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The first Philip Hinchcliffe-produced story and undoubtedly one of the series' classics means that it's no real surprise to see THE ARK IN SPACE out on DVD already. As with ROBOTS OF DEATH, I'm pretty much rationing my WHO DVD purchases (well, unless someone has a sale on!), but the promise of an episodic version to replace my old BBC compilation video provided too tempting to resists. The story itself should need no introduction, but having not seen it for several years, it was remarkably good. Okay, so the Wirrn looks a bit rubbish, but even at this stage the Hinchcliffe/Holmes style shines through. The three regulars are all on good form, with Tom Baker already making his mark as the Doctor. The two companion format means that Lis Sladen doesn't have a lot to do as Sarah in the first couple of episodes. However, despite the occasional dodgy effect and the fact that Noah gets taken over by bubble-wrap (obvious today, perhaps a lot less so back in 1975), the story still holds up well. I've been slightly critical of the extras the BBC have included on earlier discs, but ARK is packed with them. As you'd expect there's a commentary, this time from Tom Baker, Lis Sladen and Philip Hinchcliffe, which is definitely a good one with some hilarious moments. Of the other extras, probably the most notable is the new CGI model footage. This can be watched on its on or you can elect to watch the story with the new footage replacing the original model effects. It's not the default option, so purists can still watch the original without having to fiddle with the menus, but it's definitely worth a couple of key presses to change over as far as I'm concerned. Since DVD allows us to have the choice of the original or CGI effects, this is something I'd wholeheartedly support on future DVD releases. As DWM showed years back, the right story can appeal to today's kids, but often it's the special effects that let the show down - if those can be updated then stories might have greater appeal to non-fans, while fans can still enjoy the originals anyway. Personally give me the new effects any day. I was more sceptical at the inclusion of the inclusion of the TARDIS-cam model sequence, which clearly has nothing to do with THE ARK IN SPACE. Actually it might have been better included on a Cybermen story, but it does demonstrate what the BBC is capable of effects-wise. Worth a look, despite my initial feelings. Also worth checking out are the interview with designer Roger Murray-Leach, and the local news report at the REVENGE OF THE CYBERMEN location shoot. For presentation buffs, there's also a trailer for part one and an unused title sequence (guess that means ROBOT won't be coming along anytime soon then). As you'd expect, there's also the usual subtitles, production notes and a photo gallery, plus a couple of Easter Eggs to find. So a classic story and some terrific extras make this pretty much a must-have as far as I'm concerned. BACK TO THE TOP |
THE ARK IN SPACE |
