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Doctor Who - The Brain Of Morbius [1976]


RRP: £19.99
Our Price: £5.95 (subject to change)

Editorial
Amazon.co.uk

Tom Baker and Elisabeth Sladen join forces for this latest classic Doctor Who release. And in The Brain Of Morbius, the pair find themselves on the planet Karn, where they encounter not only the mysterious Sisterhood, but also a scientist by the name of Solon.

Solon, it turns out, is a bit of a problem, as he’s busy trying to find the parts, Frankenstein-style, to put together a new body for Morbius. Morbius--you still following this?--is a once-executed criminal Time Lord, who now only exists in brain form. Hence, as you probably put together, The Brain Of Morbius, a story that digs into the Time Lords a little, and also makes for an entertaining four episodes.

The adventure is best taken in the spirit of old-style Doctor Who, as it’s a lot of fun, with the odd logic gap that you need to cut it a little bit of slack for. And, to be fair, some of the sequences really make the most of the comparably tiny budget, to very good effect.

Backed by an excellent supporting cast, The Brain Of Morbius is a welcome Doctor Who release, and an ambitious, engaging story from the mid-1970s. Coupled with good extra features, it’s well worth your time, whether old Who fan or new. --Jon Foster


Poor
Review date: 2008-11-18 Rating: 4 out of 10

This has got to be one of the worst Doctor Who stories I have watched for some time and had me questioning not just the story itself but why I am collecting Doctor Who at all.
There is probably about 35 minutes of story stretched out into 4 x 25 minute episodes. I was waiting for it to end by the end of the second episode but we just had endless story progressions revolving around things like the characters moving back and forth between the sisterhood and the castle.
The only thing worth watching here is Elisabeth Sladen.

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Reviews


it is good fun all round
Review date: 2008-08-19 Rating: 10 out of 10

The Brain of Morbius is a good all round Doctor Who, even though it takes place in the studio. It is well paced, and keeps you on your toes most of the time.

In this era of Who this is one of the best ones made mainly because it makes you think as you go along "What's going to happen next?"

So for these things i would recommend you watch it all the way through if you have a couple of hours to spare.

head games
Review date: 2008-08-03 Rating: 10 out of 10

a classic doctor who story from the mid 1970's when the popularity was at it's height. tom baker had been the doctor for a year and a half and his version of the timelord was encountering horror situations and thrilling the nation. Apart from those who thought it was too graphic for an early evening timeslot, that is.

this story now comes to dvd. It runs for four episodes of twenty five minutes in length, and it involves the doctor arriving on the planet karn, a desolate place inhabited only by a religious cult and a castle housing a brilliant surgeon and his servant. the surgeon is attempting to bring something back into the world. something that needs a body. and once that's completed, the whole universe will not be safe.

great acting from all the cast and some moments that could be straight out of a hammer horror movie combine to produce an excellent story. it's entirely studio bound and the scenes on the surface of the planet are on a patently fake landscape, but that won't really put you off.

a classic tale that can be enjoyed by everyone, except perhaps those who give every dvd review on here an unhelpful vote. but that's their problem.

coming on a single disc, the extras are as follows:

a commentary from cast members tom baker [the doctor] elisabeth sladen [his companion sarah jane smith] philip madoc [the surgeon doctor solon] and the producer and director of the story. all are smart and erudite and great to listen to.

getting a head: a half hour long documentary, narrated by future doctor paul mcgann, about the story. a good and comprehensive look at it, from genesis to production, with lots of interesting contributions from the cast. the chance to see those who played the sisterhood leaders as they are now is interesting.

the other main extras concentrate on the design of the story:

in designs on karn designer barry newbery explains how he came up with the design ideas for the story.

a set tour shows you round them and how they were constructed with the aid of a computer animation reconstruction

and a sketch gallery show you lots of his work on the production.

these are all good, if rather short.

there is also the usual photo gallery of the story and it's production

production information subtitles, and regular subtitles in english

the listings from the tv magazine radio times of the time for the episodes of the story as a PDF file [which you can only look at on a computer]

and a trailer for the next release in this range, the sixth doctor story the trial of a timelord. these trailers are very good at making them look epic, and this one does manage that. be aware that it does reveal a few major surprise events from if you've not seen it before.


there are two easter eggs on the disc, both of which can be accessed by watching it on a computer and moving the pointer over the screen till a previously hidden doctor who logo lights up.

on the first special features screen doing this will show you an exchange of letters between a fan and the script editor of the time

and on the episodes screen it will bring up a short feature about the continuity references in the story. this even references a few of the original novels based on the show, which is a nice surprise as they don't get mentioned very often.

classic doctor who. and a good package for it

Be careful...
Review date: 2008-07-26 Rating: 4 out of 10

I'm don't want to insult this story as I know many people think of it as a classic, but I find it very disappointing. The set feels particularly cheap and claustrophobic, the tone is relentlessly overwrought with no real flashes of humour or lightness, and the plot is turgid. Again, my take on it is not the most common one - and I'm sure the extras are great. However, the terrific Tom Baker/Liz Sladen story Seeds of Doom - as yet unreleased on DVD - makes this look incredibly poor by comparison.

CLASSIC BAKER ... AND GOTHIC HORROR FEEL!!!!
Review date: 2008-07-23 Rating: 8 out of 10

Definiteley a story that stuck in my mind from the 1970's!
Classic Tom Baker and a nod to the horror movies of old!
Very atmospheric, suspenseful with some great set design.
The Morbius monster is effective despite the budgetary limitations , and there was always something chilling about a sentient and yet disembodied brain in a vat of green liquid!
One from the CLASSIC times - recommended if you liked Pyramids Of Mars,
Planet Of Evil, Horror Of Fang Rock & similiar as there is a BIG nod to the horror genre (in this case, Frankenstein).

Product Details/Specifications


Actor(s):
Elisabeth Sladen
Tom Baker

Creators:
Tom Baker (Primary Contributor)
Elisabeth Sladen (Primary Contributor)

Director(s):

Recording label: 2 Entertain Video
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain Video
EAN: 5014503181628
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 1
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2008-07-21
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 98 minutes
Theatrical release date: 1976

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