"I always drezz for the occasion!" - The Master
The Movie
Year of Release - 1996
DVD Release - BBC Worldwide - 2001
Region 2 (also R4 encoded) - PAL - Rated 12
Running Time - 85:46
Directed by Geoffrey Sax
Starring: Paul McGann, Eric Roberts, Daphne Ashbrook, Yee Jee Tso and featuring Sylvester McCoy as the Seventh Doctor
Music by John Debney
When the cult British Television series Doctor Who was "rested" in 1989, fans had been waiting eagerly for it's return. In 1996 their prayers seemed to have been answered in the form of a co-production between the BBC, Universal and the Fox Network. Doctor Who: The Movie was to be screened on Fox in the US, the BBC in the UK and on the ABC in Australia and was intended as a pilot for a possible new series. But the question was, would it be any good?
Producer Philip Segal was a fan of Doctor Who and he hired a British director, Geoffrey Sax, who was also eager to direct Doctor Who. So there was a nucleus of knowledge and respect that bode well for the movie.
SYNOPSIS
The Doctor (McCoy) is charged to transport the remains of his arch-enemy, the Master, to their home planet of Gallifrey, after the Master was executed by the Daleks. But somehow, the master has yet again found a way to cheat death. On the trip home in the Doctor's TARDIS, the Master escapes from his urn in the form of a serpent and infiltrates the controls of the ship, causing a critical timing malfunction. The TARDIS makes an emergency landing in San Fransisco, December 30th, 1999.
The TARDIS lands in the middle of a gang shootout, inadvertently saving Chang Lee (Tso) from being shot. As the Doctor exits the TARDIS, he is shot and the gangsters escape. Lee calls an ambulance which takes them to the hospital. Little do they realise that they have another passenger. The Master!
Dr. Grace Holloway (Ashbrook), a cardiologist, is called in to operate on the Doctor because of his erratic heart beats (the Doctor, being a Time Lord, has two hearts). However, the Doctor dies, seemingly, on the operation table.
But during the night, the Doctor regenerates into a new body, another attribute of the Time Lords. The anasthetic has affected his regeneration and the new Doctor (McGann) is suffering from amnesia. As the Ambulance officer (Roberts) is sleeping, the Master takes over his body. Time Lords can only regenerate 12 times. The Master has used all of his regenerations and his only recourse for suvival is to possess the bodies of others. However the Master's real plan is to take over the Doctor's body!
The Master opens the Eye of Harmony in the Doctor's TARDIS, because he needs massive amounts of energy to fully inhabit the Doctor's body. However, leaving the Eye open for too long will destabilise matter in our little section of the universe and destroy it in a matter of hours.
Can the Doctor regain his memory in time to stop the Master destroying the planet?
VIDEO
Doctor Who: The Movie is presented in it's origianl 4:3 Full Screen aspect. The Picture quality is outstanding with hardly a fault to be found.
AUDIO
The film has a Dolby Surround 2.0 soundtrack.
EXTRAS
Audio Commentary - Geoffrey Sax (Director)
An insightful and never dull commentary. It really is worth listening to.
Isolated Music
Considering that the Soundtrack CD was limited and impossible to get, this is the next best thing. A great feature. John Debney's score is quite good.
4 Audio Tracks
Also on the DVD you get 4 music tracks used in the Movie: "In a Dream", "Ride Into The Moonlight", All Dressed Up" and "Auld Lang Syne". A nice touch!
Photo Galley
A good collection of on the set, behind the scenes and promotional photos.
Information Text
I love this feature on DVDs. It imparts information coinciding to the screen action about the production, the cast and crew and any history that is relevant.
BBC Trailers 1 & 2
Trailers used by the BBC to advertise the screening of the movie.
Fox Promo
A 04:15 minute Fox Behind-the-Scenes Promo. Somewhat interesting, but it is aimed at American audiences that are novices to Doctor Who.
Interviews
Some of the extended and un-abridged interveiws with the cast, director and producer from the Fox promo. It also has an exclusive Interview with Philip Segal for the DVD.
Behind the Scenes Compilation
04:47 of behind-the-scenes footage.
Philip Segal tours the TARDIS set
A very good look at some of the stuff you may not have seen or only glimsed at on the huge set during the movie. It goes for 02:34.
Alternate Scenes
- "Give Him the Keys!" - Thank God that this scene was cut...
- "Puccini!" - A different take of the Elevator Scene, where he shouts "Puccini!".
OVERALL
I think its a good film and an excellent addition to the Whoniverse.
Paul McGann plays a wonderful and believeable Doctor. His portrayal of the Doctor is reminiscent of a combination of the action orientated Doctor of Jon Pertwee, the erratic behaviour of Tom Baker's Doctor, and the comic energy of Patrick Troughton's Doctor.
There's a huge stink in fandom about the Doctor's "half-human" revelation, about that it is "not right". But do we (the fans) really know who the Doctor is? It's like saying that Doctor Who finished with William Hartnell (the First Doctor), because you don't like the concept of regeneration.
Personally, I have no problem with the fact that the Doctor is half-human (on his mother's side), because that would explain a great deal. He has a curiosity and a wonderlust that most Time Lords lack, an affinity for Earth and an affinity for Earthlings tempered by his contempt for some of the darker elements of human nature. It would also explain his difficult regenerations.
The new TARDIS interior looks great. I wonder if the Second Doctor visited in a "grave emergency", would he say, "You've had this place re-decorated, haven't you? I don't like it!"
Eric Roberts plays the Master surprisingly well. When I first heard that the Master would be portrayed by an American actor, I thought it would be terrible. However, I was somewhat mistaken. Roberts really hams it up, and that's not a bad thing. He puts in an over-the-top performance that so suits the role.
Dapne Ashbrook and Yee Jee Tso put in competent performances also.
Throughout the movie there was an interesting (and apparently unintentional) Christ/Satan theme, with the Doctor "ressurecting" and "exiting the cave" wearing a shroud. The Master starting in the form of a serpent and then possessing a human. Near the end, the Doctor is "crucified" by the Master and is forced to wear a "crown of thorns". The battle between the Doctor's good and the Master's evil is very biblical.
It may have been unintentional, but sometimes the classic stories and themes are always the best ones!
The film had a good mix of action and comedy. And it was well acted. Paul McGann, especially, is a revalation as the Doctor. The script was slightly weak towards the final 20 minutes, but that can be forgiven. The film was an unrivalled success in Britain and Australia, but unfortunately did not rate well in the USA, so a new series was not optioned.
Doctor Who: The Movie is a good film, presented on a fantastic DVD. It is also available in R1 NTSC.
The Film: 
1/2
The Disk:
"Dark Lord" Paul Lenkic
"Accept the Lord of Darkness as your saviour!" - The Undertaker
© 2002