Product Details

• Actors: William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davison
• Writers: Sydney Newman
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 2
• Studio: Fox Home Entertainme
• VHS Release Date: March 31, 1998
• Run Time: 148 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6304872526
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #67,231 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Doctor? Doctor bain't a proper name.", June 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Awakening & Frontios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Tegan decides she wants to spend some time with her grandfather, Andrew Verney. But when the TARDIS crew arrives in Little Hodcomb, an extremely violent version of English War Games is in progress, and an evil alien pressence is behind it. Another wonderful, successful 2 parter that eliminates any padding, and has a great pace. All the guest are in fine form, as with the regulars. A lot of fans like to think this is "The Daemons" of the eighties, but I feel it has more in common with "The Visitation"(the church explosion is much better). Great design and atmosphere. One of the few contemporary/pseudo-historicals(?), too bad they didn't keep Will on.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars "They have an appetite beneath the Ground!!", May 31, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Awakening & Frontios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"Frontios" is really surprisingly good. Not quite as wonderful as "Logopolis" & "Castrovalva", but still, very enjoyable. The sets and design are great, with exception of the Tractators feet(they have none! I know, there giant earthworms, so to speak). Mark Strickson's performance is pretty good, when he isn't way OTT and frothing at the mouth. The Gravis' reaction when the Doctor shows him the console room(what's left of it)really stands out. Nice use of desperate colonists, as well. With the exception of some silly acting, "Frontios" is a successful Davison outing.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A fine collection all in all, April 8, 1999

By 

Ian D. Smith (Bangor, ME United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Doctor Who - The Awakening & Frontios [VHS] (VHS Tape)

These are both good stories, actually some of the best of season 21. "The Awakening" is a nice tribute to the classic Pertwee story "The Daemons" and it does work on many levels. I myself am not a fan of the character of Will, but I know many others liked him and even wish he joined the Doctor on his travels. The plot itself is fine, though a little unclear at times. The Malus is surprisingly effective for an immobile head, and most of the other characters in this story are engaging. Not exactly memorable, but certainly a nice little refreshment. "Frontios" is far more original and entertaining. The story itself is intriguing and the Tractators are suitably menacing. Credibitity is stretched in places, especially in regards to the fate of the TARDIS, and there is a rather pitiful scene involving a coat hangar which is best left forgotten. The portrayal of the Fifth Doctor is atypical of this era, but actually works better than what was normally seen. Janet Fielding and Mark Strickson as Tegan and Turlough are very good, although Strickson terribly overacts in several scenes. The rest of the characters presented range from bland to frustrating to interesting, but collectively they manage to portray an intriguing and well realised society on the brink of oblivion. Not a bad collection, but I would recommend first "The Caves of Androzani", "Earthshock", "Resurrection of the Daleks" or "The Visitation/Black Orchid" before this one.