Season 2 of Doctor Who opens with a scrapped Season 1 serial and the first story since The Edge of Destruction (1964) to play around with some interesting sci-fi concepts. The Tardis crew is once again placed in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous situation, and even the Doctor isn't sure as to what is going on. The concept of miniaturization is a classic one and has never been truly revisited on the show (aside from, arguably, Flatline, 2014), so it's great to see more experimentation in these early days of the franchise. The gimmick is also used for good effects, such as in the exciting cliffhanger to Part Two.
Louis Marks, in his only credit for the show, writes the first DW story with an environmental message, this time against the use of lethal insecticides (a matter which is, admittedly, even more relevant today), and it serves as the single source of danger for our characters, who are essentially nothing but insects now.
It is abundantly clear by now that the four main cast members enjoy each other's company, as every moment they are together feels natural and lovely. William Hartnell has fully embraced his softer side and Carole Ann Ford isn't fully as annoying and childish when she isn't attached to Hartnell's hip. The group works very well to solve the problems they face, which is another testament to how far this group has come.
The model work is surprisingly good given the available resources and helps sell the idea of the Tardis crew miniaturized to a very small size. This is especially true for the sink set in Part Two, it looks very believable, and the same goes for the enlarged insects.
THE BAD:
There are only five supporting characters in the story, and while they perform fine enough, Marks does nothing to make us care for these superficial characters, one of which is the "villain" of the piece. The scenes with these people feel, in fact, very detached from the rest of the story and they don't form a particularly engaging narrative. This is especially the for the lady and the man operating the telephone - what is the point with them exactly? Our heroes and the "giants" never meet directly, so they don't pose an active threat in the story. Couple this with the fact that there's barely any plot here at all anyway, and you have a story that certainly isn't remembered for its narrative merits.
Barbara's characterization is very off since she has no reason not to tell the others that she's been poisoned instead of just accepting her slow death. The decision to edit the last two episodes into one in favor of a swifter pace means that the narrative takes some logical shortcuts and most parts are either too rushed or very half-baked. And despite the edit, Planet of Giants still isn't overly exciting. Then there's the fact that some of the stuff our heroes come up with doesn't make much sense - such as trying to call the cops through the phone, despite no one being able to hear you.
The incidental music is very loud and distracting at times, sometimes even drowning out the dialogue. Some visually ambitious ideas fall completely flat as well, such as the awkwardly juxtaposed picture of a dead Farrow or the shoddy cliffhanger to Part One.
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2022-04-03T08:59:29Z
:expressionless:44% :thumbsup:12 :thumbsdown:15
THE GOOD:
Season 2 of Doctor Who opens with a scrapped Season 1 serial and the first story since The Edge of Destruction (1964) to play around with some interesting sci-fi concepts. The Tardis crew is once again placed in an unfamiliar and potentially dangerous situation, and even the Doctor isn't sure as to what is going on. The concept of miniaturization is a classic one and has never been truly revisited on the show (aside from, arguably, Flatline, 2014), so it's great to see more experimentation in these early days of the franchise. The gimmick is also used for good effects, such as in the exciting cliffhanger to Part Two.
Louis Marks, in his only credit for the show, writes the first DW story with an environmental message, this time against the use of lethal insecticides (a matter which is, admittedly, even more relevant today), and it serves as the single source of danger for our characters, who are essentially nothing but insects now.
It is abundantly clear by now that the four main cast members enjoy each other's company, as every moment they are together feels natural and lovely. William Hartnell has fully embraced his softer side and Carole Ann Ford isn't fully as annoying and childish when she isn't attached to Hartnell's hip. The group works very well to solve the problems they face, which is another testament to how far this group has come.
The model work is surprisingly good given the available resources and helps sell the idea of the Tardis crew miniaturized to a very small size. This is especially true for the sink set in Part Two, it looks very believable, and the same goes for the enlarged insects.
THE BAD:
There are only five supporting characters in the story, and while they perform fine enough, Marks does nothing to make us care for these superficial characters, one of which is the "villain" of the piece. The scenes with these people feel, in fact, very detached from the rest of the story and they don't form a particularly engaging narrative. This is especially the for the lady and the man operating the telephone - what is the point with them exactly? Our heroes and the "giants" never meet directly, so they don't pose an active threat in the story. Couple this with the fact that there's barely any plot here at all anyway, and you have a story that certainly isn't remembered for its narrative merits.
Barbara's characterization is very off since she has no reason not to tell the others that she's been poisoned instead of just accepting her slow death. The decision to edit the last two episodes into one in favor of a swifter pace means that the narrative takes some logical shortcuts and most parts are either too rushed or very half-baked. And despite the edit, Planet of Giants still isn't overly exciting. Then there's the fact that some of the stuff our heroes come up with doesn't make much sense - such as trying to call the cops through the phone, despite no one being able to hear you.
The incidental music is very loud and distracting at times, sometimes even drowning out the dialogue. Some visually ambitious ideas fall completely flat as well, such as the awkwardly juxtaposed picture of a dead Farrow or the shoddy cliffhanger to Part One.