Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot.

When asking a Doctor Who fan what shows are the best of the 26 year run, you will usually get one or two answers. The responses usually run from Caves of Androzoni, the City of Death, to Genesis of the Daleks. But most often, fans settle on one episode, the topic for today's discussion: The Pyramids of Mars.

In the end, this shouldn’t really come as a shock to anyone. It features the most popular Doctor of the show (the one with the scarf and hat) just coming into his character, coupled with one of the most popular companions. It's written by Bob Holmes, one of the best writers of the show, and produced by the ever amazing Philip Hinchcliffe.

With an all star line up like that, how can Pyramids of Mars be anything less than one of the best stories in the history of Doctor Who?

I suppose before I go on drooling over the episode, I should try and bring any newbies who wandered into this review up to speed:

The Doctor is an alien from a race of beings called the Time Lords. He travels the universe in ship called the TARDIS that can go anywhere in time and space - provided that the Doctor can steer it correctly. During his travels, he and his companion (usually a young human female with weak ankles) combat evil wherever they find it, and has done so for hundreds and hundreds of years. Doctor Who can do what James Bond has done several times and swap out the lead roll when the actor retires and wants to leave the roll. So, several Doctors with different faces, but all the same character.

Oh, and the name of the show is Doctor Who. The main character is simply called The Doctor.

There - that should just about cover everything to get someone started. Now on with the rest of the review.

The premise of Pyramids of Mars is pretty straightforward: an ancient Egyptian god trapped beneath a pyramid (not on Mars) is really an all-powerful alien imprisoned thousands of years ago by others of his species. Sutekh's pretty honked off after all this time, and has had the means of his escape delivered to him at last. Now it's all up to the Doctor to thwart Sutekh and save the world.

Like I said, pretty simple. But the devil is in the details.

First, as a bad guy Sutekh really delivers the goods, voiced by the silky smooth Gabriel Woolf. Gabriel manages to infuse Sutekh's line with a real sense of character and menace, rather than just making him just another one dimensional cardboard villain. That and he just sounds so damn evil. Theres a sense of menace throughout the whole episode, all leading directly back to our boy Sutekh. Bernard Archard is on the other hand is magnificently creepy as the possessed Marcus Scarman. Pity he doesn’t get a chance to do much than be a mindless drone of Sutekh

Also, the mummy minions of Sutekh provide the Contractually Obligated Doctor Who Monster Content (tm) wonderfully. They, in short are damn scary.

The principals of the show fair just as well too. Tom really has settled into his roll as the Doctor by this point, showing range and depth. Something as simple as the Doctor's reaction (or lack thereof) at a human murdered by Sutekh's mummy robots - he delivers a sense of truly being an alien. There's no doubt that he indeed feels for the departed, he's having to deal with a much bigger problem, beyond just one life - or even beyond just one planet.

Liz Sladen also has a great showing as Sarah. She manages to carry herself as extremely competent (a minor miracle in a series that features companions tripping and twisting their ankles with an alarming regularity). Even further, she shines in her interactions with The Doctor, forming half of one of the best Doctor/Companion teams out of the 26 year run. Despite the obvious skills and experience discrepancy between the two, the Doctor and Sarah are very much equals. There's a great deal of affection and respect between the two.

In true Robert Holmes tradition, the supporting characters are also wonderfully written. Especially touching is Laurence Scarman's inability to accept that his brother's fate as a servant of Sutekh forever more and his brave attempt to contact the brother he once knew leading only to his tragic death. Fine stuff from the Pen of Bob. Also Bob manages to round out the poacher Clements and Dr Warlock in a very effective way, with an economy of story telling. With so little screen time, Robert gets us to care about their deaths.

Oh yeah, it's also a damn fine story too.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
The Pyramids of Mars is a complete 4 episode story contained on one DVD. The DVD comes in a standard black plastic keepcase (silver in the UK). The disc starts with a very brief animation of the Tardis in flight, with the doors opening to reveal menus modeled after the white roundel look of the Tardis walls and with brief looping clips from the show. Functional, not annoyingly long, and keeps the theme of the show. The UK release of the disc comes with a insert with brief actors bios, notes about the show and a list outlining the extras. Sadly the US version does not include these liner notes.

THE VIDEO AND SOUND:
No need to elaborate - a 30 year old show cleaned up and restored to pristine condition, looking as if it were broadcast just yesterday. The Restoration Team has done another marvelous job.

THE EXTRAS:
The Pyramids of Mars is not yet out in the US as of this writing. Heck, at this point, it's not even on the release schedual for 2004, with a more likely 2005 release. However, since the UK region 2 releases and R1 releases have all been identical (more or less), one apples to the other.

To start, there's the usual commentary - this time with Elisabeth Sladen, Philip Hinchcliffe and Michael Sheard. Again, the commentary is another fun listen.

There are two documentaries on the disc - one about the show itself, with contributions from cast and crew on the making of Pyramids, in a nice tight twenty minute block. The other is more of an overview of Doctor Who as a whole under the Philip Hinchcliffe reign. It covers some ground that the more hard core fans would be familiar with, but it still manages to hold the attention.

The other feature of note is "Oh Mummy", a silly look at what Sutekh (yet again voiced by Gabriel Woolf) has been up to since the show first broadcast in 1975. "I bring Sutekh's gift of . . . . milk to all mankind!" indeed. Funny, funny stuff.

There's a handful of Easter eggs - TV bumpers from where the show was first run back in '75. A subtitle Factoid track, which is laden with information. A couple of deleted scenes - nothing that involving, though. And a short feature on the locations, in a 'now and then' manner.


THE LAST WORD
So - overall we have a perfect story restored to mint condition rounded out by a very healthy selection of extras. Most mainstream TV shows would die from envy on a package this lavish. Buy this at once!

OTHER DOCTOR WHO EPISODES ON DVD:
* The Beginning
* Doctor Who and the Daleks
* The Lost in Time Collection
* Tomb of the Cybermen
* Genesis of the Daleks
* The Pyramids of Mars
* Revelation of the Daleks
* Doctor Who - Series One
* Doctor Who - Series Two
* Torchwood - Series One
* Doctor Who - Series Three


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 9 - 12