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Doctor Who: The E Space Trilogy [DVD]
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RRP: £34.99
Our Price: £11.88 (subject to change)
E Space Trilogy
Review date: 2010-07-11 Rating: 10 out of 10
Tom Baker's excellent last season gathered momentum with the excellent E Space Trilogy. Starting with the wonderful atmospheric Full Circle where the Doctor and Romania get trapped in another universe called E Space. Adric is introduced for the first time and then it's on to the gothic State of Decay in my view a far superior vampire story to the recent Vampires of Venice. A throwback to the Hinchcliffe era but a welcome one and then finally it's Warrior's Gate. If ever there was a more complicated Dr Who (bar Logopolis) , I've yet to see it. Visually stunning and dazzling but at the same time a total enigma.
As usual superb extras for each story. My only gripe?. That no 5.1 was available especially for Warrior's Gate. Enjoy.
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Reviews
worth having
Review date: 2010-06-25 Rating: 8 out of 10
Full Circle 8/10
State of Decay 7.5/10
Warrior's Gate 8/10
extras 8/10
A Last Hurrah Before the Descent
Review date: 2010-04-27 Rating: 8 out of 10
I'll start with a caveat. I hate what John Nathan Turner did to Dr Who - so much of his "vision" was just naff. That said, I was much more impressed by this set than I had expected to be. These three are genuinely very good stories, all are well scripted and well acted. The story ideas are thoughtful and do not descend to "creature of the week".
"Full Circle" is a fine story with good characterisation, intelligent scripting and a well-judged sense of pace. That it introduces Adric - the assistant everyone loves to hate - may be a negative in the minds of some; but I always felt Matthew Waterhouse suffered from trying to portray a character that had been very carelessly conceived. I'm not wholly convinced by the apparently breakneck rate of evolution suggested by the story, but the conviction in the acting carries it.
"State Of Decay" is, in my view, weaker than the other two stories, but it remains an intelligently plotted, well constructed, well-performed piece. I'm not thrilled by the stylised actions of the three vampires, or by the effects at the end of the story, but these did not spoil the overall effect for me.
"Warrior's Gate" is a hugely ambitious story. Using minimal set and avoiding long speeches explaining the nature of the space in which the story takes place, Warrior's Gate lets the characters and the dialogue tell the story and is all the more effective for it. Romana's departure is a little rushed, but otherwise this was first-class.
Thoroughly recommended
E-space dvd
Review date: 2010-03-28 Rating: 10 out of 10
The e space boxset is AWSOME!
FULL CIRCLE is a good story with good action,monsters and cliffhangers( the first one is the best).It also marks the frist apperace of ADRIC,ONE OF THE MOST ANOYING ALLYS EVER!Its special features are good with a long and interesting "making of" documenty.
STATE OF DECAY is the most interesting story in the trilogy. It also has alright special features.
WARRIORS GATE is the last part of the trilogy. It a complex story. The only part which is bad is Romanas and K9's goodbye scene.
Overall the e space boxset is a good mix of stories : an under-water menace,a gothic horror story and a complex one all with explosions, action scenes and cliffhanger which keeps you on the edge of your seat!
One great story. The other two are okay but nothing special.
Review date: 2010-03-27 Rating: 6 out of 10
These three stories are from Tom Baker's final season as the Doctor, are linked together by the fact they're set in E-Space, a place outside the known universe.
Full Circle takes place on a planet where the locals live in fear of mists and the marshmen who appear during the time of the mists. There's a homage to "The Creature From The Black Lagoon" here somewhere, though I'd hardly say the plodding rubber beasts here are anything as striking as the one in that film. The story introduces Adric, initially planned as an artful dodger. It's moderately entertaining. Though rather slow-paced it contains George Baker (Tiberius in "I, Claudius") as a spaceman and some hilarious rubber spiders. The second story, State Of Decay, is the best of the three by a long way. This is mainly due to the fact that it avoids the swotty "real sci-fi" common in early 1980s Dr Who and returns to the mid-1970s stylish horror tales. It involves a village of people ruled by vampires. The sets look great and there are some genuinely chilling moments. The third story, Warrior's Gate, is something of an enigma. It involves lion-faced beings who can cross the barrier between universes via a mirror. The story has its moments, but it's all a confusing jumble and the "companion is leaving" scene at the end is irritatingly contrived.
All in all, this set is worth the reduced price for State Of Decay and for the interesting extras. These include documentaries about the history of vampires, the way blood is used in films and Matthew Waterhouse (Adric) looking back at his time in the show.
Product Details/Specifications
Actor(s):
Tom Baker
Matthew Waterhouse
Lalla Ward
John Leeson
Creators:
Tom Baker (Primary Contributor)
Lalla Ward (Primary Contributor)
Recording label: 2 Entertain
Manufacturer: 2 Entertain
EAN: 5014503183523
Binding: DVD
Number of items: 3
Format: PAL,
Release date: 2009-01-26
Aspect ratio: 4:3 - 1.33:1
Audience rating: Parental Guidance
Region code: 2
Running time: 275 minutes