This story gets a lot of bad reviews and dislike but it also has fans who defend it vociferously. I do not hate it like some people but I also certainly do not love it or really enjoy it very much. It isn't particularly entertaining for me.
Surely it deserves points for ambition as it attempts to show us a completely alien world with insect-like aliens which look and behave in a very non-human way. I applaud it for such a brave attempt but overall this is the weakest Hartnell era adventure in my opinion as it just drags too much for me.
The effects were acceptable for their time given the low budget and time constraints but the problem is there is too much reliance on the effects even though the budget was not nearly enough to create the effects required. The story puts all the emphasis on the creation of alien beings in insect form on a very alien landscape. It neglects giving us an exciting enough adventure to keep me interested.
The costumes and effects look silly to many modern viewers and give it all a pantomime feel but this would be forgivable if the story and script were strong enough to stand up on their own. Sadly, while it is far from awful, I do not think the story or dialogue are strong enough. If you imagine overlaying modern CGI effects onto this to make it all look plausible I am afraid it would still leave a lacklustre story in my opinion.
I am sad to say I find it rather boring and repetetive for too much of the time. It is very stretched and lacking in content. It is filled up with ear splitting sounds going on for too long and events going a bit round in circles. It has good aspects but is a weaker than average story by comparison to the great adventures in the history of Doctor Who.
However, it is saved from total failure by its ambition in presenting a strange world full of non humanoid aliens and the better parts of script, story and acting. It is not all bad and it is an interesting idea but it is badly realised and becomes boring. It is what I would call a brave but ultimately disappointing misfire.
My Ratings: Episode 1 - 6, Episode 2 - 5/10, Episode 3 - 4.5/10, Episode 4 - 4/10, Episodes 5 & 6 - 4.5/10.
Overall average rating : 4.75/10.
Surely it deserves points for ambition as it attempts to show us a completely alien world with insect-like aliens which look and behave in a very non-human way. I applaud it for such a brave attempt but overall this is the weakest Hartnell era adventure in my opinion as it just drags too much for me.
The effects were acceptable for their time given the low budget and time constraints but the problem is there is too much reliance on the effects even though the budget was not nearly enough to create the effects required. The story puts all the emphasis on the creation of alien beings in insect form on a very alien landscape. It neglects giving us an exciting enough adventure to keep me interested.
The costumes and effects look silly to many modern viewers and give it all a pantomime feel but this would be forgivable if the story and script were strong enough to stand up on their own. Sadly, while it is far from awful, I do not think the story or dialogue are strong enough. If you imagine overlaying modern CGI effects onto this to make it all look plausible I am afraid it would still leave a lacklustre story in my opinion.
I am sad to say I find it rather boring and repetetive for too much of the time. It is very stretched and lacking in content. It is filled up with ear splitting sounds going on for too long and events going a bit round in circles. It has good aspects but is a weaker than average story by comparison to the great adventures in the history of Doctor Who.
However, it is saved from total failure by its ambition in presenting a strange world full of non humanoid aliens and the better parts of script, story and acting. It is not all bad and it is an interesting idea but it is badly realised and becomes boring. It is what I would call a brave but ultimately disappointing misfire.
My Ratings: Episode 1 - 6, Episode 2 - 5/10, Episode 3 - 4.5/10, Episode 4 - 4/10, Episodes 5 & 6 - 4.5/10.
Overall average rating : 4.75/10.