It was in January 1996 that I first heard that my all time favourite TV hero was returning to our screens as a joint BBC / American network TVM . Whoever you are reading this review never EVER give up on your hopes and dreams because for DOCTOR WHO fans in the early 1990s not one of us ever believed we`d be seeing our favourite show return , never mind seeing a big budget American production or that this version was gong to have BAFTA award winning actor Paul McGann in the title role . Words fail to describe the anticipation me and every single other Who fan in the cosmos had in waiting till the TVM was broadcast in May . The only comparison I can think of is LOTR diehards waiting to see FELLOWSHIP , THE TWO TOWERS and RETURN OF THE KING . When the day of the broadcast came one Bank holiday Monday I`d almost bitten my fingers off in unbearable anticipation . I`d read every article I could find about the production in telefantasy magaziness , Paul McGann`s Doctor had appeared on the front cover of every British TV guide and the trailers led me to believe the Daleks were going to be heavily featured alongside the Master . So in mid evening the TVM began and for 90 minutes all the world`s problems disappeared . When the end titles rolled I was torn between being totally amazed by the good and bitterly disappointed by the bad .

The good bits were Geoffry Sax`s direction . Every single cent was up there on screen for the audience to gasp at . This is one Who story that can`t be accused of having crap FX . Sax also does an excellent editing job with intercutting between scenes , and it really was fascinating watching a Who story take place in an American setting . But the best aspect to the production is Eric Roberts camp scene stealing performance as the Master . My own memories of Roger Delgado`s original Master soon faded as Roberts bad-ass TERMINATOR inspired American arch enemy of the Doctor stole the entire show .

But unfortunately much of the bad outweighed the good and most of this was entirely down to Matthew Jacobs script which involved far too much continuity and extremely bad continiuty at that which not only displeases diehard fans but will alienate casual viewers at the same time . Regeneration ? temporal orbit ? the eye of harmony ? I know of these concepts because I`m a fan but here they`re presented entirely different from what I know them as . Likewise when did the Doctor become half human ? But the most disappointing thing were the Daleks who seem to be intergalatic hangmen and not the Nazis of the universe as shown on TV for three decades . Also bitterly disappointing to see them relegated to an off screen cameo when according to the trailers they might have been making a physical presence . Oh BTW can anyone really understand the plot ? At times it felt more like a Bond movie as the Doctor races around on a motor bike trying to save the world from a super villain . With the exception of Roberts no one really turns in a good performance least of all McGann who is surely one of Britain`s most underrated actors . I really expected more from him , though to be fair he didn`t have a lot to go on due to the script.

Oh well I suppose it was good while it lasted and I suppose my life has been slightly enriched after seeing an American version of DOCTOR WHO , and let me just repeat if someone had told me in 1992 I`d one day be watching an American version of the show I would have laughed in their face . It`s not the worst DOCTOR WHO story I`ve seen but it`s not a story I`ll watch over and over again unlike The Silurians , Inferno , Genesis Of The Daleks , Seeds Of Doom or Kinda . These really were classic pieces of not only Who but of British television

In 1996, seven years after the original Doctor Who series was canceled, the American network Fox thought a USA reboot of the show might be a good way to bring everybody's favorite Time Lord back to the small screen. The resulting TV movie was notoriously lambasted by critics and fans alike, who responded with more warmth to the BBC's revival of the character in 2005. Perhaps the biggest problem lies in the very fact that the Yanks tried to do their own version of a quintessential British creation: you don't see the Brits try and remake Star Trek, do you? Nevertheless, as messy as it is, this 1996 version of Doctor Who (which is part of the official mythology) has a few valid selling points that make it worth tracking down on a boring Saturday afternoon.

The original show ended with the Doctor being played by Sylvester McCoy, the seventh incarnation of the character, and it is still McCoy, albeit credited as a guest star, who controls the TARDIS at the beginning of the story. The year is 1999 (as a matter of fact, the specific date is December 31st), and the renegade Time Lord is transporting the ashes of his archenemy, the Master, back to their home planet Gallifrey. However, due to a series of mishaps, the machine crash-lands in America, with the Doctor presumably dead and the Master's spirit free to take over the body of a paramedic (Eric Roberts). His plan is to use some temporal anomaly to steal the Doctor's remaining lives (each Time Lord has thirteen of them; the Master's used them up). As for the Doctor, once he's regenerated into a half-human eighth embodiment (Paul McGann), he has to stop his nemesis once and for all.

The plot is a classic good vs. evil confrontation, and that's one of the TV movie's main flaws: instead of reintroducing the Doctor, like Russell T. Davies did in the new series, the narrative proceeds as if no time had passed between the original show's finale and this Americanized version. This can prove particularly alienating to US audiences, for whom Doctor Who isn't an essential part of popular culture, and McGann's clumsy voice-over doesn't do much to sort things out in that department. And that's without mentioning the holes in logic: why introduce two new (American) sidekicks, one of whom a potential love interest for the protagonist, and then suggest they would have no major role in other episodes, had the US show been picked up by Fox? And since when do Daleks and Time Lords cooperate, as shown prior to the opening credits?

That said, McGann and Roberts are good enough to compensate most of the other rubbish, one giving that undeniably English quality to the quirky time traveler, the other adding a bit of OTT menace to one of the show's seminal villains. In addition, the special effects are state-of-the-art, as is the new rendition of Ron Grainer's immortal theme music.

Overall, a one-off experiment that is best remembered as a guilty pleasure for die-hard fans. Fortunately, the Yanks were wise enough to let the BBC handle everything Who-related from this point on.

6,5/10

This is one of the most over-analyzed pieces of television ever produced. "Doctor Who" fans are such a dedicated bunch that they'll buy camcorders and film their own episodes when the show is not in production; it stands to reason that they'd pick apart the only "official" new episode produced for TV in the 1990s, but the chorus of their dissenting voices sometimes really grates on me. Thanks to all the controversy, I still can't honestly say what I think of this movie, even all these years later; every time I see it, I have a different opinion.

I'm not on board with some of the usual criticisms. I don't care about the romance (it barely features), and I don't really mind that the Doctor is half-human (it's a side issue that doesn't alter the plot, hardly worth complaining about). What I do dislike is the fast-paced, action-oriented nature of the story, which prevents character development (Chang Lee is the chief offender here) and doesn't allow any room for the Doctor to act like a detective (which is his usual schtick).

Still, good effects, a rockin' music score and some nice arty camera work elevate this far above the average TV production. Perhaps the only thing that really matters is that it's entertaining; why analyze it beyond that? The only real problem here is that the original series is, generally speaking, even more entertaining, but that's one tough act to follow!

An ex-roommate and good buddy of mine perhaps summed it up best: "That was fun, but could you put on a cheesy one now? They're more interesting." I bet her opinion of it wouldn't change on a second viewing; I, alas, am afflicted with the curse of fandom!

The only bad thing I can think about the Doctor Who TV movie is that it didn't become a new series. Paul McGann did an excellent job as the Doctor. Hopefully, he'll get another chance to play the role again someday. Loved the new TARDIS console room as well. The movie did a fine job in appealing to both long-time Doctor Who fans and people unfamiliar with the show.

Ah, I just reexperienced this gorgeous movie on BBC. As comments before this one express, let Paul McGann be the next doctor. Please. When regenerating from McCoys body, he clearly shows his kin to this good doctor. As for the movie, suffice to say that it was entertaining and had some neat effects and some nice old clocks in it. I must concur that it is frightfully distressing to see him actually kiss a woman. The fact that woman in the series often wore much less clothes than Amazing Grace only shows how strong a character he is. Not someone to kiss the first and best woman in sight. On the other hand, he was regenerated into a slightly younger man, so...

Oh, and by the way. The music was awful in the original series, but somehow arranging it for orchestra doesn't help. The original electro-gizmoid sound was somehow more true to this strange TV phenomenon.

Doctor Who: The Movie is a stepping stone between what preceded it and what would eventually succeed it, but it feels and acts like nothing else in this universe. A fresh start that heavily connects to the previous season which still succeeds by being a fast paced adventure filled with adorable Y2K anxiety. It should've been the start of an exciting new era that sadly never was.

Paul McGann is great as the Doctor, almost finding his version of the character in real time as his charming and energetic nature grows by regaining his memories. He's certainly the most dashing Doctor up to this point as well. With Daphne Ashbrook as a likeable and down to earth companion for him, there's a strong double act at the core of this story.

Eric Roberts is a very unique version of the Master. Initially acting like a terminator all the way down to the robotic delivery and the outfit before moving into something more camp with the larger than life aspects that are expected of the character. It's one of those performances that's always thoroughly entertaining even as it begins to go off the rails in the end.

Geoffrey Sax's direction makes it so obvious that this is an American production. You can just tell everything is different now which isn't a bad thing and certainly makes it distinct. The best idea he brings is turning the act of regeneration into full on body horror. John Debney's score is equally distinct, managing the near impossible task of doing its own thing within an established franchise that's strong enough to stand on its own.

I really struggle with this movie. Being traumatised as a 9 year old when the show was cancelled I can remember the sheer excitement at there being a movie. It starts off well enough, I really enjoyed Sylvester McCoy's appearance, at least he got a send off.

Paul McGann made a really good Doctor, I feel sad for him that he wasn't given a true crack of the whip, he showed us in The Night of the Doctor what we'd missed all those years. He performs as well as can be expected. I even quite liked Grace (not the kissing bit!!)

But, oh my days it's so tacky, Eric Roberts as the Master?? Seriously!! I don't know why they didn't hire Dom DeLuise and have him in drag, well they weren't that far off were they.

The story itself isn't uninteresting, but gang crimes, guns etc it's not what this show was about, were they aiming this movie at the American market? The Doctor being half human? I should coco!!

Overall it's watchable enough, at least they tried to get it to work, it's just a bit too cheesy and glitzy. 5/10

It is now twenty years since the US/UK co-production of Doctor Who: The Movie was broadcast. Shown seven years after the cancellation of the television series and nine years before the relaunched series with Christopher Eccleston.

It was the only new Who in the 1990s. It also brings a lot of ingredients that was used in the relaunched series as Russell T Davies studied what it did right and what it got wrong.

Sylvester McCoy returns as the seventh Doctor, he gets shot and after receiving botched hospital treatment, regenerates into Paul McGann's eighth doctor.

The Tardis lands in San Francisco in 1999. The Master escapes in a snakelike form from the Tardis and plans to take control of the Eye of Harmony once he has occupied the body of a paramedic (Eric Roberts).

The Doctor must find a beryllium atomic clock and stop the Master with the help of Dr Grace Holloway.

British director Geoffrey Sax made use of the higher budget with good use of special effects even though he was hampered with a reduced number of shooting days.

The Tardis is much bigger but I guess the HG Wells like interior setting does not make it look like a Gallifreyan time machine.

The visuals were grand and obviously some of the morphing techniques were inspired by films such as Terminator 2.

The casting of Paul McGann was the master stroke, with the 60 minutes screen time he had, you really felt that he was the Doctor. A Byronesque romantic (he even got to have a kiss) and man of action.

It was a shame we have seen so little of McGann's time lord apart from the mini adventure, The Night of the Doctor; although there are plenty of Eighth Doctor audio adventures.

I also liked the malevolent interpretation of the Master by Eric Roberts who really pushes up the dial with his campiness when he puts on the time lord regalia. He shifted the emphasis of the Master from the moustache twirling villain of Anthony Ainley and it has been carried on by the subsequent Master's since then, male or female.

The story was not that great, you felt it needed a bit more reworking and it had rather a lot of continuity which was fine for fans of the original show, but what about new viewers?

A point not lost in the 2005 re-continuation which started afresh and only added continuity in small measures over subsequent seasons.

Some of the elements of the television film might have introduced a few groans. The cloaking device to describe the Tardis chameleon circuit and the Doctor being half human. However it was a lot less Americanised than people feared and had it contained lots of links to the television series.

There were a segment of fans who were disappointed after this was shown in 1996. Yet the movie received very good viewing figures in the UK and two decades on it was worth revisiting McGann's outing.

7 years after the classic Doctor Who series was discontinued this TV Movie was produced. It was devised with the possibility of it being a pilot for a new series but failed to get enough positive reaction to encourage any follow up. This was a collaboration between BBC who had produced the original series and American producers and was made to appeal to American audiences. Sadly this is probably where the production went wrong. Many existing Doctor Who fans were put off by the movie's Hollywood style and the way they messed about with existing lore in order to make what they thought would be more exciting and appealing. Hollywood often abandons existing story/lore when adapting pre-existing material in order to create what they think will attract new audiences and this does the same. On the plus side though this is far more glossy, action packed and fast paced than many classic Who stories with higher budget and more impressive visuals. It is nice to see our beloved show given some budget at last and it makes for an entertaining adventure which is great fun to watch.

The story begins with the character of the Doctor still in the form of the 7th Doctor played beautifully by Sylvester McCoy. We are told he was summoned to transport the remains of his fellow Timelord and arch enemy the Master home to Gallifrey. This in itself is odd but we are told the Master was executed by the Daleks which is even stranger as the idea of the Doctor's main foes the Daleks collaborating with the Timelords and asking their greatest enemy the Doctor to transport his nemesis the Master's remains just sounds against all we know from the classic series. Also the Master inexplicably is shown to be able to become a slimy creature that escapes his supposed deceased form and crawls out to seek a new host body. This is certainly not in keeping with what the show has established in terms of Timelord powers. The Master had been previously shown to escape death and take over another being's body so it is not totally unacceptable but the way it is done seems very much a Hollywood addition which is enjoyable but rather jarring.

We then get a gangland scene in San Francisco set in 1999, approaching the millennium celebrations. A young Chinese American is chased by a gang with machine guns and the Doctor materialises the TARDIS in the middle of the confrontation. He steps out of the TARDIS and is dramatically shot with a machine gun. This is very different to classic Who style as is his subsequent regeneration. Following medical team botching his surgery due to confusion from his alien anatomy he regenerates in the morgue with rather ugly effects showing his form change in a way very unlike earlier regenerations. This is made fun by a nice link in to the mortuary attendant watching the scene in Frankenstein where the monster is reanimated at the same time intercut with the Doctor regenerating. I liked that aspect of it. The Doctor then becomes the 8th Doctor, played by Paul McGann.

Meanwhile the alien substance form of the Master enters a paramedic's body and we get martial arts movie actor Eric Roberts as the new Master. Roberts is a rather cheesy and over the top but menacing and entertaining Master. There is darkness, especially as he murders the paramedics partner and a real sense of evil from this Master as well as amusing one liners and camp showmanship. I actually quite like the characterisation although it is not quite a match for other incarnations of the Master in my opinion.

McGann makes a thoroughly convincing and engaging Doctor. His characterisation is in keeping with the established behaviour we would expect and is very enjoyable. I really like McGann as the Doctor and his costume is perfect for the role. His delivery of dialogue and manner is lovely. The problem comes in the writing because for some reason they decide to make him say a number of things which sound contradictory to the lore we know. Most problematic is the announcement that the Doctor is supposedly 'half human on his mother's side'. If this was just a throw away line it could be dismissed as a joke (as subsequently attempts are made to smooth over this discrepancy) but it is made part of the plot with the Doctor's half human DNA being made important in the storyline involving the Eye of Harmony. This knocks my enjoyment because it really is introduced without good reason seemingly to make the Doctor more relatable and I find it a cheap addition which causes unnecessary problems in continuity. I actually have no problem with adding to the lore and changing what we know as long as it does not clash and introduce ideas that do not fit. The half human idea just does not fit for me. Neither does the superpowered TARDIS/Eye of harmony that is used in the end to reverse time and return the dead to life.

This aside, the story is very pleasant mix of action, humour, dark threats of the world's destruction, human drama and scifi/fantasy. If they had kept true to the lore of the show or developed it in a way that worked better it could have been really good but several ideas and several other bits of dialogue just feel wrong and it detracts from my appreciation. To be fair it is not out and out illogical, it only is problematic in terms of the existing history of the show. Therefore I do not judge it too harshly and overall still find this a positive viewing experience. I am not a fan of the romantic aspect introduced here as the Doctor we know would not suddenly become romantically interested in someone he just met and am not a fan of some of the storyline and dialogue but other aspects are really good.

This was a very worthwhile practice run for returning the show I think and 9 years later Russell T. Davies brought the show back on the BBC with a few aspects of this movie being built upon. Davies got it just right and made the show a success. In that 9 year gap McGann was accepted as the 8th Doctor for other media and he went on to appear in Big Finish audio adventures as the Doctor which continue to this day with excellent 8th Doctor audios starring McGann still being released. He also appeared in a one off mini TV episode for the show's 50th anniversary where we got to see him regenerate into the War Doctor. McGann was a great addition to the world of Doctor Who. It is also nice to see the show get some higher budget glitzy production values.

My rating: 6.5/10.

The very strange and failed attempt to revive Doctor Who in the 1990s for an American audience now sits in time as a strange curio in the franchise. McGann's byronesque Doctor is the best thing about it really but the whole plot is so perfunctory, dated and clunky, that it's a real struggle to watch it. Poor Yee Jee Tso's Chang Lee is barely a character at all and there are huge narrative holes in here. Still, it rattles along at a fairly brisk pace, and me being nine when it was released gives it a curious nostalgic edge. I tried to make a comic of McGann's doctor, eating jelly babies and fighting giant be-legged Daleks, for example.

A fun, action filled return for Doctor Who. I think this should have made the big screen. Paul McGann gives a teriffic performance as Doctor Who, one that seems to draw energy from the Tom Baker regeneration, and emotion from Peter Davison's Doctor. A lot of people think that the motorcycle chase was cheesy, and the kiss un-like the Doctor, but I think that it fit well. Hopefully Doctor Who will return again!

Not that bad really. Or at least the plus points outnumber the bad points. The major factor in favour of the movie was the inspired casting of Paul McGann as the Doctor. Paul McGann is probably the best actor to play Doctor Who (apologies to fans of William Hartnell and Peter Cushing), and his Doctor has more depth of character than the others. If only he would agree to do reprise the role (or the BBC if it comes to that). The dialogue was not to great, but better than the series frequently had. The same could be said of the plot, however the series also turned out some of the best stories and ideas to grace science fiction in any form, so the film loses out on that point. A popular criticism is the Americanisation and emphasis on high-speed action. Such thins are out of place in Doctor Who, but I believe they are misplaced in this case. The best two examples are the kiss and the car chases. I thought the kiss really added to this Doctor's character, but only because he then left her behind on Earth. Anyone who thought there was too much action obviously cannot remember the Jon Pertwee era when Doctor Who could hardly go an episode without high speed antics of some sort. Who thinks Jon Pertwee was a bad Doctor? No one, and quite rightly too.

The only real disappointment was the way Sylvester McCoy was killed. Doctor Who has got out of more unwinable situations than expendable extras on Star Trek, and needs a special end to each of his lives. This one just didn't pass mustard, although I wish whoever wrote it in does.

All in all the film is not bad, but hardly classic Doctor Who.

6/10

P.S. The new Tardis interior design is stunning.

This attempted pilot for a new Doctor Who series may have faults but I think some of the criticism is off-base. The original Doctor Who series was never a slave to realism or it's own continuity the way shows like Star Trek or The X-Files were. It was more like a long-running comic strip with it's light "who cares about obsessive fan-boys and fan-girls" approach. This show always played fast and loose with it's own continuity and often contradicted what had gone before for the sake of the present story being aired. So many fans went bananas over things like the Doctor being half-human and the Eye of Harmony being on board the Tardis and the Master being able to slither around in that black snake form to find a new host body or why he was put on trial by the Daleks. For a show that always pretty much made it up as it went along that's a waste of time. I've got some random thoughts to throw out about this attempt to revive the series.

As for the Doctor being half-human I'll repeat my remark about this show making it up as it went along. From what I recall the show was on the air for years before it even established that he was a Time Lord so a sudden revelation about a half-human heritage isn't as way out as it first seems.

My view on the Master being able to slither around in snake form is also to repeat that this show was never a slave to it's own continuity. I'd like every Dr Who fan who can't sleep at night fretting over this bit to explain to me what the White Form in the story where Tom Baker regenerated into Peter Davison was and why the other regeneration scenes took place without such a White Form "merging" with the Doctor.

As for why the Eye of Harmony was on board the Tardis I'll say that if a new Doctor Who series had resulted from this pilot movie they could have done a flashback story at some point featuring Sylvester McCoy's Doctor and explained all that.

I thought the Master being put on trial by the Daleks was kind of cool - sort of like they were saying "This guy is so evil even the Daleks are outraged!" If a new series had resulted they could have done another Sylvester McCoy flashback story at some point to explain what led up to the Master being put on trial by the Daleks. Maybe he tried to take over Skaro and turn all the Daleks into his own personal hit-squad or some other nonsense.

Sylvester McCoy was pretty cool for agreeing to appear in this movie to give the potential new Doctor Who series a legitimate link to the original British show. The poor guy had to come in with a lame regeneration scene and went out the same way and the effort was for nothing since the show's own fans turned up their noses at this film and the new series was never given a chance. A new Doctor Who series that didn't live up to the continuity geeks' vision of the show would have been better than no Doctor Who series at all. Just another example of the down-side to cult shows.

Some people hold on to the past too hard. They forget that Dr. Who, being a TV series, had some excellent episodes and some really, really awful ones. I think the FOX revamp of our favorite time-lord was interesting! It had the class of starting off with the last Doctor of the British show and then led us into a movie that combined the story line of the British show with an American spin.

I think it worked very well... and while die-hard Who fans may not have approved, I think this show needed to be given a chance... the pilot certainly had a good start... and the Master was never cooler than he was in this pilot.

The movie had flaws... but it was still better than a lot of other shows on US television... and let's not forget Dr. Who no longer is being made in England... and I think this would have been a perfectly acceptable continuation of the series.

I wish Fox would reconsider bringing it back!

I'm absolutely bonkers about Dr. Who. When it's at its best there is no finer Sci-Fi. It manages to mix the supernatural, science fiction, horror, comedy, and history seamlessly at times. This was the failed attempt at reviving Dr Who, with a stronger focus on getting him to break America. This was probably the biggest mistake of all. It reminds me of when pop stars/comedians try and crack the ever important (in terms of money and fame) market. It seems like a lot of the Dr's identity is lost along the way.However, being able to view this after 6 seasons of the most recent incarnations, this isn't so bad. In fact, it is a damn sight better than some of the nonsense Russell T. Davies subjected the audience to (I love a lot of his stuff, but he was hit and miss). Paul McGann is fantastic. Maybe I have a soft spot for The Doctors that didn't last long, but I can't wait to read the novels based on his character. McCoy gets a decent send off and unlike the more recent Doctors it's also fairly subtle and underplayed. Eric Roberts is menacing, but also confusing at times. He starts almost off robotic, and is later camp. A mix between the terminator, a lizard alien thing, and a gay pop star. There are some awful performances, mostly because the American cast members don't seem to understand the tone they should be going for. This is most likely down to bad direction. Overall most of the plot holes that boil fans' blood can be ignored. The half human thing kind of makes sense in a way, as a planet hopping time traveller should really spend some more time away from Earth otherwise. Daleks holding a trial is confusing though. Certainly one to check out, and actually a pleasant surprise after all the negativity.

First of all, I have only been watching Doctor Who for 8 or 9 months, since the ABC started showing a marathon. We're presently up to the Jon Pertwee era, so I have had the pleasure of watching the Master in action, which added to one reason why I was disappointed with the film.

I love the camera work and editing, especially the cutting between the regeneration and the Frankenstein movie, what I call the 'Rebirth' of the Doctor and the Master, and finally the costume change and Lee going through the Doctor's things.

Paul McGann was a terrific choice for the Doctor and I wish he could have stayed on longer- he has a sense of humour, a slightly angsty side, a playful side, a sneaky side (putting a gun to his own chest to threaten the policeman comes to mind)... and very good looking in that wig.

In my opinion, most of the problems with the movie come from the script. The half-human idea is interesting but doesn't work, and having the Eye of Harmony on the TARDIS instead of on Gallifrey, and the Eye only being opened by a human, the 'cloaking device' (though it could have been a slip of the tongue or post-regenerative trauma), the list goes on and on...

Where it succeeded it REALLY succeeded, but when it failed, it sunk.

This movie was an attempt at a Dr. Who movie that would rekindle excitement for the old series and spawn a new Dr. Who series. Considering that the series was only just brought back to TV last year and this movie was made in 1996, you can see that this try was a total failure. Considering that the original show was on TV for 26 years and the fans are insanely devoted to it, it's a testament to just how bad this movie was that the show failed at a revival!! Unlike the old show, this one had better production values and was set in America (REALLY America, not some English actors pretending to speak like an average Americans). While I am an American and proud of it, Dr. Who does NOT belong in the good old USA! As a nation, we've plastered our culture worldwide--I say let the Brits KEEP Dr. Who! It was theirs to begin with anyways and it was far better than this bilge!! The Doctor in San Francisco?! What's up with that?! As for the story itself, it was incredibly dull and looked as if it was written by some who who either never saw the original show or didn't like it very much! And Eric Roberts played "The Master"?! Gimme a break! Where is the goatee and the evil Bela Lugosi-type hair?!

I really enjoyed this movie although it scared my 7-year old... she didn't like the part about the evil looking snake. lol... I really want to buy this movie on dvd in the correct format but can't find it anywhere. Is it even available yet?? You would think that it would be since it was made in the usa. Jen

Doctor Who the Movie is a great treat for fans and also a nice continuation of the Doctor Who plot line. It combines a competent production with good character portrayals to create a quaint, compact motion picture which is exactly what a good episode of Doctor Who should be: funny, captivating and intense.

Paul McGann gives a memorably youthful depiction of the Doctor, in my view paving the way for Christopher Eccleston and David Tennant. His energy and presence makes the new Doctor as intriguing as his predecessors while offering a new fresh take on the character. Eric Roberts' portrayal of the Master is good and strong, as can be expected of him, though perhaps not as memorable as his predecessors.

The movie also has enough exposition so one doesn't have to know all the ins and outs of Doctor Who in order to enjoy it, but the fact it's a TV production perhaps prevents it from blowing the viewer's mind. However, considering this the production values are excellent, the set designs look good and even the CGI still looks credible by modern standards (in comparison to this film's theatrical contemporary "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation").

Doctor Who is a competent TV production and an entertaining experience for fans and non-fans alike.

First of all, I'm heartened to see the previous comment, it's good to see the Americans know it was terrible too.

Now, imagine my surprise and delight at the news that Doctor Who was making a long awaited come-back, I even loved the tagline, "He's back, and it's about time." Quite clever and catchy if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, that's about the only good thing about it. Well, that said I liked the choice of Paul McGann as the Doctor, he had the right... alien feel about him, and his costume was good too, and I liked the scene in the operating theatre when they got lost in his cardio-vascular system, but that is literally all the good I have to say.

It started appallingly, with the Master being tried on Skaro by the Daleks! Ah yes, those well known keepers of the peace and... no, wait, weren't they a scurge to the universe slaughtering anything that wasn't a Dalek, and even some things which were? And the TARDIS interior... hideous, inexcusable. The whole Master turning into evil goo? Offensive in it's stupidity. As if it weren't bad enough the arbitrary placing of the eye of harmony in the TARDIS, making it accessable only in the presence of a human? Oh, very useful on a TIME LORD CRAFT, I don't think. The Doctor being half human? Once more, just plain stupid. The whole kissing thing... well, I'm not all that angry about that really, I actually think it perhaps had potential as a character development, the emergent of a romantic side, although I'd have preferred to see it happen with, say, a character he'd had around for long enough to grow attached to, rather than someone he met the day before. I could go on with the criticism for hours, but these things are limited to 1000 words. Even if, as a friend suggested, you consider it apart from Doctor Who, it's a poor film in its own right, and it's absolutely nonsensical without the background provided by Doctor Who.

I class it with the other Doctor Who films, in that they are terrible and should not be considered even vaguely relevant to the continuity of the series. What's more they relied on the Doctor Who name for success, and if you consider them apart from it as films in their own right they're not much cop either, I'm just glad there's no sign of a series being spawned from it.

Basically, it's all very well trying to find new things for the Doctor to do, but you can't just rewrite the entire universe like that, I really do wonder how they managed to make it without someone saying "You're actually going to do this?? The fans will hate it, this is going to suck."