DVD Corner

Doctor Who: Paradise Towers DVD Review

“Paradise Towers” is not “ice hot.”

The story: On the search for a swimming pool, the Doctor and Mel arrive at the supposedly fantastic Paradise Towers only to find it’s anything but paradise. During their visit, the two encounter gangs (known as Kangs), killer robot cleaners, cannibalistic old women, a cowardly muscular hero named Pex, Nazi like Caretakers that police the towers, and the crazy Great Architect named Kroagnon (a robot) who wants to destroy all of the humans.  

While watching “Paradise Towers,” all I could think was how baffling this episode was. Everything from the over-the-top story to the costumes reeks of 80’s weirdness. Add in the goofy lingo, the rule spouting, soda drinking, an endless amount of corridor running, and a robotic crab pool creature and you just have to wonder how this episode even got commissioned or how “Doctor Who” managed to survive during McCoy’s chaotic first season as the Doctor.

Now, I’m not knocking McCoy himself. In fact, he’s one of the few bright spots in this ridiculous affair. I was also quite partial to the Bin Liner (played by Annabel Yuresha) Red Kang character who was a spunky and likeable character. Other than that, however, there isn’t much else to praise about this wacky 4 part episode. Watch at your own risk, Whovians.

Video/Audio:

The fullscreen is often blurry and grainy. This isn’t one of the better restoration jobs I have seen. It doesn’t help that the lighting is often very dark and gloomy.

The Dolby Digital Mono audio track is, well, flat. Not much more to say than that.

Extras:
* “Dr. Who Series 5,” photo gallery, info text, Radio Times Listings, continuity, and an alternate score.
* 8 minutes of deleted scenes.
* “Casting Sylvester”- Clive Doig talks about how Sylvester McCoy was cast as the Doctor.
* “Girls! Girls! Girls! The Eighties”- Peter Purves hosts this featurette about the companions in the 80’s (Sophie Aldred, Janet Fielding, and Sarah Sutton). The 3 actresses mainly chat about their experiences on the show as well as behind-the-scenes stories.
* “Horror On The High Rise”- A making of that contains lots of discussion about the script, music, the cast, the production, etc.
* Commentary by Mark Ayres, Dick Mills, Stephen Wyatt and Judy Cornwell. Very disappointed that Sylvester McCoy and or Bonnie Langford weren’t on this commentary (or the making of for that matter).

August 8, 2011 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Bonnie Langford, Doctor Who: Paradise Towers DVD Review, Sylvester McCoy