Story: An Adventure in Space and Time
Written By: Mark Gatiss
Length: 83 Minutes
Year: 2013
Like "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot", this isn't technically an episode of the show, but it is pretty related so I'll review it anyhow. Essentially Mark Gatiss, who has written several episodes for the show since it's reboot, is a huge lifelong Doctor Who fan with a bad case of the nostalgias (which he readily admits). Having this case of nostalgia means that he has long wanted to tell the story of how his favorite TV program came to be. I was personally indifferent to this idea. I'd rather just watch the show or a documentary about the origins than see some TV movie about it. But they made it and I thought, what the hell? Why not watch it?
So how is it? It's actually decent. It's more of a personal drama than anything else, and I was surprised by how genuinely emotional it was. Maybe Gatiss should get away from writing for actual Doctor Who, because his imagination seems to be average but his storytelling skills aren't really that bad. I've liked his work on things like "Sherlock"and "Poirot". The dude just can't actually fully handle writing for his favorite TV show.
He can apparently write ABOUT his favorite show, and that's where this comes in. It is essentially the story of how the show came to be. If you are a big fan of the show you probably know the story, if you aren't you probably don't care. I would say that if you just want to see a decent personal drama set in the 60s, you'd be fine without having to actually like or care about the show. Maybe if a your a big Who fan you will just get a kick out of the nostalgia factor.
This thing isn't without it's issues...it kind of starts off focusing on Verity Lambert. She seems to be the main lead, with WIlliam Hartnell being the clear secondary character. But then Lambert's character leaves and it becomes entirely focused on Hartnell...which makes sense, but it doesn't flow that great. Want it to be about Hartnell, then really focus on his perspective of things. Want it to be about the production? Focus more on Lambert.
I think Gatiss did a fine job of condensing the story and trying not to get too hung up on recreating old stories or even trying be super nerdishly accurate with all the details...but I think he still tried too much. Attempting to tell the story of how the show got off the ground but then sort of rushing through some details so we can fit the whole of the Hartnell era into one movie seems like an awkward move.
I think David Bradley is great as Hartnell, perfectly capturing the man I've heard stories about. Someone who could be a real grump or a pain in the ass, yet could endear himself to some people so they remember him fondly...showing him struggling with lines and how much he enjoyed the fact that kids looked up to him as The Doctor. I liked how they handled Hartnell's exit, which is quite frankly a story that has often been conflicted, some say he wanted to leave, others say he was forced out...they kind of gave it the best of both worlds here. Bradley's truly great in all his scenes and how he plays Hartnell the man.
Not without it's issues, and not something I have any desire to watch again, but a surprisingly poignant look at the beginnings of a television icon.
NEXT TIME: Silence Will Fall
Written By: Mark Gatiss
Length: 83 Minutes
Year: 2013
Like "The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot", this isn't technically an episode of the show, but it is pretty related so I'll review it anyhow. Essentially Mark Gatiss, who has written several episodes for the show since it's reboot, is a huge lifelong Doctor Who fan with a bad case of the nostalgias (which he readily admits). Having this case of nostalgia means that he has long wanted to tell the story of how his favorite TV program came to be. I was personally indifferent to this idea. I'd rather just watch the show or a documentary about the origins than see some TV movie about it. But they made it and I thought, what the hell? Why not watch it?
He can apparently write ABOUT his favorite show, and that's where this comes in. It is essentially the story of how the show came to be. If you are a big fan of the show you probably know the story, if you aren't you probably don't care. I would say that if you just want to see a decent personal drama set in the 60s, you'd be fine without having to actually like or care about the show. Maybe if a your a big Who fan you will just get a kick out of the nostalgia factor.
This thing isn't without it's issues...it kind of starts off focusing on Verity Lambert. She seems to be the main lead, with WIlliam Hartnell being the clear secondary character. But then Lambert's character leaves and it becomes entirely focused on Hartnell...which makes sense, but it doesn't flow that great. Want it to be about Hartnell, then really focus on his perspective of things. Want it to be about the production? Focus more on Lambert.
I think Gatiss did a fine job of condensing the story and trying not to get too hung up on recreating old stories or even trying be super nerdishly accurate with all the details...but I think he still tried too much. Attempting to tell the story of how the show got off the ground but then sort of rushing through some details so we can fit the whole of the Hartnell era into one movie seems like an awkward move.
I think David Bradley is great as Hartnell, perfectly capturing the man I've heard stories about. Someone who could be a real grump or a pain in the ass, yet could endear himself to some people so they remember him fondly...showing him struggling with lines and how much he enjoyed the fact that kids looked up to him as The Doctor. I liked how they handled Hartnell's exit, which is quite frankly a story that has often been conflicted, some say he wanted to leave, others say he was forced out...they kind of gave it the best of both worlds here. Bradley's truly great in all his scenes and how he plays Hartnell the man.
Not without it's issues, and not something I have any desire to watch again, but a surprisingly poignant look at the beginnings of a television icon.
NEXT TIME: Silence Will Fall
Comments
Post a Comment