Doctor Who: appreciation

On-page link, opens in this window Introduction
On-page link, opens in this window Brilliant!
On-page link, opens in this window Nice!
On-page link, opens in this window Quite good, actually
On-page link, opens in this window Interesting
On-page link, opens in this window Oh dear...

Introduction

Below are the serials that I've reviewed, shown in descending order of appreciation (and in chronological order per category).

Brilliant!

The ones that I love, warts and all.

Brilliant!

Complete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The Daleks (1963 - 1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The mind robber (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window Spearhead from space (1970)
On-site link, opens in this window Pyramids of Mars (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window City of death (1979)
On-site link, opens in this window The caves of Androzani (1984)
On-site link, opens in this window Revelation of the Daleks (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window Ghost light (1989)

New Doctor Who:
On-site link, opens in this window The unquiet dead (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Dalek (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Father's day (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The empty child / The Doctor dances (2005)

Nice!

Excellent stuff that I just don't quite love.

Nice!

Complete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window An unearthly child (1963)
On-site link, opens in this window The invasion (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The seeds of death (1969)
On-site link, opens in this window Inferno (1970)
On-site link, opens in this window The green death (1973)
On-site link, opens in this window Genesis of the Daleks (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The robots of death (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window Castrovalva (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window Earthshock (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window Vengeance on Varos (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window The curse of Fenric (1989)
On-site link, opens in this window The TV movie (1996)

Incomplete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The evil of the Daleks (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The abominable snowmen (1967)

New Doctor Who:
On-site link, opens in this window Rose (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The end of the world (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Boom town (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window Bad wolf / The parting of the ways (2005)

Quite good, actually.

These are a mixed bag. Some of these serials, like 'Carnival of monsters' or 'The ark in space', are based on excellent stories, it's just that the way they're visualised is flawed or simply hasn't aged well. In other cases a less-than-great story is to a certain extent compensated by interesting design ('The claws of Axos') or nice pacing and good location work ('Remembrance of the Daleks'). If you're willing to look beyond these serials' flaws, there's still much to enjoy here.

Quite good, actually.

Complete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The Aztecs (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The Dalek invasion of earth (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The claws of Axos (1971)
On-site link, opens in this window Carnival of monsters (1973)
On-site link, opens in this window The ark in space (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The Sontaran experiment (1975)
On-site link, opens in this window The hand of fear (1976)
On-site link, opens in this window Horror of Fang Rock (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window The leisure hive (1980)
On-site link, opens in this window Logopolis (1981)
On-site link, opens in this window The visitation (1982)
On-site link, opens in this window The resurrection of the Daleks (1984)
On-site link, opens in this window The two Doctors (1985)
On-site link, opens in this window Remembrance of the Daleks (1988)

Incomplete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The crusade (1965)
On-site link, opens in this window The underwater menace (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The moonbase (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The web of fear (1968)

New Doctor Who:
On-site link, opens in this window Aliens of London / World war III (2005)
On-site link, opens in this window The long game (2005)

Interesting

Weaker stories with some redeeming qualities, or average-to-good stories that haven't aged well. If you're not a fan of Doctor Who or of science fiction in general, you may want to give these a miss.

Interesting.

Complete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The edge of destruction (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The tomb of the Cybermen (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The talons of Weng-Chiang (1977)
On-site link, opens in this window The keeper of Traken (1981)
On-site link, opens in this window The five Doctors (1983)
On-site link, opens in this window The mark of the Rani (1985)

Incomplete serials and reconstructions:
On-site link, opens in this window Marco Polo (1964)
On-site link, opens in this window The Daleks' master plan (1965 - 1966)
On-site link, opens in this window The celestial toymaker (1966)
On-site link, opens in this window The faceless ones (1967)
On-site link, opens in this window The enemy of the world (1967 - 1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The wheel in space (1968)
On-site link, opens in this window The space pirates (1969)

Oh dear...

The ugly ducklings.

Oh, dear...

Complete serials:
On-site link, opens in this window The web planet (1965)
On-site link, opens in this window The three Doctors (1972 - 1973)



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