The Eight Doctor

[scripsi]

I have finally seen the Doctor Who. movie and now have all the Doctor’s under my belt. I liked some parts and didn’t like some other part.

I loved that Seven was in it! I didn’t know he was, I thought they would do the same anticlimactic regeneration as they did between Six and Seven.

I liked how he had made the TARDIS console room into a living room. It seemed very comfy.

Eight was adorable! And now I would very much like to see how this sensitive, romantic and somewhat timid person could turn into the jaded Eight who couldn’t see any other way out than becoming the War Doctor. I didn't like Seven’s prolonged death, though. Really nasty and from what I could see only served the purpose of introducing Grace and having them meet. I also find it very fitting that the two most traumatic deaths of the Doctor made him regenerate into a seemingly more youthful and soft characters.

I liked Grace, she was, despite butchering Seven, a competent person and rather nice. I liked Chang Lee better, though, he was fun. I had hoped Eight would collect both of them as companions as I think they would have made a good theme.

Then we had Eric Roberts as the Master. I’ve heard so much bad things about him, but I liked him. He was more hands on brutal than Delgado and Ainley, but on the other hand he didn’t have any of his weapons around. He was certainly evil and it felt very in character that he would take over someone’s body- he has done that before. And that he would, if he had to, try to take over the Doctor’s body. However, there were several things about the conceptualization of this Master I didn’t like. His dust turning into some kind of snake? Why? It only seemed far-fetched to me and made me think of the Mara. The last time we saw him he was a cat, now he was a snake. I guess we should be grateful they didn’t continue on this zoological theme… Otherwise Simms may have been a centipede. Could have been without the snake eyes which looked awful (as in bad makeup effect awful) and I could, very definitely, have been without him puking corrosive slime. But when Roberts was allowed to keep his shades on and not spit at people, I think he did a good job. I especially enjoyed him correcting Grace’s grammar and when he genuinely thought Chin Lee wanted him to kill him. You could just tell he thought that he would never, ever, understand humans.

I liked that the Doctor has a spare key hidden outside the TARDIS- and that the Master clearly knew where. I don’t think even the Master can pick the TARDIS lock.

Jelly babies! (I liked that)

The plot was pretty thin and a lot of time was spent in a car chase. There usually is a lot or running in Who, but, well, I could have been without the rather standard car chase. I think the movie would have benefitted for some more interaction between the Master and Doctor. And though it was nice that both Grace and Chin Lee was saved by a deux ex machina in the shape of TARDIS, it felt a bit glued upon so to not upset the sensitive audience. Because, you know, people do die in W at times and it’s heartbreaking, and part of the show.

The Doctor kissing… Well, if I had seen this movie before New Who, then I had probably disliked it. But by now it’s established that the Doctor can have romantic feelings towards humans, so I didn’t really mind. Wouldn’t have missed it, though.

So all in all I’m glad I have finally seen it and on the whole it was better than I was lead to believe.

Comments

[nenya_kanadka]

I'm glad you've gotten a chance to see the movie now. Eight, my precious jelly baby. :D

These are very much my thoughts, too! THOSE GREEN EYES, omg, so bad. So bad. And possibly too many car chases and too much running around. And I'm not sure about the random "turn back time" thing at the end...though on the other hand I would have been sad if Grace and Chang Lee had died permanently.

Eight was just so pretty and so enthusiastic and happy. And I love his clothes and his TARDIS. I love being able to compare him to both Seven and Nine. There's so much rich psychology to go into there.

And then how did he get to "Night of the Doctor" Eight? I really want to know this too, and I hear that the Big Finish audio adventures do a great job of giving Eight more screentime. Or, well, airtime. Since it's audio-only. :P

[scripsi]

And I'm not sure about the random "turn back time" thing at the end...though on the other hand I would have been sad if Grace and Chang Lee had died permanently.

I'm glad too, but somehow it felt a little too pat.

Eight was just so pretty and so enthusiastic and happy. And I love his clothes and his TARDIS. I love being able to compare him to both Seven and Nine. There's so much rich psychology to go into there.

I agree! And I really need to check out the audios properly!

[ragdoll.livejournal.com]

I think the TV Movie is an acquired taste. It's grown on me over the years, although I never completely hated it because of my ridiculous love for anything Paul McGann. It's not perfect, but it was really a pilot for a new series which never happened (and as it turned out, quite lucky that it didn't!), and there were things that would have changed in the actual series, etc. Plus they were trying very hard to introduce the Doctor to an American audience at a time when it was very much a cult show, and most people pretty much only knew about Tom Baker and cheap BBC 1970s sets.

There's actually a documentary being made about the making of the TVM which just had a fundraiser on Indie GoGo. I'm pretty excited to see what they wind up doing with it. :)

Hi, by the way!

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Hi! *waves*

I “almost” saw the movie when it came, but back then I had very fuzzy ideas about DW as it had never aired in Sweden. I’m glad I didn’t watch it, I don’t think it would have been the best introduction. (I eventually ended up watching most of the Classics around 2003.)

Oh, a documentary- that sounds interesting! :)

[thisbluespirit]

Ah, well, you had to see Eight, didn't you? The TV Movie is... the TV Movie, but it is at least mostly good fun, still very pretty in places, and Paul McGann is fab.

Like you, I don't actually dislike Eric Roberts at all (though he's no competition for Delgado, Gomez or Ainley) and am, indeed, amused forever at his wish to dress for the occasion.

If you ever get the chance, Big Finish's audios with Eight are pretty wonderful all round.

and when he genuinely thought Chin Lee wanted him to kill him

:lol: That was an interesting typo! Is there more fic brewing...? ;-p

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Ah, well, you had to see Eight, didn't you?

Couldn't be missed! And I don't regret it. :)

Like you, I don't actually dislike Eric Roberts at all (though he's no competition for Delgado, Gomez or Ainley) and am, indeed, amused forever at his wish to dress for the occasion.

I agree, they are better, but I liked Roberts way more than Simms. :)

I really have to get a bit more serious about checking Big Finish out. I'm sure they would be very good to listen to while sewing.

:lol: That was an interesting typo! Is there more fic brewing...? ;-p

LOL! Some kind of Freudian slip, I guess... No fic idea ATM, but perhaps there will be. :)

[thisbluespirit]

I do love Big Finish! The first 50 are relatively cheap these days, if you download them direct (about £3 each?), and there are about 8 Eight stories in there, I think? (The first two seasons, with Charley, definitely). I like lots of the Big Finish stuff - I'd love to listen to more of it, but time, money and now the ability to listen get in the way (although my flister Persiflage sent me a whole bunch of the latest Eight stories on a memory stick for Christmas, so I shall progress through them like a snail, but a happy one). I very much recommend Six and Eight's adventures in particular - both Colin and Paul seem to work very well on audio and have some fabulous audio-only companions who I'm very fond of, especially Evelyn and Charley.

There are also quite a few Master stories in there, too, one way and another!


Well, I should be firing up dw_guestfest for the second Minor Characters ficathon any time now! (I meant to do it this weekend, but I used all my brain last week on writing far too much origfic that no one will want, whoops.)

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Yes, I heard that Six gets a much better due than he did on TV. :)

Yay, Guestfest! :)

[evelyn-b.livejournal.com]

Awww, Paul McGann! <3 I'll always be a little sad that he didn't get his own TV series, though I don't know if I could have liked this Who reboot nearly as much as the Doctor Who we actually got in 2005. The movie is a mess, but he was perfectly cast and charming.

SIMMS COULD HAVE BEEN A CENTIPEDE. All leggy and hyperactive? He could freak people out and then laugh at them! I don't know, it's no worse an idea than turning everyone on Earth into a copy of himself. Sometimes I worry that the Master doesn't take his evil-overlord vocation as seriously as he ought. :)

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I have a feeling a reboot then wouldn't have been as good as New Who. :) But Paul McGann was adorable!

SIMMS COULD HAVE BEEN A CENTIPEDE. All leggy and hyperactive? He could freak people out and then laugh at them! I don't know, it's no worse an idea than turning everyone on Earth into a copy of himself. Sometimes I worry that the Master doesn't take his evil-overlord vocation as seriously as he ought. :)

LOL. Yes, indeed. (Centopedes are the only creepy crawlies I can't stand. Too many legs. Give me a spider any day!)

Indeed, sometimes one do get the feeling he doesn't :)

[liadt]

Paul McGann is good and I didn't find Eric Roberts bad - it's more the script than him. The TVM script felt quite generic. It was interesting to see what DW would look like with a budget at the time.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Yes, I think it was the script more than anything else!

[davesmusictank.livejournal.com]

Paul McGann is a good actor. His tenure may have been one film but he has done quite a few Big Finish audio books as the eight.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I know. One day i'm going to check out Big Finish. :)

[chelseagirl.livejournal.com]

I watched this when it aired in the US -- it had been some years since I'd last seen an episode, and I only knew Tom Baker and Pertwee. It was not good, but Paul McGann was lovely in it, and it made me happy that it existed.

I've seen it once since NewWho began; I felt pretty much the same.

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

It was not good, but Paul McGann was lovely in it, and it made me happy that it existed.

Basically that is what I feel too. :)

[paynesgrey.livejournal.com]

The Doctor Who movie is what got me into Doctor Who, and Eight will always be my favorite Doctor. I hope you do look into the Big Finish audios. I used to listen to them a lot when I had a long commute and they saved my sanity.

I just started the EDA novels which are pretty good too. Still, you can't beat Paul McGann's lovely voice...

Glad you enjoyed the movie!

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

I will! There is a lot out the and it sounds exiting! :)

[a-phoenixdragon.livejournal.com]

I'm so excited that you got to see this!! Yes, the plot was thin and in many sense over-Americanized, but you could tell whoever put this together DID love DW and tried to not change TOO much. The dust-snake was ridic, but I guess they were trying to surmise how the Master ALWAYS survives. You could tell, too, that the actors loved DW. Roberts did a damned fine job and even the lady who played Grace was perfect in a Companion sense (and had ENOUGH sense to not travel with). Eight spent a lot of time in America it seems...more than any other Doctor. He hit San Fran a couple of times in the books.

Could have been better? Yeah. Still a guilty-pleasure fav? Definitely. :D

*HUGS*

[scripsi.livejournal.com]

Yes, it felt like they tried very hard to make it appeal to americans. Ususally that don't work so well. :) I agree that the actors clearly loved to do it. I really don't care much for Roberts usually, but he played the Master with a certain glee- I think he really liked to do it. :)

The dust-snake was ridic, but I guess they were trying to surmise how the Master ALWAYS survives.

I think so too. I also think they wanted to show off that special effect they used for the snake, hence a snake...

I'm glad I have seen it! :)