The Web Planet

“You know, Doctor, I’m getting quite fond of Zombo”

Du Méliès croisé McCarthy qui montre tout un monde alien assez créatif, mais le rythme n'est vraiment pas à la hauteur, et l’histoire bien qu’attachante est juste pénible. 

C’est con, car sa production est extraordinaire! Vortis est une planète envoûtante au charme un peu ringard, et les décors et les costumes font vivre tout un monde de mystère et de magie. 

Seulement, le script (anti communiste) est absolument médiocre, et ne tire jamais profit de la douce folie de sa production.  

Chaque plan invite alors peut être au rêve mais tout le reste endort surtout son spectateur.  

The Web Planet is a serial that doesn't bother with little things like "plot" or "identifiable side characters". It could stand as a psychedelic film alongside the likes of Head (1968) were it not for the fact that the Doctor and his gang keep showing up

😵2/10 = ALMOST UNBEARABLE!

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

A VASELINE-INDUCED FEVER DREAM!

Plastic mega ants and humanoid butterfly creatures in a barren alien world, controlled by a scary voice—surely that is a timeless classic we're all happy exists in its glorious entirety for future generations to behold?

Well, yes and no!

I'm happy to see that there's time devoted at the start of the infamous The Web Planet to some character moments, such as the lovely little scene between Barbara and Vicki in Part 1.

The opening episode is still somewhat good, maintaining a healthy amount of mystery and suspense. It is after that that things start going downhill, as the narrative turns confusing, weird, and, worst of all, hopelessly dull.

There is excessively much filler material and not enough of a plot to carry six 25-minute episodes. By the end of the second episode, the story still hasn't reached a point where there is an actual problem to solve or a bad guy to defeat. Parts 3 to 5 are the ones that drag the most (and it seems as if the plot barely develops an inch during this time), so by the time we reach the final episode, most of us have stopped caring.

The terrible pacing and the lack of any sort of engaging plot are what kill this story completely. Every conversation feels pointless, and the constant mindless running back and forth between different corners of the Vortis set turns tiresome very quickly.

The Web Planet builds its narrative upon silly 60s sci-fi concepts (those strange breathing jackets that appear in Part 1 and then never again, or the bracelet business with Barbara) and ideas so ambitious that they fall flat on a shoestring budget. Hidden under all the bizarreness is a Terry Nation-esque plot of a "war" between two factions, a traditional story type for Doctor Who, but it never feels like the focal point of the narrative, because it is so lost in its concept and execution.

The cliffhangers are lousy, except for the final one in Part 5, and there are long sequences of nothing but terrible beeping sounds and alien characters walking around aimlessly—great TV!

The Doctor Who production crew should be commended for daring to boldly try something as ambitious and high-concept sci-fi as The Web Planet. This is another example of how the show kept reinventing itself and experimenting with different story types in its early days, usually with varied success.

The production values are high for a 1960s BBC production, and there is an eerie, alien quality to the planet Vortis, coming from the barren landscapes, the strange sound design, and the infamous Vaseline-powered lens flair, making everything on Vortis look like it's pulled from a dream.

The alien sound design is painful to sit through (you'll likely have a headache after finishing Part 6).

The regulars do well with the little material they have to work with. Granted, they don't get a lot of opportunities to showcase their acting talent since the guest cast isn't very talkative.

Barbara never gets anything proper to do, vanishes completely in Part 3 (as Jacqueline Hill was on holiday), and then spends the rest of the story waiting for Strutton to wrap the story up.

Maureen O'Brien is either hopelessly lost when left alone or so strongly joined at the Doctor's hip that Vicki doesn't receive the treatment she is worthy of as the newest companion.

Too bad Strutton fails to make any of the guest cast even remotely interesting or memorable, so I couldn't care less for their troubles.

The strange butterfly creatures known as Menoptra have a strange and unnerving alien quality to them. They are generally well-realised, and their combined voices, speech patterns, and movements make them feel otherworldly. The actors inside the Menoptra suits do a generally good job, considering what is required of them.

We see the Menoptra fly in Part 4; this is a very well-made sequence that looks incredible, so a huge shoutout to whoever designed and realised it.

I have to admit that the Animus (the first of many powerful, mind-controlling evils on the show) is a good concept, with a chilling vocal performance provided by Catherine Fleming. The villain, unfortunately, remains underutilised, as Strutton crams the Zarbi into every single dangerous situation, despite the creatures being annoying rather than dangerous or terrifying. And when we finally get to meet the Animus at the end of the serial, she turns out to be utterly disappointing. I wish they had kept her as a voice instead.

The giant ant-like Zarbi are, well, laughably bad and nowhere near Dalek-levels of iconic (which is why we've never seen them again). The less said about the Optera, the better. The sets sometimes look very fake (such as the Carsinome, what in the name of ugliness is that supposed to represent?), depending on the chosen camera angle, and then we of course have the infamous Zarbi actors bumping into the camera (although, with that terrible costume design, it's no wonder that it's difficult to walk in them!). The weird lens flare effect is overused from time to time, making it difficult to see what's going on.

The Web Planet is an example of Doctor Who trying to take too big of a bite of the cake and attempt something it doesn't quite have the resources to realise convincingly.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS:

"Come on, drop this hairdryer or whatever it is!" must be the funniest meta-line William Hartnell has ever dropped on the show.

“All so strange, so unnatural. I’ve never seen anything in my life before like this.”

Overly ambitious and sadly that’s its main let down. I’ll give it one thing, it tries something unique and original, but the execution just doesn’t work. Having no human characters other than the main cast leaves a big gap in any sort of emotional connection, and the aliens themselves vary from irritating to outright boring and bland.

Some cool designs, and ideas here and there, but this story would feel stretched with 3 episodes, let alone 6 episodes. It’s such a slog to get through, and perhaps my least liked of all the Hartnell era.

El Sandifer points out that we have to engage with this story in the way that audiences would've in 1964. That if you try to watch the whole batch at once you'll find yourself bored, that it can be tedious, but if you meet it on it's terms you might find something else entirely. One of the most talked about Hartnell stories, the Web Planet is once again Doctor Who experimenting. Experimenting in tone, form, and finally in monsters. If you go in hoping for a sweeping adventure you will be disappointed. But, if you go in stoned and with a pure heart you will find yourself transported to a place like no other. Alien landscapes and visions, things you've never seen and couldn't imagine. I'm not joking when I say it has more in common with James Cameron's Avatar than it does with modern Doctor Who. This is a story that transports you to a place you can't imagine, and it is absolutely unlike anything else. Star Trek could never.

The Web Planet: 7.3/10 - This story was a big mixed bag. The first 4 parts were generally okay with some slow pacing but the 5th part was a complete slog. Part 6 was amazing though and was definitely the standout. The zarbi were VERY annoying with their constant beeping and the Menoptra were an interesting concept with a below average execution. 

Even if though this is one of my least favourite Doctor Who stories, I can still pick out good moments. When the people in bee's pyjamas start flying - it looks spectacular, the Zarbi are beautifully designed and when Vicki and The Doctor get covered in a web it is genuinely shocking.

These moments are exceptions though. The main issue is that the story could have been told in three episodes, not six. The poor quality visuals bothered me in a way it hasn't in the previous stories, it was to be fair, very ambitious though, too ambitious on the budget they had.

For the third story in a row Vicki's character is bothering me, she is very, very similar to Susan - I don't see the point in creating a new character only to give them such a generic role.

The Web Planet is one of those stories I wish I could recommend but fully recognize its flaws basically make it unsalvageable.

I like the story enough and even find the insect aliens charming in their own way. There's clearly a concerted effort to make things look and feel alien that I fully appreciate. However, those sound effects are pretty much going to drive any viewer a little crazy. It's a real shame, too, because I'm always down for sci-fi weirdness and if it weren't for that sound design, I'd be a lot more generous to The Web Planet, even going so far as to call it halfway decent. As it exists though, it really just serves as a curiosity for fans with very limited entertainment value.

Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep Beep beep beep

This episode is a lot, yet also very little. It’s a difficult one to pin down.

We land on the Planet Vortis, which looks completely desolate. But there is more going on than meets the eye. Without the party noticing, there is a battle of survival between 2 species: The Zarbi and the Menoptra. Let's talk about them first.

This is an aspect of the story that immediately hinders it a bit. We have two kinds of creatures, which are unique and interesting at a glance, but their abilities and underlying motivations are not presented as well as they could be.

Part of it might be the costume design. This is an episode that is notorious for its clash between ambition and budget. I have to say, it is mostly harmless. I don't think this story looks particularly bad. It's just that it has way more to tell with the same amount of resources. The only real problem that it leads to, is on the Zarbi end. Their designs are fine and definitely look the part, but they have no expressiveness. They don't talk much either, so it is very hard for them to 'earn their place' so to speak. They have no real way of showing us what makes them special. Other characters often have to tell us their deal, which can be distracting and come across as exposition.

The Menoptra fare a little better on that front. Their design is relatively strong. The black and white of the screen gives them a very distinct look. Especially in their faces. They also have the benefit of being humanoid and able to speak, which makes them easier to understand.

After their introduction, the story tries to build up a lot of different aspects and ideas onto the foundation of these two species: There's the Carnisome, the Operta, the Animus, the larvae gun and more. Problem is, the foundation of this story wasn't all that strong and needed a lot of explaining on the Zarbi side. All these elements add another aspect that needs to be explained. This can turn into a bit of an infodump at times. Like building a house on sand, it starts to slip.

It turns into a lot of unnecessary "Tell, don't show" moment. Those can be linked to budget, but I don't think that's necessarily the case. It's more a matter of dividing time. The story is 2 hours long, and can feel quite padded. What if those padded parts we're more explicit showcases of the elements we have in the story? Show us how the Zarbi are controlled, and how they act without control. Reinforce the prior relationship between the two species by giving them a conversation. These events would establish this planet a little more. The extra aspects can be added after that. Instead we have some neat things like the larvae guns, which are fun I suppose, but does not add much to the story. It takes up time that could be used better.

Characterwise the story has a minor snippets. The Doctor running around the planet in the first episode is a treat. It shows some newfound joy and establishes the planet, which is a treat to the eyes anyway. The banter with Ian is fun too. Barbara and Vicki connect a bit and talk about their different origins. Good stuff, but nothing really new or interesting.

A small highlight for me was the cliffhanger with the doctor at the end of episode 1. We've seen him worried about the loss of his tardis in the audio's a few times, but it doesn't happen on screen that often. It's just a snippet, but it adds layers.

Other than that, there's not much more to say about this episode. It's a very divisive one, and I can see why. I do think the production issues are overstated. It looks fine. Great at times even. It's just a story that comes with a million ideas, that should've been a bit more picky about which ones to show and which ones to talk about.

Maybe it'll come across more clearly in the novel, which I just got a few days ago, but that's a story for another time. For now, we have a flawed but ambitious story. And while I can look down on flaws, I can't ever shun ambition. There are true, unfiltered ideas here. That doesn't necessarily make the story good, but at the very least, it makes it interesting. And that's worth something.

Some nice bits and pieces here and there like the different atmosphere being a challenge to overcome, The Zarbi not having a language only noises and other various oddities making the world feel very alien, but overall it is a boring slog with nothing really to say and quite badly written, elevated by a cast that at this point is quite familiar and natural with their characters and some good direction, but that is really all you can take away from it.
3/10