(Note: A review of all four episodes of the story.)
They say that nothing dates a story more then ideas of the future. That is certainly true of the fourth Patrick Troughton Doctor Who adventure The Moonbase. Yet once we move past the 1960's notions of what a 21st century Moonbase would look like there is a good adventure story to be enjoyed.
By the point this story had originally aired way back in 1966 the four regular stars of the series had become established for the most part. Patrick Troughton's Doctor is firmly entrenched and he has some of his best Doctor Who moments in this story including the "There are corners of the universe" speech in episode two. As always Troughton is the centerpiece of the story and a sheer joy to watch. His companions are just as good though Fraer Hinds spends much of the story in bed due to having to be inserted into the story at the last moment. The upside of this is that it gives Michael Craaze and Annekke Willis a chance to shine as Ben and Polly for the first time since The Power Of The Daleks. If nothing else The Moonbase gives the series regulars a chance to shine.
Then there is the supporting cast. Patrick Baar makes a nice (and thankfully not clichéd) bas leader in his role of Hobson, making a nice change from a very similar character in the previous story The Tenth Planet. Andre Maranne makes an interesting appearance as the French Physicist and has some good chemistry with the series regulars. Much like The Tenth Planet before it the supporting cast really rests on the silver monsters known as Cybermen.
After their debut in The Tenth Planet the Cybermen make their second appearance in the series. The decision to replace the rather cheap looking Cybermen with the more robotic looking suits help to bring not only menace but realism to these monsters. The voices used in this story also marks an improvement over the sing-song voice that appeared in The Tenth Planet as well. Despite some questionable dialog (such as the "stupid Earthling brains" line in episode three for example) these Cybermen are a definite improvement over their predecessors.
Then of course there's always the production values. As I said at the beginning of this review, nothing dates more then ideas of the future. The sets of The Moombase and the space suits used in this story are proof of that saying if there ever was any. Ahe sets and costumes are a definite 1960's vision of the future right down to the bubble headed space suits and large the reel to reel computers seen in the base itself. Whiel these views may seem unfair from some four decades later they are nonetheless jarring to look at.
On the upside there's the script by Kit Pedler (and an uncredited Gerry Davis) which follows the "base under siege" formula of many 1960's Doctor Who stories including The Tenth Planet. Despite the fact it is essentially formulaic, the script plays with the formula to help make the story less then predictable. Even if the designs aren't up to task the script still makes it enjoyable.
While the set design and costumes might make the story seem dated, there is still a good story to enjoy. From the performances of the regular cast to the supporting cast plus the Cybermen and the story itself there is plenty to enjoy. While it might not be a Doctor Who classic it is still a watchable Doctor Who story.
They say that nothing dates a story more then ideas of the future. That is certainly true of the fourth Patrick Troughton Doctor Who adventure The Moonbase. Yet once we move past the 1960's notions of what a 21st century Moonbase would look like there is a good adventure story to be enjoyed.
By the point this story had originally aired way back in 1966 the four regular stars of the series had become established for the most part. Patrick Troughton's Doctor is firmly entrenched and he has some of his best Doctor Who moments in this story including the "There are corners of the universe" speech in episode two. As always Troughton is the centerpiece of the story and a sheer joy to watch. His companions are just as good though Fraer Hinds spends much of the story in bed due to having to be inserted into the story at the last moment. The upside of this is that it gives Michael Craaze and Annekke Willis a chance to shine as Ben and Polly for the first time since The Power Of The Daleks. If nothing else The Moonbase gives the series regulars a chance to shine.
Then there is the supporting cast. Patrick Baar makes a nice (and thankfully not clichéd) bas leader in his role of Hobson, making a nice change from a very similar character in the previous story The Tenth Planet. Andre Maranne makes an interesting appearance as the French Physicist and has some good chemistry with the series regulars. Much like The Tenth Planet before it the supporting cast really rests on the silver monsters known as Cybermen.
After their debut in The Tenth Planet the Cybermen make their second appearance in the series. The decision to replace the rather cheap looking Cybermen with the more robotic looking suits help to bring not only menace but realism to these monsters. The voices used in this story also marks an improvement over the sing-song voice that appeared in The Tenth Planet as well. Despite some questionable dialog (such as the "stupid Earthling brains" line in episode three for example) these Cybermen are a definite improvement over their predecessors.
Then of course there's always the production values. As I said at the beginning of this review, nothing dates more then ideas of the future. The sets of The Moombase and the space suits used in this story are proof of that saying if there ever was any. Ahe sets and costumes are a definite 1960's vision of the future right down to the bubble headed space suits and large the reel to reel computers seen in the base itself. Whiel these views may seem unfair from some four decades later they are nonetheless jarring to look at.
On the upside there's the script by Kit Pedler (and an uncredited Gerry Davis) which follows the "base under siege" formula of many 1960's Doctor Who stories including The Tenth Planet. Despite the fact it is essentially formulaic, the script plays with the formula to help make the story less then predictable. Even if the designs aren't up to task the script still makes it enjoyable.
While the set design and costumes might make the story seem dated, there is still a good story to enjoy. From the performances of the regular cast to the supporting cast plus the Cybermen and the story itself there is plenty to enjoy. While it might not be a Doctor Who classic it is still a watchable Doctor Who story.