|
-
News
- Features
- Events
Calendar
- Editorials
- Monthly
Zine
- Offworld
Report
- Our Daily
RSS Feed
- Movie/TV
Reviews
> Recent movies
> Movies by year
> Movies by title
- Book
Reviews
> Recent books
> Books by year
> Books by title
- Home
- Worlds
- Biography
- Bibliography
- Appearances
- Reviews
- Blog
- Community
- Press
- Links
Become
an Advertiser
- Web
Site Directory
- Search
the Net
- StephenHunt.net
- WoodenRocket.com
- Check
your E-mail
- Non Sci-Fi
News
|
Doctor Who: The Green Death
01/05/2005 . Source: Geoff Willmetts 
DVD Region 2. BBCDVD 1142. 153 minutes. Price: £15.99 (UK) but this varies so shop around for the best deal). Stars: Jon Pertween, Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney. Buy Doctor Who The Green Death in the USA - or Buy Doctor Who The Green Death in the UK  Another time travel journey back to 1973 for me. This time it is the Jon Pertwee Doctor story that investigates the goings-on down a Welsh coal mine, giant maggots, a poisonous green grease they leave around and a company called Global Chemicals that was out for...well...global domination as you do. This is also the last Jo Grant story. Hard to believe it's some 32 years old now. It also shows the perception of computers at the time being world conquerors. There's even the Moonbase console from the Gerry Anderson 'UFO' series flashing its lights but little else in the computer room.
Unlike other Who stories, there are two plots dove-tailing here. One showing the results of illegal dumping, even if we never really see what Global Chemicals actually make that has such a lethal bi-product. The other, the creation of the menace of giant maggots that has to be stopped. With the latter, one has to wonder what happened to the queen insect and its drones to lay so many eggs. The one egg that does open reveals a giant dragonfly-like insect which would raise questions as to shouldn't they be finding ponds to lay their eggs in. Still, this was the 70s.
The extras on this DVD are an extremely worthwhile time watching, ranging from an audio commentary with producer Barry Letts and script editor Terrance Dicks accompanied by actress Katy Manning (who played Jo Grant and her swansong with this story) to writer Robert Sloman saying this story was the first they did with an ecological message. For those who want to make one of the maggots, special effects whizz Colin Mapson shows how to do it although I image getting the dog's skull might be a little problematic for some. There's even a short film using many of the original actors 30 years after the event of how it all affected them.
Undoubtedly, if you're a Doctor Who fan, you're going to slowly replace your video collection with DVDs of the same. Whether you'll consider this series dated or not today depends entirely on your interest in Who. If you're from my generation, it's another blast from the past.
GF Willmetts
|
|
