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Summary: The return of the Cybermen - but is it really that great?
Review: I'm a big fan of the Cybermen. They're easily my favorite monsters, terrifying the screen in '60s "Who" episodes such as "Tomb of the Cybermen" and "The Moonbase". Their return afer seven years in "Revenge of the Cybermen" disappointed a lot of fans, but for some reason, their release from another seven-year hiatus in "Earthshock" was very well-received. Personally, I don't understand it."Earthshock" is, first and foremost, an action movie. Few scenes go by without a gun fight, or an attack, or the expendble soldiers being shot down by the enemy. It's very formulaic, and worse still, a formulaic homage: some dialogue exchanges are very reminiscent of past Cybermen stories, like "The Moonbase" or "The Wheel in Space", and the 'hatching' and subsequent march in episode two are a combined copy of "Tomb" and "The Invasion". If you think that's disappointing, it's even sadder to realise that Eric Saward later copied those same cliches and attempts at homage in two more stories, "Resurrection of the Daleks" and "Attack of the Cybermen". This is not to say there aren't great elements or classic scenes that are also original. Peter Davison is completely on form, and the redesign of the Cybermen is very, very cool. The scene where they are first revealed was undoubtedly quite surprising to the original, uninformed audience, and the climax and final credits still bring a feeling of sadness. But these only make "Earthshock" an okay story, a decently good one - not a classic.
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Summary: Great Doctor Who story and DVD!
Review: Just got my copy yesterday of Earthshock.Set includes in the extra department an Audio Commentary with stars Peter Davison,Janet Fielding,Matthew Waterhouse,and Sarah Sutton,and I thought the audio commentary was very good.Peter Davison points goofs out to people such as someone in the back ground getting cought on camera reading a script.Also in the special features section-Putting the Shock Into Earthshock a new exclusive documentary,Location Film Sequences-Contain shots and dialogue cut from the broadcast version,Did you see?-A 1982 BBC review program takes a look at Doctor Who's most memorable monsters,music Only Option,Production Note Option,Photo Gallery and thats about it in the extra section.The DVD also contains two versions of the story the orginal 82 version with orginal 82 effects or a new CGI version with new effects such as a new CGI effect for the climax of the story.I thought Peter Davison's first season outing of Doctor Who was great.Seasons 18,19,20 and 21 was my favorite seasons of Doctor Who in the 80's.You couldnt ask for a better season ender for Tom Baker in season 18,and what a perfect start with Peter Davison in season 19.My only 2 complaints,my first was Adric,I did'nt think he was bad when he was with The 4th Doctor,but with the 5th he was terrible.Tom Baker was like a father figure to Adric,Adric never threw a temper tantrum in season 18,what happen?Well Tom Became Peter and 2 new girls became part of the Tardis crew.I dont think there was a single episode in season 19 that made you wish Adric would get a punch in the nose?No wonder they decided to kill him off in Earthshock.My other complant was Nyssa.It seem like the writers that John Nathan-Turner hired did not know what to do with her,it seemed like she was always getting stuck in the TARDIS.Like in Earthshock,she was only out side the TARDIS once in part One then the rest of the story she stayed in the TARDIS doing nothing.That was sad,because I thought she was perfect,Peter thought so too,and he was very upset when they wrote her out of the show in season 20.Well any way Peter Davison had 3 wonderfull seasons as The Doctor.And it was a great time for Whovians.After Peter left the show would never be the same again.Well that'a another story.Well any way The Earthshock DVD is a great DVD from a great era of the show.
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Summary: Exciting Cyber-Adventure
Review: The return of the Cybermen after their misuse in Revenge of theCybermen is a moody, exciting adventure that contains moment aftermoment of brilliance. The acting is sound on all levels, with special credit due Peter Davison, whose performance raises the tension level as his realization of the true purpose of certain events adds to the overall mood of the piece. The redesign of the Cybermen was criticized by some, but the see-through mouthpiece adds to the effect of the Cybermen's menace, rather than detracting, by allowing us to see the transformed humanity within the outfit. This is one of the best ones to show to new Doctor Who viewers, as it is accessible to those who've never seen a Cyberman adventure, and has high emotional moments -- especially the ending, which works on every level. One of Davison's best by far, and definitely one of the best Cyber-Adventures. A must-own. Now if only they'd get rid of that ridiculous vunerability to gold, everything would be fine. It works here as a plot point, but nowhere else. Enjoy!
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Summary: One Of The Best Who Episodes
Review: This contains SPOILERS so you've been warned! In this episode, Earth soldiers are sent to investigate an attack on a geological survey team deep within some caverns (on Earth in the future). While in the caverns a group of soldiers are attacked and killed. Meanwhile Adrian (sp?) informs the Doctor he wishes to return to his home in E-Space. This angers the Doctor since his only visit to E-Space was by accident. The Doctor and his companions are captured by the Earth force and all are attacked by a couple of androids being controled by the Cybermen. After destroying the androids and diarming a bomb planted by them, the Doctor discovers where the bombs arming signal came from and he, his companions, and the Earth force enter the Tardis and arive on a freighter bound for Earth. It is here that they discover that the Cybermen have a huge invasion force hidden in the cargo areas of the ship. Once the Cybermen take over the ship, they force turn the freighter into a flying bomb to destroy Earth. They force the Doctor to take the Cyber-Leader and a guard on board the Tardis while leaving the surving Earth force troops and Adrian on the doomed freighter. Adrian manages to crack part of the Cyber controls which sends the ship backward in time by 65 million years. While attempting to crack the last control, a damaged Cyberman destroys the ships controls and dooms Adrian as the ship slams into Earth. If I'm not mistaken, this episode marks the only time a companion of the Doctor has been killed. This gives the episode a very somber ending with the end credits rising over the broken badge that Adrian always wore. The Cybermen come across as effective advisaries who are not easily defeated. This is a very interesting and fast-paced episode.
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Summary: Return of an old enemy from the Doctor's past!
Review: This episode has the TARDIS crew landing the 26th century.Theymeet a group of trooper looking strange death caused by a unknownforce.The Doctor saves the troopers and companions from some deadly androids.The Doctor also must stop a bomb from destrying the area.But this the beginning of the Doctor's problems.After the bomb is defused, the Doctor traces the source of the bomb.It is on a frighter in deep space.The Doctor,companions and some troopers go to space to meet the people behind the bomb.The Doctor and Ardic are captured as stowaways by a man working for the enemy. The Cybermen are plotting to destory the earth using the spaceship as a bomb.The Cyberman capture Tegan.Adric is forced to stay behind ,because the Cybermen belive it only takes one companion to help with the TARDIS! The Doctor manages to stop the Cybermen on board the TARDIS.The ending is truly a shock for those watching the first time! The ending credit run silent at the end of part 4 as tribute. A must for all fans of Doctor Who!
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Summary: Man and the Cyberman
Review: This serial of Dr. Who brought back my favorite menace - the Cybermen. Not seen for years since "Revenge of the Cybermen" (1975, during the Tom Baker years), the Cybermen have a new look and a new plan. Using a bomb set deep within Earth, they will destroy the planet as its government is prepared to host an interplanetary summit aimed at - among other things - an alliance against evils like the Cybermen. Unfortunately for them, their plan is discovered by The Doctor who luckily (for us) materializes on the scene in his space-time ship (the "TARDIS"). With their initial plan foiled, the Cybermen switch gears and hit on a new idea. They hijack a huge cargo spaceship carrying a veritable army of Cybermen (originally intended to hold what's left of Earth when the bomb explodes), and aim it at Earth like a bomb. Tracing the source of the signal, the Doctor lands on the freighter and battles the Cybermen alongside a pitiful band of human soldiers and the ship's crew. With his companions - the boy genius Adric, the young but wise Nyssa and the tough but lovely Tegan Jovanka - the Doctor fights a seeming losing battle against the horde of Cybermen holding the ship. This was a great episode on so many levels. The redesigned Cybermen - see-through mouth-grille and all - are an improvement over the silver-wetsuits of "Revenge", and the script plays up on their strengths: their numbers and seemingly boundless cool and aggression. Cheesy camera work exaggerates their numbers by having the image of a single column of Cybermen "multiplied" within a single shot - but we get the point. ("Who" fans who can't appreciate the "see-through mouth" because we now know that there are people behind the masks, are missing the point - the Cybermen aren't machines, they are mechanized people, the prototypes for the Borg. We always knew that there was a person behind the mask, but the grille still hides what that person must look like after being "assimilated". Also, individual Cybermen are more vulnerable here than they were in "Revenge" (their huge numbers wouldn't be as important if they were as bulletproof as they were in that story). The scene introducing the Cybermen is perfect - with the cold invaders huddled like a coven of witches around a holographic viewer. (They don't recognize the Doctor at first, but his spaceship tips them off) Of course the biggest thing about this story is the end of Adric - there are hints of his leaving from the start of the serial, but the final moments are unforgettable anyway. IF YOU'VE NEVER SEEN AN EPISODE OF DOCTOR WHO none of the above will make much sense (a man - a "timelord" actually - who changes his appearance every few years, traveling across space and time in a ship looking on the outside like a London police call box, accompanied by a constantly changing cast of companions and battling a wide array of menaces both alien and human). Still, some episodes embody a sort of humanity that rises above the kooky continuity of the show, and this is one of them, so it's worth a look. The tragic ending underscores the entire series - times runs out, even for timelords.
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