Doctor Who: The Enemy Of The World DVD Review
“The Enemy of the World” is one of the very best classic “Doctor Who” serials.
After the Doctor, Jamie, and Victoria arrive on a beach in Australia, the Doctor finds himself being targeted for assassination because he apparently resembles a power hungry dictator named Salamander who rules the United Zones Organization. When the former security leader (Giles Kent) informs the Doctor that Salamander is plotting some heinous crimes, the Doctor wants proof so he decides to impersonate Salamander to see what he is up to and to see if he is really as villainous as some claim. Jamie and Victoria also go undercover to try and gather intelligence on Salamander as well. Can Salamander’s evil plans be exposed? Can the Doctor trick people into believing he is Salamander? Can Salamander be stopped? All will be revealed in the end.
The recovery of this formerly missing adventure was a real 50th anniversary gift for Whovians as it is far and away one of the best serial adventures to date. Yes, some of Salamander’s motivations and actions are a bit vague, but it’s a minor quibble in the grand scheme of the story. What makes “The Enemy of the World” such a rewarding story is that it isn’t like your average 6 part DW tale. This isn’t a sci-fi or monster centric story with Daleks or Cybermen. It’s a political spy yarn that is loaded with backstabbing, betrayal, lies, action (namely the intense helicopter sequence in part 1) and intriguing plot twists. Unlike many classic era Who episodes, ‘Enemy’ is not comprised of lots of filler or running sequences to pad the running time. Each and every part feels complete as the story builds to a riveting finale.
Perhaps the most impressive aspect of ‘Enemy’ is actor Patrick Troughton who gives two incredible performances in dual roles as The Doctor and Salamander. Troughton really gets to show his range here and it’s clear he’s having a blast being the good and bad guy.
Video/Audio:
Presentation: 4:3. How does it look? The B&W print is in marvelous shape. You can’t ask for a better restoration than this.
Audio Track: Dolby Digital Mono. How does it sound? Crisp and cleaned up.
Extras include trailers for “Doctor Who” Series 7, Part 1 and “The Web of Fear.”
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