Search - Doctor Who: The Horns of Nimon (Story 108) on DVD

"Call this a MAZE...it's a CHEAT!"

Kevin J. Loria | New Orleans, LA USA | 07/21/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The 4th Doctor's penultimate season (17th) after Tom Baker's long run as the Timelord (1974-81) is a shakey one, full of kooky and cheesy stories. "Horns of the Nimon" is one of the cheesiest ...although season opener "Destiny of the Daleks" is close. And as Douglas Adams' Shada was never aired Nimon represents the end of that season as well. Thank goodness the new series has stepped up the notion of the season closer. But teasing aside, I still enjoyed this story, Tom Baker's Doctor, still as highly regarded as any of the current actor's to play the role and is always a pleasure to watch. His rapport with Lalla Ward is a bonus, shame they could maintain that rapport off camera in their short-lived marriage (You will notice that the usually reliable Baker is absent from the DVD commentary track, but Ward is onboard).

Released in the UK as a Myths & Legends set including the Time Monster and Underworld both Greek myth heavy stories, "Horns" is the story of an advance culture taking advantage of a lesser one, but in turn they themselves are being set up by an even more advance and aggressive culture. The Doctor happens upon a broken down Skonnan ship mid journey delivering ` Tribute' of young sacrifices and radioactive hymetusite crystals, both of which they are obtaining from the nearby planet Aneth to the Nimon, a higher being on their world, unknowingly delivering their own world to his race of galactic parasites. The UPSHOT: The bull-headed Nimon send a lone representative to an unsuspecting world, offering aid in order to gaining the trust of its inhabitants, before arriving in force to pillage its resources. The Doctor and Romana stumble upon a world which has already fallen to the Nimon linked to Skonnos by a space tunnel through which the Nimons cross from one planet to the next, fueled by the very hymetusite taken from Aneth. Like the Minotaur of legend (which the Doctor claims to have been involved) the Nimon's power complex is labyrinthine with the maze shifting and changing shape. Naturally, this is where the finale takes place, w/K9 stacking the deck.

Even as a kid the noise of the handful extras stomping around the metal grating of the Skonnan Complex served only to call attention the spare numbers. But then again here the Skonnan culture is intended to be an old ailing empire desperate to reclaim old glory...so a handful of soldier stomping around the Complex is just what they'd have. But it is hard to excuse the look of the Nimons or that the race is represented by three skinny limbed, enormous headed, platform shoed monsters (even after the invasion begins.)

On the plus side and the final reason you should get this DVD.... Soldeed! The apparent leader of the misguided Skonnan Empire is played soooo amazingly over-the-top by Graham Crowden. Every line drips of the stage.... "Lord Niiimon! It is I....SOLDEED!" and he actually calls Roman "a hussy!" But gems like "my dreams of conquest" and ".....you are all doomed" are simply genius !!! Crowden gives what is, in my humble opinion "the best death scene ever in DW history!"

Some Nimon Drinking Games:

Drink whenever....

... the co-pilot calls the Aneth sacrifices "weakling scum!"

...someone pulls out a sonic screwdriver ( Romana ever has her own in this one, which the Doctor promptly pilfers ).

...Hymetusite is seen or mentioned

The Doctor says...."What could possible go wrong?"

....SOLDEED says "Lord NIMON" his own name or "Meddlesome hussy ."

...someone says "IN THE NAME OF THE 2ND SKONNAN EMPIRE" and "THE GREAT JOURNEY OF LIFE."
...we see a NIMON.

...the Doctor covers K9's mouth (this doesn't happen enough in this season)

...the Nimon assures us that "the Program will continue!"

... SETH's girlfriend Teka, tells us what he's gonna do to the Nimon, yikes!"

Caveat emptor!

Byron | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 07/17/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Ai yi yi! Another bottom-of-the-barrel release from the abominable season 17! If you are not familiar with stories from this season you should avoid all of them except 'City of Death' Doctor Who: City of Death (Story 105) . It resembles a British Christmas pantomime more than a good Doctor Who story. Tom Baker was bored with the process and decided to make his own fun by going off-script and way over-the-top. Fun for him, deadly for the overall production (although even Tom Baker at his best couldn't have saved this mess). A serious contender for one of the worst Whos ever made. Save your money for the really good Tom Baker stories that have yet to be released on DVD like Seeds of Doom and Terror of the Zygons.
For masochistic completists only!"

The Nymon must be informed.....

tom fienche | 08/09/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am really writing a review for the DVD version of Dr. Who "Horns of Nymon".

The VHS gets 5 stars *****.
But the DVD receives only 3 stars ***.
why?

where is the CGI option for the short sequences of the Skonnath Spaceship and TARDIS in episode 1?
surely this would be an easy task to perform for the BBC editors,
unless they were under pressure from the financial department.

The rest of the story is sound, just as I remember.
When there is a CGI revision of this story, I will give a 5-star ***** rating for the DVD.
"

The horns of nimon

Paul Jutras | Florida, USA | 07/11/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Another classic Doctor who that does a space ship with fantastic sets and the cast of the Sydney Opera Company shows that good acting and be better than great special effects any day. After the Tardis collids with a space ship on route to planet Skonnos The Doctor (tom baker) teams with the 4th doctor's final companions Romana and K-9 to learn that the ship cargo of kids are to handed as sacrifcies to the Nimon. A space Minotaur in a lbabyrinth whose only problem with its creature costume is its eyes. The Nimon is hiding a secret of its own that only comes to light in the final chapter of the multi part story. The main villian dress as he is I would think would of made a good Ming the Mercyless of Flash Gordon stories.

Extras include a commentary that has some good stuff but does get off track of subject now and then, workshop demons, intreviews and more."