Customer Reviews

Doctor Who - War Machines [VHS]

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This story is one of many examples of an intelligent concept being utilized in a very exceptional way in the Doctor Who format. This adventure has the good Doctor and Dodo arriving in London of 1966, and soon they would become involved in a very insidious plot put forth WOTAN, the very first example of a thinking computer, otherwise known as A.I., artificial intelligence, and the subsequent construction of an army of robots known as War Machines.

This adventure is something that I believed may have had a hand in influencing the Terminator movies, for in both cases, there is the talk of a super artificial intelligent computer system that has come to the realization that mankind's time is up, and the age of the machines must begin.

However, there is are differences, in the Terminator, the fact that once SkyNet was brought online, it launched nukes that practically destroyed half the world's population and brought about a dismal, dystopia, where there is nothing but wars and fighting, between the human resistance, and the robotic warriors of SkyNet.

In this adventure, the events build up slowly, first learning that WOTAN is a highly advanced computerized problem solver that was envisioned to assist humanity in it's global progress. But as it is connected, in a gothic sort of manner in various thrillers, as the menace is not quite made apparent, but slowly builds up as people of significant importance are brought under WOTAN's control, as more and more people are brought under its control, more of the War Machines are constructed and brought online.

This adventure is also notable for the somewhat abrupt departure of Dodo, and the introduction of two new companions for the good Doctor, Polly and Ben. In addition, there are some rather humorous scenes having the Doctor and his friends in the hottest nightclub in the area, 'The Inferno', as a display of the youthful exuberance of the Swinging Sixties.

In addition, what I thought was great was for the Doctor to be working alongside the military, lending his intelligence to their militaristic strategies, something that served as the first prototype story format that would be utilized during a majority of the 3rd Doctor era. I found this adventure to be very satisfying on an intellectual level, for it serves as an allegorical warning to not allow technology to dominate mankind. A must have for any Dr. Who fan.

This story is built on the proposition that computers networked together will have a much gretaer capacity. Having a super computer, in this case WOTAN, at the heart of the network allows for the subjugation of mankind by computer. These days we could liken that to the internet.

As others have pointed out this is a thought provoking drama on the dangers of the over-reliance on cold calculationg computers. Recent movies such as Bicentennial Man and AI have sought to couter much of this type of propaganda which is still prevelant throughout the world. Once again, the good old BBC has brought a thorny scientific issue to the fore in the guise of a children's television show.

This is one of the most fab, with it, hip of the shows which was originally broadcast between June 25 to July 16 1966. Polly's fashionable dress and make-up together with the symbols of the swinging 60s, the Post Office Tower, the mini, among others are the touchstones of the new generation that was emerging. This was the year of the Beatles being awarded the MBE by the queen and once again the BBC pays lip service to social developments while helping the British tourist industry with their pictures of London. If you have an attractive outdoor location use it I say!

It's not the best of Doctor Who stories monster wise as others have said but it was a pretty novel idea at the time which certainly is one of the most endearing features of Doctor Who. The scary thing about the mobiles is that their construction was relatively simple and thus could be replicated quickly and easily. An enemy that could grow as fast as you can say 'production line' is scary indeed.

Doctor Who altered its course with The War Machines. Rather than travelling to a distant planet to meet strange-looking aliens, or to Earth's past to encounter a significant historical figure, War Machines is set in comtemporary London, the swinging mid-60s, and it shows! For the very first time in the series' young history, the Doctor and his companion(s) face a modern-day threat, the first time, that is, when they are large enough to interact with the rest of the characters, unlike Planet of The Giants.

As Professor Brett states, WOTAN is ten years ahead of its time. Well, maybe not ten. Perhaps only five years, which would put it smack down in the beginning of the Pertwee Years, right next to a simlar story, Mind of Evil, about a machine taking over people's minds. If anything, The War Machines foreshadows the Third Doctor's era. Hartnell dabbles with electronic gadgets, works with the military (not UNIT yet, but very UNIT-like), and endures incompetent politicians to prevent a menace from taking over the world. Sound familiar? The Pertwee Years four years early. In fact, if you re-hash this script and use it toward another popular 60s TV program, The Avengers, it would feel right at home. I anticipated John Steed and Emma Peel to show up on my TV screen at any minute.

Incidentally, the notion expressed that Doctor Who finally has taken its intended form with The War Machines is about as bogus the Doctor's background being changed during the McCoy years to be something more than a timelord. The intended course in any series is how it originates, not how it becomes. The originators of any series always deserve the "intended course" label. This is not to say that the new direction of the show is bad, but let's not claim that this is where Sidney Newman & Verity Lambert envisioned Doctor Who going.

Basically, The War Machines steers Doctor Who in a new direction, a very subtle foreboding of the early 70s, worth every one of the four stars I gave it. However this story could have been a five-star beauty. How you ask? Where have you gone Ian & Barbara. The Doctor may as well have been companion-less. Dodo barely features at all, disappearing somewhere in episode two, never to be seen again. We are given the revelation at the end that she has decided to stay in London, and bids the Doctor goodbye by relaying a message through the new companions, Ben & Polly. As the Doctor says, that's gratitude for you, not even showing the decency to see the Doctor off personally after being given the experience of her life. Dodo should have gotten a more substantial exit. As for the aforementioned new companions, Ben & Polly fit in with the swinging 60s era, and Polly is pleasing to the eye, however they are no Ian & Barbara. In retrospect, War Machines could have been the perfect swan song for Ian & Barbara. I can just see them telling the Doctor that "we have decided to remain here" at the end of this story, fate having steered the Tardis back in their own time finally. An opportunity sadly lost...

This is the first story that really brings the formula of the series until its demise into play. The focus is on the Doctor, who is now a willing adventurer and hero basically, and also brings up a more adult appraoch to the companions. The story is pretty good and very ahead of its time, but the War Machines are totally impractical killing machines and not frightening in a context except maybe if you were the poor chap operating it! As for the characters of Ben and Polly, they are excellent and it is a shame this is the only complete story in the BBC archives that feature the two of them. Also, it is a shame the magnificent Hartnell didn't stick around longer to try on this new modern Doctor Who on for size. A good one from the Hartnell era and a big turning point for the show... all that's missing is Nicholas Courtney as the Brigadier.

Plenty of outdoor scenes instead of cardboard sets. Inept government officials, military men with assault rifles, the Doctor tampering with electronics, present-day London in danger. With this story Doctor Who entered a new age. Although starring Hartnell, it is much more like Throughton or early Pertwee. I prefer this style to the less mature, if likeable, stories with Susan, Ian, Barbara & co.
Sure, War Machines has it's silly and naive moments, but that applies to almost every Doctor Who story. It is scientifically less ridicilous than The Tenth Planet. The machines themselves are like much more crude and clumsy Daleks, but i like them. People who like swinging London-stuff like Adam Adamant could enjoy this. Also those who prefer later doctors to Hartnell might find War Machines a positive surprise. I did, this is my favorite first doctor story.

The War Machines was one many Doctor Who stories of the 1960's that was orginaly chucked by the BBC. However this story was found and restored by the unsung Doctor Who Restoration Team. War Machines is not a great story but neverless it's very thought provoking.

The Doctor lands in London June 25, 1966 in the shadows of newly finished Post Office Tower, the Doctor senses something strange in the tower. The Doctor along with his companion Dodo, find out that in a suite high above is a super computer called WOTAN, who is able to think, and does not make mistakes, WOTAN know's what TARDIS stands for. WOTAN is about to be connected to a worldwide computer network, and that could be dangerous. WOTAN has come to the conclustion that man can't progress any longer and must be a servent of the machines. WOTAN takes control of minds of Professor Breet(who invented WOTAN), his assitant Krimpton, and Dodo. Dodo is instucted to bring the Doctor to the tower so that WOTAN can use the Doctor's knowlege in it's atempt to take over the world. The Doctor does eventualy figures out that Dodo is not herself and breaks WOTAN's control by putting her in a deep sleep, and that's when we see that last of her. Ben Jackson one of the Doctor's new companions soon finds out that a War Machine in a abandoned warehouse nearby a well know fruit and vegetable garden is being built and it will be sent to distroy the city. Ben barely escapes and warns Sir Charles and the Doctor. The Doctor soon know that WOTAN is a treat, and must figure out how to pull the plug.

Again, The War Machines is not one the best Doctor Who stories. But it's a thinking story, rather than a action story. With computer runing our lives in the 1990's, The War Machines was present is a warning to the Whovans of the 1960's. If computers get to smart, they made by runing our lives. For the most part they are. People have been downsized by computer technology, their is fear that computer will be tracking them anyway they go etc. In my opinion War Machines was intended to be a warning about how computers could take over world, and that's why this Doctor Who story that had to be restored. I don't think it was no accident that the "War Machines" was recently found.

This re-release of 'The War Machines' was restored by the Doctor Who Restoration Team. The story itself is not the greatest and William Hartnell's acting is sub-par. With that said, the remastered video has a clear and crisp picture. The preview segment is a nice addition, adding an additional preview of the War Machines. This story sees Ben and Polly join the Doctor. END

Scenes of Covent Garden as a fruit and veg market, the 'just finished' GPO tower, bubble-cars and Minis parked on the streets, 'fab' night-spots: you've got to love it! The story, well: so-so. Hartnell is near the end of his tenure in this episode, and he shows distinct signs of Alzheimer's; obviously can't remember his lines in some places. Also, the War Machines themselves are about the least threatening looking things you could imagine (Daleks far more sinister). Still, Hartnell aside, the acting is typically first-rate --- especially considering it was a low-budget childrens' television programme.

There's something sinister about the new Post Office Tower, and the Doctor can scent it(he really means "sense it")! "The War Machines" really stands out in the Hartnell era. Not that it is the best of Hartnell, or the best of Who, but the contemporary setting helps the plot along. The Doctor interracting with the goverment and military with great ease and authority. It's a shame there wasn't more of these type of stories in this era. Dodo has the worst send off for any companion(worse than Liz Shaw), but she wasn't all that great of a companion. Ben and Polly come off very well. WOTAN's "Doctor Who is required!" speach is silly, and the War Machines themselves look a little hard to control. The productions and sets aren't that bad, the location footage pretty good, and the guests also do an admirable job. A very enjoyable Hartnell outing.

Thought to be missing forever, this story has been restored from the wacky Nigerian cut, Australian Archive footage, and footage from the Brittish show "Blue Peter" the story has been restored almost to its original glory. When a new super computer, WOTAN, takes control of peoples minds and begins building War Machines all over for the purposes of wiping out any human resistance to the mechanized evolution, it's up to the Doctor and a sailor named Ben Jackson to stop them. This episode is the last appearance of Dodo Chaplet (good ridence) and the introduction of Ben and Polly (woo-hoo).Not the best of the Hartnell years, but certainly worth having in your collection.