Review of all 4 episodes:
This tremendous story opens one of best seasons of the show's history in superb style. Tom Baker's first season, Season 12 was fantastic, as good as any season up to then, with producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Robert Holmes establishing what I feel stands as the greatest era of all time. Season 13 would turn out to be even better and this story starts the season at top level.
Much like other occasional stories in Doctor Who over the years, before and since 2005, this story has an element to do with an iconic idea or legend (like werewolves, vampires, ghosts etc). In this case the Loch Ness monster. Ironically the realisation of the monster on screen is the only real negative in this great adventure. However, it is actually a very small aspect of the story and does not detract from it for me.
The story is that an alien race called the Zygons have had a small group hiding in Scotland for a few hundred years and that the Loch Ness monster is actually a cyborg monster, the Skarasen, they intend to use as a weapon. The Zygons have a very long term plan to conquer Earth and change it to suit their needs in readiness for the arrival of the rest of the Zygons who are spread across the galaxy after Solar flares destroyed their home planet. They are able to transform themselves into humans that they have captured and using this and the Skarasen the plan is kicked into action.
The Zygons are fantastically good alien villains. They look brilliant, are menacing and scary as well as having good dialogue. The story is exciting, thrilling, fun and humorous. The Zygon ship is great and other effects such as an explosion in episode 4 are really well done. The skarasen monster is realised badly on screen as it is a pretty poor puppet and is a small distraction but thankfully has very little screen time and is the only effect that is not good. The setting, the music, the action and the direction by the great Douglas Camfield are all top notch.
The acting is wonderful with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, Ian Marter and John Levene all terrific as usual. It is sad that UNIT would be fazed out from this point. Guest performances from John Woodnutt and Lillias Walker are especially good and the whole cast is strong.
The dialogue and plot keep excitement and interest throughout. The lack of importance given to the monster allows the story to still be a 10/10 classic. If it was re-released with a CGI monster it would eliminate that one fault but even with the occasional, disappointing appearances by the Loch Ness monster/Skarasen, this is a classic adventure of extremely high standard and great fun.
All 4 episodes 10/10. One of my favourite stories.
This tremendous story opens one of best seasons of the show's history in superb style. Tom Baker's first season, Season 12 was fantastic, as good as any season up to then, with producer Philip Hinchcliffe and script editor Robert Holmes establishing what I feel stands as the greatest era of all time. Season 13 would turn out to be even better and this story starts the season at top level.
Much like other occasional stories in Doctor Who over the years, before and since 2005, this story has an element to do with an iconic idea or legend (like werewolves, vampires, ghosts etc). In this case the Loch Ness monster. Ironically the realisation of the monster on screen is the only real negative in this great adventure. However, it is actually a very small aspect of the story and does not detract from it for me.
The story is that an alien race called the Zygons have had a small group hiding in Scotland for a few hundred years and that the Loch Ness monster is actually a cyborg monster, the Skarasen, they intend to use as a weapon. The Zygons have a very long term plan to conquer Earth and change it to suit their needs in readiness for the arrival of the rest of the Zygons who are spread across the galaxy after Solar flares destroyed their home planet. They are able to transform themselves into humans that they have captured and using this and the Skarasen the plan is kicked into action.
The Zygons are fantastically good alien villains. They look brilliant, are menacing and scary as well as having good dialogue. The story is exciting, thrilling, fun and humorous. The Zygon ship is great and other effects such as an explosion in episode 4 are really well done. The skarasen monster is realised badly on screen as it is a pretty poor puppet and is a small distraction but thankfully has very little screen time and is the only effect that is not good. The setting, the music, the action and the direction by the great Douglas Camfield are all top notch.
The acting is wonderful with Tom Baker, Elisabeth Sladen, Nicholas Courtney, Ian Marter and John Levene all terrific as usual. It is sad that UNIT would be fazed out from this point. Guest performances from John Woodnutt and Lillias Walker are especially good and the whole cast is strong.
The dialogue and plot keep excitement and interest throughout. The lack of importance given to the monster allows the story to still be a 10/10 classic. If it was re-released with a CGI monster it would eliminate that one fault but even with the occasional, disappointing appearances by the Loch Ness monster/Skarasen, this is a classic adventure of extremely high standard and great fun.
All 4 episodes 10/10. One of my favourite stories.