Review: (Guest Post!) Doctor Who - Day of the Doctor

Hello. This is a guest-review from my friend, brother and geek-counsel, Porle. He loves Doctor Who in the same way I love Star Wars; a fact that I adore more than I can explain, and is the source of frequent cross-franchise conversations on merchandising, continuity and overall canon.
Although I've jotted down my own civilian pov on the 50th Anniversary special, Porle is far more qualified than I am to cast ultimate judgement over it, and since reading the review he submitted to me, I now regret using the term Whovian in my own piece. I'm sure he'll wreak his revenge by insisting to his friends that I am a Star Warrior at some point in the future…

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor
Cert: PG / 75 mins / Dir. Nick Hurran



It's been quite the year for us 'Doctor Who' fans - (we are not 'Whovians' despite what Bill Turnbull or any other news presenter has told you) - and a "year of treats" (©Moffat, 2013) can mean a hurricane-like storm of hype followed by a catastrophically flat anti-climax. Don't get me wrong, Steven Moffat is a very clever writer, but until this point, his tenure as Executive Producer of Who has been a rocky time as far as my personal feelings towards the show are concerned. Having consumed Season Six with absolute apathy, my heart was heavy at the prospect of this man being at the helm for the explosive 50th Anniversary episode.

Not only was there Moffat's potential cavalier changes to canon to consider, but previous anniversary episodes of Doctor Who have been less than a success. The Five Doctors in 1983 was a total let down to ten year old me as five Doctors meant five Doctors. Not three official Doctors, a man dressed as the first Doctor and some old footage from a shelved episode replacing the fourth Doctor.

And then there was 1993 in Albert Square...
No. I'll leave it there. It's too painful.

So, it was with justified trepidation that I consumed the hype-machine in 2013. Moffat brought Who back on track with Season Seven, ending in April this year with an episode featuring (briefly) appearances by past Doctors. Or at least, images of people dressed as previous Doctors, (there's a pattern here), but done quite successfully none the less. My excitement therefore, began to build. So the question trending in all corners of the internet was; "Who is John Hurt?"

For months we debated and discussed. We waded through Mr Moffat's false internet forum trails and then it happened. Thursday 14th November - The Night of the Doctor burst onto the internet revealing... Paul McGann! Eight glorious minutes of the Eighth Doctor regenerating into John Hurt! I punched the air and cheered like a fangirl when I viewed this for the first time. Not only did we know that John Hurt was The War Doctor but we had the missing regeneration from McGann that we'd waited 17 years for! If Moffat was beside me at that moment, I'd have kissed him. I was now full of faith for The Day of the Doctor. I'd been re-assured that canon and the Whoniverse were indeed in safe hands.

I wasn't disappointed.

From the original theme music at the beginning to a gloriously dramatic and touching ending, I sat entranced. For once, it wasn't like homework. The plot unravelled naturally and at a decent pace never once causing me to question what was occurring on-screen. Or was that the gin? Nods to the past were subtly inter-woven without fawning to itself or approaching the self-congratulatory. Nor were they intrusive to any non-Who fan who was watching. You either got it or you didn't. The plot didn't rely on it. I was a little disappointed with the Zygons. Not seen on Doctor Who since 1975, I was ecstatic that they were making a return. And they did. And then they just seemed to vanish... Ah well. There's only so much you can fit into 75 minutes I suppose. Let's not quibble.

The Tennant-Hurt-Smith dynamic worked really well without seeming contrived, the usual, "you've had the place re-decorated haven't you - I don't like it" line from a previous Doctor to the current was in there too. All boxes ticked. Moffat had said many times that TDOTD would be the closing of one chapter and the beginning of another. It's time for a new era of 'Doctor Who', which is required if the show it to have continued success. But what would that be? well the answer was delivered in a way that we'd hoped but didn't ever think would happen. Tom Baker - famous for his rejection to invites of multi-Doctor stories - was there. Talking to Matt Smith. Wait...is that a tear?
No, something in my eye I think.

Mr Moffat - you did us proud.

Now, is anyone doing anything for the Blake's 7 50th in 2018...?

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.

Review: Doctor Who - The Day of the Doctor

Doctor Who: The Day of the Doctor (3D) (Spoiler-Free)
Cert: PG / 82 mins / Dir. Nick Hurran



As a preface, I should point out that I watched this as civilian. I certainly don't dislike Doctor Who at all, but I can't seem to warm to regularly watching it (largely because I haven't seen an episode better than Blink, either before or since). However, I get to enjoy the full-range geekiness vicariously through my Whovian friends, and even I can appreciate the cultural importance of the 50th anniversary. So naturally, I was going to watch it in the cinema as I got the chance. Especially as I don't have a sixty-foot wide 3D television…

After a few trailers to make the audience fidget impatiently, the cinematic broadcast opened with a short piece featuring Strax of the Sontarans, informing the patrons of cinema etiquette. It was basically a turn your phone off and shut up piece, with a slight tongue-in-cheek feel, but it's still better than most shorts of its kind. Next up was five minutes or so of Matt Smith and David Tennant welcoming the audience and telling them to put their 3D glasses on. Again, out-of-universe and humorously scripted, but a nice extra for those who'd ventured out into the cold to see the show.

And so, to the episode itself. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I won't go into the plot details or Easter Eggs (if only because that's what the rest of the internet is for), but from where I was sitting the episode did a bloody good job of catering to long-time hardcore fans, new-generation hardcore fans, and casual viewers; giving deference to all, but preference to none. It was good to watch a programme that's fifty years old be simultaneously amusing, thought-provoking, and take a few moments to completely re-write one of its central conceits*¹ I'm aware, of course, that you can't please all of the people all of the time (especially with Fandom), but I sensed only good vibes in the cinema, during and afterwards, and the crowd I was with were merrily chuckling along to the gags (even the ones I personally thought were a bit broad).

On a personal note, I could have done without the segments featuring an English monarch, and I thought that Billie Piper's presence was shoehorned in a little*². But if those are the only low-points that stand out in my mind, the 50th anniversary team have done very well indeed. I should also say that this is probably the best live-action 3D I've seen in the cinema. It's used constantly without being distracting or forced, adding depth to the scenery, and with no ghosting. 3D rarely makes a film better (especially with live-action), but can frequently make one worse, and The Day of the Doctor is a best-case scenario of this. It's a perfect example of why film-makers should be taking the extra time and effort to shoot in 3D instead of using post-conversion facilities.

And so, it goes without saying that this is One For The Fans™, but it's made with enough love and conviction as to be contagious. If you've tried and failed with Who in the past, it's worth giving The Doctor another chance with this. The prequel shorts, The Last Day and The Night of the Doctor are up on YouTube, and The Day of the Doctor is on BBC iPlayer for UK folks for the next week (or longer, depending on TV repeats). Outside the UK? I'm sure you'll find a way.

I like sandshoes. I haven't heard sandshoes since the late seventies.
Can we bring back sandshoes, please?

#sandshoes

It's a good set-up.



Mostly.



I'd say yes, but that's not my call to make.



You've missed the boat at the cinema now, but you should aim for watching this in hi-def.



No.



Probably, yes.



I didn't hear one. Plenty of opportunities on Gallifrey. Sort it out, eh?

Where was Tarkin? Hmm?

*¹ SPOILERS: I did find the "so, I won't remember?" moment a bit wince-inducing, but I know with time-travel, you have to make concessions so far as existing material is concerned.
*² And on a completely bitchy note, the clarity of the hi-def in the cinema made Piper's moustache almost as impressive as Hurt's...

DISCLAIMERS:
• ^^^ That's dry, British humour, and most likely sarcasm or facetiousness.
• Yen's blog contains harsh language and even harsher notions of propriety. Reader discretion is advised.
• This is a personal blog. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own thoughts (at the time of writing) and not those of the people, institutions or organisations that I may or may not be related with unless stated explicitly.