Who Review: Revenge of the Cybermen

I just finished watching the classic Doctor Who story “Revenge of the Cybermen” on DVD.  This is the first time in I-don’t-know-how-long since I’ve seen it in its episodic format.  I was a mere five years old when it first aired, and while I’m sure it was on in the house (my older brother was 8, so he would have been watching at least), I don’t recall it from then.  I do remember seeing it later when it came out on VHS in 90-minute omnibus form.  In any case, it was good to see where the cliff-hangers were supposed to be!

As with all classic Who, there are things to love about the story, and things to groan over.  I like the story arc of Tom Baker’s first season, and the return to the Nerva space station sort of ties things up nicely.  It’s not a bad story, and there are certainly enough plot elements to keep it going for four episodes.  I really don’t like this re-design of the Cybermen… though I must say that I have a soft spot for the original cloth-faced version, so my judgment on this might not be sound 🙂 .  The Cybermen voices don’t really cut it for me either–too much emotion.

A couple of things that made me chuckle: while the story is supposed to be set centuries into the future, they still record on magnetic tape (okay, in 1975 how could they have anticipated digital technology–but still, they could have been a little more creative!).  Also, what’s with the Cyber Leader with his hands on his hips in episode three?  Was that supposed to look intimidating?  Major kudos, however, to the guys that put together the “Checks, Lies, and Videotape” documentary extra on the DVD.  This was a thoroughly entertaining look back at how fans got their Who fix in the days before the official VHS tapes (and DVDs).