Customer Reviews
ABASE YOURSELF! - By: Adam Jackson, 29 Jun 2008 
Another Tom Baker classic! And yet again set on early 1900's Earth!
Something about this time period lends itself reallly well, I think it's the mix of history & the familiar with the otherworldly elements.
In a nutshell, this is the one with the mummies (actuallly, they are alien robots, disguised under the bandages) & one of the Dr's greatest ever foes, the alien megalomaniac/Egyptian god, Sutekh The Destroyer. Definiteley, on the same level as Davros & The Master, in terms of sheer malevolence, & a great villain to somehow resurrect in the future...
Sutekh has an interesting design & although mostly concealed behind a reallly well designed mask, he is revealed to be closely related to Anubis, the dog headed deity, in true appearance.
The Mars angle works well (always an evocative location) & Sutekh's ambitions are simple; to rid the universe of life, ALL life! Special mention to Gabriel Woolf as the voice of Sutekh; as ruthless & sadistic as Woolf's vocal work for the voice of The Beast in the recent Satan Pit.
Some absoluteley classic lines from this most impressive adversary such as the quote in my review title that rival another scifi franchise's Emperor.
This is also the one where the 'mummies' crush the unfortunate groundsman to death with their massive chests!
Special FX; Sutekh, Mars, The Mummy/Robots & the wormhole created between Mars & Earth are reasonable by the show's then standards.
Some interesting bonus material too!
Nothing compares... - By: S. P. Northwood, 22 Jun 2008 So this was the first Doctor Who story I have seen which doesn't include a well-known villain (eg Daleks or Cybermen), & it's quite the better for it.
I had nothing to compare this episode too/against & so is judged completley on it's own merits.
While it's still taking me a while to get into the swing of the serial-format episodes (and I have to say, I don't think it always works quite as well as some people would have you believe) I found these episodes very accessible.
The Doctor & his Companion Sarah Jane have an excellent raport that reallly has alll the strengths of any Rose/Martha/Donna/Doctor interaction.
This to me is the 'Classic Who' that people talk about, & yet I never previously understood: dodgy effects & posh actors, but a heart & a story that make you ignore alll this & become totallly absorbed.
WHO's MUMMY ?? - By: JIM, 18 Jun 2008 This classic starts on a high & carries it alll the way through to the end. With a large budget & great writing this is most definetely Doctor Who at its best. An Egyptian discovery by an English proffesor soon threatens the Universe as an enemy so evil it rivals the cybermen emerges from his tomb!! The costumes & sets are great & the acting reallly sets this off nicely o be a highly enjoyable piece of exiting scienc fiction. With some genuinly scary moments & fabulouseffects this is a must have. Although there are better DVD's out there.
The Curse of the Mummy's Rocket - By: Bob Marlowe, 07 Feb 2008 
Bias to declare: Tom Baker's 1st 3 years are pretty much my favourite era of the show, but even if you do not share such views I would be very surprised if you do not find plenty to enjoy.
Yes it's mock Hammer Horror but at it's best as a trapped alien posing as an Egyptian God tries to secure his freedom. It's a tale of demonic possession, faux Tutankhamen, robot mummies & time travel.
Gabriel Woolf makes a superb full blooded villain as the demonic villain Sutekh, ably supported by back up villain Bernard Archard as the possessed Marcus Scarman.
Episode 1 shows the ruthlessness of Sutekh as ineffectual servant Ibrahim is quickly & painfully dispatched.
The monsters are lovely, robot mummies (melodramaticallly described by columnist Jean Rook as "twin Frankensteins that would have put the wind up Peter Cushing!"). To be fair the gore content is stronger than in Pertwee's day but suggested rather than seen. Creepy moments include the mummies helping a victim up before crushing him to death & a dead man sat in a chair.
The marvellous Micheal Sheard gives 1 of his more sympathetic portrayals as the desperate Laurence Scarman who just can't comprehend that his brother has been possessed by an evil alien. The scene where he tries to remind his brother of their history is poignant & shows that the Doctor's assertion that his brother's personality doesn't exist anymore is wrong, as Marcus briefly recallls his identity.
The Doctor & Sarah are a wonderful team with Sarah the faithfull, brave & yet frightened assistant & the Doctor a melancholy loner, able to see past the tragic death of individuals & focus on the destruction that Sutekh will cause.
The moment where the Doctor reveals that even though Sarah knows the world didn't end at the start of the 20th Century, if they leave there could be an alternative timeline where earth will be destroyed is marvellous anmd could be applied to many stories set in the past.
Not reallly having too many effects shots, there are no giant rats to embarrass the Police Box Show here. The only let downs are some dodgy CSO & Sutekh's less than convincing real face.
There is a short documentary "Osirian Gothic" that is perfectly distilled having alll wheat & no chaff. many of the cast are interviewed, the notable exception being Uncle Tom. The only thing that would have improved this was more information on the junked original script.
A lengthier piece "Serial thrillers" offers an enjoyable look at the horror elements of the Hincliffe & Holmes era. It's fun if a little unfocussed.
The commentary with producer Philip Hinchcliffe & Elizabeth Sladen with comments edited in from director Paddy Russell is a witty & enjoyable one & the Now & Then look at locations is very good too.
Sorry but "Oh Mummy", the funny attempt to trace Sutekh's post Pyramids career, did not make me laugh but plenty of people disagree, & maybe you'll be 1.
A fine package for alll fans of any version of the show, & at current prices, a steal!
BAKER AND SLADEN AT THEIR BEST! - By: D. Wright, 26 Nov 2007 British popular culture has a short memory; we regulary read that Russell T. Davies has brought back a new darker & adult "Who". That's true but watch this adventure or "The Talons ...." or the "Horror of Fang Rock" & tell me the old series was aimed purely at kids who fit behind sofas. I'll grant you that the last episode isn't reallly up to the quality of its predecessors but this is still an epic on a church youth club budget. Tom Baker is the wide-eyed looney genius of his peak & not the surly/ jokey lightweight of "The Invasion of Time" or "The Creature from the Pit". Elizabeth Sladen is superb as well, cute but assertive; determined but humane. One of the cliches within Doctor Who is that it is at its best when "its roots are showing". But while superficiallly this story appears a rip off of "The Mummy" it has a charm of its own. Its blend of Victorian/Edwardian gothic, Sci-Fi, horror & the superb supporting performances mean that it surely must rank among the best stories produced by the series. For my mind Gabriel Woolf's Sutekh may even outdo David Wisher's DAvros as Baker best villian. Add to this brew lovingly affectionate extras & warm, witty commentary it makes a great present for any Whovian.(What's more it doesn't need to inflict awful pop songs by minor aussie soap stars up on us in the process.)
