|
Doctor Who the Mutants
It's funny going back
and watching some of the older Dr Who episodes. What I considered as a
child to be a romp with the Time Lords filled with fun and adventure was
actually a commentary on what was going on in the world around us. The
Mutants storyline was no exception to this, and like the storylines of
Star Trek and other cult shows of the day, a lot more lay below the
surface than what the casual viewer would have caught onto.
In this adventure the
Doctor is sent to the 30th century on the behest of the Time Lords to
deliver a mysterious message pod, and the planet Solos is soon to have
it's independence from Earth. There are parties who do not wish this to
happen and a murder takes place resulting in the death of the
Administrator from Earth. A scapegoat is hung out to dry for the murder
and it turns out that the doctor and Jo end up assisting him to prove
his innocence and find out who is behind this plot.
There are always a lot
of things going on in Doctor Who and this one is no exception. The DVD
takes its title from the fact that whilst this story of betrayal and
corruption is taking place on Planet Solos, the inhabitants are mutating
into beasts as schemers attempt to terraform the planet into something
that can maintain human life.
I enjoyed this
storyline, however did find that the overall quality of the video left a
heck of a lot to be desired. I understand that this was filmed a hell of
a long time ago (1972 - the year I was born), but the amount of noise
and grain in it almost begged for just a little scrub. Audio for the
most part is clear and serviceable, but once again nothing to get
excited about.
Extras do shine on this
disc, especially considering the age of the material. Enthusiasts should
be very happy with the amount of extra content on the disc. In
particular I enjoyed both the audio commentary and the Blue Peter
footage.
I would recommend this
to the Doctor Who enthusiast who has seen enough shows to respect the
age of this showing or to the newcomer who is young enough to not notice
just how bad some of the video quality is. As always though, if you can
see past the faults, The Mutants is an excellent addition to the saga of
the Doctor on DVD format and worthy of adding to your collection.
Special Features:
Audio Commentary
Mutt Mad - The Making of the Mutants
Race Against Time featurette
Dressing Doctor Who featurette
Blue Peter - a clip from Blue Peter in 1976
Photo Gallery
Radio Times listings in Adobe PDF format |
