Doctor Who: What were the original Silurians like?

[MysteryWho]

I don't mind any of the incarnations of the Silurians. It's the Sea Devils that always looked rather silly to me. Even watching the Pertwee stuff at 10 years old I thought they were pretty funny looking. That's part of the fun when it comes to Doctor Who.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

Not a fan of the new ones , just 'cos they look a lot like every other lizard guy out there. I like the old ones, with their weird armour and laser-firing third eye.

Don C.

[samurainoir]

anther thread mentioned they found the STTNG effects hard to watch (again that show is now 18-24 years old depending on the season so the effects tech is way behind today)

All the first couple of seasons of TNG play as Camp to me, although the nostalgic blindspot kicks in around the Locutus episode, when I started following the show on a regular basis.

I actually find the models on TNG hold up much much better than the early Amiga CGI spaceships on the first couple of seasons of Babylon 5 in the early nineties.

[jds1911a1]

I just watched Doctor Who confidential, which had clips of the Silurians from the original show. I don't think I'd have enough of a nostalgic blindspot to be able watch those original shows and completely overlook the zipper in the front of the monster suit.

The make-up artists interviewed on Confidential actually noted that their Lighter prosthetic in the front actually allows the actor to retain their own face and give these versions of the Silurians each a more individual look than the originals.

with any older sci fi you have to be able to think of it as "of it's time" to quote Peter davison.
If you can't do that you should never watch any older stuff.
Classic who further suffered becuase it was a low budget show. that is what makes the mid to late 80's who more laughable as the effects technology grew by leaps and bounds form 76-85 and they were still using the techinques from before star wars.
The monsters in classic star trek are pretty awful (the Horta is a freaking carpet, the mugato is a white colored monkey) the GORN is just as lame as the silurians but it should be they are of the same era and effects technology.
The APES in the new POTA may look better than the original but the acting and script were way better.
anther thread mentioned they found the STTNG effects hard to watch (again that show is now 18-24 years old depending on the season so the effects tech is way behind today)

But if you compare classic 70's who to UFO, jason of star command, or UFO it is head and shoulders better and they are of the same time, tech and budget. it's the writing that makes it better

[YANOULI]

Don't get me wrong, as a new kind of alien they look great but they're not Silurians to me.

[Mikey]

The new one looks a little like a Sleestack

[YANOULI]

How do you compare this one to the original series episodes?

Pertwee Silurian
Pertwee SeaDevil
Davison Silurian
Davison SeaDevil
new Silurian1new Silurian2

[samurainoir]

I'm ashamed to admit, I never seen Red Dwarf ... not even once.

I don't remember my local PBS station ever playing it ... and if they did I missed it.

I recently went back and watched them a few years ago and given the span of time between all the series (something like a quarter century?), it is interesting to compareng the recent one filled with modern SFX, vs that first season which does essentially feel like a two-man/one room play. Relying much more on the actors to create the setting and situation verbally as they sit on their bunks and chat.

[Mikey]

Is it sacrilege for me to say that I like Red Dwarf better than Classic Who because I'm SUPPOSED to be laughing at it?

I'm ashamed to admit, I never seen Red Dwarf ... not even once.

I don't remember my local PBS station ever playing it ... and if they did I missed it.

[samurainoir]

It's not just nostalgia ... It's being in the proper mindset in advance.

Example ..... When I watch classic Doctor Who I feel like i'm watching a stage play ... Most stage plays (even today) have bad SFX and costumes... Going into classic Who with this mindset prepares you for lousy costumes and makes them forgivable and easier to watch - and enjoy.

I think the best stage shows are the ones that create their own "reailty" (or "unreality").

For example, I just watched an excellent production of Frankenstein with the sets and costumes constructed of paper. It took a while into the first act, but the consistency of that world they created was what drew me in.
Canadian Stage | Frankenstein Slideshow

On the other hand, more often than not, you often see things played for camp... such as the "Monsters" in staged versions Little Shop of Horrors or Rocky Horror.

The problem for me watching the old Doctor Who, particularly those that are shot on location on Planet Earth is the rubber monster walking down a regular street in London. Although you are right, it usually works better for me when they are standing on the wobbly "alien" sets. It's fun, but I'm never really immersed in the experience like I am with the new one.

I'm a child of the ILM and Stan Winston eras of film-making, so I guess I have certain standards for SFX on film and TV to be able to take it seriously.

Is it sacrilege for me to say that I like Red Dwarf better than Classic Who because I'm SUPPOSED to be laughing at it?

[Mikey]

It's not just nostalgia ... It's being in the proper mindset in advance.

Example ..... When I watch classic Doctor Who I feel like i'm watching a stage play ... Most stage plays (even today) have bad SFX and costumes... Going into classic Who with this mindset prepares you for lousy costumes and makes them forgivable and easier to watch - and enjoy.

[samurainoir]

I just watched Doctor Who confidential, which had clips of the Silurians from the original show. I don't think I'd have enough of a nostalgic blindspot to be able watch those original shows and completely overlook the zipper in the front of the monster suit.

The make-up artists interviewed on Confidential actually noted that their Lighter prosthetic in the front actually allows the actor to retain their own face and give these versions of the Silurians each a more individual look than the originals.

[palitoy]

I'm not a fan of the look but I am of the concept that there are different kinds of Silurians. One of my pet peeves is how homogenus every alien race looks yet human beings are completely diverse.

[YANOULI]

I was really disappointed with the new look silurians, once the mask was removed, where has their 3rd eye gone?
They look more like a cross between silurians and sea devils to me ( even down to the mesh on the costume ). There's even a little Bossk in there with the mask on.

[phil]

The Doctor no longer has a race to die for. Besides that The Doctor is responsible for the destruction of the Time Lords to begin with.