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(More customer reviews)The landing of a variable-mass object on Earth nearly proves to be the planet's undoing. The gilded humanoid aliens tell a half truth when they say they need to replenish the energy and nutrition cycle of their organically grown ship. What they don't tell is that they intend to drain all living energy from Earth and leave it a dry husk. The Brigadier, Doctor, government bureaucrat Chinn, and two scientists from the nearby nuclear plant that supplies Britain its electric power, meet the Axons, who give them a gift of Axonite, described as the chameleon of elements, which causes anything injected with it to increase in size. It thus has the potential to solve world hunger and energy shortage problems. Chinn is a typical "England for the English" jerk who wants to keep Axonite only for his country despite the fact that for the Axons' plan to destroy Earth, the substance needs worldwide distribution.
Chinn, under the Emergency Powers Act, overrules the Brigadier in authority and in a petty show of power, calls in regular army troops and has the UNIT troops arrested. The captain is played by a young Tim Piggott-Smith.
The Master has led the Axons to Earth and acts as their agent to get the Axonite distributed throughout the world. This action gets Chinn in hot water and reduces his authority for the rest of the story. The Axons have the Master's TARDIS so he tries to steal the Doctor's, which gets him caught. The Master has the best lines. When he tries to fly the Doctor's TARDIS, he mutters, "Might as well try to fly a secondhand gas stove." During a time when he temporarily aids UNIT, Hardiman, the nuclear plant administrator, asks him if he intends to channel the Axons' power into a police box. To which the Master nods with a mocking smile on his face. He also gives them a flippant advice: "Oh you might want to take the normal precautions against a nuclear blast, like sticky tape on the windows."
Compared to Terror Of The Autons and The Mind Of Evil, Jo doesn't seem to have too much of a role here. She's overshadowed by too many key players in this story. So is Sergeant Benton. The Brigadier and Yates are the most effective here.
The organic interior of the Axon ship is a masterpiece of the BBC set design, replete with bubbles, tentacles, claws, and parts that seem to breathe. The Axon monsters look like orange coloured canvas bags with a mass of thick, spaghetti-like tentacles sprouting from them. The psychedelic images overlaid over the picture is a real trip back in time. The beginning of Episode Four, when the ship is under attack and undergoes a nervous breakdown, is a wow as humanoid faces and Axon monsters float around in a chaotic mess. And the appearance of the Eye of Axos hanging from the ceiling has subtle sexual overtones.
The flaws of nationalistic unilateralism, the importance of having enough fuel, and the dangers of nuclear power, the latter very relevant in the Cold War days during which the story was made, is key to The Claws Of Axos. Maybe the warning: Beware of Axons bearing gifts, is also apt here.
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The Doctor (Jon Pertwee) and Jo grow suspicious when soft-spoken aliens arrive on Earth with the Master hidden aboard their craft.DVD Features:Audio CommentaryFeaturetteOtherPhoto galleryProduction Notes
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