Paradise Towers
When I bought this on DVD last week, I must admit I had never actually watched it before, and I didn't have much hope as to what to expect, based on what others had said previously. However, like a lot of other Doctor Who Fans out there, I aim to try to watch all of the Doctor Who Adventures at some point in the proceedings, so saw no reason not to simply give it a try, especially considering I have always enjoyed the seventh doctor's adventures anyway. Even though the plot line looked a bit silly and unbelievable and of course the inclusion of Mel, dare I say it, I am actually quite glad I did decide to try it, as there was actually something appealing about it.
Following Mel’s request for a bit of a swim, The Doctor takes her to Paradise Towers, which is renowned for its pool. However, upon arrival things are not as they should be, the Towers are in a state of advanced decrepitude and the humans have split themselves into competing and mutually hostile groups, and the residents have turned to cannibalism in order to survive! The remaining young girls have formed themselves into gangs, called the Kangs, who are donated by the colour's blue and red, with the yellows having all been un-dead, as well as the caretakers, whose sole job appears to be hunting the Kangs.
Even though this was the first time I had watched this story, I was already familiar with a lot of the seventh doctor's previous adventures and it's fair to say that something felt as though it was missing from this story, possibly down to the lack of humour and general charisma that we associate him with now, which may have been down to this being only his second adventure during his time playing Doctor Who, and he was still getting familiar with the role. When it comes to Mel, she still seems just as irritating and pretty helpless in dire situations as ever, but like most other fans out there, I was never particularly fond of Mel anyway, so wasn't particularly surprised really. A highlight for me was probably Pex, as I liked how he was the most human and likeable of the characters, and you really felt for him through the entire story (in particular towards the end). One thing that did seem a bit odd was the way the Kangs speak though, which may have worked with in the likes of A Clockwork Orange, but here it just sounded a little silly.
When it comes to the special effects, I think it's fair to say that they have always been very basic and some what restricted when it comes to a lot of the classic episodes out there, which is obviously more down to the severe lack of budget we are now used to now-a-days. This is particularly noticeable towards the end, when we witness the inevitable boss battle, and you see no real immediate danger due to the slowness of the monsters themselves. The sound effects weren't much better either, as everything seemed to be really basic and slightly repetitive at times, and it's quite clear that with a bit more funding that the episode would have looked a lot bigger better to finance the special effects a bit more.
When it comes the extras, we have the usual deleted scenes and odd commentaries, that never really serve as much of a selling point, which is often the case with most Doctor Who DVD's, but there are still a few interesting features for you to enjoy.
Overall, I found this an average story, and a lot better than I had initially thought it was going to be, which just proves that just because someone else thinks something isn't worth watching, doesn't mean you won't like it instead, and consisting of only four episodes, it never appears to outstay it's welcome.
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