America's Doctor Who
This one's a little late, but as you know, Issue 3 was supposed to come out a LONG time ago...

Brad Myers takes a look at the new(old?) TV movie.

America's Doctor Who

The legend of Doctor Who began, as all great legends do, a long time ago. A strange girl, two curious teachers, and a old man who owned a blue box which would soon send generations on fantastic adventures through space and time. Of all the villains the Doctor could defeat, his greatest foe would be a halt in production. Who fans all over the Earth feared that, like a good friend who has passed away, the Doctor would live only in their memories.

Then all the rumors started, a new Doctor Who!! Excitement began to mix with fear. Would America destroy the past of Doctor Who? Would only the title remain the same? Would the Doctor carry a large gun and the TARDIS shoot missles? Well on Tuesday, May 14, 1996 on the Fox Television Network all the rumors would stop. Doctor Who! The movie blessed our television screens for the first time, produced and filmed in America! British actor Paul McGann would be our new Doctor (at least the Doctor still has a true British background) and would send us on a new journey.

First of all, the TARDIS is still a Police Box. I feel that this is a very important part of Doctor Who and they made a very good decision not to change it. The interior is another matter. The console is much older looking, configured with wood panels, large dials, etc. The rest of the TARDIS interior would remind you of Victorian style decorating with a touch of classic UFO metallic design. Sylvestor McCoy plays the Doctor until the regeneration, which links the new Who to the past Who in a tasteful style. The entire movie is filled with Dr. Who facts which are planted in such a way to allow new viewers to begin to understand "Whology". And all their facts are true and not greatly modified.

The movie's story rolls pretty smoothly. The Doctor is sent to return the Master's remains to Gallifery, but the Master escapes and sends himself and the Doctor to Earth. The Master appears as a jelly-like snake until he finds a human body to host him. The human body is only a temporary home, it will soon fail him, he needs the Doctor's Body! The Doctor is shot while leaving the TARDIS and that triggers the regeneration. He is joined later by two Earthlings who help him recover from his partial loss of memory and help him save the world and defeat the Master. As you can see, a pretty classic Who story but with a lot more American actors and a bit more violence than any of the classic Doctor Who stories. Now don't worry, the Doctor still feels that violence is not always the answer and he is not involved in most of it.

All in all, I have to say that the movie was worth the title of Doctor Who and it will hopefully reach its goal. To supply old "Whovians" with a new story and to spark a interest in many new viewers. If Doctor Who receives the ratings that it needs (in other words: if enough people watched it) then Doctor Who will provide us with a new adventure every week and all will be peaceful in the universe again.

This review was my view of the movie, and was not intended to tell the entire movie's contents. I welcome your views on the movie or my review of it. Also, I can supply any viewers who have not seen it with a quick outline of the entire movie.

Brad Myers
bradm@iolinc.net

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