What do people think about it? Do you think it was ruined by being American? or think it was better for being so?
Also in the film, Doctor says he was half human, how does that relate to Nu Who?
I know I know im 17 years behind!!!!
The "movie" is an abomination that deserves to be lost in the time vortex never to be seen again. Compared to the 2 Peter Cushing films (note, not movies) it is trite and totally out of character to anything that had gone before. No complaints about Paul McGann who is a fine actor, but the only way it's canon is what it should be fired from.
The "movie" is an abomination that deserves to be lost in the time vortex never to be seen again. Compared to the 2 Peter Cushing films (note, not movies) it is trite and totally out of character to anything that had gone before. No complaints about Paul McGann who is a fine actor, but the only way it's canon is what it should be fired from.
Those Cushing movies are far from canon... The 1996 movie is considered canon.
It's really best to just not think about the whole "half human" think - which was clearly put in as a sop to the "mainstream" American audience of the time.
Why did aliens have to be half human? Was that meant to make us feel more sympathetic towards them?
Even Worf (raised by humans) and Data (wanting to be human) in Star Trek suffer from this.
There was a lot about the film I loved - the budget, the sets, Paul McGann's Doctor.
But Russell T Davies once commented that it was a good example of how not to bring Who back (and introduce it to a new audience) and I think he was right.
Continuity-wise (and for us old Who fans) it was great starting the film with the 7th Doctor. But that whole regeneration sequence would have confused potential new viewers and really slowed the narrative.
It needed to be fresh, accessible and fun and I think it only hit a low score on all three of those criteria.
My first real memory of doctor who is paul macgann. I sometime dip into his audios/novels/ comics.....
I might be one of the few people who sees him as "my doctor"....
No he is mine too.
The TV movie is very hit and miss but the novels and (I'm told) Big Finish Audio plays are very good. Paul McGann was a great Doctor, his costume was fantastic, his mannerisms were brilliant and I adored the gothic looking TARDIS.
As for the half human line, I like to interpret it as him saying he has such an affinity with Earth that he is half human. Just like we might say we're half American despite being born in the UK but having spent the majority of our lives in the States. The best bit about it though is from the EDA novel Alien Bodies where Lawrence Miles has the Doctor say "I'm half idiot, on my mothers side", as a blatant swipe at the TV movie.
As for the half human line, I like to interpret it as him saying he has such an affinity with Earth that he is half human. Just like we might say we're half American despite being born in the UK but having spent the majority of our lives in the States.
Except it's the supposedly the retina pattern of the Doctor that confirms his 'humanness', not just a joking line.
Continuity-wise (and for us old Who fans) it was great starting the film with the 7th Doctor. But that whole regeneration sequence would have confused potential new viewers and really slowed the narrative.
It needed to be fresh, accessible and fun and I think it only hit a low score on all three of those criteria.
Worse than that, it introduced lots of standard Who elements in the first few minutes that weren't at all required for the story, and used them in ways that don't even make much sense to existing viewers (the Master is on trial by the Daleks? What for? Why would they invite the Doctor to visit? Why is the Master now a blobby-snake-parasite-thing? The Doctor is half-what?)
I would still give it points for fun, and would have got points for freshness if it had stuck with new and changed stuff, without dragging all the old continuity with it.
Both new stuff and changed stuff need to be pushed through slowly, and only when needed. RTD definitely got this right, enough detail drip-feeding through to keep the existing fans intrigued.
The whole limit on regenerations thing is a moot point anyway. The Master ran out of his, the version in Deadly Assassin was his last, but has appeared since in Ainley who got another life by stealing someones body and then looking for more. The Time Lords then gifted him another entire set of regenerations and his since appeared as someone who might be Ainley (it wasn't him at the start of the movie) Roberts, Jacobi and Sim.
The main issue is the Time Lords are no longer around to gift the Doctor with more but should he manage to find a way to "save" them and Gallifrey I think that would be worth a new set of rengerations.
At the end of the day it's sci-fi and anything can happen and it rarely has to make sense (see the ending of Rings...). The BBC won't end the show if people are still buying it and will find a way to get around a throwaway line from the 70's.
I enjoyed it in the same way I enjoyed Doctor Who and Daleks and Dalek Invasion Earth 2150 AD ie as a stand alone not part of the Whoniverse sort of way! I never assumed a series may follow nor did I really want there to be one in that format! Though saying that I do accept that McGann's Doctor is part of the Whoniverse!
It was far too American and I HATED Eric Roberts's Master! I also absolutely flipped when I heard the prologue about the Master being tried by the Daleks for his 'crimes' and him being 'allowed' to collect his remains and don't get me started on the Half Human fiasco!:D
The whole movie could have had an alien setting which would have gone down better with the fans imo!
As a whole, I give the film 6/10 for effort but McGann gets at least an 8!
I love the fact you get to see, how huge the Tardis really is, and not just a big control room.
Didn't like the gothic feel, but think similar expanse should be shown in new series.
A lot of scenes could be set in the other parts of the tardis, and would give the show a new dimension lol literally. Plus, i wanna see the swimming pool!!!
The 12 regenerations shouldnt be a problem, Time Lords are gone so therefore these rules do not apply...
Or during the Time war he was given a new regeneration cycle
Well, if it's established that the Time Lords have the technology to bestow additional regenerations then the Doctor could still have access to that technology and bestow them on himself!
I liked the opening scenes, the horror-style regeneration, the Doctor getting shot (heh heh), the Master as a snake and the bit where the motorbike drives full speed into the Tardis. I don't think enough has been done to make fun of the Tardis like that.
Apart from that I hate the rest of it and just cringe in embarrassment at it. It's like someone's apologetic version of Doctor Who being handed on a plate to some stubborn arse who refuses to like it.
What do people think about it? Do you think it was ruined by being American? or think it was better for being so?
Also in the film, Doctor says he was half human, how does that relate to Nu Who?
I know I know im 17 years behind!!!!
Try and ignore the half human bit. It's a bit like all the immortals in Highlander 2 actually being aliens! If you ignore it, it goes away.
The TV movie was very much made for a US audience, and like most UK programmes that are remade for a US audience, it was disliked. American's aren't as dumb as the TV execs think. Sometimes a programme is popular over there because it is foreign, and has slightly different language and nuances. Then a TV exec, decides "Hey lets remake..... " and then wonders why "Amanda's" bombed in the ratings!
Comments
The "movie" is an abomination that deserves to be lost in the time vortex never to be seen again. Compared to the 2 Peter Cushing films (note, not movies) it is trite and totally out of character to anything that had gone before. No complaints about Paul McGann who is a fine actor, but the only way it's canon is what it should be fired from.
Those Cushing movies are far from canon... The 1996 movie is considered canon.
Why did aliens have to be half human? Was that meant to make us feel more sympathetic towards them?
Even Worf (raised by humans) and Data (wanting to be human) in Star Trek suffer from this.
But Russell T Davies once commented that it was a good example of how not to bring Who back (and introduce it to a new audience) and I think he was right.
Continuity-wise (and for us old Who fans) it was great starting the film with the 7th Doctor. But that whole regeneration sequence would have confused potential new viewers and really slowed the narrative.
It needed to be fresh, accessible and fun and I think it only hit a low score on all three of those criteria.
No he is mine too.
The TV movie is very hit and miss but the novels and (I'm told) Big Finish Audio plays are very good. Paul McGann was a great Doctor, his costume was fantastic, his mannerisms were brilliant and I adored the gothic looking TARDIS.
As for the half human line, I like to interpret it as him saying he has such an affinity with Earth that he is half human. Just like we might say we're half American despite being born in the UK but having spent the majority of our lives in the States. The best bit about it though is from the EDA novel Alien Bodies where Lawrence Miles has the Doctor say "I'm half idiot, on my mothers side", as a blatant swipe at the TV movie.
Except it's the supposedly the retina pattern of the Doctor that confirms his 'humanness', not just a joking line.
That never happened
I would still give it points for fun, and would have got points for freshness if it had stuck with new and changed stuff, without dragging all the old continuity with it.
Both new stuff and changed stuff need to be pushed through slowly, and only when needed. RTD definitely got this right, enough detail drip-feeding through to keep the existing fans intrigued.
The main issue is the Time Lords are no longer around to gift the Doctor with more but should he manage to find a way to "save" them and Gallifrey I think that would be worth a new set of rengerations.
At the end of the day it's sci-fi and anything can happen and it rarely has to make sense (see the ending of Rings...). The BBC won't end the show if people are still buying it and will find a way to get around a throwaway line from the 70's.
It was far too American and I HATED Eric Roberts's Master! I also absolutely flipped when I heard the prologue about the Master being tried by the Daleks for his 'crimes' and him being 'allowed' to collect his remains and don't get me started on the Half Human fiasco!:D
The whole movie could have had an alien setting which would have gone down better with the fans imo!
As a whole, I give the film 6/10 for effort but McGann gets at least an 8!
Didn't like the gothic feel, but think similar expanse should be shown in new series.
A lot of scenes could be set in the other parts of the tardis, and would give the show a new dimension lol literally. Plus, i wanna see the swimming pool!!!
It's in the Tob Baker story "The Invasion of Time"...
Well one of them at least
Or during the Time war he was given a new regeneration cycle
Well, if it's established that the Time Lords have the technology to bestow additional regenerations then the Doctor could still have access to that technology and bestow them on himself!
He is a Time Lord, after all
I loved the Movie, by the way!
Maybe during the Time Wast all time lords were given unlimited generations makes sense you would want to give you side the best chance of winning
Well they were insane enough to grant the Master another round so why not the Doctor...
Apart from that I hate the rest of it and just cringe in embarrassment at it. It's like someone's apologetic version of Doctor Who being handed on a plate to some stubborn arse who refuses to like it.
Try and ignore the half human bit. It's a bit like all the immortals in Highlander 2 actually being aliens! If you ignore it, it goes away.
The TV movie was very much made for a US audience, and like most UK programmes that are remade for a US audience, it was disliked. American's aren't as dumb as the TV execs think. Sometimes a programme is popular over there because it is foreign, and has slightly different language and nuances. Then a TV exec, decides "Hey lets remake..... " and then wonders why "Amanda's" bombed in the ratings!