Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - Invasion of the Dinosaurs [VHS]

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This was my first introduction to Doctor Who when I was a child, and immediately I was hooked. My whole family sat rapt around a 13" black and white television set, watching it on PBS back when you could see the good Doctor for free. Even today, the shoestring special effects don't bother me a bit- they multiply the fun. "Dinosaurs" has a great story you can enjoy, even though it is stretched a little bit to fill six episodes. The Jon Pertwee and (pre John Nathan-Turner) Tom Baker eras are my favorites in Doctor Who: I love the charm of the hand-puppet dinosaurs, the way the painted-canvas sets shake when Jon Pertwee slams doors, the Gallifreyian technology that looks like it was made with parts from Radio Shack. We live in a time when science fiction shows and movies are full of special effects with no plot or characters to care about. Give me a good sonic screwdriver over a computer generated phaser blast any day!

The Doctor and Sarah exit the TARDIS and discover a deserted London. Martial Law has been declared after the metropolis has been evacuated due to dinosaurs appearing and disappearing creating havoc! Like many, many fans have already noted, this ain't no Jurrasic Park, nor is it Dinosaurus(!). Actually, Invasion of the Dinosaurs really isn't that bad. Malcolm Hulke's last script for the program is pretty good, except for one thing: the dinosaurs. The puppet dinosaurs give this serial its' bad reputation. They are woeful, pathetic, and just plain bad. Also, the story, like a lot of Pertwee six-parters, is ploddingly pedestrian. But we can go on all day about the should've dones and shouldn't have dones for this story. But, if you can get beyond the poor effects, you might find an enjoyable runaround. UNIT working with the military is fun. Sgt Benton gets to sock it to General Finch. The whole setting on the faux space ark is a nice touch. It's a shame all these scenes couldn't be self contained as not to spoil the surprise. And Capt Yates' actions against his old friends is a nice touch, too. The b/w episode 1 is very atmospheric, and possibly the best thing about this serial. But if you're a non-discriminating Who fan, you're more than likely to find the high points of this much maligned adventure.

Anthony J. LaRocca, I couldn't have said it any better myself! I completely agree. I've read critiques of this story which crucify the special effects, especially the incredulous dinosaurs. So what? Dr. Who was a low budget BBC series. Let's not expect Star Wars-type effects. The critics just don't have the imagination required to look past substandard special effects and enjoy a good story. It would be one thing if this was a poorly told story, but it isn't. It keeps the viewer's interest throughout.

And thanks to the video, Who fans can finally witness the first episode, albeit in B&W. Many PBS stations began showing this story starting with episode 2, as episode 1 was trashed during the BBC purge. Thank goodness the B&W version existed.

The Doctor and Sarah Jane return from medieval England to find the city deserted, under martial law and under attack by dinosaurs. Eight million Londoners have been evacuated. The government has temporarily moved to Harrogate, with Sir Charles Grover, minister with special powers, running things in Central London. UNIT have no idea where they come and go, as no one actually sees them leave--they just vanish into thin air. The Doctor wants to capture and study one, and trace it to find the source of the temporal displacement. However, there is sabotage and attempted murder involved, and unfortunately, there's a mole within UNIT itself.

The Brigadier has to work with General Finch of the regular army, and he's not exactly a pleasant person to be with. He takes an instant dislike to the Doctor and thinks some madman has been breeding the dinosaurs and they have gotten loose.

As for Grover, he not started the Save Planet Earth Society, but also wrote the book Last Chance For Man, bewailing the effects of post-industrial pollution on mankind and the world. The Doctor is keen on people like him. After all, "it's not the oil, the filth, and the poisonous chemicals that are the cause of pollution. It's simply greed." Indeed, Captain Yates likes the silence. "The air is clean, no cars, no people..." Sarah though, likes ordinary London, "traffic jams and all." She investigates a hunch which leads her into trouble and into the heart of the matter.

The reason why Episode 1 is in B&W is that as a surprise, the first episode was merely titled "Invasion." That unfortunately led the BBC archivists to confuse it with the Patrick Troughton story, "The Invasion", and the colour version was junked. Until its release now, it was shown on PBS stations beginning with Episode 2.

Other interesting things: the phrase "back in the Cold War days" indicate that in the Earth of the Whoniverse, detente and easing of tensions was achieved during the 1960's, which is some relief. Also, the Brigadier pointing to a sedated dinosaur and saying "don't you worry, nothing can break those chains" owes a nod to King Kong.

This story also features the Doctor's new car, the Whomobile, a large silver with graceful shark-like fins on both side that's more graceful than Luke Skywalker's landspeeder that seems to glide across the road.

This isn't a very popular story and with good reason--the dinosaurs. Some are realized horribly. The worst ones are the Tyrannosaurus and the pterodactyls, the latter which squawk like crows. Many times, the Tyrannosaurus move as if being dragged away or raised without moving their limbs, as if someone was playing with toy dinosaurs, and that, coupled with the dodgy bluescreen, sink this story. The Stegosaurus is the best realized model. Also, there is a protracted chase in Episode 5 that's just filler. Still, the James Bond-like plot and mystery makes its six episodes worth it.