Doctor Who: The War Games [VHS]

Doctor Who: The War Games [VHS]

Doctor Who: The War Games [VHS]

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Product details

Actor: Frazer Hines, Patrick Troughton, Wendy Padbury
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Black & White, NTSC
Running Time: 243 minutes
Release Date: 2000-07-19
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: BBC Warner
Studio: BBC Warner

VHS Movie Reviews of Doctor Who: The War Games [VHS]

Movie Review: Don't listen to the critics!!! Get it now! It's a cool epic!
Summary: 5 Stars

I can't understand why people are so critical about it! It's legendary stuff! I brillant way to end an era!!! It's so well-done. Malcolm is just a legend! I wish I could pay him homage or something!

I'm so glad this story wasn't destoryed! It's a masterpeace! There's nothing better than a 10 or a 12 part epic of Doctor Who!

It's about the different time zones, in one out the other! As usual the Doctor investigates to see who is up to this and why there would be different time zones... Why not one?

The title is good, the title sequence is good, great intro too! You find out more about the Doctor!

After this story is Jon Pertwee! It's a great link up of stories! But as usual in my reviews, I never spoil it for anyone. I want you to enjoy it MORE THAN I DID!

You must buy this now! It's very cheap! Can't wait til they put it out on DVD because then the audio qualtiy is not muzzled.

DON'T LISTEN TO ALL THE DIE-HARD CRITICS! THEY ARE SIMPLY AS MAD AS SOME OF THE CHARACTERS IN THIS STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Movie Review: Not so slow as I had remembered it to be. In fact,
Summary: 4 Stars

especially by episode 6, which is when the story really starts to gets itself together, there is a deserved atmopshere of gloom developing and a definite feeling that the Doctor's particular struggles are much more deeper than usual. More on this later.

The plot inself is grand in scheme: A race of aliens wishes to invade the galaxy. With the help of a renegade Time Lord, they summarily kidnap various species. By the time episode 1 begins, it is clear that the aliens (never named) have decided to use humanity, categorizing them as "the most vicious species of all". (how apt), and have already begun their final tests - brainwashing their captured humans and getting them to fight and test resourcefulness and other "virtues" in the least virtuous of all activities: war. (keep in mind, this story was written during a time when war was not glorified. Certainly when compared to today's insane, mindless 'action hero' standards where the good guys always win without so much a drop of blood that doesn't feel painful.)

The Doctor and his companions arrive in what they believe is World War 1 - you know, the war which was given the epithet "the war to end all wars". (What were our forebearers of 1917 thinking, anyway?) They soon realize strange anachronisms and feel they need to investigate further.

As I said, this story does have an atmosphere that continues to pervade as the story progresses. By the time the final episode is reached, it's difficult NOT to feel for the plights of the characters involved. So much of an atmosphere, that by episode 8 the Doctor has to do the unthinkable and risk certain death by calling the very people he had originally fled from, the Time Lords. The Time Lords being an immence and equally advanced race, who also don't take kindly to anybody meddling in the affairs of others. And the Doctor has been known to violate that golden rule.

Yes, the story seems padded. But that's a bad mindset. Watching the aventure onfold, it seems to play out in 'real time' - like a season of "24" only cool and filled with well played actors, which is the main reason why the show can hang together at such an otherwise ridicilous length. (Now if episodes 1-5 could be condensed down to 2 or 3 episodes, it might then be perfect, but it's not enough to really complain about).

The only problem here is with the audio. Periodically, but not frequently enough to be a serious detriment, there are audio dropouts. These are the fault of the master film tracks and not CBS/FOX. Otherwise, the transfer looks very good for a VHS tape, especially given the time the tape was released (1992 or 1993) With luck, these dropouts can be repaired or an alternate soundtrack found.

Movie Review: Didn't hold up for me : (
Summary: 3 Stars

It was with a lot of anticipation that
I sat down to re-watch this classic Troughton
finale; it had been at least 10 years since I
had seen it and I had fond memories. I think
those fond memories were justified to an extent,
but perhaps more so because I was, back then, fairly
new to Troughton's Doctor and I was grooving on the
relative newness of him. He does rock as a Doctor.
Since then I've picked up the occasional Troughton
episode with mixed results. "Mind Robber" remains an

easy favorite. But you know what KILLED many an episode
of his? That lame excuse for a companion, Jamie! Man,
what a wimp, what a cosmic accident. I could write
three pages on why he was such a poor Who companion.
Anyway, its gotten to the point where I just can't stand to
see his face. Zoey, on the other hand, was very cool.
I liked the companions better when they had a little bit
of know-how; let's face it, if you are a several-hundreds
year old Time Lord, you don't want to be crowded by mamby-
pamby louts (like Jamie) who are good for a whole lot of
nothing. Did Jamie alone account for this episode's failures?
Hardly. We love a good long Who-yarn, but this was indeed a
bit too long (for what it was). The acting overall was sub-par, but
mostly by too many extras.
The bad guys (who often used monocles to get their human
soldiers to stay in line) speak in an inhuman and monotone
voice that, after several hours, is retrospectively seen to have "not" been a good idea - as a result, the badies are
so one-dimensional that one easily
looses interest in them and their cause, convoluted as it is
(Daleks can get away with those voices; watching this I felt
like they wanted to 'remind' people about the Doctor's "other" nazi-like enemies.) Is this worth seeing? Abosolutely! Its just a shame they didn't tighten the bolts while chopping the excess.
Obviously, the Doctor hit his stride with the Pertwee era; Pertwee had EXCELLENT companions, beginning with the awesome Ms. Shaw, etc. Long live WHO!!!

Movie Review: EPIC Who
Summary: 5 Stars

This has to be my all time favorite episode. While some moments tend to be a bit slow, it's rare that it drags the show into the duldrums. Troughton is funny and intelligent, and even more so you see the serious side of him. Also, you finally learn a lot more about where the Doctor comes from and who he is.

It is interesting how they pull together a large number of different era's into one story. You never quite knew what you would find next. To me, the anticipation of the next discovery is what made this story so great.

My first time viewing I watched it taped off the air (before the VHS I now proudly own was available). In spite of a pause button at my command, I sat for over 2 hours watching it with the urge to go, not wanting to break away from the story. Now that's dedication.

Movie Review: Your making me giddie!
Summary: 4 Stars

I am a Dr. Who fan, but I must admit I am new to the William Hartnel/Patrick Troughton era. War games is an excellent example except for the long and boring first four episodes. It gets interesting in five-ten. The only thing I truely hate are the "american" accents. They are absolutely horrible. I am not too insulted though, I do a lousy brit accent myself. I didn't think I would like Patrick Troughton(a little before my time I was born in 1970) but I do. I like Hartnel better though, but Troughton has his moments and so do his compaignions. This is the second regeneration story and vintage. Phillip Madock was good(for the little time he was in it.) James Bree came on a bit too strong I got the impression he wanted the War Chief part, but Decider Neifred in Full Circle was a better role for him.The scene I looked forward too most, of course, was the regeneration scene, just as I had in Tenth Planet. Patrick Troughton was a comedic clown to the end even in his death cries "Stop! Your making me giddie!" Odviously Jon Pertwee wasn't present for the regeneration scene and Troughton was trying his best to impersonate Jon(Was that a Jon Pertwee wig he was wearing?)
Now if only we could find Power of the Daleks...

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Summary of Doctor Who: The War Games [VHS]

In this marathon 10 episode story, the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe uncover a dastardly plot behind War Games involving soldiers drawn from different periods of Earth's history.

General Video

Genres > Horror
Television > BBC > Genres > Science Fiction
TV Series > Doctor Who > All Titles
Patrick Troughton

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