Planet Of Evil (1975) Review

"So Doctor... what exactly does a companion do...?

Planet Of Evil is an atmospheric, but cluttered horror tale. The plot is almost incomprehensible, but it's visually distinctive.

PLOT

The TARDIS responds to a distress call from the planet Zeta Minor which is at the very edge of the universe. The Doctor and Sarah arrive to find a murdered expedition with one semidelusional member, an antimatter scientist named Sorenson who has angered the inhabitants of the antimatter universe who also live on the planet.

At the same time, another ship of Sorenson's people arrive to try and solve the crisis, clashing with the Doctor and Sarah.

ANALYSIS

Given that The Three Doctors made it clear that antimatter can't exist in unison with normal matter plus the fact that the universe shouldn't really have an edge makes this story more confusing than interesting. It's a shame really, because the production is fantastic. The sets are better than ever, the antimatter creatures look terrifically out of this world and there's always something bizarre and mysterious going on.

Frankly, and I can't believe I'm saying this, it should've been a six-parter. There's just so much going on with the "planet's will" and the other universe and the Doctor's relation to it and Sorenson's backstory that it needed two more episodes to make sense.

CHARACTERS

I'm finally happy to be enjoying Tom Baker's performance, which has definitely improved. He'll always be more Tom Baker than the Doctor of course, but that can't be helped. Still, "Tom Baker Who" isn't the worst thing ever.

Has Sarah Jane ever been as sexy before as she is in this serial? I mean, wow. Really, she just got everything right with costume. It's low-cut, practical, has a girl-next-door attitude and yet still feels somewhat professional. It just sums up Sarah Jane.

By far the most interesting guest star(he really put the star in guest star for this story, as some of them do) was Frederick Jaeger(you may recognise him as the guy who impersonated William Hartnell in The Savages) as Sorenson. Besides giving a fascinatingly delirious performance, what really hooked me about him is his astounding resemblance to Jack Nicholson(it's those arched eyebrows), one of my favourite actors ever. He really elevated the story for me.

The other guest stars were all pretty decent, the usual sort we see in Doctor Who. A crazy leader, played by Prentis Hancock(whom I must say is a bit underrated... he can certainly play smug). His pressured underling, Vishinsky(he's so old... why has he not been promoted yet?) and a few other extras.

NOTES

*The Doctor removed his scarf for about half the story. That's just weird. Coincidentally, his old-fashioned bow-tie(which I finally learned is called a "neckerchief") reminds me of William Hartnell.

*This has nothing to do with Planet Of Evil, but I just learned that Patrick Troughton's bow-tie was attached to his shirt with a safety pin. I no longer have to be embarrassed for not knowing how to tie my tie!!

*One of the most annoying parts of the story is when Sorenson first drinks his anti-man mixture because it comes out of nowhere. They do explain it eventually, but it's such a bizarre moment.

*The prison cells aboard Salamar's ship are just pathetic. Seriously, listen to this: all that the Doctor and Sarah have to do to escape is OPEN THE WINDOW. They got out INTRUDA WINDOW.

*I love the space funeral custom that we see. It's not like it's the first time I see it in sci-fi, but it's just a beautiful idea that should be used whenever possible. Here they actually use it as a cliffhanger, which is even better. One of the few tense cliffhangers I've had.

*I wonder what exactly happened to Sorenson and the Doctor in the trippy antimatter world.

*How did the Doctor even survive there? He had some antimatter in his pocket... so?

*Why does the Doctor have that handcuff thingamajig on his TARDIS? I bet it was a Christmas present from River Song.

*Why are the Doctor and Sarah so insistent on returning to London? And people think the Ponds were the first companions with double lives!

BEST QUOTE

"You and I are scientists, professor. We purchase the right to experiment at the cost of total responsibility." Wait, what does that actually mean? Is he saying they have to be super responsible or that they're not responsible at all??

CONCLUSION

Sometimes you can give it your best, but the story just won't come out and shine. This is a case of that.