Customer Reviews
THE DEFINITIVE DAVROS! - By: Adam Jackson, 02 Aug 2008 
Absolute belter! One of the darkest & most serious in tone.
The setting of war torn Skaro, the fascist elements of the Kaled race, the birth of the Doctor's most feared enemies & the introduction of the greatest villain in Davros, that ever featured in the series.
This is the definitive Davros as played by Michael Wisher; the make up, the voice - alll chillingly perfect & Davros was never so well portrayed again until 30 years later with Julian Bleach's stunning performances in Stolen Earth/Journeys End.
This is dark & mature, clearly influenced by a global conflict that had only ended 30 years prior. Sets, lighting, FX are alll excellent - & there is plenty of tension & military style action.
Ok, the Daleks are in a more supportive role due to Davros's dominance but this is good as the Kaled scientist gives a (hideous) face to his
Dalek army, alllowing for some great narrative between Wisher & Baker.
Tom Baker strides through this, with a perfect balance of drama & eccentricity - just witness the scene where The Doctor offers Davros...a
JellyBaby!
This is as good as it gets - & the DVD extras are great (2 Discs) with two REALLY good docs on the Genesis programme itself, & also the history of the Daleks in the programme.
ESSENTIAL!
Must-Buy! - By: S. P. Northwood, 22 Jun 2008 This was the first Classic Who that I watched, as it was time & time again recommended to me as the best story.
And, of what I've seen so far, I'd have to agree.
You can see why Tom Baker & Elisabeth Sladen are so many fans dream-pairing. They work incredibly well, both together & apart.
By now we should alll know that Davros is coming back in the current series finale, & that was another of my motivations to buy this.
I can see why people have been desperate to get him back - he is genuinely scary in this episode! His presence, his apearance & his plans make him a quite terrifying baddie, & when he demands the Doctor tell him the future it is just as powerful as anything the new series could offer up.
One thing I would say that I feel there is a bit too much running between the two opposing buildings on Skaro, & at times I found myself wondering if the production team were inventing certain situations simply to fill time rather than further the story.
If you're thinking of buying a Classic Who to fill the time between this years finale & the specials you couldn't go very much wrong with this.
The Best ? - By: JIM, 18 Jun 2008 I think that this is the best adventure ever of Doctor who & has plenty of action with a grat script. Its a six parter & although being long it keeps you gripped from beggining to end. The second disk is a great addition & reallly makes this DVD a must have bargain. I wont spoil the plot too much, but lets just say it introduces a classic enemy into Doctor Who. The actors are alll on top form & reallly bring the story to life. I highly reccomend this & wold give it 10 stars if that were possible.
Is this the best? - By: Mr. Andrew Young, 16 May 2008 This story has to be a candidate for the best Doctor Who story ever. It is only Tom Baker's fourth story as the Time Lord but he has already firmly established in the role. Indeed, I think that here, he gives one of his best ever performances in his long tenure as the Doctor. He is given excellent support from Elizabeth Sladen as Sarah-Jane & Ian Marter as Harry Sullivan.
The Time Lords send the Doctor on a mission to avert the creation of the Daleks, or at least slow them down in some way, so that the Time Lords can contain them. What follows is a dark, atmospheric tale, with the Doctor having to battle with his conscience over his actions.
This story is a landmark one in the history of Doctor Who, in that it marks the debut of Dalek creator Davros, superbly played by Michael Wisher. Further, he is backed up by Peter Myles as the sinister, sadistic Nyder. Both Wisher & Myles give chilling performances. Wisher, in particular, steals the show, potraying Davros as an insane, fascist style leader, willing to go to any lengths to ensure that his plans are carried through. It alll adds up to a strong & gripping story.
The story is not without its faults. The giant clam in episode 3 is rather embarrasing. In addition, it has to be said that some of the cliffhangers are a bit disappointing, although a notable exception to this comes at the end of episode 1, which sets up the audience for what will follow.
The DVD is a two disc set, which contains the usual additional features, including a commentary, a documentary depicting the making of the story (Genesis of a classic), & continuity links. Of particular interest is a feature entitled `The Dalek Tapes', which gives insights into alll the Dalek stories made during the series first run.
They don't come much better than this. A highly entertaining story with an excellent cast. A worthy addition to any DVD collection.
The Full Hinchcliffe - By: Antares, 19 Apr 2008 What stands out with 'Genesis' is how far the series had changed by March 1975. The 'gritty' feel to it, the nasty, menacing atmosphere are characteristic of Phillip Hinchcliffe's time as producer. It's here that he reallly reveals for the first time where he intends taking the programme & it's a million light years from the cosiness of the UNIT era. Tom Baker has shown only flashes of his acting range in the preceding 3 short stories but it's in this six-parter that you finallly get the Fourth Doctor at full throttle...and he's brilliant, dark & nowhere near as clownish & overconfident as he later becomes. Some of the best scenes in the show's history come from this story & the Baker-Liz Sladen-Ian Marter line-up has to be one of the strongest the classic series ever produced (why did they get rid of Harry Sullivan??). For anyone watching the old series for the first time - this is probably the one to recommend.
