Doctor Who: Claws of Axos (Special Edition/Story
No. 57/BBC DVD)
Picture: B- Sound: B- Extras: A+ Episodes: A-
+
Doctor Who Monopoly: 50th
Anniversary Collector’s Edition (Hasbro)
Game Presentation: A Game Play: A
Story no. 57 features a John Pertwee (Third Doctor) classic, “The Claws of Axos,” and BBC offers this
great 4-parter in a new, updated, two disc package that includes even more
extra content. The Axons land on Earth,
and more specifically, somewhere in the English countryside, seemingly with the
best intentions for everyone. Apparently
humanoid, with gleaming golden skin and angelic features, they ask for help and
a place to replenish their reserves of energy, while offering to trade the keys
to their amazing alien science. They
dangle limitless energy and control of matter itself in front of the Doctor, Jo
Grant (Katy Manning) and UNIT. Axonite is the miracle element that will make
all of this possible, they say, but this is Doctor Who, and we know better!
The “Axons” hide a terrible secret. They are neither benign nor are they really a
whole species of aliens, but rather, one monstrous creature called Axos. Capable of duplicating himself and others in
multiple forms and operating these duplicates simultaneously, Axos has come to
Earth to drain it of its vital energies!
Just as conservative MP Chinn (Peter Bathurst) demands to know more
about the Doctor and his role in UNIT affairs, the “Axons” arrive and the
mischief begins. It’s soon revealed that
the alien “spacecraft” also contains a special prisoner, the Master (Roger
Delgado)! His own TARDIS captured by
Axos, the creature has come to Earth because of information gleaned from him. The plot thickens as the Master escapes and
then helps turns the tables on Axos after some clever manipulation from the
Doctor.
The extras include the standard featurette on the making of “Claws of Axos.” Cast and crew wrestled with the usual tight
schedule and budgetary issues, along with some truly freakish weather that even
required a bit of added dialogue to explain away. From the human interest angle comes a
documentary with the irascible John Levene, the actor who played UNIT’s
Sergeant Benton. You can’t help but feel
a lot of love Mr. Levene, who spent the last 25 years in Los Angeles only to
return to England to care for his ailing mother. Also included is the always interesting “Now And Then” feature, showing us the
locations where the episodes were shot in the UK’s Dungeness area of Kent.
While “Claws of Axos”
should really be called “Tentacles of
Axos,” this story delivers everything fans of the Pertwee era could hope
for, including plenty intrigue from Mr. Delgado’s Master. The added extras only serve to sweeten the
pot.
While “Claws” sits firmly
within the province of the Third Doctor, the Doctor Who Monopoly: 50th Anniversary Collector’s Edition from Hasbro spans all fifty years of
the show’s storied history. Adeptly
adapting the common conventions of the classic Monopoly to the unique sci-fi
universe of the Doctor, the graphics and presentation on this gorgeous boxed
board game rarely disappoint.
The only deficiency the design on this game suffers from comes in its
iconic metal play pieces. Included are
items from the various incarnations of the Doctor over the years: bow tie (Matt
Smith, 11th Doctor), celery (Peter Davison, 5th Doctor), recorder (Patrick
Troughton, 2nd Doctor), scarf (Tom Baker, 4th Doctor), sonic screwdriver (any
Doctor, really), umbrella (Sylvester McCoy, 8th Doctor). While these items are all cool and thematic,
it would have been nicer to have actual 28mm figures of six of the Doctors. This could be boiled down to a matter of
taste, however. Some players might find
these iconic items just fine.
The center of the board features images of all eleven doctors and the
TARDIS. Each stop along the board
includes touchstones from all of the eras of the show. These include episode titles from the show’s
fifty year history. The card piles are
labeled Gallifrey and U.N.I.T. respectively, and these unique cards add some
new elements to the game play. Players travel around the board buying and
selling properties and episodes, fulfilling all of the normal aspects of a
Monopoly game. Doctor Who fans who
haven’t played monopoly in years will certainly want to give this one a try.
- Scott Pyle
