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With their time-machine TARDIS, Doctor Who (Sylvester McCoy) &
companion Ace (Sophie Aldred) arrive in 1943-London, at a top security
naval base where British intelligence tests their Ultima machine, an
early day computer developed by Professor Judson (Dinsdale Landen) to
decipher German codes. But unfortunatley the Russians want to steal the
machine. & if that wasn't the worst, Fenric, an evil viking god,
plans to overtake the earth with the help of the vampiric
Haemovores. But that might still not be the worst, for the commander of
the base, Millington (Alfred Lynch) wants to use the whole viking affair
to his own ends, being readily supplied by Fenric with poisonous gasses
for chemical warfare. & Millington plans to not only gas the Germans
but also to let the Ultima machine being stolen by the Russians with an
in-built gas-bomb as to whipe the commies out once World War 2 would be
over. The Haemovores meanwhile go on to decimate soldiers &
townfolks alike, only to be stopped by strong faith, which is not all
that good since the parish's reverend has lost his (in a humourous turn
of events, a Russian soldier can resist the Haemovores due to his strong
beliefs into communism). And then Fenric finally returns in physical
form using the body of professor Judson, and he, an old foe of the
Doctor, challenges him to a final duel - a duel which Fenric wins on the
chessboard but loses in real life, since the Doctor has already turned
his strongest ally against him. By & large, the Sylvester
McCoy-Doctor Who-stories are among the best of the 80's (and John Nathan
Turner's run as a producer) & this one is no exception, a welcome
return to all-out horror-stories that the series was so succdessful at
in the 70's, done with sufficient style, atmosphere, wild concepts and
unusually strong criticism of British military of World War 2 (when they
were fighting on "the right side") to keep one happy &
(even though the script is a bit muddled) entertained. A few points of
criticism though: The frequent references to Ace hating her mother do
make little sense (& do little to move the story forwards), as does
her romance with a Russian general, a story thread that is for some
reason abandoned towards the end, & the blue pastic masks of the
Haemovores are just bad. |