Production Year: 1970 - Science Fiction - Director: Derek Martinus - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Jon Pertwee more
Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) is hurled into one of his most exciting and terrifying adventures when he battles an army of murderous plastic mannequins who have been programmed to... more
regenerated Doctor arrives in Oxley Woods alongside a shower of mysterious meteorites. Investigating these unusual occurrences is the newly-formed United Nations Intelligence Taskforce - UNIT for short. Lead by Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart, UNIT are soon called into action when people and meteorites start going missing. Most puzzling of all is the attempted kidnap of a strange hospital patient - a man with two hearts, who insists that he recognises the Brigadier...The new doctor soon joins forces with his old friend, UNIT, and the recently recruited Dr Liz Shaw, but time is running out...Irregular things are happening at a nearby plastics factory, while faceless creatures lurk in the woods. The Nestenes have arrived, and want to conquer the Earth?
Pertwee, but a new assistant, the scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and a regular place in the show for UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). It also marked the debut of the programme in colour and saw the Doctor stranded on Earth after Patrick Troughton's last adventure, "The War Games" (1969). Not only that, but it proved the only serial in the show's history to be entirely shot both on film and location, giving it a uniquely cinematic feel. Regenerating in a country hospital, the Doctor finds himself helping the Brigadier investigate an unusual meteorite and its links with a sinister doll factory. The Autons are cybernetic killers--anticipatingThe Terminatorby some 15 years--and the sequence in which they break through high-street shop windows to slaughter pedestrians remains a chilling highpoint ofDoctor Who'sentire history. Things do turn silly with a subplot involving a waxworks museum, while the ultimate battle with the Nestine consciousness is more likely to induce laughter than fear, but as vintage television nostalgia this is fast-moving splendidly characterised entertainment. --Gary S. DalkinOn the DVD: The remastered picture and sound are exceptional for a 1970 TV show. Obviously in 4:3 and mono, this DVD offers technical quality easily as good as many feature films. There is a very friendly, if not especially informative, commentary from Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John, and subtitles that offer background facts and figures. With an amusing five-minute recruiting film for UNIT, repeat trailers and a gallery including previously unpublished photos, this excellent DVD is aDoctor Whofan's dream come true. --Gary S. Dalkin
Pertwee, but a new assistant, the scientist Liz Shaw (Caroline John) and a regular place in the show for UNIT and Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart (Nicholas Courtney). It also marked the debut of the programme in colour and saw the Doctor stranded on Earth after Patrick Troughton's last adventure, "The War Games" (1969). Not only that, but it proved the only serial in the show's history to be entirely shot both on film and location, giving it a uniquely cinematic feel. Regenerating in a country hospital, the Doctor finds himself helping the Brigadier investigate an unusual meteorite and its links with a sinister doll factory. The Autons are cybernetic killers--anticipatingThe Terminatorby some 15 years--and the sequence in which they break through high-street shop windows to slaughter pedestrians remains a chilling highpoint ofDoctor Who'sentire history. Things do turn silly with a subplot involving a waxworks museum, while the ultimate battle with the Nestine consciousness is more likely to induce laughter than fear, but as vintage television nostalgia this is fast-moving splendidly characterised entertainment. --Gary S. DalkinOn the DVD: The remastered picture and sound are exceptional for a 1970 TV show. Obviously in 4:3 and mono, this DVD offers technical quality easily as good as many feature films. There is a very friendly, if not especially informative, commentary from Nicholas Courtney and Caroline John, and subtitles that offer background facts and figures. With an amusing five-minute recruiting film for UNIT, repeat trailers and a gallery including previously unpublished photos, this excellent DVD is aDoctor Whofan's dream come true. --Gary S. Dalkin
newly regenerated Doctor begins his exile on Earth and finds himself hurled into one of his most exciting and terrifying adventures. But the Doctor is not the only alien intelligence arriving on the planet. A shower of mysterious meteorites signals the coming of the Nestene Consciousness - an evil cosmic collective being with just one goal - total conquest of Earth. The Nestenes possess a special ability to control plastic and are making hordes of Autons - indestructible armed plastic mannikins only awaiting the Nestene command to start their killer rampage. Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart scientist Liz Shaw and U.N.I.T. enlist the Doctor's help to defeat the relentless Auton invasion but the Doctor has problems of his own.
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Production Year: 2006 - Science Fiction - Director: James Hawes - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Noel Clarke, Camille Coduri, Penelope Wilton, David Tennant, Billie Piper
A review by MEISTER123 on Doctor Who - Spearhead From Space (DVD) April 18th, 2008
Author's product rating:
Did you enjoy it?
Loved it
Story
Outstanding
Characters / Performances
Outstanding
Special Effects
Good
How does it compare to similar films?
Outstanding
Advantages:
String plot, wonderfully acted,
Disadvantages:
Auton acting a little plastic !
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
Perfection, is just about the only word that can describe this the first Joh Pertwee story. It really set the tone for the next 4 years of his reign as the Doctor. Wonderfully written beautifully acted and with one of the creepiest enemies ever featured, The Autons.
The first part of the story sees a mysterious two hearted hospital patient claim to be the Doctor, who has been exiled to Earth, for crimes against Time, by his masters the Timelords on Gallifrey, and insisting that he knows Brigadier Alistair Lethbridge Stewart of UNIT. Alongside this, mysterious goings on at a plastics factory are being examined closely, following a strange meteor shower. Faceless creatures lurk everywhere, waiting for the time to launch the invasion of the planet Earth.
Can this strange man, who looks nothing like the Dr he knows, really be the same man who thwarted the Cyberman Invasion. The Brigadier has to trust him, as he is the only one capable of stopping the Autons and their faceless plastic mannequins taking over the world.
This has some of the scariest Dr Who scenes. Particularly the one where the shop mannequins break out of the window displays and proceed to randomly slaughter innocent bystanders. This story stands up well, not only as a Dr Who story, but a powerful piece of science fiction writing.
Again the extras add value to this, with cast commentary, onscreen production notes, an amusing UNIT recruitment film and some wonderful stills from the show.
This story kicked off a brand new era of Dr Who, arguably the start of its greatest decade.
Advantages: Great story, great features Disadvantages: None
...INTRODUCTION
We only got a DVD player in January 2003, so have only just began to buy our favourite films and TV programmes on DVD. As my husband and I love DoctorWho, as do our four children, it was inevitable that an early DVD purchase would include a DoctorWho release and here it is ? SpearheadFromSpace.
This story is special to fans of the series as it is the first story shot in colour and the first adventure for Jon Pertwee - the third face of the loveable time traveller. It is special for me because it was being filmed when I was born (October 1969) and it is the story I was asked to write the detailed synopsis of, for inclusion in the DoctorWho Chronicles. Despite having therefore seen the whole story countless times, it remains one of my favourite stories.
STORY
Pertwee?s first story sees him facing the Autons...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Advantages: A new Doctor Disadvantages: Lack of action with the Tardis
...Its always exciting in DoctorWho when a new actor takes over the lead of the show. So seeing Jon Pertwee in his first story really was a pivotal point in DoctorWho history. The previous Doctor, played by Patrick Troughton, had seen ratings fall over his tenure as The Doctor and this meant that a vital overhaul was required. Troughton felt that his time was coming to an end and time to hand over to another person. This gave the producers a real opportunity to kick start the show.... this time in colour.
Originally broadcast on 3rd January 1970, SpearheadfromSpace is a four part story, Based on events in the previous story called The War Games, Pertwee's Doctor has been exiled on Earth as punishment, in fact Pertwee's first scene as The Doctor has him literally collapsing out of the Tardis in woodland, only to be found and taken to...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful
Advantages: All new, all great Disadvantages: none
...A new Doctor, companion, enemy, the UNIT team and in colour, a new start for DoctorWho or at least it was in 1970.
SpearheadFromSpace was Jon Pertwee’s first story as the Doctor, having been regenerated by the Timelords and exiled on earth in the previous adventure, Spearhead picks up the thread with the Doctor arriving somewhat confused on earth in England and in Oxlye Woods, and promptly collapses and gets taken to hospital, where he spends the first episode. Meanwhile The Brigadier (Nicholas Courtney) who the Doctor has met before, is interviewing Liz Shaw (Caroline John) to become UNIT(United Nations Intelligence Force)’s scientific advisor, elsewhere meteorites have landed, and a local plastics factory have started producing some very odd lines...... and it all happens in the first episode. The meteorites turn out...
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Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful
Plot: Another exciting Doctor Who adventure featuring the menacing Autons.
Release details
DVD Region: DVD
Studio(s): 2 ENTERTAIN VIDEO; SONY DADC
DVD Description
Doctor Who (Jon Pertwee) is hurled into one of his most exciting and terrifying adventures when he battles an army of murderous plastic mannequins who have been programmed to destroy planet Earth.
Languages
Main Language: English
Technical information
Special Features: Special o-ring packaging
Sound: Dolby Digital
Ciao
Listed on Ciao since : 09/08/2007
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