Review of Doctor Who (1996) by David H — 03 Oct 2007

The pluses:

1) Paul McGann - it would be a real shame if this goes down as his only on-screen appearance as the 8th Doctor. His Doctor seemed to have so much potential... and I'm certain that if the telefilm had been picked up as a series, that potential would've been realized. Thankfully, the books and Big Finish audio dramas have given us a glimpse of perhaps the Doctor that might have been.

2) The TARDIS interior. Wow! The ridiculousness of the million-and-one candles everywhere aside, this is easily my favorite console room!

3) Sylvester McCoy - Nice to see him... one more time.

4) Daphne Ashbrook's Dr. Grace Holloway - I thought she and the Doctor had pretty good chemistry. I was left wondering whether she would've come back into the Doctor's life at some point had the one-off movie led to a full series.

The minuses:

1) The story. Not the most compelling Dr. Who story I've ever seen... but for those who'd been waiting for the return of any "Who" to the small-screen, it's not unwatchable. To be fair though, most "regeneration" stories aren't "great"... and the Doctor (personality-wise) you first see after the regeneration is not usually the personality he'll be stuck with.

It's worth noting that I was going to put Eric Roberts' Master in the "minuses" column... as there seemed to something off with his portrayal of the character. But after having watched the latest incarnation of the Master at the end of Season 3 of the current series, I'm starting to think Eric Roberts' Master wasn't as "out there" as I initially thought he was.

In the end, it's not great "Who"... but it's not the worst either. It definitely has some really fun and exciting moments (and some great lines too)... but overall, I think it's what should've/could've been that sticks with Dr. Who fans most.