Doctor Who – The Underwater Menace Ltd Ed Steelbook [Blu-ray]

No ones ever going to be happy and it can’t replace the lost footage but another decent effort to give fans a lost episode - swear I prefer watching the black and white option though feels more authentic

I've already reviewed the plot and storyline from the previous release of the Underwater Menace, so I won't be repeating that here, mostly commenting on the animation style. There are two versions, black and white for those who want to see as close a version to the original and a coloured version, which I watched. The animation did differ from the original in a number of regards, such as the appearance of the Atlanteans and particularly the surgically altered Fishpeople who gather all the food for Atlantis from the sea. In the original, the Atlanteans differed little from the surface dwellers except in costume, which were simpler. Here the Atlanteans have a subtly different skin colour and their costumes are more elaborate. The Fishpeople look more "fishy", which seems ok, although I would have preferred them to look more like the originals. Both of these do serve to elevate the story slightly by enhancing the animation beyond what the original could manage, hence the increase from four to five stars. The animation style is very good as are the likenesses to the actual characters and Zarof's insanity and plot to destroy the world rather than raise Atlantis to the surface becomes clearer.Hopefully, given that these animations have a broad fan base and are obviously profitable, they will continue to be made and we'll get to see such classics as "The Daleks Masterplan" and "The Wheel in Space".

Given the comic book nature of the script, animation really improved my enjoyment of this story. I was reminded of the comic strips from the 1960s that occasionally get reprinted. The animation was also sympathetic to production capabilities of the the time, essentially what could have been achieved with a bit more money. It's not the best story ever but fans will enjoy this version.

The Doctor, Ben, Polly and Jamie land in the lost city of Atlantis coming up against a mad scientist who wants to raise Atlantis back to the surface but could destroy the world. Episode 2 was recently found and is included with the surviving episode 3 while episodes 1 and 4 are animated along with the surviving episodes making the serial complete. Good to have the animated missing episodes back as these could be the only way we get to see some episodes unless a miracle happens. The effects on the live action episodes 2 and 3 are laughably bad as was often the case with classic Doctor Who due to the low budget but it's still a fun 2nd Doctor serial and I think an underrated one. A must buy for fans with the black and white animation giving a feel of what the original must have been like. A colour version also included.

Doctor Who: The Underwater Menace Blu-ray disc is a vast improvement on the original DVD release in as much as episodes 1 and 4 were originally presented as photographic stills set alongside the soundtrack recording. This Blu-ray includes episodes one to four in animation, both colour and black and white, allowing the viewer to choose the preferred option. As with the original DVD presentation, the Blu-ray also includes the surviving episodes two and three with photographic reconstruction of episodes one and four. Other special features are included. Although I own the DVD portraying the adventure from the Patrick Troughton era, it is nice to add this Blu-ray animation to my Doctor Who library.

Brilliant well done and would recommend for anyone's collection

Enjoyed this very much, but didn't rate all the animation, im not sure it is as good as other releases in the collection. It certainly brings the missing story to life. One bonus is that the animated fish people are better than they were on film. Also, the bonus material is excellent. So to conclude, not quite as good as other animations in the series (or it might be just me as to how i see it) but definitely worth the watch and addition to the collection.

While not the best story in the Whoniverse, it's still a fun romp made better with the animation. I'm always glad for the option to watch in Black and White or Color, and it's great to have episodes 2 and 3 given the restoration team treatment.