A huge spacecraft called Axos buries itself on Earth and broadcasts a proposal- in return for the opportunity to refuel, mankind will be given Axonite, a material that can solve both the energy and food crisis of Earth. But Axonite and the Axons are not what they seem, and they are not acting alone.
The script by Bob Baker and Dave Martin is solid enough but not spectacular, containing little that had not been covered (somewhat more skilfully) in the previous season. However, this is not what sets this story apart. Perhaps more than any other story, The Claws of Axos succeeds or fails depending on the viewer's own particular sense of æsthetics. The production team is called to realise an organic spacecraft and their realisation is certainly imaginative. However, the early 1970s were not famous for tasteful combinations of colours and it is easy to sympathise with the viewer who finds the set design absolutely hideous- yellow is a colour that does not lend itself easily to saturation. In my opinion, although the sets are, indeed, very colourful, I can appreciate the imagination and creativity of them. The main chamber in Axos is reminiscent of a heart ventricle and there are nerve ganglia and ligaments in all the sets. The blobby Axons are mostly effective, although some shots are better than others. Michael Ferguson's direction is up to his usual high standard, not only in showing us the psychedelic environment of Axos, but in effective action sequences. Dudley Simpson's score is, shall we say, idiosyncratic and seems, at times, to be making it up on the spot on a Delaware synthesiser. The science in the story is very dodgy- apparently, all one has to do to escape a giant nuclear explosion is to drive away a few miles and, once the explosion has happened, it is perfectly safe to drive back!
The guest cast is very variable. Paul Grist is a bit flat as Bill Filer, but Donald Hewlett and Tim Piggot-Smith are rather good. There are some more serious character problems, however. Winser is made to be a rather unlikeable figure for no reason whatsoever and we are actually glad when he gets killed (or I was, anyway!) There have been many scientists in Doctor Who who mistrust the Doctor and think him a fool, but they have always had a proper place in the plot. Peter Bathurst's performance as Chinn is perfectly sound, but Bathurst is miscast. The character should have either been played as a young, inexperienced, but overconfident man, or a single-minded blowhard. With Bathurst playing him, I actually felt sorry for Chinn quite a few times! The regulars are on good form with some very nice scenes given to the Master when he is inspecting the Doctor's TARDIS. There is also an unusual and well played turn of events when the Doctor appears to join with the Master and abandon Earth. The Doctor has pretended to join with the villain before, but there is a real personal stake in it this time and we are not sure. This is the first time we have seen the Doctor piloting the TARDIS since he regenerated and the ease in which the Third Doctor does this is obvious.
The Claws of Axos is a real mixed bag, but does contain much that is good. It depends, really on how much you like yellow.
NEXT: Colony in Space
Showing posts with label Michael Ferguson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Ferguson. Show all posts
Saturday, 20 December 2008
Monday, 8 December 2008
The Ambassadors of Death
The Ambassadors of Death is one of the cleverest stories the programme has produced. It is the first depiction of what has become known as 'first contact' between humans and aliens. It has, however, a very clever twist to it, as it realises that first contact, should it ever happen, will have been an event that would have been planned for by more than one party. The way the story does this is inspired. When a recovery capsule is sent to rescue the returning astronauts from a Mars mission, the three figures in space suits are not the crew, but aliens. This immediately recalls The Quatermass Experiment, something that would have been obvious to any older viewer at the time. The aliens are humanoid, but seem to be intensely radioactive, even feeding off radiation and their touch is deadly. However, Quatermass is very cleverly subverted- instead of spreading a deadly something on Earth, the aliens are captured and imprisoned. Whatever is wrong with this situation, it isn't that the aliens want to conquer Earth. It turns out that former astronaut General Carrington has encountered these aliens on Mars and is horrified at the idea of first contact. He engineers a fake first contact scenario, where the aliens send three ambassadors to Earth, but he uses them to instil fear and hatred of the invader.
This is a very interesting premise and is well explored in the story. Most importantly, it is backed up by some excellent characterisation. Carrington is the main antagonist in the story, but is not a real villain. He genuinely believes he is saving the planet with his actions and even the Doctor states that he understands the general's motives and John Abineri puts in a great performance. Reegan, effectively portrayed by William Dysart is depicted as a smarmy but ruthless thug who, nevertheless, is mildly likeable and the script decides not to punish him for his actions at the end. Even stock characters such as Ralph Cornish are well played. Jon Pertwee builds on the new 'diplomatic' aspect of the Doctor's personality very well and Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney continue to impress.
Visually, the story is very impressive. There are gunfights, convoys all excitingly captured on location and on film. The aliens are brilliantly realised. Although we only see their true form for a matter of minutes, the sight of them in space suits is very chilling and Liz's first sight of them is disorienting and terrifying. Michael Ferguson takes full advantage of what was, clearly, a larger budget than usual and puts in great work behind the camera. There are some very memorable scenes- the thugs being told to get in the van with the aliens only for their bodies to be dumped in a gravel pit later, the trip to the alien mother ship with its wonderful design, the raid by one of the aliens where they are shown walking up to the gate backlit by the sun.
There is a major problem with the story. Alone amongst the stories in this season, it is noticeably padded- indeed it could be stated that the cliff-hanger format of Doctor Who works against this particular story and they tend to impede the flow of the narrative. Each story has a major action set piece that, whilst usually effective, are symptoms of the story engineering situations to lengthen the narrative. As in Whitaker's Evil of the Daleks, there are redundant characters- Taltalian, for example, could have been done away with. This tends to complicate the story unnecessarily.
However, the rest of the story is simply too intelligent, too compelling and too well done, production wise, to derail this story and it's well worth a punt.
NEXT: Inferno
This is a very interesting premise and is well explored in the story. Most importantly, it is backed up by some excellent characterisation. Carrington is the main antagonist in the story, but is not a real villain. He genuinely believes he is saving the planet with his actions and even the Doctor states that he understands the general's motives and John Abineri puts in a great performance. Reegan, effectively portrayed by William Dysart is depicted as a smarmy but ruthless thug who, nevertheless, is mildly likeable and the script decides not to punish him for his actions at the end. Even stock characters such as Ralph Cornish are well played. Jon Pertwee builds on the new 'diplomatic' aspect of the Doctor's personality very well and Caroline John and Nicholas Courtney continue to impress.
Visually, the story is very impressive. There are gunfights, convoys all excitingly captured on location and on film. The aliens are brilliantly realised. Although we only see their true form for a matter of minutes, the sight of them in space suits is very chilling and Liz's first sight of them is disorienting and terrifying. Michael Ferguson takes full advantage of what was, clearly, a larger budget than usual and puts in great work behind the camera. There are some very memorable scenes- the thugs being told to get in the van with the aliens only for their bodies to be dumped in a gravel pit later, the trip to the alien mother ship with its wonderful design, the raid by one of the aliens where they are shown walking up to the gate backlit by the sun.
There is a major problem with the story. Alone amongst the stories in this season, it is noticeably padded- indeed it could be stated that the cliff-hanger format of Doctor Who works against this particular story and they tend to impede the flow of the narrative. Each story has a major action set piece that, whilst usually effective, are symptoms of the story engineering situations to lengthen the narrative. As in Whitaker's Evil of the Daleks, there are redundant characters- Taltalian, for example, could have been done away with. This tends to complicate the story unnecessarily.
However, the rest of the story is simply too intelligent, too compelling and too well done, production wise, to derail this story and it's well worth a punt.
NEXT: Inferno
Monday, 24 November 2008
The Seeds of Death
The Ice Warriors return to Doctor Who in this ambitious 6-parter, attempting to invade Earth at a time when teleportation, or "T-Mat" has replaced all traditional forms of transport, including manned space flight. They plan to use this technology to spread deadly Martian seed pods throughout the world that will drastically reduce the oxygen content of the atmosphere.
As in their debut outing, The Seeds of Death has mankind relying too much on one piece of technology, and that over-reliance being a severe handicap. However, unlike most of the Cybermen stories, this is not simply a rewrite of the earlier story and has the advantage of not having a plot of torturous stupidity. The story’s main asset is the very slick direction by Michael Ferguson. The Ice Warriors’ initial attack is done using POV shots, there are interesting high and low angle shots. There is a conversation scene in episode one which is shot with a very shallow depth of field, so that the speaker is brought into focus and the other person taken out of focus. This slickness is also evident in the model shots- I would hazard a guess that this was, conceptually, the first post-2001: A Space Odyssey Doctor Who story. The episode titles are filmed over an ersatz (but quite effective) version of the title sequence from 2001 and the special effects team have realised that you can get much better effects by moving the camera rather than moving the model. Unfortunately, the seeds and the fungus they spread are realised by using white balloons and foam. (incidentally, I fail to see what was so alien about foam in late 60s Britain- had they never done the washing up?)
In all this slickness, the Ice Warriors themselves can sometimes be a bit lost. There are a few too many scenes where they take ages to shoot someone, or fail to see someone in the periphery of their line of sight. However, the scenes where the lone Ice Warrior is stalking the grounds of Earth Control are very effective. Also effective is the performance of Alan Bennion as Slaar, the Ice Lord. Bennion projects incredible menace in his rasping voice, and his sleeker costume makes him seem more agile.
The supporting cast is good, especially Terry Scully, who is excellent as the frightened Fewsham. Louise Pajo also gives a nicely modulated performance as Gia Kelly and Philip Ray works well as Professor Eldred (although he lingually titubates more than Hartnell ever did!). The regulars are again brilliant- I am convinced, now, that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are the best team we’ve had since the Hartnell era.
There is inevitable padding out of the script to make it a 6-parter (although nothing like as egregious as the padding in season 5) and it lacks a degree of thematic depth. However, this is hugely enjoyable and recommended.
NEXT: The Space Pirates
As in their debut outing, The Seeds of Death has mankind relying too much on one piece of technology, and that over-reliance being a severe handicap. However, unlike most of the Cybermen stories, this is not simply a rewrite of the earlier story and has the advantage of not having a plot of torturous stupidity. The story’s main asset is the very slick direction by Michael Ferguson. The Ice Warriors’ initial attack is done using POV shots, there are interesting high and low angle shots. There is a conversation scene in episode one which is shot with a very shallow depth of field, so that the speaker is brought into focus and the other person taken out of focus. This slickness is also evident in the model shots- I would hazard a guess that this was, conceptually, the first post-2001: A Space Odyssey Doctor Who story. The episode titles are filmed over an ersatz (but quite effective) version of the title sequence from 2001 and the special effects team have realised that you can get much better effects by moving the camera rather than moving the model. Unfortunately, the seeds and the fungus they spread are realised by using white balloons and foam. (incidentally, I fail to see what was so alien about foam in late 60s Britain- had they never done the washing up?)
In all this slickness, the Ice Warriors themselves can sometimes be a bit lost. There are a few too many scenes where they take ages to shoot someone, or fail to see someone in the periphery of their line of sight. However, the scenes where the lone Ice Warrior is stalking the grounds of Earth Control are very effective. Also effective is the performance of Alan Bennion as Slaar, the Ice Lord. Bennion projects incredible menace in his rasping voice, and his sleeker costume makes him seem more agile.
The supporting cast is good, especially Terry Scully, who is excellent as the frightened Fewsham. Louise Pajo also gives a nicely modulated performance as Gia Kelly and Philip Ray works well as Professor Eldred (although he lingually titubates more than Hartnell ever did!). The regulars are again brilliant- I am convinced, now, that the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe are the best team we’ve had since the Hartnell era.
There is inevitable padding out of the script to make it a 6-parter (although nothing like as egregious as the padding in season 5) and it lacks a degree of thematic depth. However, this is hugely enjoyable and recommended.
NEXT: The Space Pirates
Monday, 13 October 2008
The War Machines
The TARDIS lands in London in 1966 near the Post Office Tower. Inside the tower, Doctor and Dodo meet Professor Brett, the creator of WOTAN (Will Operating Thought Analogue) that will connect with other computers around the world in a kind of world-wide web, an international net, if you will. WOTAN is self-aware and it makes a decision that will endanger all humanity. The supercomputer organises the construction of ‘War Machines’- armed automata that can neutralise weapons and kill any who oppose them- and they are poised to strike.
This story illustrates how different the Hartnell era was from what followed more than any other. Today, there are many threats to contemporary Earth in general and London in particular. Today, the Doctor is known to at least one paramilitary organisation and can count on their support. However, this was the first time these tropes were ever seen in the programme and it genuinely seems odd to see the First Doctor blag his way into laboratories, confiding in politicians and being helped by the Army. The script is again by Ian Stuart Black and while it lacks the nuances of The Savages, it is successful in accomplishing what it sets out to do. It is, however, deeply weird to hear the lead character referred to as 'Dr. Who'!
The production values are impressive- there is extensive location filming around London and the design work is sound. Michael Ferguson directs the location scenes with panache, with high shots, what look like (but probably aren’t) crane shots and Dutch angles. He is generally fine with character scenes, but a fair few are fumbled- there are some conversation scenes where he only shoots one participant, or the wrong person and the actor doesn’t convincingly emote when not talking.
Again, the guest cast is merely competent at best and Alan Curtis is a bit rubbish as Major Green. However, the new regulars Anneke Wills and Michael Craze are instantly appealing. In her first scene, Polly gurns when she is called pretty, which is fantastic. There are also the brilliant scenes in the Inferno nightclub- I’m a sucker for 60’s club scenes with people shimmying about. The interplay between Dodo, Ben and Polly is great and feels real. It is a real pity that Dodo is given such short shrift by the story- she is the only companion who doesn’t get to say goodbye to the Doctor. Once her accent stabilised, Jackie Lane put in a good performance and had she had longer she would, no doubt, be better remembered.
The character of the Doctor is slightly different to how it has been presented in the past. Rather than gaining allies piecemeal or inspiring people, he is seen instructing military officers in strategy and is flanked by troops. There is also the only scene where we see the First Doctor losing control- the scene when WOTAN attempts to hypnotise him. Hartnell is easily up to this in a portrayal that is prescient in some ways of Pertwee’s.
This is a very enjoyable story but I get a sense of it being slightly dumbed down from the highs of earlier stories. The writing is not quite as sharp and it also seems to lack freshness which is, to be honest, unfair, as it was the first story of its kind, making it a story of great importance in Doctor Who and ending one of the finest seasons in the programme's history.
NEXT: The Smugglers
This story illustrates how different the Hartnell era was from what followed more than any other. Today, there are many threats to contemporary Earth in general and London in particular. Today, the Doctor is known to at least one paramilitary organisation and can count on their support. However, this was the first time these tropes were ever seen in the programme and it genuinely seems odd to see the First Doctor blag his way into laboratories, confiding in politicians and being helped by the Army. The script is again by Ian Stuart Black and while it lacks the nuances of The Savages, it is successful in accomplishing what it sets out to do. It is, however, deeply weird to hear the lead character referred to as 'Dr. Who'!
The production values are impressive- there is extensive location filming around London and the design work is sound. Michael Ferguson directs the location scenes with panache, with high shots, what look like (but probably aren’t) crane shots and Dutch angles. He is generally fine with character scenes, but a fair few are fumbled- there are some conversation scenes where he only shoots one participant, or the wrong person and the actor doesn’t convincingly emote when not talking.
Again, the guest cast is merely competent at best and Alan Curtis is a bit rubbish as Major Green. However, the new regulars Anneke Wills and Michael Craze are instantly appealing. In her first scene, Polly gurns when she is called pretty, which is fantastic. There are also the brilliant scenes in the Inferno nightclub- I’m a sucker for 60’s club scenes with people shimmying about. The interplay between Dodo, Ben and Polly is great and feels real. It is a real pity that Dodo is given such short shrift by the story- she is the only companion who doesn’t get to say goodbye to the Doctor. Once her accent stabilised, Jackie Lane put in a good performance and had she had longer she would, no doubt, be better remembered.
The character of the Doctor is slightly different to how it has been presented in the past. Rather than gaining allies piecemeal or inspiring people, he is seen instructing military officers in strategy and is flanked by troops. There is also the only scene where we see the First Doctor losing control- the scene when WOTAN attempts to hypnotise him. Hartnell is easily up to this in a portrayal that is prescient in some ways of Pertwee’s.
This is a very enjoyable story but I get a sense of it being slightly dumbed down from the highs of earlier stories. The writing is not quite as sharp and it also seems to lack freshness which is, to be honest, unfair, as it was the first story of its kind, making it a story of great importance in Doctor Who and ending one of the finest seasons in the programme's history.
NEXT: The Smugglers
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