Recently recreated in glorious colour animation, The Macra Terror is a dark and haunting science fiction tale made all the better by its original score and the great production.
Story: 9
Another Ian Stuart Black story with themes of brainwashing, authoritarian control, and inequality. The human colony on an alien planet makes it feel both very alien and surprisingly believable.
The brainwashing going on in the colony is effective and very creepy, such as the way they plant certain ideas while people are asleep.
The story drags slightly in the middle, as it seems Black struggles to find a way to tie everything up for the ending. That leads to some filler material in Episode 3.
Acting: 10
The animated reconstruction doesn't do the original actors full justice, but the regular cast is superb as usual, particularly Patrick Troughton as a more serious Second Doctor. Ola and the Pilot are also well-played.
Michael Craze puts in probably his best performance as a brainwashed Ben. He's so aggressive, yet he also cares about Polly. He is clearly lost and broken by the Macra.
The Macra voice acting is great, as it goes from a hard voice of authority to hilariously panicked by the end of the serial.
The Doctor: 9
The Doctor stays true to his new conviction to fight evils of the universe by immediately setting his sight on Medok and realizing that he is the only one who understands the truth of the strange events happening in the colony.
The Companions: 8
Jamie is for once given a more central position as the only one next to the Doctor ready to fight the brainwashing of the colony. He also stands up for the Doctor when necessary.
The Doctor has to fight the Macra, the leadership of the colony, and Ben, which makes it one of the first times the Doctor is pitted against one of his own companions.
Ben's madness could have been used for greater effect, but now it just kind of disappears halfway through the story.
The Monster/Villain: 7
The animation makes the Macra feel properly terrifying in ways the original model work never did. The idea of mind-controlling giant crabs might feel a bit silly, but it works surprisingly well here.
Production: 12
Seeing 60s Doctor Who in glorious colour is both odd and exciting. The colours of the animation are vibrant and realistic, giving the very well-flowing animation a nice bit of extra touch.
The original soundtrack has been nicely restored, but the echoing from the studio feels odd in scenes happening outside.
The colony looks and feels properly alien and futuristic. It does a great job of recreating the look of the original serial. I don't think the Macra would work so well today if the serial existed in its original format.
Pacing: 8
The middle part sags slightly, particularly after the truth of the matter is slowly revealed and you just wait for the ending to arrive. The worst part is Episode 3, with several lengthy scenes of Jamie walking down a dark mine shaft.
Atmosphere: 10
You immediately understand that something iffy is going on in the colony. The overly stiff bureaucratic system and the punctual schedule evoke feelings of dictatorship and the huge holographic head of the Commander is an obvious nod to Orwell.
The music playing in the background and the jingles before the Commander's messages are creepy and some of the most effective use of music in the series. It's also some of my favourite incidental music in the series.
The psychedelic music and slowly creeping movement of the Macra make this a very dark and terrifying adventure. A good example is a sequence at the end of Episode 2, where Ben and Polly meet one of the Macra.
Impact: 7
The Macra Terror is a precursor to the atmospheric, dark, and terrifying Doctor Who stories that would become commonplace in the early Tom Baker era. It also showed that the Second Doctor is something else than just a cosmic hobo.
Replay Value: 10
With the animated reconstruction, which is one of the best ones so far, this story is immensely watchable. The unique soundtrack and the dark subject matter make it one of the greater Second Doctor stories.
Random Observations:
Polly has had a haircut in between stories, which made me confused at first as to who she's supposed to be. She looks like a boy, at least in the animated version. Apparently, a scene where Polly is seen getting the new haircut was removed from the animated reconstruction. What's even weirder is that she's back to a long haircut again in the next story!
The Moonbase animation managed to make Ben look a lot like Michael Craze, but here he doesn't look like him at all.
The Doctor is still rocking an old-fashioned screwdriver, which fans of New Who should find slightly hilarious. It's funny to see the Doctor use a screwdriver as a screwdriver.
The cheerleading squad in Episode Four is both creepy and somehow funny. And Jamie being forced to dance his way out is one of the better moments in the Second Doctor's run.
In a rare occurrence, the serial ends without the TARDIS leaving the place it has arrived to.
:crab: what a great nemesis to face. Shame really that people weren’t sure what they were. Maybe the animation was a clearer depiction when set against the original
Review by Theo KallströmVIP 6BlockedParent2020-06-01T16:02:55Z
Recently recreated in glorious colour animation, The Macra Terror is a dark and haunting science fiction tale made all the better by its original score and the great production.
Story: 9
Another Ian Stuart Black story with themes of brainwashing, authoritarian control, and inequality. The human colony on an alien planet makes it feel both very alien and surprisingly believable.
The brainwashing going on in the colony is effective and very creepy, such as the way they plant certain ideas while people are asleep.
The story drags slightly in the middle, as it seems Black struggles to find a way to tie everything up for the ending. That leads to some filler material in Episode 3.
Acting: 10
The animated reconstruction doesn't do the original actors full justice, but the regular cast is superb as usual, particularly Patrick Troughton as a more serious Second Doctor. Ola and the Pilot are also well-played.
Michael Craze puts in probably his best performance as a brainwashed Ben. He's so aggressive, yet he also cares about Polly. He is clearly lost and broken by the Macra.
The Macra voice acting is great, as it goes from a hard voice of authority to hilariously panicked by the end of the serial.
The Doctor: 9
The Doctor stays true to his new conviction to fight evils of the universe by immediately setting his sight on Medok and realizing that he is the only one who understands the truth of the strange events happening in the colony.
The Companions: 8
Jamie is for once given a more central position as the only one next to the Doctor ready to fight the brainwashing of the colony. He also stands up for the Doctor when necessary.
The Doctor has to fight the Macra, the leadership of the colony, and Ben, which makes it one of the first times the Doctor is pitted against one of his own companions.
Ben's madness could have been used for greater effect, but now it just kind of disappears halfway through the story.
The Monster/Villain: 7
The animation makes the Macra feel properly terrifying in ways the original model work never did. The idea of mind-controlling giant crabs might feel a bit silly, but it works surprisingly well here.
Production: 12
Seeing 60s Doctor Who in glorious colour is both odd and exciting. The colours of the animation are vibrant and realistic, giving the very well-flowing animation a nice bit of extra touch.
The original soundtrack has been nicely restored, but the echoing from the studio feels odd in scenes happening outside.
The colony looks and feels properly alien and futuristic. It does a great job of recreating the look of the original serial. I don't think the Macra would work so well today if the serial existed in its original format.
Pacing: 8
The middle part sags slightly, particularly after the truth of the matter is slowly revealed and you just wait for the ending to arrive. The worst part is Episode 3, with several lengthy scenes of Jamie walking down a dark mine shaft.
Atmosphere: 10
You immediately understand that something iffy is going on in the colony. The overly stiff bureaucratic system and the punctual schedule evoke feelings of dictatorship and the huge holographic head of the Commander is an obvious nod to Orwell.
The music playing in the background and the jingles before the Commander's messages are creepy and some of the most effective use of music in the series. It's also some of my favourite incidental music in the series.
The psychedelic music and slowly creeping movement of the Macra make this a very dark and terrifying adventure. A good example is a sequence at the end of Episode 2, where Ben and Polly meet one of the Macra.
Impact: 7
The Macra Terror is a precursor to the atmospheric, dark, and terrifying Doctor Who stories that would become commonplace in the early Tom Baker era. It also showed that the Second Doctor is something else than just a cosmic hobo.
Replay Value: 10
With the animated reconstruction, which is one of the best ones so far, this story is immensely watchable. The unique soundtrack and the dark subject matter make it one of the greater Second Doctor stories.
Random Observations:
Polly has had a haircut in between stories, which made me confused at first as to who she's supposed to be. She looks like a boy, at least in the animated version. Apparently, a scene where Polly is seen getting the new haircut was removed from the animated reconstruction. What's even weirder is that she's back to a long haircut again in the next story!
The Moonbase animation managed to make Ben look a lot like Michael Craze, but here he doesn't look like him at all.
The Doctor is still rocking an old-fashioned screwdriver, which fans of New Who should find slightly hilarious. It's funny to see the Doctor use a screwdriver as a screwdriver.
The cheerleading squad in Episode Four is both creepy and somehow funny. And Jamie being forced to dance his way out is one of the better moments in the Second Doctor's run.
In a rare occurrence, the serial ends without the TARDIS leaving the place it has arrived to.
Score: 90/120