The Moonbase: Difference between revisions

Despite a mostly positive fan reception, ''The Moonbase'' has attracted mixed reviews from ''Doctor Who'' critics. [[Paul Cornell]], [[Martin Day]], and [[Keith Topping]] gave the serial an unfavourable review in ''The Discontinuity Guide'' (1995), writing that it was "illogical and boring, reducing the Cybermen to the role of intergalactic gangsters".<ref name="discontinuity">{{cite book |title=[[The Discontinuity Guide]] |last1=Cornell |first1=Paul |author-link1=Paul Cornell |last2=Day |first2=Martin |author-link2=Martin Day |last3=Topping |first3=Keith |author-link3=Keith Topping |year=1995 |publisher=[[Virgin Books]] |location=London |isbn=0-426-20442-5 |chapter=The Moonbase|chapter-url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml}}</ref> In ''The Television Companion'' (1998), [[David J. Howe]] and [[Stephen James Walker]] noted that it was a remake of ''The Tenth Planet'' but was "far superior" in the way the Cybermen were portrayed. They also praised the music, acting, and the shots on the Moon, but they felt the direction was "lacklustre" in places and called the shots of the Cyberman ship landing "amongst the worst ever seen in ''Doctor Who''".<ref name="television companion">{{cite book | author = [[David J. Howe|Howe, David J]] & [[Stephen James Walker|Walker, Stephen James]] | year = 1998 | title = Doctor Who: The Television Companion | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/classic/episodeguide/moonbase/detail.shtml | edition = 1st | location = London | publisher = [[BBC Books]] | isbn = 978-0-563-40588-7}}</ref> In 2009, Patrick Mulkern of ''[[Radio Times]]'' also praised the redesigned Cybermen and the atmosphere. He wrote that the scripts "impart dollops of science without jarring and allow for a good deal of incident and suspense".<ref name="Radio Times">{{cite web|first=Patrick|last=Mulkern|url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2009-05-21/the-moonbase|title=Doctor Who: The Moonbase|work=[[Radio Times]]|date=21 May 2009|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> AV Club's Christopher Bahn said "Whatever flaws it may have, and it’s far from perfect, “The Moonbase” has more than enough going for it to earn a place as one of the must-see serials of the Second Doctor era."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/doctor-who-classic-moonbase-203624|title=Doctor Who (Classic): "The Moonbase"|first=Christopher|last=Bahn}}</ref> In 2010, ''[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]'' named the resolution of patching the hole in the Moonbase with a drinks tray as one of the silliest moments in ''Doctor Who''{{'s}} history.<ref>{{cite web|first=Steve|last=O'Brian|url=http://www.sfx.co.uk/2012/08/29/doctor-whos-25-silliest-moments/2/|title=Doctor Who's 25 Silliest Moments|work=[[SFX (magazine)|SFX]]|date=November 2010|access-date=22 March 2013}}</ref> In a 2010 article, [[Charlie Anders|Charlie Jane Anders]] of [[io9]] listed the cliffhanger to the third episode&nbsp;— in which the Cybermen march across the Moon's surface towards the base&nbsp;— as one of the greatest cliffhangers in the history of ''Doctor Who''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Charlie Jane|last=Anders|url=http://io9.com/5625151/greatest-doctor-who-cliffhangers-of-all-time|title=Greatest Doctor Who cliffhangers of all time!|publisher=[[io9]]|date=31 August 2010|access-date=24 March 2013}}</ref>