Rating: 
Summary: The Five Doctors
Review: A beginners guide to Doctor Who. Anyone who has never seen the show, but wants to should see this episode first. It will give you the knowledge you need. This DVD has all the qualities that make it a great episode, from the typical 1980's BBC special effects, all the past characters and a decent plot involving the Doctor's home planet. A must for any Whovian.
Rating: 
Summary: Surprising for the BBC
Review: The BBC for some unknown reason has always treated Dr. Who rather poorly. With todays technology and talents much could be done to this lucrative franchise yet the episodes seem to be just dumped onto what ever media is currently the "New Thing" and left at that. Every Dr. Who DVD should be packed with features and commentaries. Usually that is not the case.
With the Five Doctors an attempt is made to give the fans a little something extra. The version on this DVD had already been released on VHS several years ago, but they added a commentary!
Pete Davison(Dr.#5) and writer Terrance Dicks watch the program with you and it is actually quite good. If nothing else its fun to listen to Terrance complain when his script is mangled by actors and directors! Only other feature is a selection of the music used in the program. Neat if you just HAVE to hear the Who theme just one more time!
Still for the fans I would recomend it.
Rating:
Summary: Priceless commentary, and a somewhat cheesy classic!
Review: I'm actually going to start with the story itself first. Who fans know it, and I think there's generally some great affection for this. However if you're NOT a Who fan I'm not sure, despite what many speculate, that this is a good introduction. There is a LOT of Doctor Who history which you're assumed to know to understand how the same character is being played by 5 different actors in the same place at the same time (or nowhere in time technically). It is also not representative of the normal stories because of the need for getting all the major characters on the screen. Additionally while the three most classic villains of Doctor Who (The Master, the Daleks, and the Cybermen) are in this (and us Who fans like to see them) they are hardly menacing as when involved in their own plots to gain intergalactic domination. For novices this story was made to celebrate Doctor Who and in many ways succeeds for fans, but I think is not a good introduction for people new to the series, unless of course you have a fan to talk you through it.For fans though there are some great things. First of all we get to see the different regenerations of the Doctors interract with each other. This is ALWAYS hilarious. While each Doctor had their own manner and sense of humour in dealing with their companions, it's absolutely hilarious to see how much they dislike their other selves. As noted above the top Who villains make cameos, but not at all satisfying ones. Teh Cybermen and the lone Dalek just aren't threatening without their own specific plans for world domination. The Master is a bit better and has his moments but even he is rather tame in this episode. Naturally we also get to witness pathetic assistants (usually female as is the case in Doctor Who), some witty yet cheesy one liners,and some cheesy special effects. However for people not familiar with Doctor Who, these are actually all part of the appeal. Much like older Bond films there are things that might make one wince in real life that are priceless to see on the screen. Personally as they're only 2 other stories with multiple Doctors this is a rare treat. The banter is at times priceless, but for me there was something else that made this a fantastic DVD. The commentary by Peter Davison (the 5th Doctor) and Terrance Dicks is wonderful. To have the man who largely wrote the story and one of the principal actors discussing script choices, rapid edits, shooting conditions, and of course BBC budget limitations (notorious, and often explanatory for the cheesiness found in Doctor Who as well as Blake's 7 and other British science fiction). From experience some commentary tracks are dull or of questionable value (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon imho) but this is one of the BEST ever! Davison and Dicks don't just tease others but take themselves to tasks for things that they wished they could have done better. Marvelous! I whole-heartedly recommend this DVD, but be aware that it is not a truly first class Doctor Who story, but a Doctor Who EVENT. For newbies I really urge you to look elsewhere. Watch a classic episode or two, but if you get this as your introduction you may be confused and nonplussed by the villains to go much futher. It would be a shame...
Rating: 
Summary: OK. Good audio bonus track.
Review: I purchased the DVD, as I did the video. The plot is good, and I remember as a kid loving this episode. On the DVD, you get audio track from Peter Davision and Terrance Dicks. That is actually quite good to listen to, as you watch the DVD.
The "new" special effects in this one and the previous video are not that good, and I prefer the orginal. But all in all, good to see Patrick Trougton and the other "docs" reunited.
Rating: 
Summary: A Big Disappointment in 1983
Review: I'm just getting back into Doctor Who courtesy of my three year old daughter who absolutely loves it. The first episode I really remember seeing was the Planet of the Spiders where Pertwee changed into Baker. Consequently, Tom Baker remains my firm favorite because he was really "my" Doctor Who. There was a fair amount of disappointment with the Five Doctors among my fellow 13 year olds when it came on British TV. Personally, I would have held off production once I learned Tom Baker wasn't available. The stand-in for Hartnell does a fantastic job and the idea of getting the five doctors together is enjoyable. It hails back to the famous Three Doctors episode, where the enemy was a renegade Timelord called Omega, I think. Utlimately, the entry is pretty weak. Every hallmark monster is thrown into the mix and the doctors crowd on stage cancelling each other out. Add in the side characters and you get a rare mess of a production. Ironically, the best thing I remember about this episode was a completely new creature, a lightening quick android who could throw out darts from the ends of his fingers. As I remember, he gives the Cybermen a run for their money.
Rating:
Summary: THE FINEST EXAMPLE OF REPEATED VIEWING
Review: I must have seen this episode at least a dozen times, why? Well, the plot couldn't be simpler, a lot of the guest cast have nothing to do and as far as a serious entry into Doctor Who canon, It lacks any sort of scrtuiny. Despite all this however (or thanks to this, depending on your point of view), it is still probably the most entertaining out of the 150something episodes of Doctor Who produced.Great celebration for a fan, wonderful entertainment value if your not.All the Doctors give their finest performances, in particular Richard Hurndall, recreating the roll of the first doctor in such a way, you almost forget who Hartnell is, or end up wishing they had just cast Hurndall back in 1963. The only sad thing is that one is left with the terrible feeling 'Think of all the wonderful extras that WON'T have been put on it!' Having said that, we can now at least hope for a release of the original version (with more extras) in later years. This is one episdoe you really can watch again and again!
Rating:
Summary: AVERAGE WHO AT BEST
Review: The only thing notable about this story is that it's the 20th. anniversary story, and features a reunion of sorts, in that most of the Doctors and a fair sampling of assistants (and villains) make guest appearances. The story itself is rather weak, especially when compared to some of the great stories from each of the Doctors. It is telling that this story was chosen for release on DVD not because it was an outstanding story, but that it featured 5 Doctors in one (although actually only 3 of them were there, since William Hartnell had died years before, and Tom Baker appears in archival clips from an unfinished story). Having said that, it's still a mildly entertaining ride, and I'll watch it again sometime, but it just doesn't compare to some of the finer Who stories -- thus, it only rates 3 stars. Some of the other DVD releases have a little more in the way of special features, as well.
Rating:
Summary: Anniversary special
Review: I think Doctor Who had been going for 25 years when they decided to do this, and it's certainly not bad. A mysterious enemy traps all five (so far) Doctors (well, three and a half, really; the first Doctor is played by Richard Hurndall instead of the much-loved "Billy" Hartnell, who is deceased, and the fourth Doctor's actor, Tom Baker, is unavailable and so the story simply has him trapped in a time bubble or something) in a giant landscaped arena and pits them against many old enemies: a Dalek, a platoon of Cybermen, a yeti, a lightning-fast warrior robot and, of course, the Master.
The plot is pure ..., but it really doesn't matter; unusually good special effects (updated & remastered recently) and great acting on the part of the lead characters (especially Patrick Troughton) make this story spectacular. The scenes of the Doctors teaming up is particularly warm, and great work is done by the companions, past and present: Susan (a grown woman now, but she still manages the silly feat of falling & spraining her ankle), Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (who gets to give the Master a sweet right-cross), Sarah Jane Smith (who acts her part as if she never stopped playing it), the cynical Turlough and the acerbic Tegan, who gets to show the crabby first Doctor that she can scold as well as he can. Great photography, moments of deep suspense, and a fantastic action scene where the warrior robot coldly and efficiently slaughters at least a dozen Cybermen make this story very accessible to modern viewers. A good introduction to the series, really...even without Tom Baker. Come on, he's not the ONLY Doctor...
Rating:
Summary: New Life to a Classic
Review: This story is always a treat for any fan of the series and is sadly something that will never be possible again. Even more of a treat is now having a pristine DVD version to watch. It is quite proper that it be one of the first to be released. The revised special effects is something that one can take or leave. It really makes no difference to the enjoyment of the story. What does make a difference is the addition of scenes previously deleted because of time restraints, many of which feature the late Patrick Troughton. Peter Davison's and Terrance Dick's commentary provides insight and is fun to listen too. The biography section is detailed but does contain a few factual errors which will stand out immeadiately to any Who fan. Despite that, The Five Doctors is an excellent choice that will not dissapoint. Now if they can only come up with technology that can insert Tom Baker in a full role...
Rating:
Summary: What? No. Not the Special Edition.
Review: The only negative thing you can say about the new DVD release of "The Five Doctors" is that it's not, repeat, not the version you remember from the BBC, PBS, or VHS. This is the "special" edition released a few years ago, cobbled together by various members of fandom without input from the original production crew. Only slight changes have been made, but since "Five Doctors" is perhaps the one story that all DW fans may know backwards and forwards, the bulk of the alterations seem both inconsequential and annoying. Even though the DVD box states that this edition is "not intended as a replacement for the original", one wishes that for the DVD release, it hadn't in fact replaced the original. However, the DVD itself is a must-have. "Five Doctors" the episode is a perfect distillation of the series into 90 minutes. To see previous Doctors, several companions, and several popular enemies, all together on Gallifrey, in a story with a crisp, clear plot, is a joy. Nearly every line of dialogue resonates, and the enthusiasm in the production is high. The story works both as an episode in the ongoing series, and as a standalone reunion special. Many subsequent DW books and audios have attempted to duplicate the magic of this story, with less success. Here on this DVD is a little bit of everything that has made "Doctor Who" such grand viewing since 1963. The commentary track is by author Terrance Dicks, and the Fifth Doctor himself, Peter Davison. This track is the best available track on the 3 DW DVDs out thus far. The production anecdotes, insights into the script, asides, and digs at the Special Edition, are uniformly funny and interesting. Terrance appears to remember every moment of every DW serial he worked on (literally dozens), and Peter's recall and sense of humor are nearly as sharp. Thankfully, both men watched the episode before recording the track, so there's little dead air caused by their figuring out what happens next (unlike the commentary for the other two DVDs). The disc does lack the breadth of special features you can find on the other releases, but don't let that deter you from buying it. Whether you watch it with commentary on or off, "The Five Doctors" should be mandatory repeated viewing for both newcomers to, and old hands at, the "Doctor Who" universe.
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