:: theLogBook.com DVD Reviews ::

A relatively large box set mixing new material with earlier existing releases (and a few box set exclusives to force the completists’ hand - don’t you hate that crap?), the Davros box set chronicles the multiple rises and falls of the fictional creator of the Daleks throughout his appearances in classic Doctor Who. I think I’ve mentioned before that one can tell which elements of the classic series are about to resurface in the current series by paying close attention to the classic box sets, and there are numerous rumors which seem to point in the direction of reacquainting oneself with the Davros mythology being a good idea. Here, then, is every story of classic Doctor Who in which the maniacal, Dalek-wheelchair-bound genius appeared, in one convenient package…at least for U.K. fans. (more…)

Produced in 1979 and aired in 1980, this miniseries adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s “Martian Chronicles” stories was one of the first big SF co-productions between an American network (in this case NBC) and the BBC. To say that this is an example of the state of SFTV in its day may be an understatement, but it’s not short on A-list talent. It stars Rock Hudson and Bernie Casey, among others, was directed by Michael Anderson (Logan’s Run), and was adapted for TV by none other than SF novelist Richard Matheson (whose own work, “I Am Legend”, has just gotten its third theatrical treatment as of this writing). It was even produced by none other than Milton Subotsky, who was behind the two Peter Cushing Doctor Who/Daleks films in the 1960s. The international cast is peppered with names that any veteran of either American or British TV will recognize. (more…)

Well, this is going to be an easy review. What separates this massive box set from the seven full-season sets put together is down to two things: new packaging, and one bonus DVD. The packaging’s nice, and makes marginally more sense than the oddball color-coded season sets as they were available individually. Now let’s talk about that bonus disc. With each of the individual season sets, Best Buy included exclusive DVDs with a handful of short bonus pieces that you could only get by shopping there (and paying pretty much whatever they asked for the sets, which wasn’t much of a discount). This bonus disc gathers all of the Best Buy bonus disc features in one place, with three brand new featurettes assembled just for this box set. (more…)

“Don’t ask. I have no idea,” says Sarah “Nyssa” Sutton at one point in the audio commentary for the 1982 four-parter Time-Flight, and later Peter Davison himself admits, “You’re right. I have no idea what’s going on.” Such is the fate of one of the more convoluted early adventures from Davison’s era of Doctor Who, which was released alongside Arc Of Infinity - another story which can’t really be considered a fan favorite. The two back-to-back stories represent the end of the 19th season and the beginning of the 20th, and I think there’s a reason these two examples of how not to top the most-popular-classic-Who-episode polls are already on DVD. It was surprising enough to see Timelash make it to DVD, but a dual release (or, in the U.K.’s case, an actual box set) of not-fondly-remembered material is even more surprising. (more…)

How many times can Paramount go to the classic Trek well on DVD? Appropriately enough for a SF series, the answer would seem to be an impossibly infinite number. This pricey box set gathers the full first season in its newly “remastered” form - in other words, all of the exterior space, planet and spaceship scenes have been replaced with CGI, and a select handful of effects on the show’s live action footage have gotten a makeover as well. Most of the live action is left completely untouched, with even 1960s hand phasers left intact for the most part. The transporter effect is unchanged, as are the sound effects. Compared to, say, the special editions of the three original Star Wars films, these changes are relatively small potatoes. But do they help? (more…)

When this sixth Doctor story was announced as an upcoming DVD release, many a fan doubtless scratched their heads and asked “Why!?” After all, even as early as its original broadcast, Timelash had acquired a stellar reputation…for being one of the first volleys in what some fans considered the nadir of ’80s Doctor Who, a period encompassing The Trial Of A Time Lord, the firing of Colin Baker, and Sylvester McCoy’s uneven first season. As it turns out, BBC Video knew exactly what it was doing in giving this story a DVD release, for all of that makes for meaty bonus features.

The central featurette on this relatively “light” release is appropriately titled “The Good, The Bad And The Ugly”, and it pulls very few punches in analyzing Timelash’s successes (using young H.G. Wells as a character) and failures (some of Doctor Who’s lowest production values of the Colin Baker era, an occasionally incoherent script, and an admittedly hammy guest shot by Paul Darrow of Blake’s 7 fame). (more…)

Aired in November 2007 as a prelude to the fourth and final season of Battlestar Galactica, Razor is a bit of an enigma - as fans waited for the resolution of the cliffhanger ending of season three, what they got here was an oddball out-of-time tale which lives - continuity-wise - in the middle of season two. It boasts stunning effects work, decent performances, and some of the most dramatic scenes in Galactica’s history as it rewinds to Pegasus’ escape from the all-out Cylon attack on the colonies. On DVD, it also boasts some extra scenes (which may seem suspiciously familiar) and more bonuses than some of the show’s season box sets. (more…)

As many fan historians have pointed out, The Time Warrior was the beginning of the end of an era for Doctor Who, and it’s that theme which drives the bonus material on this DVD featuring the first appearances of the lovely Sarah Jane Smith (Elisabeth Sladen) and the decidedly less lovely Sontaran warrior (the late Kevin Lindsay). Other DVDs had already used Sarah’s character as a theme (Hand Of Fear, her final appearance as a regular on the show) and Sontarans too (The Sontaran Experiment, which we already reviewed here), so aside of the particulars of this story’s production, the winding down of Jon Pertwee’s stint as the Doctor is a natural theme. (more…)

For the second season of Battlestar Galactica on DVD, Universal Home Video took an approach that had been standard practice for overseas releases for years: split the season in two. I’m not sure if they did themselves any favors by calling the second half of the season “2.5″, which made me have flashbacks to the bizarre features-minus-the-movie X-Men 1.5 DVD from several years ago. But that’s a debate for the marketing department. Let’s talk toasters. (more…)

This first installment of what many hope will be a series of new Babylon 5 stories has two segments. A third was originally planned, but was cut for budgetary and logistical reasons during the preproduction process. As a result, Voices in the Dark clocks in at a little over an hour, plus a number of short featurettes included as extras. I’d like to start this review on a positive note, so I’m going to discuss the second segment first. (Spoilers below, and feel free to check out the plot synopsis in the LogBook entry.) (more…)