Rating: 
Summary: Six out of five stars
Review: One of the truly great stories from possibly the best television show of all time.
Rating:
Summary: Just Brilliant!
Review: Peter Davison forever cements his place in the Doctor Who Canon. A brilliantly written story, with above the norm production values (for Who, its strength always being its heart, the story), this is a vastly significant testimony to why Doctor Who endures. The performances are extraordinary. This is prime Doctor Who, and a must have for all true fans.
Rating:
Summary: "Change my Dear..And it seems not a moment too soon."
Review: Peter Davison went out with a bang. Quite literally. For a Doctor who started out sleeping for most of his first episode(he had just dropped from a tower, give him a break) his last episode was anything but a 'sleeper'. And without a doubt, one of the best and most powerful regeneration sequences in the programs history. Great episode. Put it on your list of must have's.
Rating:
Summary: I might regenerate...I don't know...
Review: Peter Davison's Doctor has gotten a bad rap from many people. It almost seems fashionable in Doctor Who fandom to put down the Fifth Doctor because he was 'weak' or 'too young' or 'not heroic'. I think it's mainly because he's not Tom Baker. Davison's Doctor made mistakes and was much more 'human' than Tom Baker's superhero portrayal of the Doctor. Peter Davison's Doctor had many great qualities. His Doctor didn't have the 'larger than life' presence of Tom Baker's Doctor, which put many people off, I think.
A trait shared by all of the Doctors gets the Doctor & Peri into a nice little fix. 'Curiosity's always been my downfall.', the Doctor confesses to Peri as they sit in a cell, awaiting their execution. The pair are 'rescued' by Sharez Jek, who is played with great flair by dancer Christopher Gable. Although Jek comes off as a mad man, one can't help but feel sympathy for him.
Another great performance is given by John Normington who plays the slimy business man, Morgus. Normington's Shakespearian asides to the camera send a chill down the spine.
Davison's performance is terrific and Nicola Bryant is quite good as Peri. Peri is a bit whiny at times, but I suppose I'd be whiny too if I had to climb around in caves wearing very little clothing, got my legs in a fuzzy, sticky, web like substance, and then had some masked mad scientist obsessing over my beauty.
Davison is quite heroic in this story, although he doesn't save the universe or a planet, just his companion, sacrificing himself in the process.
Graeme Harper's direction is great, using all kinds of pans and fades not normally seen in Doctor Who. Roger Limb's music has a terrific dramatic effect, especially the rattlesnake motif that is used during Jek's scenes.
The DVD package is terrific. The first 3 person Doctor Who DVD commentary is very enjoyable. It's great to hear about the story from the two leads, as well as director Graeme Harper. The trio give a lot of insight on the story and seem to enjoy the story a great deal, laughing and applauding the show along the way.
The featurette on the regeneration is terrific. It's nice to be able to hear the activity on the studio floor or to choose a commentary by the folks who commented on the story. The featurette on Sharez Jek is also good, incoroporating studio footage, photos of various stages of the makeup process, and an audio interview with Christoper Gable. Sadly, Gable died a few years ago.
There are also a few trailers, as well as a news fearure from the BBC news and a couple of interviews with Davison shortly after it was announced that he was leaving Doctor Who.
Ah yes, the production subtitles are back, too, dishing out occasional bits of program info.
A terrific DVD and a great story, only let down by the cheesy Magma creature, which is encountered in the caves a few times.
Davison's best story and one that leaves one wishing that Davison had stayed a bit longer.
Rating:
Summary: Robert Holmes never fails, an excellent Sci-fi serial!
Review: Peter Davison's final episode, perhaps his best. Guns, mud slides, toxins, android, masked villain, corporate intrigue, betrayal, Peri's cleavage...! The action and adventure along with an excellent script and great acting round this show quite well; a rarity in the latter years of Doctor Who. The only negative is the weird looking bat creature....it was just too much like the front half of a pantomime horse. The awesome regenration sequence will make you jump around and smash furniture because there will be no outlet for the energy it will imbue on to the viewer. Sadly, it was followed by 'Twin Dillema' which was definitely the worst post-regeneration story ever.
Rating:
Summary: Beauty I must have but you are dispensable.
Review: Peter Davisons last Doctor Who story, is no doubt the best of his era, and stands out as a highly regarded story in the whole of Doctor Who.The performances are faultless, paticuarly Christopher Gable as Sharaz Jek and Peter Davison gives his final performance a good uplift.The interactions between the characters work well, and some good twists in the events currently happening.The overall standard of the production leaves you feeling very satisfied.
Rating:
Summary: THEY SAVED THE BEST TILL LAST!
Review: Rightly considered by many to be one of the best ever Dr.Who adventures, The Caves of Androzani comes highly recommended for fans of ANY television Sci-Fi!Peter Davison in his final story as the Doctor, is at his most sensitive and vulnerable. Greame Harper is the 'Spielberg' of the all the directors to work on the programme. It's a crime he only directed one more story after this (Revelation of the Daleks). The image and audio quality on this DVD are both fantastic, and the set of extras that comes along with the package are real treats. The only black mark against the whole production (and it's a small one!) is the poorly realised 'Magma Creature', but please don't let this put you off! Of all the 5th Doctor stories, they saved the best till last!
Rating:
Summary: "is this Death....?"
Review: Robert Holmes returns with his best writing since "The Ribos Operation", and just in the nick of time! What can you say, "Caves" is a classical masterpiece. The execution of the whole production is top notch. It might also be the most dramatic piece of Who in the entire series. The direction is superb! Davison excells like he never has before, as well as the rest of the actors and actresses. It has a little in common with "The Power of Kroll", but fortunatley, Kroll is no where to be found. Although the magma monster could have done without the collar and cape. "Caves" might be a little overrated at times, but it certainly deserves to be. And let's not forget posssibly the best regeneration scene in the series: "Changed, my dear, and it seems not a moment too soon."
Rating:
Summary: Quite simply one of the finest Dr. Who stories ever !
Review: Superb acting , great sets , suspense , heart-pounding cliffhangers , and the best regneration sequence ever ! Peter Davison's final story ranks as one of the best stories in the series history. Don't miss it !!!!
Rating:
Summary: Arguably one of the best televised Doctor Who stories-ever!
Review: The 5th Doctor's (Peter Davison's) era of Doctor Who, which was produced and televised in the early 1980s has received a great amount of criticism--mainly because he had the misfortune of following Tom Baker's 7 1/2 year run on the programme as the most popular (and familiar, even to Americans) 4th incarnation of the Doctor. The 5th Doctor's stories, however, were quite possibly the most adult and least comical of all (also contributing to the lack of popularity). He regenerated into a youthful, energetic, impatient, athletic, and compassionate sort of character that didn't always win the day as easily as his predecessor would ('Earthshock'/Adric, 'Warriors of the Deep', 'Planet of Fire'/Kamelion). He seemed to be more of a peer and friend to his companions than an elder, and often was willing to make sacrifices ('Mawdryn Undead') and take chances (Turlough & Kamelion) that made the programme more dramatic. 'The Caves of Androzani' was no exception. It is unfortunate that this story, one of the best, would be immediately followed by so many poor scripts. The only poor element to this story is the underground creature (very fake looking-but we are used to this as viewers of the series...lol). The incidental music is also one of the best in the series and a perfect mood setter. The characters are ALL 3 dimensional - a rarity. There are ominous lines and elements scattered throughout. [EXAMPLE: In the beginning Peri, his new travelling companion, mutters to herself after the Doctor marches off breathless with excitement and curiousity to explore the tracks to the caves, "Is this wise I ask myself? Oh well..." and runs after him] The Doctor also delivers a secondary explanation for wearing the sprig of celery on his lapel. The ending is emotional for many reasons, but the best is seeing Peter Davison's 5th Doctor be given a satisfactory send off doing what he has always done best - racing against time while carrying his friend in his arms as he (literally) ran for their lives in one last burst of athletic energy, only to discover that things wouldn't be solved so easily once again. This time he would be forced to make the ultimate sacrifice. The regeneration scene is also by far the best of the series. IN THE TOP 5 FOR DOCTOR WHO! (Other great stories with different Doctors include: 'Genesis of the Daleks', 'Tomb of the Cybermen', 'the Curse of Fenric', and 'the Daemons'. You may also like to try 'The Dalek Invasion of Earth', and 'Vengence on Varos'. Of course, for most fans 'the Five Doctors' is always fun, albeit a little disappointing since it is really 'the FOUR Doctors', and therefore not much greater than 'the Three Doctors' from a decade back...lol).
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