Home :: DVD :: Science Fiction & Fantasy :: Television  

Alien Invasion
Aliens
Animation
Classic Sci-Fi
Comedy
Cult Classics
Fantasy
Futuristic
General
Kids & Family
Monsters & Mutants
Robots & Androids
Sci-Fi Action
Series & Sequels
Space Adventure
Star Trek
Television

Doctor Who - The Three Doctors

Doctor Who - The Three Doctors

List Price: $24.98
Your Price: $22.48
Product Info Reviews

<< 1 2 3 >>

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: I didn't know what i was missing
Review: "i wonder how we can feed it some useless information.........anyone have a television?"

WOW!!... I thought this episode was one of the greatest I'd ever seen, 5 stars without hesitation. Just to get this out of the way, I thought Tom Baker was the best Doctor ever, especially during the Lalla Ward episodes. I am also quite a fan of the Pertwee era and had a curiosity about Troughton as the role of the Doctor. Having seen the "Five Doctors", I thought this would be nice to watch and it does follow a similar pattern, as it was a Pertwee episode and then Troughton shows up and then Hartnell gives his appearance. Hartnell was in this episode only in bit parts and even then, only on the TARDIS's monitor. Well, long story short, the entire universe is in peril due to Omega's plan to destroy it and the Time Lords must stop him. Omega is the the outcast Time Lord who first harnessed the power of a black hole for the purpose of time travel, not too shaby, huh? So, the Time Lords "break the first law of time" and allow the Doctor to meet himself in an attempt to stop Omega. The interplay between Troughton and Pertwee was hilarious, and even a few lines from Hartnell got a chuckle from me (for all their humorous bickering, he just dismissed it and talked down to them). Omega was a classic villian with maniacal plans (why would he want to destroy the entire universe?...you'll find out why). UNIT (including the Brigadier and Sgt Benton) and Jo are all integral parts of this story. All in all, I have to say this turned out to be what has since gotten me looking for more Troughton episodes, renewed my passion for finding Pertwee episodes and also one of my all time favorites. A must see for any Troughton or Pertwee fans as well as anyone not yet familiar with either of them.

i'm adding this after almost a year of owning it.......i have since found Troughton to be an incredible Doctor and have gotten the few videos and ALL the reconstructions of his.......i honestly had only seen him in the "Five Doctors" and didn't know him.....this was the video that has made me a fan all over again..........my original title was "i didn't know what i was missing" and now it has a new meaning.........as a die-hard Tom Baker fan, Troughton has that same quirky, "just having fun being the Doctor" attitude

Troughton's one-liners in this one and his bickering with the ever dignified Pertwee is priceless.........an interaction of two actors not matched in any other episode or ever (if that's not too forward to say)

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Oh, no, not my recorder....!"
Review: A strange organism lands on Earth making objects and people disappear with its touch. On Gallifrey, all energy is being drained from the Black Hole that helped give the Time Lords their power, and the only one who can help is the Doctor, all three of them! A very enjoyable anniversary. Pertwee and Troughton's interplay is incredibly hilarious. Troughton is just wonderful with the interaction with the Brig and Benton(where's Yates?). Some great new Gallifreyan continuity. Omega is a great villian, projecting every line into a forceful statement. You almost feel sorry for him. Sadly, Hartnell could not be in all the story due to ill health. Also, the budget is almost non-existent! The gel-creatures are unintentionally funny just at the sight of them. It's a shame that the Master or the Daleks are not in this one, as they certainly have a right to be. Not the classic that it could have been, but still, a very enjoyable adventure for the undiscriminating Who fan!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: An Interesting Story
Review: A very neat way of celebrating 10 years of Doctor Who. There are some very funny scenes with Patrick Troughton and Jon Pertwee and the way that William Hartnell just rushes in and solves their problems. Overall, a fairly good story. END

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Fun nostalgia
Review: Back in the seventies, it was still a novelty to have the Doctor regenerate into a new form when the actor portraying him moved on. It allowed for the series' logevity. So as a tenth anniversary episode, it made sense to unite all the forms of the Doctor in a special story and this succeeds on many levels. The story is well crafted and at four episodes long, moves along nicely, which was often a problem with the Pertwee era stories. The usual supporting cast are not left in the shadows of the other Doctors. I would say the only thing I found sad about this episode was the lack of screen time on William Hartnell's part, due to his illness at the time. It would have been nice to see him go at it more with Pertwee and Patrick Troughton. A definite addition to the Doctor Who collection. One of the must haves.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Must have for all Whomanoids
Review: For any real doctor who fan this is one of the great stories. The 3 doctors was typical of its time but made a great anniversary story for the series. Where the DVD really shines are the extras, 1 45 minute clip of John Pertwee and Katy Manning (looking much better than she did when the eppisode was made in my opinion) from a 93 Who convention is very entertaining and makes the eppisode worth buying for that alone. When combined with the commentary option the back and forth joking between Katy and Nicholas Courtney (the brig) is just terrific. I highly recommend this one

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Always a joy!
Review: Here's a show that respects it's own history. Or at least as much as possible when you're talking aboout having over 700 episodes/150 adventures and keeping everything straight! They brought back a very ill William Hartnell for this show, the tenth anniversary, which was a delight as well as Patrick Troughton, who's had the honor of being the only Doctor present for all the multi-Doctor epics over the years (The Three, Five and Two Doctors, respectively). Seeing the Pertwee and Troughton personalities argue and then both being humbled by the Hartnell version--just the kind of stuff you like to see in an adventure of this sort, a mixing of the various incarnations of the Doctor. It's a pretty simple plot, admittedly to give way to setting up the title but it's a great show and a great addition to the DVD Who collection.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A dandy and a clown...
Review: I like THE THREE DOCTORS, flawed though it is. It's overall just rompy escapism, rather than the hard-edged drama we saw during Pertwee's first year, but at this season, that's mostly what we expect. The serial gets a big boost from its cast. Not just the other two Doctors, but Stephen Thorne who puts serious gravitas into his villainous Omega. THE THREE DOCTORS isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Omega's story feels almost gothic in substance, while the comic relief portions almost override everything else. Mix that together with all the padding, and you're left with a bit of a mess, albeit a well-meaning, entertaining one.

It's fitting that a story ending with the Doctor regaining his freedom is primarily concerned with a tragic figure attempting to grasp his own. It's a shame Omega doesn't get a good chunk of screen-time until episode three; he's the best thing here. The Time Lords' great power coming at the cost of one man's imprisonment and torment. One man making a sacrifice, to set his people up above the very Gods. That and his Catch-22 dilemma make for enthralling viewing. Thorne plays it perfectly, giving Omega a dark, sad anger -- full of power and menace. It's a pity that all this great storytelling comes in the middle of "...that's Cromer out there..." and the constantly belching Gel Guards.

Troughton easily steals every scene he appears in. ("This is a show Jon Pertwee stole from Pat Troughton. He's stealin' it back.") Between accidentally breaking the Brigadier's radio and subtly probing the limits of Omega's self-control, he shows himself to be the ultimate Doctor -- always entertaining and always in command. Points off for not showing us him briefing the UN Security Council... That would have been a hoot! William Hartnell is charming. Fan of Hartnell's Doctor that I am, it's great to see him back for one final adventure. Sadly, because of his health, it's more nostalgia that I feel rather than genuine enthusiasm, but he's still a lot of fun in his brief appearances.

The script, which seems excited at the epic story of Omega's fall, feels oddly tired at other points. Tedious and awkward are the scenes of the Time Lords watching the proceedings from their distant world. The argument for allowing the Doctor meet his other selves boils down to "I must!" and counter arguments are dissuaded with "On the contrary, blah blah blah, I must!" Not exactly Socrates' Apology. There's also some plot sloppiness. For example, at the end of episode three, the Time Lords suddenly know a lot more then they did before, without explanation as to how.

The science in this serial is, well, at least they tried to make it sound scientific. But I think even the most scientific-illiterate would realize grass doesn't grow underneath buildings and black holes don't go around sucking in and farting out Mr. Holises...

The rest of the script seems to consist of nothing but padding: corridor running (which Tyler even comments on being a waste of time), people being captured, and the never-ending farewell scene, which is undercut when they're reunited moments later (although Nick Courtney's performance in those minutes instantly forgives the mockery his character underwent in the rest of the serial).

"This is a place. Just like any other place," states Pertwee, looking around at a rock quarry, which indeed looks like every other place he visited. For being the tenth anniversary special, outside of the guest stars the serial doesn't look very special. The battle sequences in episode one aren't effectively directed. This is a long way from AMBASSADORS OF DEATH's fight scenes. The UNIT troops don't even bother taking cover; they just stand right out in the open. Barry Letts rightly criticizes the sets on Omega's world for being too pantomime. The cheaply made sets look exactly like cheaply made sets. If only they could have shot Omega's throne room on location in some run-down castle...

As for the DVD extras, I've not been a huge fan of some of the fluff that gets put on these discs, but I must admit to being tickled this time. The Pebble Mill piece is hilarious. The production notes are great, with a lot of focus on earlier script drafts/ideas ("Deathworld" seems more interesting than what we got). Even the commentary (often the weakest link on these DVDs) sparkles. The best formula seems to be a mix of production crew and actors, and that heuristic is true again. Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney's anecdotes and clowning are amusing, and Barry Letts' dry comments are always informative. But one thing: couldn't we have had Terrence Dicks on the commentary track too?

Review Extras. Things may which amuse only me, but I'm including anyway:

1. Omega has great powers. In his domain, everything is possible, because he can make things jump in and out of the frame like he's a student film director.

2. Omega claims that the Doctors must eventually wear masks such as his. A pity they never did that. Can you imagine Troughton clowning with that big headdress on? Comedy gold!

3. Despite the fact that the anti-matter thing ate all of Mr. Hollis, only his screaming face appears on the photographic slide; presumably, this was the closest part of him to the cosmic-ray detector device. Lucky for him it wasn't his butt that was closest. They'd still be trying to identify it.

4. The thought-transference stuff meant switching the camera quickly between shots of Pertwee and Troughton. It goes so fast that it almost looks like subliminal advertising. And I can tell you that after watching these scenes, I was strangely hungry for a giant nose.

5. In all of Troughton's three post-WAR GAMES appearances, he's involved in a plot that has him running around yelping about Time Lords. Given that they weren't even formally introduced until his final episode, this has always struck me as being slightly wrong somehow...

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: A dandy and a clown...
Review: I like THE THREE DOCTORS, flawed though it is. It's overall just rompy escapism, rather than the hard-edged drama we saw during Pertwee's first year, but at this season, that's mostly what we expect. The serial gets a big boost from its cast. Not just the other two Doctors, but Stephen Thorne who puts serious gravitas into his villainous Omega. THE THREE DOCTORS isn't quite sure what it wants to be. Omega's story feels almost gothic in substance, while the comic relief portions almost override everything else. Mix that together with all the padding, and you're left with a bit of a mess, albeit a well-meaning, entertaining one.

It's fitting that a story ending with the Doctor regaining his freedom is primarily concerned with a tragic figure attempting to grasp his own. It's a shame Omega doesn't get a good chunk of screen-time until episode three; he's the best thing here. The Time Lords' great power coming at the cost of one man's imprisonment and torment. One man making a sacrifice, to set his people up above the very Gods. That and his Catch-22 dilemma make for enthralling viewing. Thorne plays it perfectly, giving Omega a dark, sad anger -- full of power and menace. It's a pity that all this great storytelling comes in the middle of "...that's Cromer out there..." and the constantly belching Gel Guards.

Troughton easily steals every scene he appears in. ("This is a show Jon Pertwee stole from Pat Troughton. He's stealin' it back.") Between accidentally breaking the Brigadier's radio and subtly probing the limits of Omega's self-control, he shows himself to be the ultimate Doctor -- always entertaining and always in command. Points off for not showing us him briefing the UN Security Council... That would have been a hoot! William Hartnell is charming. Fan of Hartnell's Doctor that I am, it's great to see him back for one final adventure. Sadly, because of his health, it's more nostalgia that I feel rather than genuine enthusiasm, but he's still a lot of fun in his brief appearances.

The script, which seems excited at the epic story of Omega's fall, feels oddly tired at other points. Tedious and awkward are the scenes of the Time Lords watching the proceedings from their distant world. The argument for allowing the Doctor meet his other selves boils down to "I must!" and counter arguments are dissuaded with "On the contrary, blah blah blah, I must!" Not exactly Socrates' Apology. There's also some plot sloppiness. For example, at the end of episode three, the Time Lords suddenly know a lot more then they did before, without explanation as to how.

The science in this serial is, well, at least they tried to make it sound scientific. But I think even the most scientific-illiterate would realize grass doesn't grow underneath buildings and black holes don't go around sucking in and farting out Mr. Holises...

The rest of the script seems to consist of nothing but padding: corridor running (which Tyler even comments on being a waste of time), people being captured, and the never-ending farewell scene, which is undercut when they're reunited moments later (although Nick Courtney's performance in those minutes instantly forgives the mockery his character underwent in the rest of the serial).

"This is a place. Just like any other place," states Pertwee, looking around at a rock quarry, which indeed looks like every other place he visited. For being the tenth anniversary special, outside of the guest stars the serial doesn't look very special. The battle sequences in episode one aren't effectively directed. This is a long way from AMBASSADORS OF DEATH's fight scenes. The UNIT troops don't even bother taking cover; they just stand right out in the open. Barry Letts rightly criticizes the sets on Omega's world for being too pantomime. The cheaply made sets look exactly like cheaply made sets. If only they could have shot Omega's throne room on location in some run-down castle...

As for the DVD extras, I've not been a huge fan of some of the fluff that gets put on these discs, but I must admit to being tickled this time. The Pebble Mill piece is hilarious. The production notes are great, with a lot of focus on earlier script drafts/ideas ("Deathworld" seems more interesting than what we got). Even the commentary (often the weakest link on these DVDs) sparkles. The best formula seems to be a mix of production crew and actors, and that heuristic is true again. Katy Manning and Nicholas Courtney's anecdotes and clowning are amusing, and Barry Letts' dry comments are always informative. But one thing: couldn't we have had Terrence Dicks on the commentary track too?

Review Extras. Things may which amuse only me, but I'm including anyway:

1. Omega has great powers. In his domain, everything is possible, because he can make things jump in and out of the frame like he's a student film director.

2. Omega claims that the Doctors must eventually wear masks such as his. A pity they never did that. Can you imagine Troughton clowning with that big headdress on? Comedy gold!

3. Despite the fact that the anti-matter thing ate all of Mr. Hollis, only his screaming face appears on the photographic slide; presumably, this was the closest part of him to the cosmic-ray detector device. Lucky for him it wasn't his butt that was closest. They'd still be trying to identify it.

4. The thought-transference stuff meant switching the camera quickly between shots of Pertwee and Troughton. It goes so fast that it almost looks like subliminal advertising. And I can tell you that after watching these scenes, I was strangely hungry for a giant nose.

5. In all of Troughton's three post-WAR GAMES appearances, he's involved in a plot that has him running around yelping about Time Lords. Given that they weren't even formally introduced until his final episode, this has always struck me as being slightly wrong somehow...

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: a must for fanatics.
Review: It's not your usual Letts/Pertwee high drama, and if you think about the science your head will hurt. Just sit back and enjoy the obvious narrative tension between Doctors Troughton and Pertwee, as well as the dramatic tension between the two squabbling Doctors and the rest of the cast, who almost have to beat them into working together. "The rest of the cast," sadly, includes the first Doctor, William Hartnell, who has only a few scenes due to illness but most of the great ideas (an absurd notion that is also funny in "The Five Doctors").

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Double celebration for Troughton fans
Review: Jon Pertwee, William Hartnel and Patrick Troughton each star in this Doctor Who adventure. It seems that Omega (the timelord which invented time travel) wants his revenge on his brother timelords. The 3 doctors are sent in to prevent Omega to escape from his prison. William Hartnel can only give advice and do nothing but watch.


<< 1 2 3 >>

© 2004, ReviewFocus or its affiliates