Doctor Who - The Robots of Death
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Features
• Color
• DVD-Video
• NTSC
In Theaters : 29 September, 1975
DVD Release : 11 September, 2001 |
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Doctor Who - The Robots of Death description
By Tom Baker's third season in the role the actor had become firmly established in the minds of many fans as the definitive Doctor. First broadcast in early 1977, "Robots of Death" follows on directly from "Face of Evil," which was writer Chris Boucher's debut and also that of Louise Jameson's Leela, the Doctor's most shapely companion (a kind of Neanderthal Seven of Nine if you will). Boucher's second Who story concerns an isolated mining ship on which a series of inexplicable deaths takes place--although as the Doctor opines, "nothing is inexplicable, only unexplained." The Doctor and Leela inevitably become embroiled in events, which soon turn into a sci-fi murder-mystery: imagine Isaac Asimov crossed with Agatha Christie in a Dune-like setting. Add an undercover robot sent by "the company" and the claustrophobic, not to say deadly, setting of the mining ship, and there is a fascinating foreshadowing of Alien, too. It is tightly plotted, intelligent Saturday afternoon entertainment (something that was possible then but is now an unthinkable oxymoron) with a typically strong cast of redoubtable thespians in supporting roles (not to mention extravagant costumes and garish makeup). There may be no Daleks or Cybermen, but this is vintage Who nonetheless. --Mark Walker |
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Doctor Who - The Robots of Death Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥
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"I see. You're one of those boring maniacs who's going to gloat, hmm?"
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Well, maniacs or no, the good folks involved in the production of this masterpiece of a "Doctor Who" storyline surely deserve to gloat a little. The story's concept is good solid science fiction at its very best, the characterization is psychologically complex and interesting and the acting top-notch and convincing. The plotline is pretty much flawless, starting on the right foot and never losing steam. And the very palpable level of suspense is probably a new benchmark in the show's long history--my wife and I were planning on watching the first two episodes of this DVD one day and the last two the next, but after the end of episode two my wife adamantly insisted on seeing it through to the end, and I wasn't hard to convince.
The title of course gives away something of the basic premise. Ever wonder what C-3PO would be like on a bad day? The contrast between the mildly polite and proper behavior of the robots and their brutal acts of murder makes for a chilling contrast (death with etiquette?). But of course there's more to these events than meets the eye, and the viewer is kept guessing until the end, misled again and again with a host of false leads and dead ends (if you'll pardon the expression). This is very much a whodunit in the style of Agatha Christie, a format invented and developed in Britain and, as this show demonstrates, still very much their forte even when rearticulated into a science fiction idiom and spiced up with a healthy bit of influence from Isaac Asimov (seasoned with a little dash of Frank Herbert). To go into any more detail than that would be to stack up spoiler upon spoiler, so I'll leave it at that.
I will only go on to say that there are a host of other little things I liked about this storyline. The dialogue is expertly scripted, with little comments here and there by the different characters all adding up to give the viewer a very concrete impression of some future society in all its complexity. The visually appealing mix of styles in costume and interior decor nicely suggests such a society as well, a sort of generic "earthling" culture spread out among the stars--and the dominant "art deco" look gives just the right suggestion of fin-de-siecle decadence, of "the end of a civilization" as the Doctor puts it. This goes for the vaguely neo-classical design of the robots as well. As for the conclusion, I'm sworn on the holiest of oaths not to give it away, but I can say that it's a classic example of the Doctor using good old basic scientific knowledge and know-how to save the day--simple but quite effective, not to mention laced with an incredibly satisfying dose of irony and instant karma.
On a different note, this is also the first DVD so far to feature the Doctor's traveling companion, Leela. She remains one of my favorites. It's always wonderful how she bring a neolithic sensibility to a futuristic setting, giving everything a fresh perspective, and for once its nice to have an aggressively capable woman character, one who's much more likely to have a go at the monster or villain with her trusty knife than stand there screaming for the Doctor like some ninny. I don't think we've really quite seen that since Barbara made a speed bump out of a Dalek back in 1964. Plus, okay, I had a huge crush on this character when I was a teenager, and it's a nice bit of nostalgia to see her again--and wow, the crush was well-founded, I must say. Ahem, anyway, as I was saying.
This is apparently one of the first "Doctor Who" DVD releases, and as such it has minimal extras. Which is fine. The extras on many of the "Doctor Who" DVDs are better than average, but just how many documentaries about the "Hinchcliffe Years" can we have without getting a tad redundant, really? Just sit back and enjoy "The Robots of Death"--and make sure to set aside about two hours to do so. |
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