Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks (Story 134)
by Matthew Robinson
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DVD details
Actor: Janet Fielding, Mark Strickson, Peter Davison, Rula Lenska, Terry MolloyDirector: Matthew Robinson
Brand: Warner Brothers
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-07-01
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: BBC Video / Warner Bros.
DVD Reviews of Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks (Story 134)
DVD Review: Like a deranged child...
Summary: 2 Stars
Poor production values, a convoluted plot, dismal dialog and a complete lack of tension -- these are not a few of my favorite things. It was my memory that put me off watching RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS again. But eventually I got around to the DVD, basically to revisit my impressions of this serial.
Unfortunately, the memory did not cheat.
The opening is fairly decent and atmospheric. The scene of the refugees being gunned down works well as a standard action sequence. But everything following this just looks silly. You see, that first scene works and the following don't because of basic production values. The first thing to do if attempting a cinema-styled action-adventure on a television budget is to hide the fact that there's no money.
I watched EARTHSHOCK recently enough that I could do a comparison. While EARTHSHOCK occasionally suffers minor flaws because of budget, RESURRECTION looks far cheaper (and I can't imagine the actual per episode money was much different). None of the futuristic military equipment looks like it weighs more than an ounce. The doors look light, the walls look light, the guns look light, the debris looks light. They try to get away with describing the space station as "run-down", but "run-down" doesn't mean "made out of cardboard". One wonders why people bother taking cover behind this stuff; it looks like a good sneeze could blast through it.
That first sequence worked because there was nothing distracting from what the director was trying to achieve. You see the policemen with machine-guns and you don't stare at them thinking, "Gee, what a fake looking prop. Couldn't they build something more credible?" You just notice what you're supposed to. This is rarely achieved again. It's hard to blame the actors. It's difficult to look like a hard-ass when you're hoisting around a featherweight prop gun and wearing a hat that's goofier than all get out.
It really goes downhill once the Daleks appear early in episode one and the story switches from gritty realistic battle sequences to cheaply produced sci-fi fights. And the Daleks themselves are one of the stories bad points. I generally like the Daleks, but I don't like them enough to care about Dalek politics. Too much time is spent on Dalek politics; it even makes up one of the cliffhangers. The problem here is the same one that Finn Clark insightfully mocks in his review of WAR OF THE DALEKS. Will Davros or the Dalek Supreme rule the Dalek race? Who cares? We're never given any reason to invest any time worrying about the outcome. What difference would it make if Davros is successful in his coup? The script never bothers to tell us why this is supposed to be interesting.
And that brings us to another problem. This is not a case of production values ruining a well-written script. This is a script with problems, both big and small. First of all, the plot. Just what on Earth is going on here? The Daleks have about half a dozen schemes going, which would be impressive if a) the plans had anything to do with each other and b) the individual schemes had any real impact. Take the "assassinate the High Council" plot point. It's brought up out of nowhere, dominates a few minutes of screen-time, and then is promptly dropped, never to be mentioned again. None of this stuff builds on anything; there's no momentum. It's just a series of shock moments with no structure or reason.
Small problems abound too. There are cameras supposedly everywhere on this space station, which only seem to be working whenever the plot requires them to work. The Doctor's coercing of Stein is similarly convoluted. It's bad enough that the two Dalek sentries leave the room for no good reason, but they also order the troopers to leave the Doctor and Stein alone.
The two companions have very little to do in this one. Turlough spends most of his time wandering around the space station being threatened by soldiers. Tegan is on injured reserved, having suffered a small cut on the forehead. These would be, perhaps, forgivable sins if not for the fact that this is Tegan's swansong. Tegan deserved a better departure than this; she deserved a send off that wasn't so abrupt. Nicely acted though.
As for the other characters, the serial is populated by the usual Sawardian suspects. That is, people with no first names barking macho dialog. I liked the practical Earth scientist. Unfortunately, she's one of the characters that Saward doesn't know what to do with, so kills off abruptly. Like the plot twists that have no future, characters who no longer have a point just disappear -- usually with a goofy looking special effect.
I didn't like the serial, but must admit that the DVD extras are quite good. The commentary track is amusing, though I got a little tired of hearing director Matthew Robinson refer to everything under the sun as "famous". Can someone who edits episodes of Eastenders really be considered famous? The production text option is worthy, although it oftentimes lapses into a dry listing of other shows and movies that the actor on the screen appeared in. The "On Location" mini-documentary is well done.
RESURRECTION OF THE DALEKS desires a triumph of style over substance, but unfortunately it lacks both. It looks cheap, flimsy and shallow. I didn't like it then; I don't like it now. The only part of my opinion to change was that I appreciated the incidental music. But everything else was just a mess.
Review extras (things that will probably amuse only me):
1) As the DVD commentators take pains to point out, there are quite a few "big name" guest stars. I'm sure this was much more interesting to UK-based viewers. All I could think was "Wow, the star of 'Take A Letter, Mr. Jones' finally appears in Doctor Who! Golly!"
2) Davros' possesses a device to turn people into obedient zombies... Gee, that would have been handy during his trial, huh?
3) The Dalek-helmets that the troopers wear. Goofiest hats in Doctor Who history. And that's saying something.
Description of Doctor Who: Resurrection of the Daleks (Story 134)
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