Doctor Who (TV Series) The Lazarus Experiment (2007) User Reviews

An OK, but rather average adventure with lots of neck cricking

[Sleepin_Dragon · 6/10 · 17 August 2015]

The catastrophe of the Dalek 2 parter had left a nasty taste in the mouth, and sadly This is not a significant improvement. Mark Gatiss gave us the wonderful Ghosts of London, the diabolical Idiot's Lantern, this falls someway between the two.

Thelma Barlow was fun, great to see her play a character so different from her norm, Mark Gatiss is also fun in the role as Lazarus.

We get to see Francine given the first doubts about the Doctor, by the fiendishly handsome Bertie Carvel.

Overall it's OK, it's not bad, it's not offensive, it's just another average episode. I applaud Gatiss for his acting, not as much for his writing.

About the abuses of rejuvenation technologies

[Cristi_Ciopron · 7/10 · 2 December 2008]

This humanist parable makes though a less good and even less inventive episode really. The subject was interesting; it gets a meager treatment. All they come up with is a mad scientist who regularly turns into a huge scorpion—like monster. The two girls—the sisters, Martha and Tish, i.e. Freema and Gugu—were cute and cool. As their mother, an ex—sex bomb: Mrs. Andoh—so, the women are the best part about this episode.

As curiosities, the Doctor gets compared with Bond, and he quotes Eliot twice (first, completing a quotation begun by Lazarus).

The action is really only so—so; the CGI is simultaneously good and unconvincing—i.e., quite unoriginal and messy, less inventive than the imagery of the golden episodes.

In conclusion, THE LAZARUS EXPERIMENT is perhaps less good than the others; yet, in this cute franchise even the less good episodes are enjoyable and exciting. LAZARUS is fun; only that it's not huge fun, like many other episodes in this series.

To me, this is the best TV series made nowadays. (And I am a huge fan of the STARGATE franchise and of other TV series.)

This episode would be great if...

[whovian-49939 · 6/10 · 14 March 2020]

...The monster wasn't a disgusting and terrifying CGI abomination.

Threadbare Plot But Engaging Enough

[Theo Robertson · 7/10 · 28 July 2008]

Malcolm Hulke was the greatest writer on the classic show in my opinion and it was he who said " when you've got the series stuck on Earth this only allows two plots: invasion from outer space or mad scientist " . Maybe that's why I've not been too keen on the rather Earth bound format of Nu-Who ? The BBC has pulled out all the stops with the visual effects in this resurrection but for some strange reason RTD thinks council housing estates and the like are somewhat exotic . What's wrong with visiting planets that don't look like a quarry in Surrey ?

With a title like The Lazarus Experiment you know exactly what you're going to get in advance - a mad scientist trying to change the laws of nature . And this is exactly what happens in a plot rather similar to THE FLY or THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT . Stephen Greenhorn's script is rather threadbare but he does write some dramatic dialogue between Lazarus and the Doctor and Mark Gatiss does give a very good performance as the doomed eponymous victim/villain . By no means a classic episode this is still fairly engaging stuff for casual viewers and die hard fans alike

Lazarus rising

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 8 May 2008]

12 hours after Martha and the Doctor left for that promised 'one trip' at the tail end of episode one they arrive back in her time. He plans to merely drop her off, but gets intrigued by a news conference that has a professor, Martha's sister by his side, proclaiming he's made a new scientific discovery that will change humanity. He decides to stay for a bit to see what that's all about and thus begins the new adventure.

The story in this episode is nothing overtly special, in fact it's a very simple straight-forward mad professor and his monster creation tale. But after the overly convoluted mess that was the previous Dalek two-part fiasco, this was a breath of fresh air. Sure there are a some thongs that don't work. (the CGI-monster is merely mediocre, Martha's mum is a pale imitation of Rose's, etcetera...) But it's still enjoyable. Plus Mark Gatiss is brilliant as Lazarus.

My Grade: B-

The Lazarus Experiment

[studioAT · 6/10 · 12 August 2021]

This is a decent if unspectacular episode of the show, but has some nice moments.

I also like the way it makes some interesting points about the ageing process, but not in a heavy handed way. I dread to think how the 2021 version of the show would deal with it.

It is an episode let down by the fact they try to flesh out Martha's family. This doesn't work, the characters are such stereotypes and two dimensional.

The character of Martha continues to grow on me as I rewatch Series 3 though.

Underappreciated.

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 8 April 2020]

The Lazarus Experiment isn't that bad of an episode. Of course, it's no masterpiece but it's a great additional feature which centres itself around substantially progressing the personal story of Martha & her family, developing her dynamic with the Doctor whilst solidifying their bond from this point onwards in the series, having them travel together in the TARDIS as an actual duo instead of being mere passing acquaintances.

As for the narrative of the villain, Lazarus is actually a beautifully written foe with some genuinely intense, contemplative interactions between himself & the Doctor - crafted superbly by writer Stephen Greenhorn - allowing for brilliant moments of quiet philosophical introspection regarding the cost of rejuvenation, questioning what it means to be human, the toll of scientific endeavour whilst also exploring the price we'd individually pay for the result of immortality.

Yes, the CGI has aged badly, Mark Gatiss needlessly camps up the role with his overdramatic portrayal & the third act's resolution seems a bit lacklustre but irrespective of those things, there's a lot to love here - & at its heart, we have an interesting moral dilemma that's unfairly overshadowed by its few minor failings.

A simple tale, wonderfully executed

[DVD_Connoisseur · 9/10 · 5 May 2007]

"The Lazarus Experiment" is a solid, highly entertaining episode from writer Stephen Greenhorn. Returning Martha to her home, 12 hours after she left on her intergalactic travels, The Doctor's interest is raised by Dr. Lazarus' claims of changing forever what it means to be human.

Lazarus is played by "Doctor Who" fanatic and "The League of Gentlemen" star Mark Gatiss. Gatiss is always superb and his portrayal of the ageing scientist given a major face-lift is excellent.

Gugu Mbatha-Raw is cute as a button as Martha's younger sister, Tish, while Adjoa Andoh plays the mother role to perfection.

The special effects take centre stage in "The Lazarus Experiment". Neill Gorton's makeup effects are as realistic as ever and the CGI work from The Mill gives the episode a Hollywood feel. The Lazarus creature is a marvellous design and the dynamic action scenes are jaw-dropping for a UK television production.

While this is a simple enough tale, the story continues the Mr. Saxon arc, really building up the suspense factor.

The future episodes look like absolute crackers from the sneak preview. Strap yourself in for what appears to be a true roller-coaster ride with the return of a familiar face...

9 out of 10. Great fun.

Well..

[drwordsmith · 6/10 · 5 May 2007]

This episode of Dr. Who proved once and for all that this series was finally finding its feet. I had been disappointed with the first two episodes of the series, and found 'Gridlock' and 'Daleks in Manhatten' better, while 'Evolution of the Daleks' was indifferent. The plot was simple: a man who does a genetic experiment on himself to become younger finds it goes wrong and he is transformed into a terrifying monster. This episode was the first that featured Martha's family in a prominent role, and they were generally likable, apart from Reggie Yates who seemed to perform no function whatsoever. The episode was quite tense and terrifying in places, and there seemed to be a lot of running round in glitzy places, a lot like parts of the previous series of Dr Who. Martha finally pulled her own weight in this episode and I have to say, after watching this I am beginning to like her more, apart from her snottiness towards the Doctor at the end to get her own way. The only problem I have towards this episode, which lost it the 1 point, is that it was too concerned with the finale of the series. The 'mysterious man', the constant references to 'Mr. Saxon' etc took up a lot of screen time, and although good for the build-up to the finale it kind of spoilt the episode we were watching. Still, I hope the rest of the series is filled with episodes like this and not rubbish like 'Smith and Jones'.

Routine runaround but well made

[Skint111 · 5/10 · 10 May 2007]

The Lazarus Experiment was one of the more routine adventures for the Doctor. If you'd seen any of the previews for this episode you would have not been surprised by any aspect of the plot. (Spoilers follow) Scientist does mad experiment, it goes wrong, monster goes on loose, Doctor defeats it. The only spicy bits were the references to Mr Saxon and the man in the suit whispering into Martha's mum's ear that the Doctor was dangerous. With lots of scenes of people running away from a CGI creature it wasn't exactly original. Still, DW is still a great show although for me this one doesn't quite have the spark of the last two series. The Dalek stories were good if a little musty, Gridlock was OK but restricted, Shakespeare Code was highly witty and Smith & Jones was campy, entertaining fun. Here's hoping the second half of the season will throw up some classics.

A Mixed Bag of Concepts and Clunkiness

[hwiltshire-06889 · 6/10 · 4 April 2024]

The Lazarus Experiment is a Doctor Who episode with some fascinating ideas that, sadly, get buried under clumsy execution. While there are moments of brilliance and a touch of classic sci-fi horror, it ultimately feels bloated and uneven, earning a 6 out of 10.

Mark Gatiss excels in his role as the villainous Professor Lazarus. His performance is both charming and sinister, highlighting the dangerous allure of his rejuvenation technology. David Tennant and Freema Agyeman are solid as ever, playing off each other with witty banter.

The episode's strong point is the exploration of themes like aging, ambition, and monstrous transformations. The potential for a thoughtful sci-fi horror story is there, but the execution is where things fall apart.

The pacing is uneven, bogged down by unnecessary scenes and exposition. The monster, while visually interesting, lacks genuine menace (and has obviously not aged well). The plot gets unnecessarily complicated, and the resolution feels rushed and unsatisfying.

The Lazarus Experiment has its moments. The core concept is intriguing and Gatiss's performance is captivating. Sadly, these elements don't gel together to form a cohesive and satisfying episode.

While it does offer some food for thought, its clunky execution and missed potential make it a forgettable entry in Doctor Who's extensive catalog.

The Laughable (CGI) Experiment...

[Xstal · 4/10 · 5 December 2021]

Back to the present and what a gift the series CGI developers have in store for us! The Doctor and Martha head (head being the operative word for the whole episode) over to Dr L's laboratories to witness a game changing experiment as...

The machine spins around and around, with violent effect and much sound, a younger chap exits, soon everyone legs it, there's a beast that just doesn't astound.

Although it does, insomuch as it must have been created by someone who is visually impaired and had left their glasses at home that day and then allowed a work experience person to design a face, any face, to stick over the body of a dieting crustacean. Suffice to say you are happy and relieved when the titles role. Poorest episode of season 3, but they usually come in pairs, so look out.

Why?

[wetmars · 6/10 · 14 August 2020]

Blimey, this episode? I hate it, the CGI is horrendous. The only good thing about this was Tennant's performance.

Reminded me of Spiderman 2

[lisafordeay · 6/10 · 28 January 2023]

The Lazarus Experiment is the 6th episode of Season 3 of Doctor Who starring David Tennant and Freyma Freeman. The Doctor and Martha travel back to Martha's old hometown where a brilliant middle aged professor named Lazarus has created a machine that transforms him into a youthful version of himself. But when Lazarus starts behaving odd after the experiment, it's up to the Doctor and Martha to find out how Lazarus is able to change his appearance and why ?.

Overall it wasn't a bad episode but it did remind me of Spiderman 1 and 2 especially Spiderman 2 with Lazarus looking like Dr Octavius when he transforms into a monster with tenticles(and oh my god does it look bad).

Classic horror first half with underwhelming second half.

[A_Kind_Of_CineMagic · 8/10 · 29 January 2019]

The first 20 minutes of this episode are great in my opinion. It basically is a body horror like 'The Fly' where a mad scientist carries out an experiment on himself which goes wrong and causes them to turn into a monster. It harks back to greats like The Brain of Morbius where they took aspects of Frankenstein and made a superb horror based Doctor Who story.

The build up through the first half of the episode is excellent in many ways. That horror feel permeating the episode which could be traced back as far as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde as well as 50s science-goes-wrong movies and 80s body horror films, is perfect for a Doctor Who episode. It feels hugely promising up up to and including the initial change by Dr. Lazarus into a monster.

The transformation scene is great and evokes yet another horror classic An American Werewolf in London for a moment before cleverly leaving the finished appearance of the creature to the imagination. The husks of bodies from the creature's victims is effectively repulsive too. All is set up for a classic episode despite a couple of less interesting scenes along the way. With a great second half and a well designed monster this would have been awesome.

The acting is also great as guest stars Mark Gatiss and Thelma Barlow put in fabulous performances as well as regulars David Tennant and Freema Agyeman. Gugu Mbatha-Raw is solid as Martha's sister too though the character is weak and a pale shadow of the wonderful Martha.

The problems begin when we see the monster properly. It is not so much the CGI which is at fault (although it isn't very impressive), it is the design of the creature that bothers me. It is reasonably scary looking but is unconvincing and over the top. The idea that it is a genetic throwback from Lazarus's DNA is a nice idea but a huge scorpion like beast just seems the wrong thing entirely. It wastes the opportunity for a terrifying and believable body horror.

In addition the plot goes nowhere once the monster arrives. It goes straight into a big monster on the loose action sequence that then seemingly ends only to repeat in an overly similar sequence in Southwark Cathedral which has a rather silly resolution.

The acting maintains its quality when Gatiss and Tennant get their moments towards the end but the episode overall has by then dropped away from the promise shown earlier on. It would have been much better with some good make up and a scary but basically humanoid monster. Gatiss could have carried it off well and it could have been fabulous and frightening as well as thoughtful. Instead it went overboard on the monster and its marauding about. What a pity.

I still give credit for the great first half, the ideas and the acting but a possible 10/10 drops down to a 7.5/10 for me.

Papa Lazarus

[southdavid · 5/10 · 26 March 2021]

Another underwhelming season three episode. Mark Gatiss steps from behind the writing desk and into the guest star role, one which he seems rather miscast in, if you ask me. Arrived back on present day Earth, ostensibly to drop Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman) back home, the Doctor (David Tennant) is intrigued by the pronouncement that Doctor Lazarus (Mark Gatiss) will "change what it means to be human" that evening. Martha's sister, Tish (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is head of P. R for Doctor Lazarus and arranges for them to be present as he tests his new invention on himself, one that allows for humans to de-age. The experiment though has grave consequences. I do have issues both technical and storyline wise with this episode. Starting with the technical one, the big CGI creature that Doctor Lazarus turns into doesn't look very good. It's perhaps good, on one level, that it isn't more convincing - given that it's exposed ribcage, scorpion appendages and detachable jaw look more at home in "Dead Space" than they do in "Doctor Who". But on another level, it looks like a visual effect crudely pasted into scenes and has no weight or depth to it. I feel like Mark Gatiss is miscast as Doctor Lazarus, not because I don't love Mark Gatiss, but because the plot wants me to accept that Tish is going to fall for his charms once he's de-aged - especially after he's rather creepily hit on her as a seventy six year old. If it was more of a traditional leading man type, Richard Armitage, say - I might have accepted it, but it's just bizarre as presented. I did like Thelma Barlow as his wife though, the interaction between them was fun. I think what really bothers me though is that the Doctor doesn't even try and save Lazarus, to reverse the experiment and save his life. He comes up with two ideas, both of which will kill him and executes them. That doesn't seem very much like the Doctor, to me. I remembered a lot about this one, and was bracing myself a little going on, but still it was disappointing.

Mycroft Holmes' Episode

[MrFilmAndTelevisionShow · 9/10 · 25 March 2021]

This was in my view another very good episode. The rather sub-par CGI of the monster was no problem for me as it possed a big enough threat to still be dangerous rather than just a joke. It was also played by the amazing Mark Gatiss so you just can't lose!

Run away from the monster for 40 minutes that will make a great filler

[warlordartos · 5/10 · 11 March 2021]

*Says sarcastically*. Not only that, it basically seems like Martha's Tooth and Claw. The same plot from running away from a monster. The only original part was the experiment itself. So I will be kind enough to give it a middle of the road 5/10

Decently handled episode bogged down by needless family drama

[HardLight · 5/10 · 14 March 2020]

I don't really understand the point of it, but the 9th and 10th Doctors had a propensity to have a "very" uncomfortable family dynamic set up for the extended cast.

Be it the Tyler family and others or the Jones family in this, something was going on to make the Matriarch of each family the most unlikable woman in the world.

And none of this is better exemplified than in the episode the Lazarus Experiment. See there's been an undercurrent of family troubles from the moment go with the Jones', a small sub plot of a divorce and the Father "Making whoopy" with a hot young socialite, which leaves the bitter chalky sack that is the mother out in the cold.

And rather than deal with this in a healthy way, where the family works to better things, every time Mother Jones is on the screen, she is acting in a way that explains to the entire viewing audience why she's alone and why the Father left.

But it doesn't end there, in this episode, Mother Jones does things repeatedly to get people in danger, risking lives and hating that her children are happy. So when she see's her daughter risking her life to save people, she doesn't feel pride for that child, for the girl who wants to protect people, she looks for a reason to silence her, to remove her independence and make her as miserable and lonely as she is.

Everything that follows for her and her family can and is a result of Mother Jones' actions here in this episode, all the pains, all the suffering and heartache they go through, on her shoulders.

I do not get why the Who writers thought any of this was a good idea, starting with the entirely unlikable Jakie Tyler (Plated amazingly by Camille Coduri) who eventually developed a decent character arc, becoming something more than a shrill and annoying woman.

And now there's Francine Jones (played by Adjoa Andoh). I don't blame Adjoa for the appearance she gives off here I don't hate her and I don't dislike her.

But her character was and still is one of the worst things in Who, a shrill, angry and bitter old woman who hates her family being happy and wants them to be miserable like her.

An experiment that needs not repeated

[dkiliane · 5/10 · 23 February 2019]

So there is good news and there is bad news. First, the bad news: this is the worst episode of the entire season, and a contender for worst episode of the entire run of new Who.

The whole premise of this episode irritated me. The story is blah, Martha's family is horrendously annoying, especially her mother. Even the character of the Doctor is not well written and actually rather hypocritical - - chiding a person for trying to extend the human lifespan as unnatural when the Time Lords literally invented regeneration (as a side effect of their time-travel technology is my understanding) that basically allows them to cheat death as often as they like.

This episode paints the Doctor as an unsympathetic and unconcerned narcissist that cares nothing for his companions, constantly leaving Martha in deadly situations to fend for herself and is really only able to survive by happenstance. And on top of that it looks like they ported the cgi graphics straight from a PS2 game, it's terrible.

Good news? After this train wreck of an episode the season gets much, much better :) 5/10

A fun Monster Story, a great Speech, but the weakest of Siries 3

[rohanumpleby-34057 · 5/10 · 27 February 2024]

"The Lazarus Experiment" is normally considered the weakest of Siries 3, and as a Strong Siries, I would agree. Siries 3 is one of the best siries of the show, and it starts of a fantastic run. Siries 3-5 being awesome, and the three best siries in the running. With Siries 4, being the best siries of Doctor who. Atleast, In my opinion. Anyways, this episode has some very good moments, but as a whole episode it doesn't stand on it's own 2 feet.

The plot is simple to get behind, and cleverly uses the science fiction formula with a man trying to age himself. And be younger. That's when the predictability comes into play, where the Experiment starts to go wrong. And he turns into an ugly creature. And everyone is in trouble. But, you do have the Doctor questioning the theory beforehand and is the only one worrying about what will happen. All whilst everyone is very optimistic about the idea.

The episode is a little goofy, it's a little silly. The effects are pretty outdated nowadays, but in all honesty this episode is silly fun with an easy premise to get behind. It only falters above it's own weight because the episode Is very simple, it's not overly complicated. And the story doesn't do anything particularly exciting. But, the episode does a good job of showing how simple and exciting an episode of Doctor who can be. Especially the hall-way where everyone's running away from the monster.

I always appreciated in siries 3 as to how grounded it felt. Martha's family dynamic is always perfectly displayed on screen, with chemistry gushing out of them like little peas in a pod. And is the highlight of the episode, and that's not nessaserily a bad thing, the episode and many other episodes of this siries gets this right. And it demonstrates the danger of trust and even evolution, and safety. Which comes under threat when Martha's Sister comes in close control with Lazarus.

Which leads to the fantastic line, "I know a longer life doesn't always mean a better one" which is a great line. Only because of how true it is, and it fits the episodes theme perfectly well. As the episode is all about age and ageing ofcourse, and therefore it's a decent episode. With some good things, but doesn't make the whole episode entirely better, apart from the speech.

I Would recommend Doctor Who to anyone, especially sci-fi lovers, a 5/10 from me!