😑36% = Bad! = Leave it!

Thworping through time and space, one adventure at a time! 

IT'S THE NEW WEB PLANET!

The Creed of the Kromon picks up where Scherzo left us, with the Doctor and Charley looking for the TARDIS while coming across a desert world filled with anthills and the giant, insect-like Kromon. Is this another The Web Planet (1965)?

Kro'ka, the creepy and playful guardian of the Kromon zone, allows the Doctor and Charley to enter the lands to search for the TARDIS, and this is where their real struggles begin.

Philip Martin builds a story that has very similar vibes to his previous TV work for Doctor Who (Vengeance on Varos); it’s pretty bleak and unnerving, but not effectively engaging like Scherzo. The story primarily revolves around the Kromon's use of the Doctor and Charley to uncover the TARDIS' secrets, yet it is excessively long, sluggish, and sporadically impactful.

Paul McGann and India Fisher are always reliable, but they feel very underwhelming here. It's a pity, since Charley in particular goes through quite a tough time (again) in this one.

Conrad Westmaas introduces us to our new companion, C'rizz. He offers a unique perspective as an alien with the ability to alter his skin tone to blend in with his surroundings. The story gives him ample opportunities to shine and portrays him as a passionate, decisive character, yet understanding him remains somewhat challenging.

The alien side characters blend into each other, and this release goes overboard with their voices.

This one has a pretty good sound design to capture the dusty and barren setting, and the simple but unnerving music is also nice.

A lot of this story has a strange aura to it, and I rarely felt engaged by the story surrounding poisons, mind control, and scientific experiments. It’s all a bit naff and devoid of excitement. That being said, the body horror aspects are fairly effective, and the darker themes popping up here and there give this one a more serious tone.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Well, this is a huge step down from Scherzo. The story is painfully slow, bizarre in all the wrong ways, and features themes that don't land as intended. It's only relevant for C'rizz's introduction.