite ending to "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". He never gives a definite ending to the teleplay. I just assumed the chaos went on until every human life on Maple Street was dead or confused for their lifetime. Even though I am not into science fiction writings, I really enjoyed "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". I would call this science fiction movie and teleplay one of the best from the 1950's.

1OE
The Monsters Due On Maple Street

"The Monsters Due On Maple Street" was probably the only kind of movie that was supposed to be scary back then. Since I'm in the year 2003 that movie was pretty dumb, but back in that time it must have been awesome. The aliens looked really dumb with those two antennas. I liked seeing all the fake shooting and killing. I can now see how far we have come with movies since then. The movie was confusing until the alien started to talk. They told their plan of taking over the Earth by flickering some lights and making some stuff mess up. When they said that, it put all the pieces of the movie together, and foreshadowed that the human race would end because of prejudice.
I think the way he ended the movie was great. He told about the plan and makes you think, could that happen to us? That is how he advanced the plot, he told the story about the alien's plan and then had them talk and tell how everybody is the same. He had the aliens take off saying they were going to take over the world just by sitting down. Then left for another place to terrorize.
When the aliens talk it foreshadows the Earth in complete destruction. Dying because of them assuming that their friends are the enemy, when really they are the most dangerous because they terrorize people as innocent as them. When the aliens talk they say the theme of how people can be so prejudice. "They find the most dangerous enemy they can find............and it's themselves" (682). It is the probably the best and easiest plan the aliens have ever come up with.
The theme in this story is not to be prejudice. My part advanced the theme by talking. The aliens tell their plan about using prejudice to destroy the humans. As much as that sounded stupid, it was smart. The aliens could actually make their plan work, and that is what The Monsters Due Maple Street shows. About everyone has a little bit of prejudice inside him. After reading the story, realizing the theme, and thinking about it, you will think could that happen to me?
The book and movie are so close to each other. You can read from the book and they will say almost all of the same lines in the movie. That is what helps me relate to the movie. I can just see if the picture was same in the movie as in my mind. In other movies they are far off from the book, so it changes the whole view of the story. The author picked a great way to show how everyone can be so prejudice. When I read the story I also was prejudice. I thought Charlie was the alien, but as I found out nobody was. That surprised me a lot. This was the first book that showed that nobody was the bad guy, and that made the story's end great. ... Read more

Description

The Doctor and Sarah land on the desolate planet Karn amid a spaceship graveyard and are soon welcomed by Professor Solon, who is inordinately preoccupied with the Time Lord's capacious skull. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

Silly episode with huge logic holes
Yes, it's nice to see Doctor Who take a break from all the science fiction and fantasy to land in a horror setting. But it's still just another evil villain looking for a new body episode except that Morbius, the disembodied brain of the title, isn't nearly as entertaining a villain as the Master. Who fans sometimes complain that Tom Baker jokes too much and displays humor at inappropriate times, but if ever there was an episode that could use a little camp it's this one, what with the evil scientist, his large, unwitting assistant, and the brain that desperately needs a good head. The writers/producers seemed to have come up with a great idea and no way to really make it work over 4 parts. But the biggest problem is just the plot inconsistencies. Not that Doctor Who gets big points generally on realism, but at least it doesn't usually contradict itself without an attempt at an explanation. Without giving away too much of what plot there is, let's just say that if the mad scientist goes on and on about how perfect the doctor's head is and how much care needs to be taken with it, he doesn't need to come up with tricks to let a group of old women take it off for him. And why not keep the doctor's body as well? Although that would spoil the one moment in this episode that merits it a second star -- the "creature" finally coming to life (which is, truth be told, a great Who moment). If this episode had a sense of humor or a villain with more than one dimension it might have rated as campy fun. With 20 years worth of episodes from which to choose, and most more worthy than this week effort, give this one a pass.

A "bland" Frankenstein story? No way
In the Gothic Tom Baker era of Doctor Who which saw stories influenced by classic horror and sci-fi, The Brain Of Morbius takes on Frankenstein, Igor, and the monster.

On landing on the forbidding world of Karn, the Doctor's in a right sulk, angry at the Time Lords. "Meddlesome interfering idiots, messing about with my TARDIS, dragging us a 1000 parsecs off course." His sulk doesn't last long after seeing a spaceship graveyard, a castle, and a headless body.

He also meets Professor Mehendri Solon, a foremost Earth neurosurgeon, and his hulking barbarian servant Condo, who has a long thick eyebrow and a hook for his left hand that Solon once calls a "chicken-brained biological disaster." Condo is counting on Solon to reattach his real left hand, which had to be removed to save his life. Solon though, is endeavouring to find a head suitable to house the brain of Morbius, something that'll be his greatest and last operation. This is puzzling, as Morbius was a renegade Time Lord who with his followers fought the Time Lords and was defeated and executed by vaporization on Karn. However, what is the weird headless creature with one giant claw in Solon's laboratory?

The Sisterhood, a society of virtually immortal women who guard the Sacred Flame and the Elixir of Life, become alarmed when they realize the Doctor is a Time Lord. They are protective of the Elixir and the Sacred Flame, which has been gradually dying. No flame means no elixir and pretty soon, no Sisterhood. Fearing that the Doctor has been by the Time Lords to steal the last of their Elixir, they kidnap him and sentence him to death. However, aging leader Maren, and her young subordinate Ohica, are thrown when he returns of his own free will (for help) and realize he's not out for their Elixir.

Throughout her travels, Sarah has been kidnapped, cryogenically frozen, hypnotized, and more. Here, she gets blinded (temporarily). As for the Morbius Monster, it is described as "made from butcher's leftovers," "potpourri," "Mr. Allsorts," and as "Chop Suey, the Galactic Emperor." It has to be seen to believed. Hmm, Dr. Who vs. Chop Suey--sounds like a bad sci-fi/kung-fu story. Never mind.

The scene where a brain drops on the floor offended some medical students, but it made for unintentional laughs. However, scenes of strangulation and someone being gassed by cyanide probably didn't go well with Mary Whitehouse, the UK's Tipper Gore on television.

Philip Madoc (Solon) turns in his best performance in a Who story, a performance that's very crucial to the story. He runs the gamut of emotions, enthusiastically welcoming, cool and rational, angry, desperate, exasperated, and distressed, especially in the brain-dropping scene. Cynthia Grenville (Maren) and Gilly Brown (Ohica) also do well in their roles.

But who is Robin Bland, the writer? Former script-editor Terrance Dicks turned in his story the day he went on holiday (big mistake, because the producer and current script editor Robert Holmes were unable to contact him) and when he got back, he was incensed, as the story had been changed so much that it was more Holmes' work. Dicks asked his name to be removed and have some "bland pseudonym" put in its place. When he saw the aired story, credited to Robin Bland, he'd calmed down since then and was disarmed by the joke.

The initial video release was an edited 60 minute programme, and it wasn't until 1996 that it was released in its entirety. This is one of the more popular stories, as the BBC saw fit to include this among the original video releases in the 1980's. Along with the story and strong characters, the studio sets work well, particularly Solon's castle.

Highly Recommended
I hid behind the sofa when I first watched this episode. It was black imitation leather. Funny what sticks in the mind. I love this episode, even though I haven't seen it in almost 30 years. Corridors, a brain, garish lighting, Sarah-Jane, Mary Shelley. I recommend it for any youngster today.

Evil gets a head
With the possible exception of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" I can't think of a show in all television history that makes fun of itself so gleefully without losing its dramatic integrity. This is why I loved "Who" as a kid catching it in fuzzy 22 minute re-runs on late-nite PBS, and why I love it now, when I can watch it on VHS and DVD without being tortured by sadistic fundraisers hawking Channel 26 tote bags.

During Tom Baker's run (I'm not very familiar with the other Doctors yet, having grown up with #4) the writers of the show tended to have the most fun when they borrowed from classic horror tales and concepts. "The Brain of Morbius" follows in this tradition, being more or less the concept of "Frankenstein" set in space, or rather, on a stormy, abandoned graveyard of a planet named Karn.

The story opens with the Doctor throwing a comic tantrum because the Tardis has been diverted to this out of the way dump of a planet against his will. He suspects the Time Lords are manipulating him into doing some dirty work for them, and of course, he's right. Within 30 seconds Sarah, whose portrayal by Liz Sladen I am coming more and more to appreciate as I get older, has discovered not only a number of wrecked spacecraft all in a tiny area but also the headless body of a freshly murdered space traveller. Why is he headless? Why have all these ships crashed in the same spot? Why has the Tardis been diverted to Karn, which was once the seat of power for a renegade Time Lord named Morbius? And while we're on the subject, who lives in that spooky castle on top of the mountain?

"Morbius" like all Who episodes good and bad, has a lot of competing plot elements in it. On the one hand is the Sisterhood of Karn, a group of immortal, telekenetic biddies given to bad makeup, chanting and a burn-them-at-the-stake-first, ask-questions-later mentality. On the other is Dr. Soren (Philip Madoc) and his hook-handed, ape-like assistant Igor, uh, I mean, Condo, who live in the spooky castle with a lot of surgical equipment and seem to have a strange interest in heads with large craniums. The Sisters want to kill the Doctor because they think he's after their Elixir, which is the secret of their immortality and the reason the supposedly dead Morbius came to Karn in the first place. Soren wants the Doctor's severed head to play host for a certain brain he's keeping in the basement. Sarah, who is blinded by Maryn, the grumpy crone who runs the Sisterhood, wants her sight back. And poor Condo just wants to know where Soren is keeping his arm.

Philip Madoc, who later returned to play a small part in the forgettable "Power of Kroll" is spectacular here. He recites incredibly campy and villainous dialogue with such relish it is impossible not to laugh. The best thing about "Doctor Who" has always been the classic, mustasche-twirling evil of its bad guys, and this episode is no exception. Similarly, Baker and Sladen are in very good form, as is the actress who plays Maryn, and the guy who does the voice for Morbius shows what fans of old radio shows have always known -- to make evil come alive, all you need is a great voice.

Of course "Morbius" is not a perfect episode. The scenes with the Sisters are overlong, dreary, and replete with whispery chanting which is so annoying that even the Doctor, who is about to be burned at the stake, can't help complaining, "This music is terrible!" They are nasty, murderous, self-absorbed hags who seem not much better on the moral scale than the crazy Dr. Soren; I can't say I cared whether the reborn Morbius, who looks like he's been put together from spare parts from your local zoo and/or aquarium and is topped off by a fishbowl holding his brain, strangles them all with that nasty-looking crab claw or not. Also, I can't help but feeling a wee bit sorry for the old fella. Living as a disembodied brain in a jar filled with glowing green goo, with only the crazy Dr. Soren and the incredibly stupid Condo for company, has got to be a huge downer. Who can blame him for being so cranky when he wakes up?

As for the controversy surrounding what the Doctor does to Soren, all I can say is, when push comes to shove, Tom Baker's Who shows in numerous episodes that he can be one mean SOB. Besides, as the original Frankenstein discovered, sometimes it's best to let sleeping body parts lie.

This is a GREAT episode!
Some say this was not as good an episode but I must disagree. This is an intriguing Frankenstein type Dr. Who adventure that really has an interesting and chilling plot. The evil villin in this story is Morbius, who once was a timelord like Dr. Who but was destroyed, or so the timelords thought. All that is left is Morbius's brain and he is desperate for a HEAD to put it in. The problem is that most of the alien life forms that he has brought down from the sky have not been suitable homes for the brain of Morbius, that is, until the unexpected entrance of the good Doctor. Dr Solon gets soooo excited at the sight of the head of Doctor Who, that you almost can see him salivate. Hehe. Unfortunately, the Doctor stumbles upon the sisterhood, who hate all intruders, especially males!!! Sarah, the close companion of the Doctor, is as useless as ever and gets herself into more trouble then she is at helping and eventually gets herself temporarily blinded by the ring of the leader of the sisterhood. You can imagine how helpful Sarah is after that! lol. One of the interesting character of this episode is the igor looking helper of Dr. Solon. Dr. Solon has promised (igor) is arm back if he helps him find a head for Morbius's brain. I am not sure how igor lost his arm??? Hmmmm. At any rate, the tale evolves around the Doctor attempting to stop the resurrection of Morbius into a new head while keeping the sisterhood from killing him at the same time. There is a lot of running back and forth between Dr. Solon's laboratory and the caves of the sisterhood. In the end... well, I wont spoil the ending, but I do suggest you add this episode to your collection of Dr. Who's. You wont be disappointed. This episode is one of my favorite with Sarah as the Doctors companion. Have fun! ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Doctor Who does a horror version of Forbidden Planet
In this extremely well directed story with Hammer-like flourishes, The Doctor (Tom Baker) explores a lush alien jungle on a planet at the edge of the known universe. There, Professor Sorenson (Frederick Jaeger), engaged in experiments to harness the power of anti-matter, has unleashed a terrible anti-matter beast that threatens the men onboard the ship sent to rescue him. The alien planet is extremely well designed, and the scenes involving the anti-matter monster leave the viewer with a genuine sense of dread. There are also some very nicely directed sequences involving The Doctor falling into the anti-matter pit. As the anti-matter monster divides itself and attacks from all sides, the claustrophobia and tension increases, making one frequently look behind oneself. In an midst of a very well done Forbidden Planet remake, we have a terrific and genuinely frightening story with nice special effects for the era.

Great adventure. Typical of producer Hinchcliffes work.
The Doctor and Sarah land on a planet plagued by an anti-matter monster who has caused a number of deaths amongst a crew mining for anti-matter. This is probably one of the better serials of Tom Baker's era as The Doctor. The CSO effects are good and the story is a good reworking of the classic Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. The interplay between the Doctor and Sarah is fantastic and the guest cast put in some credible performances. Overall, one of the most horryfying and gripping stories of Phillip Hinchcliffe's era as producer.

Nature prunes dumb scientists.
There was a trilogy of Tom Baker stories during the shows "Golden Age" which bid homage to the classics of Gothic horror fiction -- "The Brain of Morbius" (Frankenstein); "The Talons of Weng-Chiang" (Dracula); and, of course, "Planet of Evil" which was essentially Dr. Jekkyl & Mr. Hyde in space. This episode is inferior to "Talons" (what isn't?) and not as much fun as "Morbius" but it is still a good outing, concentrating far less on humor and camp and more on the classic elements of Gothic horror -- tampering with forbidden knowledge, the internal struggle of good vs. evil, and the mounting terror of a group which is trapped in a haunted house (so to speak) and being picked off one by one. Like "Talons" which also mixed in homages to Phantom of the Opera and the real-life Jack the Ripper killings, this story also borrows heavily from "Forbidden Planet" in its choice of a semi-invisible monster projected, more or less, from it's victims own minds. There are also less-than-subtle moral messages about colonialism and gross exploitation of the environment, which is always humorous when you consider the Brits spent 300 years doing just that to our little planet. I guess Orwell was right when he said that hypocrisy is THE English vice (then again, he also said, "The Americans always have to go you one better on any type of beastliness" so you can read it either way).

The story is your basic 'trapped in a haunted house with a mysterious killer' bit, but the overlapping plot elements and homages prevent it from falling into parody. Tom Baker plays the Doctor with less humor and more edge in this outing, not troubling to hide his disgust at what he sees as militaristic fools tampering with forces they don't understand, and expressing his usual lack of patience with those less intelligent than himself, which in this story is absolutely everybody. The (relative) humorlessness of the normally cheeky, campy Doc helps underscore the mounting sense of doom. As always, the guest characters help to make the episode. Professor Sorenson, the Jekkyl/Hyde character, is both creepy and pitiable with his sunken, bleary eyes, stubbly face, and mixture of nervousness and exhaustion; he is more complex than your average guest character and it is difficult to see if he will play out as a villain or a hero. Not so with Controller Salamar, a ship's captain so repressed and stuck-up not only would butter not melt in his mouth, but if you inserted a lump of coal into this bloke's you-know-what, in thirty seconds you'd have a diamond. What Salamar lacks in charm, me makes up for with his shoot first, ask-questions-never style of command. Finally there is Vishinsky, the kindly veteran X.O., who seems to have gotten the helping of common sense that Salamar missed out on when he was going back to the buffet for a second course of being a jackass. All of these actors work well.

One interesting feature of the story is its violence. This episode has a huge body count and there are times I half-expected to hear that creepy "ch-ch-ch, ha-ha-ha" music from "Friday the 13th" as our heroes stumble around in the jungle, waiting to die.

Speaking of which, "Planet's" biggest strength is its creepy production design -- Zeta Minor, where most of the story takes place, is strange, jungle-like, very alien and claustrophobic, perfect to the atmosphere of the story. The black pit from whence the creature emerges is truly eerie-looking, and a very nice bit of prop-work, especially the fake bubbles which give it the illusion of depth. And the ship, which serves as the final battleground has an unpleasant, overbright 'death trap' feel to it.

One minor quibble -- when the irradiated Sorenson does his slavering, shamelessly over-the-top Mr. Hyde routine, it takes a will of iron not to burst out into hysterical laughter. Blaaaaah! Yeaaaaahh! Grrrrrr! Trick or treat! He hardly needed to strangle his victims; they would have laughed themselves into heart attacks anyway. This aside, "Planet" is one of the more downright creepy episodes shot during Baker's run, and it does an effective job of putting our heroes through one wringer after another before the Tardis whisks off on its next adventure.

A great Doctor Who Story
Planet of Evil is an amazing story prbably one of the creapist of the Doctor Who stories from the 4th Doctor's era.It saw them land on a planet called Zeta Minor in the far future.The Doctor battling an unknown entity controled by antiMatter. What more can i say very enjoyable story. Tom Baker at his best.

The boundary between matter and anti-matter
The year--37,166. The place: Zeta Minor, at the fringes of the known universe. The surviving members of a Morestran survey team are being killed off by an invisible force in a way that resembles "a rapid form of freeze drying." Dr. Sorenson is on the verge of a scientific discovery that could save the Morestran civilization--their sun is dying. Baldwin, a member of the expedition, manages to activate an SOS as he is being attacked. Guess who answers the SOS? A certain jelly-baby loving Time Lord and his assistant.

Also en route to Zeta Minor is a military expedition headed by the young and inexperienced Controller, Salamar. The Doctor and Sarah are captured by Salamar's troops and accused of murdering seven members of Sorenson's expedition. They escape, only to encounter the cause of the deaths at the cliffhanger to Episode 1. Speaking of cliffhangers, the one ending Episode 2 is effective, as the Doctor is seen falling into the black pit, seemingly doomed.

All the great lines are by the Doctor, but this one covers the overall concept of colonial thinking and Sorenson's mission: "Here on Zeta Minor is the boundary between existence as you know it and the other universe which you don't understand. You call it 'nothing' a word term to cover ignorance, and centuries ago, scientists invented another name for it: anti-matter. And you, by coming here, have crossed that boundary into that other Universe to plunder it." Sorensen, however, puts it another wayL "Full scale exploitation of this planet will provide us with perpetual energy in whatever way we need it." The main point being that Sorenson cannot take any minerals of that planet with him. In the meantime, Sorenson's men are being killed off one by one.

Prentis Hancock's impatient action-not-waiting Salamar is a retread of his portrayal as Vaber in Planet Of The Daleks. But Ewen Solon takes top honors as the older and wiser voice of reason, a variation of the Trojan War's Nestor, as second-in-command Vishinsky.

Other notes: The anti-matter monster, despite being shown corporeally on the video cover, is only seen as a glowing yellow outline, which is an interesting way. And Elizabeth Sladen's expression, especially her eyes, brilliantly portray that feeling of her mind leaving her body, a sensation she feels whenever the anti-creature is near. The casualty rate is also high in this story.

By Episode Three, there is a clear Jekyll and Hyde theme established. The larger theme is that of anti-colonialism, a theme previously explored in the Who story The Mutants. Figures, since the British Empire plundered resources of countries in its domain. And with this story, the British, by experience, portrays the immorality of exploiting other countries for their wealth. Sounds like a country I'm familiar with. A worthy story in the Dr. Who canon. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Favorite Cartoon
Why aren't these cartoons on DVD yet? If you too love the Animaniacs, go here to help us get them put out on DVD.

Insightful (and Inciteful) Satire
With the Pinky and the Brain cartoons, Spielberg productions found the root cause of the Warner Bros. classic animation success: a good story that appeals to adults will win over children. I have had the good fortune to watch my son appreciate more about these cartoons over the years, and, when he's ready to vote, I'll be sure to get him to watch "Meet John Brain" again--a clearer explanation of the electoral process than anyone ever got from "Schoolhouse Rock." ;) Now, if only Warner Home Video would release P&tB on DVD . . . .

A MUST for Pinky & The Brain Fans!
This video contains a few of the funniest toons featuring Pinky & The Brain, and of course, The Brain is up to his usual scheming to take over the world. Cartoons on this video: "Puppet Rulers"--Pinky & The Brain become pop culture icons on a childrens' puppet show, only to abandon the show at the height of its popularity, sending their viewers into therapy. "Win Big"--a classic toon spoof of "Jeopardy!" Even The Brain is no match for Alex Trebek's smugness! In "Battle for the Planet," they spoof the radio version of "War of the Worlds," and darn near convince their listeners that the earth is really being invaded, and of course, the plan backfires and the show ends up being a comedy smash instead of a power coup. In "Meet John Brain," The Brain runs for president, and it's not until he's rating high in popularity polls that anyone notices he's a mouse. For anyone who couldn't stomach Billy Ray Cyrus, then the last toon "Bubba Bo Bob Brain" will have your side splitting. Brain tries to take over the world by combining country music and subliminal messages! Watch for the caricatures of Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton... Guaranteed to make you laugh good 'n hard -- NARF!

Yes, I WILL buy this video.
I love the Animaniacs. I used to watch them every afternoon, and this video provides a great way to get my fix any time of day. Attention college students: buy this video as a way to procrastinate! It's better than just sitting around! ... Read more

Description

The Kidsongs Kids join the action when Mike the Dog gets a workout as a basketball referee in "Footloose".Then a Kidsongs Kids's dream of driving a racecar comes true in "I Get Around" and the rest of the Kids have fun as the pit crew.Olympic hopefuls work out ot the tune of "Bend Me, Shape Me".Sailing excitement comes to life as the Kids "Catch a Wave" with surfers, sailors and jet skiers.Have fun and sing along with the Kidsongs Kids in all of these wonderful sports videos!

Featuring these songs:

It's Not If You Win or Lose
Practice Makes Perfect
Bend Me, Shape Me
I Get Around
Over the River
Footloose
Rah, Rah, Sis Boom Bah
Catch a Wave
Centerfield
You Know That You Can Do It

Kidsongs are very high quality productions and have won many awards including eight Parent's Choice Awards, three "Best Sing Along Video" Awards by the National Parenting Publication Association, The Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Television and the ViRA Award for Best Live Action Children's Video. ... Read more

Description

In one of the most popular episodes, the Doctor and Romana must abandon plans for a peaceful holiday in Paris when curious cracks appear in the fabric of time itself. ... Read more

Reviews (32)

Most accessible to new Whovians
CITY OF DEATH remains one of the few Doctor Who episodes to not be novelized, despite the fact that it is probably one of the most imaginative, funny and even most accessible to new viewers of the series. It is cheifly written by Douglas Adams, known for his multi-media work THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY. (In fact, the plot for Adams' third HITCHHIKER book was orginally proposed as DOCTOR WHO AND THE KRIKKETMEN, which was turned down for being too silly.) Genre fans may also recognize character actor Julian Glover from INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE or very briefly in THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. Monty Python's John Cleese and Eleanor Bron also have cameos. Incidentally, CITY OF DEATH is probably the strongest example of the on-screen chemistry between Tom Baker and Lalla Ward. (They were married a little over a year later.) All in all, this is probably the best post-KEY TO TIME Tom Baker story.

One of Doctor Who's most overrated stories
A lot of fans are quick to state that "City of Death" is one of the greatest Doctor Who stories ever made. I couldn't disagree more.

Placed firmly in what is argueably one of the worst Dr. Who seasons of all time, "City of Death" comes out smelling like roses. But does that make it a good story?

The short answer is, quite frankly, no. Don't get me wrong--Douglas Adams creates some unique one-liners and the cast appears to be having a good time on location in Paris. But what the story lacks is the sophistication, intelligence and pure enjoyment that made up the early Tom Baker stories. Tom Baker's unrestrained performance needs to be roped in a bit and Lalla Ward is a bit too understated in only her second appearance as Romana II. Throw in a storyline that is far too predictable and never really gains any momentum and you've got a mess disguising itself as a classic story.

If you're a Who fan, take the this story and watch it alongside such truly classic stories as Caves of Androzani or Genesis of the Daleks. You'll find that it truly pales by comparison.

more tom baker crap
Shall we take the lift or fly? (...) Really! Other than that moment, this is witty. Then again