Rating: 
Summary: Average Colin Baker story
Review: Hu?? Who is one of the actors in this dark and fairly violent story... Sean Connery's son!! Don't await too much from this, but there are worse episodes from the 6th Doctor to come... by the way, Colin Baker is a brilliant actor and the only criticism was the producer of the show at that time, combined with scripts that dropped quality piece by piece
Rating:
Summary: Not the best, not the worst.
Review: I'm not entirely sure why this episode was choosen to be the first Colin Baker DVD. Me, I woulda picked "Mark of the Rani" or even "The Twin Delima", though only cause that was his first episode. "Trial of a Timelord", fun though it was, would have been a bit much for everyone first time out, I think.
The story is an ok one, more relevant now, perhaps, than it was when it was first aired. The character of Sil is always fun to see, and the other roles were well done as well. There was just a little something missing, and I don't quite know what.
As for the extras on the DVD, well... they could have been better. I was a little disapointed in compairison to the other Doctor Who DVDs I own. The behind the scenes section was a joke, as were the outtakes (hint to the BBC: Pick ones that are funny). The text commentary, normally very informative and verbose, was surprisingly sparse on this episode.
On the plus side, the audio commentary is nicely done, and the trailers are fun to see. And the expanded/deleted scenes were really interesting.
Overall this, as mentioned, isn't the best DVD (The Aztecs), or the worst (The Five Doctors), and is worth the time and money.
Rating:
Summary: Not the best, not the worst.
Review: I'm not entirely sure why this episode was choosen to be the first Colin Baker DVD. Me, I woulda picked "Mark of the Rani" or even "The Twin Delima", though only cause that was his first episode. "Trial of a Timelord", fun though it was, would have been a bit much for everyone first time out, I think.
The story is an ok one, more relevant now, perhaps, than it was when it was first aired. The character of Sil is always fun to see, and the other roles were well done as well. There was just a little something missing, and I don't quite know what.
As for the extras on the DVD, well... they could have been better. I was a little disapointed in compairison to the other Doctor Who DVDs I own. The behind the scenes section was a joke, as were the outtakes (hint to the BBC: Pick ones that are funny). The text commentary, normally very informative and verbose, was surprisingly sparse on this episode.
On the plus side, the audio commentary is nicely done, and the trailers are fun to see. And the expanded/deleted scenes were really interesting.
Overall this, as mentioned, isn't the best DVD (The Aztecs), or the worst (The Five Doctors), and is worth the time and money.
Rating: 
Summary: A little hard to follow
Review: I'm one of those people who watch Dr. Who for the sheer enjoyment/entertainment of it. Unlike some reviewers, I don't sit around and analyze how cheap the sets are, how the actors stumble over their lines, or how goofy the rubber costumes of the aliens are. The whole series is goofy, ok? This is mindless entertainment to me; I'm not trying to be a burgeoning TV critic. Having said that, I found "Vengeance on Varos" a little bit hard to follow; it took a little more brain-power to understand than I wanted to use. Colin Baker was good, as usual, and Nicola Bryant, as pretty as she is, is not a very good actress, in my mind, but again, that's not why I watch it. Basically, what appears to be happening is that Varos is a prison-type planet which has the usual group of rebels, although only 2 are ever seen, it has one marketable resoure which some little wormy-type creature is trying to buy cheaply, the governors of the planet are executed by the people if they don't do their job correctly (an idea I'd like to see America adopt), and the Doctor needs some of this marketable resource because the TARDIS can't move without it. And there's a traitor on Varos working with the worm. The things that happen are all a bit hit-and-miss and, again, not easy to follow. The sheer luck of the invasion force finding Zyton-7 (the resource) on another planet 2 minutes before the 4th part ends is shoddy; the Doctor gets credit for the victory and it's not really clear what he did to earn it. I guess I need to put more brain into it, but, again, that's not why I watch Doctor Who. I did like Martin Jarvis as the governor, but that's purely subjective. I'll watch it again sometime, but it's not my favorite, by a long shot.
Rating: 
Summary: "Tried reading that once." **thump**
Review: In a word, classic. Season 22 of Doctor Who was off to an excellent start... it's debut story, "Attack of the Cybermen" was great, if not perfect (I took the liberty of giving it four stars out of five in my review for it here), and the following tale, Philip Martin's "Vengeance on Varos" builds up from that. Unfortunately, this trend was not to continue (the story after this one, "Mark of the Rani", is a couple pegs down even from "Attack", at least in my opinion, though still not bad). But if I had been both British and old enough to cleary remember 1984 (I fail on both counts), I know I would have been impressed by the way the series was going. True, both this story and its preceeding one were rather violent, but... well, evil has to be evil, right? To paraphrase the Doctor himself, Colin Baker says on the "Colin Baker Years" tape that the "villains should be able to do more than just say 'boo' and then run away." Heartily agree. Some find Baker's brash, arrogant, selfish, mean, and sometimes cowardly Doctor too different from the hero the character had been in the past, through the portrayals of actors like Jon Pertwee or Peter Davison, which is why Colin Baker is not as popular of a Doctor among most fans as some of the others. But really... compare the First Doctor with the Sixth... I think that Colin Baker's take on the character is actually more accurate to William Hartnell's original portrayal than those that came after him, making Colin Baker really a more traditional Doctor! It reinforces the mysterious, alien qualities of the character. We know that deep down, in spite of all the negative qualities that form our first impression of him, the Sixth Doctor is good and kind at heart, for we see the transformation from one to the other occur in most of his stories. Colin Baker is my favorite Doctor, but he's not the only reason why I think this was a great story. Varos is a very believeable world (the whole concept of reality TV featured in the story was definitely ahead of its time), gritty and industrialized. The governor, played by Martin Jarvis, was a wonderful, reluctant weary character who does what he has to do (marvelous performance), as was the alien creature Sil (is it just me, or does Nabil Shaban bear an uncanny resemblance, both in his appearance and in the sound of his voice, to the late David Rappaport? The first time I saw Sil, I thought it WAS Rappaport!). Wonderful, slimy character, in more ways than one. The story is intruiging, as the Doctor arrives on Varos to refuel his TARDIS (why do so many people hate this element of the story? I mean, why not?) and things don't go quite as smoothly as he thought they might (but do they ever?). Nicola Bryant remains wonderful as Peri, who for me had her best run of stories from her first in "Planet of Fire" (in spite of her accent, which I'm willing to overlook... it improved drastically with the next story, "Caves of Androzani") up to this one. I didn't feel like the character felt quite the same after this one, which is really more the fault of the scripts than it is Bryant's performance. Up until the next story, Peri was just an American college student... spoiled and thrust somewhat unwillingly into a completely bizarre new direction in life. Once the writers seemed to think she'd settled into the routine of things, the character for me didn't work as well. They added the whole botany thing for reasons I've never been able to figure out (not that she couldn't be a botany student, but... well why should she be?). But I'm deviating from THIS story, where Peri remains wonderfully realized as just what she's supposed to be, a student who still hasn't gotten used to time and space travel and being the constant, frustrated companion of a man that half the time seems to forget that she is just as alive and as important as he is. Love the bit where she tries to convince the Doctor to read the TARDIS operations manuel, while he tries to ask her what the point is, as she'll be dead in sixty years or so anyway? Before I finish, let me offer up my compliments to the director/writer for the brilliant cliffhanger! Rather than describe it, just see it for yourself. I recall thinking, immediately before episode one ended, "wouldn't it be great if they put the cliffhanger HERE?", and then they did. "Vengeance on Varos" is probably my second favorite story from the Colin Baker era (my first favorite, which I've already reviewed here at Amazon, is the incredible "Revelation of the Daleks". Of the mere eleven stories he starred in, both this one and that one are both definitely five-star efforts. Give them a shot! (the DVD commentary and deleted scenes are a nice couple of extras too, but the only two that really interested me). Give "Varos" a chance, and I don't think you'll be sorry. Carry on Carry on, MN
Rating:
Summary: "Tried reading that once." **thump**
Review: In a word, classic. Season 22 of Doctor Who was off to an excellent start... it's debut story, "Attack of the Cybermen" was great, if not perfect (I took the liberty of giving it four stars out of five in my review for it here), and the following tale, Philip Martin's "Vengeance on Varos" builds up from that. Unfortunately, this trend was not to continue (the story after this one, "Mark of the Rani", is a couple pegs down even from "Attack", at least in my opinion, though still not bad). But if I had been both British and old enough to cleary remember 1984 (I fail on both counts), I know I would have been impressed by the way the series was going. True, both this story and its preceeding one were rather violent, but... well, evil has to be evil, right? To paraphrase the Doctor himself, Colin Baker says on the "Colin Baker Years" tape that the "villains should be able to do more than just say 'boo' and then run away." Heartily agree. Some find Baker's brash, arrogant, selfish, mean, and sometimes cowardly Doctor too different from the hero the character had been in the past, through the portrayals of actors like Jon Pertwee or Peter Davison, which is why Colin Baker is not as popular of a Doctor among most fans as some of the others. But really... compare the First Doctor with the Sixth... I think that Colin Baker's take on the character is actually more accurate to William Hartnell's original portrayal than those that came after him, making Colin Baker really a more traditional Doctor! It reinforces the mysterious, alien qualities of the character. We know that deep down, in spite of all the negative qualities that form our first impression of him, the Sixth Doctor is good and kind at heart, for we see the transformation from one to the other occur in most of his stories. Colin Baker is my favorite Doctor, but he's not the only reason why I think this was a great story. Varos is a very believeable world (the whole concept of reality TV featured in the story was definitely ahead of its time), gritty and industrialized. The governor, played by Martin Jarvis, was a wonderful, reluctant weary character who does what he has to do (marvelous performance), as was the alien creature Sil (is it just me, or does Nabil Shaban bear an uncanny resemblance, both in his appearance and in the sound of his voice, to the late David Rappaport? The first time I saw Sil, I thought it WAS Rappaport!). Wonderful, slimy character, in more ways than one. The story is intruiging, as the Doctor arrives on Varos to refuel his TARDIS (why do so many people hate this element of the story? I mean, why not?) and things don't go quite as smoothly as he thought they might (but do they ever?). Nicola Bryant remains wonderful as Peri, who for me had her best run of stories from her first in "Planet of Fire" (in spite of her accent, which I'm willing to overlook... it improved drastically with the next story, "Caves of Androzani") up to this one. I didn't feel like the character felt quite the same after this one, which is really more the fault of the scripts than it is Bryant's performance. Up until the next story, Peri was just an American college student... spoiled and thrust somewhat unwillingly into a completely bizarre new direction in life. Once the writers seemed to think she'd settled into the routine of things, the character for me didn't work as well. They added the whole botany thing for reasons I've never been able to figure out (not that she couldn't be a botany student, but... well why should she be?). But I'm deviating from THIS story, where Peri remains wonderfully realized as just what she's supposed to be, a student who still hasn't gotten used to time and space travel and being the constant, frustrated companion of a man that half the time seems to forget that she is just as alive and as important as he is. Love the bit where she tries to convince the Doctor to read the TARDIS operations manuel, while he tries to ask her what the point is, as she'll be dead in sixty years or so anyway? Before I finish, let me offer up my compliments to the director/writer for the brilliant cliffhanger! Rather than describe it, just see it for yourself. I recall thinking, immediately before episode one ended, "wouldn't it be great if they put the cliffhanger HERE?", and then they did. "Vengeance on Varos" is probably my second favorite story from the Colin Baker era (my first favorite, which I've already reviewed here at Amazon, is the incredible "Revelation of the Daleks". Of the mere eleven stories he starred in, both this one and that one are both definitely five-star efforts. Give them a shot! (the DVD commentary and deleted scenes are a nice couple of extras too, but the only two that really interested me). Give "Varos" a chance, and I don't think you'll be sorry. Carry on Carry on, MN
Rating:
Summary: One of the Great Acts of Froggi Time Meddling
Review: Like numerous other episodes of Doctor Who, this is an act of time meddling itself: the prison industrial complex, the society of people whose minds are distorted by mandatory TV watching, the encouraging of people to spy no their friends and neighbors, the blanket labeling of enemies of the state as "terrorists", the true and disturbing nature of reality-TV, the exploitation by mining companies, and a "Governor" who is tortured in referendum after referendum. See the amazing likeness of the "Governor" to Governor Gray Davis. It doesn't stop there. See if you can spot all of the messages which were sent back just this morning on September 26, 2003.
Rating:
Summary: Now you see me......
Review: Next to Twin Dilemma, this is one of Colin Bakers Beast. Although it was one of many Sixth Doctor stories to recieve critcism, which was unfair since it was only mild, It shows good acting and humor, as well a interesting scenes of exotic punishment, esp. the purple zone. Overall, a great story worth watching.
Rating:
Summary: Terror on Tape
Review: The 22nd season of "Doctor Who" wasn't well liked by the public. Probably because it was so violent. And that is what "Vengeance on Varos" is, a take off on TV violence, to the grimmest extent. Philip Martin's gruesome plot is surely funny in a repulsive way. Cannibals, acid baths, etc. all broadcasted on an alien world, and in turn broadcasted into your home! Watch out for that economic slug Sil (Nabil Shaban) in one of Colin Baker's most determined performances. It's a pity there's only two episodes...
Rating:
Summary: Terror on Tape
Review: The 22nd season of "Doctor Who" wasn't well liked by the public. Probably because it was so violent. And that is what "Vengeance on Varos" is, a take off on TV violence, to the grimmest extent. Philip Martin's gruesome plot is surely funny in a repulsive way. Cannibals, acid baths, etc. all broadcasted on an alien world, and in turn broadcasted into your home! Watch out for that economic slug Sil (Nabil Shaban) in one of Colin Baker's most determined performances. It's a pity there's only two episodes...
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