I think this movie deserves a chapter in my blog. My expert viewer decided that I needed to see this, because after all, I'm getting the whole "Doctor Who experience'. We believe that there is no one who considers this movie worthy to be filed in the Doctor Who annals. Peter Cushing has never been seriously considered one of The Doctors, which goes to show that no one liked this movie.
What made this terrible for me? The plot mirrored the plot from The Daleks in Season One. It was the SAME PLOT. As if I need to see the same plot all over again! I've moved on with my life! Forcing me to watch it again just made me irritable and fussy.
And did they make it better? NO. This film was very child friendly. Okay, Doctor Who is designed for children too, but I guess there were some writers who have caught on to the fact that Doctor Who is not really for children. You cannot pull the wool over their eyes! So, let's make Doctor Who child friendly, and pretend the original episode never happened. *snicker*
This movie kind of reminded me of those old family friendly movies, such as Babes in Toyland, Willie Wonka, Wizard of Oz, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and the like. The music was even amusing and gentle. The only thing that saved this for me was that it was in color. My eyes grow weary of black and white. I don't appreciate history very much, do I? I guess the plot from the original episode was harsh and depressing. The movie managed to make this whimsical and comedic.
There were several very strange eye-rolling moments, such as the fact that the Doctor's name was 'Doctor Who', and both Susan and Barbara were his grandchildren. Susan is a mouthy 10 year old, while Barbara is a giddy teenager. Ian is an awkward, stammering silly boy who comes courting to win Barbara's heart. For once someone recognizes Barbara and Ian's relationship!
Anyway, the inside of the TARDIS looks very different, because Doctor Who has built it with his own hands. There is a conflicting story about how the TARDIS has come to be. The 1st Doctor murmured something about building it, but in the Time Meddler episode we discover that there is another time machine that looks exactly like it, meaning that it's not likely he built it on his own. Also the time traveling machine that the Time Meddler has is apparently more sophisticated than the Doctor's. Interesting. A later story is that he stole the TARDIS. This seems more likely, but this is pure speculation for the moment.
The movie budget must have been significantly larger, because they had a lot more Daleks in the shots. All hail funny colored Daleks!
Many DW fans are very particular about the Doctor being called The Doctor and not Doctor Who. It probably grated on their nerves that Peter Cushing calls himself Doctor Who. Like I said, the plot is very much the same as the original's. They made a few changes, such as the cowardly Thal who falls into the chasm and survives, rather than falling to his death with a bloodcurdling scream as in the original episode. Also the Daleks' weapons blow 'smoke' rather than a death ray. Does that make it less bloody and violent? Not particularly.
The Thals look worse in this movie, but maybe it's because the movie was in color.
They even had the creepy Dalek appendage that you see crawl from under the blanket. Wow, I really wanted to see that a second time!
There is a weird moment at the end of the movie. Instead of Barbara kissing boring Thal number 17, they are given cloaks made by the Thals. Wow. A souvenir! I guess I would have taken the cloak over the kiss any day.
Conclusion: It might not have been so bad if they'd been a bit more imaginative with the plot. Maybe.
Next Up: Galaxy 4
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