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Doctor Who, The TV Movie Review
The TV movie has always been a source of fascination for me ever since I got into Doctor Who. For a very long time it was the only piece of televised media to feature the Eighth Doctor, and (presumably because of rights issues) its something that existed in a bit of a bubble. While New Who would reference various parts of Classic Who, the events of this film always seemed to be glossed over aside from the Eighth Doctor being an incarnation that existed. I was even aware that other characters from the film hadn't made their way into expanded media the way other characters and companions from the show's history had. So going into this I was so curious what it would be like, and if it felt like part of either Classic Who or New Who.
The long and short of it is it doesn't quite feel like either - but it also doesn't really serve as a bridge between them. While in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio, the way its shot is cinematic in a way no other part of the franchise really is, and tonally does feel like the kind of retooled American version of the show it technically was. There's plenty to like about it, but I ended my viewing with no doubt in my mind why this wasn't picked up as an ongoing series.
Unlike the Classic and Modern series, this film is not available for streaming anywhere for American audiences that I could find, so I utilized other means.
The Characters
Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor - McGann was good in this movie, mostly during the moments he was allowed to actually just inhabit the character without either being in peril or having to spout a bunch of expository dialog. Unfortunately it felt like he spent too much time doing those things, along with certain character beats that just felt strange even by regeneration story standards (his random kissing of Grace in the park was... something). I do think his chemistry with Ashbrook is actually good enough to carry those scenes, but the writing makes it feel too random for most of it to ever land. For what it's worth I think his costume and styling works and provides a nice contrast to the Seventh Doctor's vibe without feeling like an entirely different character.
Daphne Ashbrook as Grace Holloway - Honestly, I think its a shame that licensing has kept this character locked away. I though Ashbrook turned in the best performance of the film and acts as a much needed grounding force (even in the scene where she shoots a cop's gun). She has one of my favorite companion introduction sequences ever, and it might be the most insight into a companion's inner life we'd ever gotten up until this point. Her chemistry with McGann is great actually, enough for some of the most questionable scenes to feel passable. Grace's decision not to leave with the Doctor in the Tardis may have been the right call in hindsight, with this being a one-off, but it felt disappointing because of how interesting a full-time companion she would have made.
Eric Roberts as The Master - For what was designed as a one-off incarnation from the jump, Roberts does a really good job with a version of the character that's probably the most cartoonish he's ever been. Special effects aside, the Eye of Harmony plot line is kind of a slog, but the slowly rising camp factor of the Master's presentation helps it go down a bit easier. I also appreciated that the driving force was the Master's continued quest from the Classic series to extend his life cycle. All that said, I do think making the character some almost-supernatural force was weird from a visual standpoint at the very least. It's a TV movie from the 90's so I'm not expecting cinema, but the Master's antics in this were some of the most B-movie energy I've ever experienced with Doctor Who.
Yee Jee Tso as Chang Lee - I like that the Master basically gets a companion in this, but it felt like the character was deliberately underwritten in part to actually make this subplot work. Even without knowing all the lore, the Master comes off as so cartoonishly evil its wild that he ever bought the story that he was the good guy and the Doctor was the body-snatching villain - especially since Chang had met the person who's body the Master stole at the beginning of the film. He also doesn't have much reaction to seeing his friends killed in front of him at the beginning. In general, outside of his role as the Master's lackey, his arc doesn't really make much sense, and I'm sadly not surprised that I'd never heard of this character prior to watching the film. It's a shame he's also locked behind licensing issues, because I feel like he's another character who would benefit from use in spinoff media.
Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor - He wasn't in this much, but I'm so glad they brought him back because he makes such a big impact with the screen time he does have. The opening with him in the quaintly decorated Tardis interior is something I never knew I needed, and his scenes at the hospital were all so weirdly charming despite the circumstances. It really makes me lament once again that his tenure was cut short, but at least he got to close out the character and film a regeneration.
The Story
No rankings, only takes.
1) The TV Movie - Doctor Who
There is plenty of stuff in this film to like though. Aside from some of the special effects with the Master, I actually really liked how this film looked visually, and I'm kind of disappointed no widescreen version exists as I wanted to see more of it. The TARDIS interior that I suspect most people hate actually really worked for me? Especially when Seven was hanging out in it at the beginning. Grace's entire introduction sequence was similarly great visually, and I enjoyed her arc and dynamic with the Doctor despite some bumps like the random kissing in the park. I also got a big kick out of seeing something that was actual, real Doctor Who with a budget in the 90's. And at the end, when the Doctor asks Grace to come with him in the TARDIS while they stand under the fireworks, there's a glimpse of the kind of story and kind of show this could have been with these actors, and while its one that couldn't have happened it's one I wouldn't have been opposed to seeing.
Final Thoughts
It took me slightly longer to gather my thoughts about this movie than I anticipated, but then again doesn't it always? There still isn't a premiere date for the 60th Anniversary specials, but I'm still fairly confident I'll have everything wrapped up by the end of October. It honestly feels surreal that I've technically closed the loop between Classic and New Who with this film, and I'm even more excited to rewatch all of New Who with this new lens and continue to enjoy Doctor Who as a whole at my leisure. (Also Grace's pseudo-Scully styling kind of makes me wanna go back and finish The X-Files even though I know it ends up being a trainwreck.)
It's conventional wisdom (or delusion) that the Bluray Collection sets will have one dedicated to the Wilderness years, and I hope this one gets a good treatment, especially since the Bluray transfer apparently isn't very good and there's some speedup issues with the conversion from NTSC to PAL format. Ideally I'd want a widescreen version but realistically I'd like an upscale that also fixes all those issues. But who knows when or if that will ever happen.
The long and short of it is it doesn't quite feel like either - but it also doesn't really serve as a bridge between them. While in the classic 4:3 aspect ratio, the way its shot is cinematic in a way no other part of the franchise really is, and tonally does feel like the kind of retooled American version of the show it technically was. There's plenty to like about it, but I ended my viewing with no doubt in my mind why this wasn't picked up as an ongoing series.
Unlike the Classic and Modern series, this film is not available for streaming anywhere for American audiences that I could find, so I utilized other means.
The Characters
Paul McGann as The Eighth Doctor - McGann was good in this movie, mostly during the moments he was allowed to actually just inhabit the character without either being in peril or having to spout a bunch of expository dialog. Unfortunately it felt like he spent too much time doing those things, along with certain character beats that just felt strange even by regeneration story standards (his random kissing of Grace in the park was... something). I do think his chemistry with Ashbrook is actually good enough to carry those scenes, but the writing makes it feel too random for most of it to ever land. For what it's worth I think his costume and styling works and provides a nice contrast to the Seventh Doctor's vibe without feeling like an entirely different character.
Daphne Ashbrook as Grace Holloway - Honestly, I think its a shame that licensing has kept this character locked away. I though Ashbrook turned in the best performance of the film and acts as a much needed grounding force (even in the scene where she shoots a cop's gun). She has one of my favorite companion introduction sequences ever, and it might be the most insight into a companion's inner life we'd ever gotten up until this point. Her chemistry with McGann is great actually, enough for some of the most questionable scenes to feel passable. Grace's decision not to leave with the Doctor in the Tardis may have been the right call in hindsight, with this being a one-off, but it felt disappointing because of how interesting a full-time companion she would have made.
Eric Roberts as The Master - For what was designed as a one-off incarnation from the jump, Roberts does a really good job with a version of the character that's probably the most cartoonish he's ever been. Special effects aside, the Eye of Harmony plot line is kind of a slog, but the slowly rising camp factor of the Master's presentation helps it go down a bit easier. I also appreciated that the driving force was the Master's continued quest from the Classic series to extend his life cycle. All that said, I do think making the character some almost-supernatural force was weird from a visual standpoint at the very least. It's a TV movie from the 90's so I'm not expecting cinema, but the Master's antics in this were some of the most B-movie energy I've ever experienced with Doctor Who.
Yee Jee Tso as Chang Lee - I like that the Master basically gets a companion in this, but it felt like the character was deliberately underwritten in part to actually make this subplot work. Even without knowing all the lore, the Master comes off as so cartoonishly evil its wild that he ever bought the story that he was the good guy and the Doctor was the body-snatching villain - especially since Chang had met the person who's body the Master stole at the beginning of the film. He also doesn't have much reaction to seeing his friends killed in front of him at the beginning. In general, outside of his role as the Master's lackey, his arc doesn't really make much sense, and I'm sadly not surprised that I'd never heard of this character prior to watching the film. It's a shame he's also locked behind licensing issues, because I feel like he's another character who would benefit from use in spinoff media.
Sylvester McCoy as The Seventh Doctor - He wasn't in this much, but I'm so glad they brought him back because he makes such a big impact with the screen time he does have. The opening with him in the quaintly decorated Tardis interior is something I never knew I needed, and his scenes at the hospital were all so weirdly charming despite the circumstances. It really makes me lament once again that his tenure was cut short, but at least he got to close out the character and film a regeneration.
The Story
No rankings, only takes.
1) The TV Movie - Doctor Who
The TV Movie feels like a fun side-adventure rather than a significant moment in the show's history or a serious attempt at rebooting it. The Doctor felt weirdly unraveled by the needs of the script, and a lot of scenes felt like they were grounded by Grace simply being present. (x)
I said a lot in the portions above, but overall, after finally watching it, I feel like this movie is neither underrated nor overrated by fandom. It is very appropriately-rated for what it is - a failed relaunch attempt by American backers filmed in Canada in the middle of the wilderness years. In the end, they took too many liberties with what Doctor Who is for this to ever be something viable long-term, but there's enough stuff here that works that it's definitely not a wash. I'm genuinely happy that it retained its place in canon in spite of everything, especially since it went through the pains to not act as a hard reboot of the franchise. The Eye of Harmony plotline is... baffling, to say the least. It might be one of the worst lore storylines I've ever witnessed in Doctor Who, and even if other aspects like the Doctor being half-human and kind of be glossed over that one sticks out like a sore thumb. It doesn't help that it requires a major overhaul to the TARDIS interior to work, and it creates a story that feels completely inaccessible to the new viewers they're seemingly trying to court. The characters of the Master and Chang Lee are also dragged down since their characters mostly exist around this plot point, and McGann's performance suffers every time he has to drop exposition about it.There is plenty of stuff in this film to like though. Aside from some of the special effects with the Master, I actually really liked how this film looked visually, and I'm kind of disappointed no widescreen version exists as I wanted to see more of it. The TARDIS interior that I suspect most people hate actually really worked for me? Especially when Seven was hanging out in it at the beginning. Grace's entire introduction sequence was similarly great visually, and I enjoyed her arc and dynamic with the Doctor despite some bumps like the random kissing in the park. I also got a big kick out of seeing something that was actual, real Doctor Who with a budget in the 90's. And at the end, when the Doctor asks Grace to come with him in the TARDIS while they stand under the fireworks, there's a glimpse of the kind of story and kind of show this could have been with these actors, and while its one that couldn't have happened it's one I wouldn't have been opposed to seeing.
Final Thoughts
It took me slightly longer to gather my thoughts about this movie than I anticipated, but then again doesn't it always? There still isn't a premiere date for the 60th Anniversary specials, but I'm still fairly confident I'll have everything wrapped up by the end of October. It honestly feels surreal that I've technically closed the loop between Classic and New Who with this film, and I'm even more excited to rewatch all of New Who with this new lens and continue to enjoy Doctor Who as a whole at my leisure. (Also Grace's pseudo-Scully styling kind of makes me wanna go back and finish The X-Files even though I know it ends up being a trainwreck.)
It's conventional wisdom (or delusion) that the Bluray Collection sets will have one dedicated to the Wilderness years, and I hope this one gets a good treatment, especially since the Bluray transfer apparently isn't very good and there's some speedup issues with the conversion from NTSC to PAL format. Ideally I'd want a widescreen version but realistically I'd like an upscale that also fixes all those issues. But who knows when or if that will ever happen.