Is Destiny of the Daleks over-criticized?

I watched Destiny recently and thought it was...fine. Definitely not as good as Genesis but of all the episodes I've watched, it wasn't bad. Of the criticisms I've seen, some are fair but some seem overly nitpicky. And I consider myself a nitpicker.

I agree the hostage deaths were apathetic and that the Movellans looked overly campy and were too easily disabled.

I think the criticism of the Daleks looking dated isn't baseless but for me at least, it wasn't enough to bring the story down. I also think we've seen far lower production values than dated Daleks.

About the criticism of Davros being less menacing.

  • He's been in suspended animation for years and the Daleks have been able to function without him. IIRC, there is a reference to the Supreme Dalek.
  • I liked how The Doctor toyed with and taunted Davros throughout the story. It was like bringing a bully down to size. I viewed it as him blowing off steam for what Davros put him through in Genesis.

There are better Dalek stories to watch these days, but I don't think Destiny is a bad story.