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There's something odd happening on Nekros, the burial planet.
The dead are disappearing and the Great Healer, a freelance
medic working there, has a strong resemblance to Davros, creator
of the Daleks. Are the dead really dead and where are the
Daleks coming from? Could they be the dead resurrected and
genetically re-engineered...?
At
heart Revelation of the Daleks is a great story. It's
dark, it's gothic and it boasts a great script from Eric Saward.
Even Davros has a role that isn't just shouting megalomaniac.
However, despite the best efforts of most of the production
team and cast there are three things that badly let down the
story.
First, the DJ who plays music to the Nekros inhabitants in
suspended animation, awaiting reawakening when the illnesses
that were killing them can be cured. It's at heart a great
funny/dark idea but any underlying menace is destroyed by
a performance from Alexei Sayle that belongs back in the Young
Ones. Not good.
Second,
the show boasts some of the worst costume and makeup designs
Doctor Who has had to endure since Space Pirates
(remember those metal wigs!). Wall-to-wall powder blue is
never a good colour, let's face it, especially when painted
across someone's forehead. However, the third problem overshadows
everything else - one of the central characters, Tasambeker,
is played by an actress (Jenny Tomasin) who is simply so bad
that it's impossible to believe she ever worked again. I wouldn't
have paid her for the performance she gives. It's that shockingly
rotten.
On
the plus side, the idea that the dead are being turned into
Daleks or fed to the starving of the galaxy is nice and nasty,
there's plenty of menace - from both the human participants
and Davros - and the directing from Graeme Harper is generally
pretty tight, although having the Doctor spend all of part
one walking from the TARDIS to the Nekros burial centre, Tranquil
Repose, seems an odd waste of the central character.
The image quality on the disc is as high as ever although
some of the close up shots of Colin Baker on location are
oddly very grainy. The 5.1 surround sound mix is very impressive
and there's a nice photo gallery. The new CGI effects are
also top notch. The major disappointment is the Making
of documentary. It seems rather long and a little flat
with good material buried under a welter of banal chat.
Overall,
Revelation of the Daleks is an average story with great
moments. Its presentation on DVD shows it at its best - but
its best is all too often undermined by some pretty major
flaws. One for the fans only.
Anthony
Clark
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