Review Detail
10.0 1 10
Overall rating
10.0
Audio/Video Quality
10.0
Audio Editing
10.0
Visual Editing
10.0
Narrative
10.0
Enjoyment
10.0
Vengeance of Varos is indeed a truly great Doctor Who story, whose themes come across as relevant even today. Governments as puppets of the corporations, TV entertainment as a cruel pastime for desensitized audiences, the works. And it has lots of suspense and interesting characters (Sil in particular is a standout) and plot points. So my first thank you is for The Warlord for directing my attention to this story in its unedited form.
My second thank you is for him for making this edit and applying his usual streamlining talent. He really has an eye to detect filler in stories that at first don't seem to have much, and remove it as it never had to be there. Watching his work one gets the idea that most stuff that we watch could lose a good chunk of running time with no consequences, and often for the better. If one hasn't seen the original for a while, they will only notice that the acid bath is gone, and that's just because it's so infamous (the excision itself is seamless), but hardly anything else. It's just as good as the official cut if not better.
However, people must also be warned that this edit is not for everyone and might be a "marmite" type due to the replaced score. Some folks like me will appreciate how well the music fits the images and the action (after all this is very much the kind of story that the other show frequently told), while for others it may be a turn-off because it's so recognizable. Watch it with an open mind and ears, and you be the judge.
Technically is extremely well done. Score replacement is always tricky, but it's perfectly achieved here. Technical quality is also excellent, taking into account that the source is 1980s videotape transferred to DVD. And the 16:9 reframing works much, much better than I initially feared. A lot less picture than I expected is lost on the top and bottom, and most of it is air anyway.
Too bad this doesn't seem to be getting much attention so far, as it is highly enjoyable and very well made. I hope we will be getting more classic Who edits in the future! Or in the past, or in whatever timey wimey wibbly wobbly way, shape, or form!
My second thank you is for him for making this edit and applying his usual streamlining talent. He really has an eye to detect filler in stories that at first don't seem to have much, and remove it as it never had to be there. Watching his work one gets the idea that most stuff that we watch could lose a good chunk of running time with no consequences, and often for the better. If one hasn't seen the original for a while, they will only notice that the acid bath is gone, and that's just because it's so infamous (the excision itself is seamless), but hardly anything else. It's just as good as the official cut if not better.
However, people must also be warned that this edit is not for everyone and might be a "marmite" type due to the replaced score. Some folks like me will appreciate how well the music fits the images and the action (after all this is very much the kind of story that the other show frequently told), while for others it may be a turn-off because it's so recognizable. Watch it with an open mind and ears, and you be the judge.
Technically is extremely well done. Score replacement is always tricky, but it's perfectly achieved here. Technical quality is also excellent, taking into account that the source is 1980s videotape transferred to DVD. And the 16:9 reframing works much, much better than I initially feared. A lot less picture than I expected is lost on the top and bottom, and most of it is air anyway.
Too bad this doesn't seem to be getting much attention so far, as it is highly enjoyable and very well made. I hope we will be getting more classic Who edits in the future! Or in the past, or in whatever timey wimey wibbly wobbly way, shape, or form!
D